The 2026 FIFA World Cup is characterized by historic scoring profusion, with 25% more goals scored compared to the same period in previous World Cup matches.

But one of the reasons for the high scoring rate may be the ball used by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) in this tournament.

FIFA explained that the 2026 World Cup ball was designed with deep stitching to provide ideal stability while flying in the air, and players and coaches confirmed that the ball is fast on its way to the goal, and it also features additional capabilities that make shooting and dribbling easier in wet conditions. Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said: This ball is fast like a cannonball. I think you have seen over the past two days that when you hit it hard at an appropriate angle, it is difficult for this ball to be blocked.

Matches also became longer due to an increase in the pause time allocated for drinking water, in a new procedure applied for the first time, which also helped to increase scoring rates.

This resulted in 121 goals being scored in the first 40 matches of the 2026 World Cup, most of which were from international stars.

Players from the three major leagues in Spain, England and Germany have scored more than half of the goals scored so far in the tournament, with English Premier League players topping the list.

In the Netherlands’ sweeping 5-1 victory over Sweden, all six goals came from players who participated in the English Premier League in the 2025-2026 season.

Real Madrid, Inter Miami and Liverpool players also topped the list of top scorers in the tournament, due to one player, Lionel Messi.

English Premier League players scored 28 goals in the World Cup, compared to 16 goals for German League players, 11 from the Spanish League, seven from the French League, and five from the Italian League.

American League players also scored 8 goals, with Messi scoring a hat-trick against Algeria and two goals against Austria on Monday evening, while the other three goals were scored by Croatian Peter Musa, FC Dallas player, Paraguayan Matias Galarza, Atlanta United player, and New Zealander Finn Surman, Portland Timbers player.