Messi Matches 16-Goal World Cup Record as Round 1 Produces 75 Goals

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 18

Lionel Messi’s hat-trick for Argentina lifted him to 16 World Cup goals, level with Miroslav Klose, while Harry Kane’s double took him to 10 and tied Gary Lineker’s England record.
Seventy-five goals were scored across 24 opening matches — 3.125 per game, the highest first-round rate since 1958 — even as nine games ended level, a 37.5% draw rate last matched in 2010.
Arda Guler led the tournament with eight shots but generated only 0.26 xG, while Son Heung-min underperformed most badly by failing to score from chances worth 1.0 xG.
Pedri posted a tournament-best 1.23 expected assists and six final-third ball wins, Joshua Kimmich supplied two assists in Germany’s 7-1 win, and substitute Amad Diallo emerged as the most effective dribbler.
The first-round numbers suggest the expanded 2026 World Cup has remained both attack-minded and competitive, despite pre-tournament concerns over format dilution.