“Goals are loves,” says the soccer version of a popular saying, and the finals of the World Cup have been able to support it. Throughout history, title matches have offered generous scoring, with six goals as one of the most recurring figures in the final duel.
In the 22 finals played so far, 83 goals, which leaves an average of 3.77 scores per game. A fact that dismantles the idea that the finals They tend to be closed matches due to the fear of losing.
The origin of this trend dates back to the first World Cup, Uruguay 1930, when the host defeated Argentina 4-2 in a vibrant match. Eight years later, in France 1938history repeated itself: Italy retained its title after also beating Hungary 4-2.
The six-goal barrier reappeared in England 1966, in one of the most memorable finals. At Wembley, England beat Germany 4-2 in extra time, in a match marked by Geoff Hurst’s controversial “ghost goal.”
Over the decades, football evolved toward more cautious schemes, and those types of scoreboards disappeared. YesHowever, the spectacle returned in Russia 2018, when France beat Croatia 4-2 in an open and dynamic final.
The most recent case came in Qatar 2022, in a duel considered one of the best in history. Argentina and France tied 3-3 after 120 minutes, before the Albiceleste will be crowned in the penalty shootout.
The ends of the finals
The final with the most goals is still that of Sweden 1958, when Brazil beat the host 5-2, with seven goals in total. At the other extreme is the United States 1994, the only final that ended 0-0 and that was defined by penalties between Brazil and Italy.
Looking ahead to the World Cup 2026, one of the expectations will be to see if the finalists manage to repeat those high-voltage offensive matches, as in 1930, 2018 or 2022and they once again confirm that, in the finals, goals also tell stories.