Question: did 2026 have more stoppage-time goals?
More stoppage time, more goals after the 90th minute.
In 2026 there were 0.33 second-half stoppage-time goals per match, against 0.13 in 1986-2022. Part of the "dramatic finish" is just longer games.
VerdictNew in 2026
What it means
0.33second-half stoppage-time goals per match in 2026 (34 goals in 104 matches).
0.13on average from 1986 to 2022.
0.22the top of the range of World Cups drawn at random from the history. 2026 went past it.
How we know
- Definition
- a second-half stoppage-time goal is one recorded as 90+ in regulation; extra time is left out.
- Caveat
- older World Cups may have recorded stoppage-time goals as 90' (1986 has no 90+ at all), which understates the 80s and 90s. Part of the rise may be in the record, not in the game.
- Rule, written before looking at the data
- we drew thousands of same-size World Cups from all matches of 1986 to 2026; outside the 95% range is new in 2026.