Goals are being scored at a record pace at the World Cup. The ball is one reason for the surge

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — It’s been goals galore so far at the World Cup.

The tournament has been one of the highest-scoring in history so far and produced nearly 25% more scoring than the same span of games in the previous World Cup.

One reason for the increase in scoring might be the ball that FIFA is using for this tournament.

FIFA says the ball has been designed with deep seams to produce “optimal in-flight stability,” and players and coaches say it has been rocketing toward goalkeepers at a high velocity. There is also added grip to help striking and dribbling the ball in wet or humid conditions.

“This ball is as fast as a cannon ball. I think today and the last couple of days, you saw if you kick the ball in the right position, it’s extremely difficult to save," Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said.

The games are also running longer because of increased stoppage time related to hydration breaks that are new this tournament, allowing more scoring opportunities. And the tournament has a bigger talent gap because of the expanded 48-team field that debuted this year.

The result: Fans were treated to 121 goals in the first 40 games of the tournament, and many of them came from internationally known players.

More than half the goals scored so far in the tournament were by players from the top three professional leagues in England, Germany and Spain. The English Premier League leads the way.

The trend was on full display over the weekend in the match between the Netherlands and Sweden, a 5-1 triumph for the Dutch team. All six goals in the match were scored by players who competed in the Premier League in the 2025-26 season.

“I think the Premier League is more intense than this World Cup,” said Gabriel Martinelli, a Brazil player from Arsenal. “But it’s certainly still a very beautiful World Cup, with high-quality and intense matches.”

Real Madrid, Inter Miami and Liverpool were the clubs whose players have produced the most goals. Miami, of course, is all because of one man — Lionel Messi.

In addition to 28 goals from the Premier League, 16 came from the German league, 11 from the Spanish league, seven from the French league and five from the Italian league.

Major League Soccer saw its players score eight times. Messi had a hat trick in Argentina’s opening match and another two on Monday. The other three MLS goals came from FC Dallas’ Petar Musa of Croatia, Atlanta United’s Matías Galarza of Paraguay and Portland Timbers’ Finn Surman of New Zealand.

When FIFA announced the official squads, there were 200 players based in England at the club level, nearly two times more than the 109 players based in Germany.

The tallies for the goals were made based on the players’ clubs when the official squad announcements were made.

Real Madrid players scored six times — three with France’s Kylian Mbappé, two with Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior and one with England’s Jude Bellingham.

Madrid did not have any players called up for Spain’s national team for the first time ever. It signed Marc Cucurella from Chelsea during the tournament, though, thus making one of its own a part of the World Cup with La Roja.

Liverpool got three goals from Dutch players — two by Cody Gapko and one by Virgil van Dijk. Another goal came by Sweden’s Alexander Isak, and the other was scored by Egypt's Mohamed Salah, who was still listed as a Liverpool player when the squads were announced.

Bayern Munich had four goals from its players — a brace by England’s Harry Kane and one each by Germany’s Jamal Musiala and Colombia’s Luis Díaz.

Bayern was the team with the second-most players called up for the tournament with 18. Manchester City was the first with 19, though its only two goals at the World Cup so far came from Norway's Erling Haaland.

With 121 goals scored from 88 different players in the first 40 games of the tournament, the average per game was at three goals. There were only three 0-0 draws, and eight of the goals were own-goals.

The tournament is on pace to shatter the 172-goal record from Qatar in 2022. The records aren't an apples-to-apples comparison because the 2022 edition only had 64 matches compared with 104 this year.

But the pace for 64 matches this year is at almost 194 goals, well beyond the record from four years ago.

The trend in goal-scoring goes beyond the World Cup. The Champions League has set new records in the past two seasons: 3.27 goals per game in 2024-2025 to 3.47 goals per game in the 2025-2026 season.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/FIFA-World-Cup

Brazil's Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Haiti in Philadelphia, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Netherlands' Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Sweden during a World Cup Group F soccer match in Houston, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Germany's Deniz Undav (26) is mobbed by teammates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Jonathan David (10) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group B soccer match between Canada and Qatar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Peterson)

Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kylian Mbappé of France scored two goals on Monday to reach 16 for his World Cup career, moving into a tie for second most in tournament history as he tries to keep pace with new record holder Lionel Messi.

Playing in his third World Cup, the 27-year-old Mbappé scored in the 14th minute against Iraq, giving Les Bleus a 1-0 lead in his 100th international game. After a weather delay that extended the halftime break to more than two hours, Mbappé found the net again in the 54th minute to move into a tie with Miroslav Klose of Germany, who had the goals record before this high-scoring World Cup began.

Messi scored twice for Argentina earlier Monday to set the tournament record at 18. He had equaled Klose with his first World Cup hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria last Tuesday night in Kansas City, Missouri.

Mbappé scored with a left-footed strike from about 20 yards out that got past Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil, who got his first start in the tournament after captain Jalal Hassan allowed all four goals in Iraq’s 4-1 loss to Norway.

For his second goal, Mbappé took advantage of a poor pass to the goalkeeper by Iraq defender Zaid Tahseen. France's Ousmane Dembele controlled the loose ball and passed to Mbappé, who tapped it in with his right foot.

Mbappé helped France win the World Cup in 2018 and reach the final in 2022, when he was awarded the Silver Ball as the second-best player. Joined up front by Désiré Doué and reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, France entered this year's tournament as a co-favorite with Spain.

Mbappé, one of two men to have a hat trick in a World Cup final, scored his 13th and 14th World Cup goals in France’s 3-1 tournament-opening victory over Senegal. He now has 59 international goals, two more than Oliver Giroud for the most in France's rich history.

His World Cup goals include four this year; eight in 2022, when he won the Golden Boot as the top scorer; and four in 2018.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

France's Dayot Upamecano, center, congrats Kylian Mbappe, right, after he scored during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

France's Kylian Mbappe (10) celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

France's Kylian Mbappe scores his side's opening goal against Iraq during the World Cup Group I soccer match in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

France's Kylian Mbappe (10) scores his team's first goal during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

France's Kylian Mbappe (10) celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)