FIFA World Cup: goals per tournament 1930-2022
A total of 172 goals were scored during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, marking a new record for the tournament. This was three more goals than the previous tournament in 2018.
Goals galore
The highest ever goals to game ratio was set during the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, where an average of 5.38 goals were scored in each of the 26 games. Some of the highest scoring games during this tournament included Austria 7-5 Switzerland and Hungary 9-0 South Korea. The honor of the World Cup's all time top goal scorer belongs to Germany's Miroslav Klose. The iconic striker scored a total of 16 goals across four World Cups, with his 16th and record-breaking goal coming in Germany's semi-final demolition of Brazil in 2014.
Goal droughts
At the other end of the scale, the 1990 World Cup had the fewest average goals per match, with the ball hitting the back of the net 115 times in 52 matches, or around 2.21 goals per game. The fewest goals scored in a single tournament stands at 70, which occurred at the first two World Cups in 1930 and 1934. This can be explained by the fact that only 13 and 16 teams respectively took part in the finals, and so fewer games were played overall.
Goals galore
The highest ever goals to game ratio was set during the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, where an average of 5.38 goals were scored in each of the 26 games. Some of the highest scoring games during this tournament included Austria 7-5 Switzerland and Hungary 9-0 South Korea. The honor of the World Cup's all time top goal scorer belongs to Germany's Miroslav Klose. The iconic striker scored a total of 16 goals across four World Cups, with his 16th and record-breaking goal coming in Germany's semi-final demolition of Brazil in 2014.
Goal droughts
At the other end of the scale, the 1990 World Cup had the fewest average goals per match, with the ball hitting the back of the net 115 times in 52 matches, or around 2.21 goals per game. The fewest goals scored in a single tournament stands at 70, which occurred at the first two World Cups in 1930 and 1934. This can be explained by the fact that only 13 and 16 teams respectively took part in the finals, and so fewer games were played overall.
