The 2026 World Cup saw its first major record moment within the opening match window, as Paraguay’s Matias Galarza scored in the 65th second of his team’s match against Türkiye, surpassing Morocco’s Ismael Saibari, who had scored just hours earlier in the 71st second against Scotland. Galarza’s strike, a well-placed shot from outside the box, gave Paraguay an early advantage and officially claimed the tournament’s fastest goal title. Despite the excitement, the record doesn’t rank among the all-time World Cup fastest goals.

According to FIFA, 13 players have scored within the first minute of a World Cup match. The current record holder is Turkey’s Hakan Sukur, who scored in just 11 seconds during the 2002 tournament. Other notable sub-60-second goals include Vaclav Masek in 1962 at 15 seconds and Clint Dempsey in 2014 at 30 seconds. Galarza’s 65-second goal, while quick, falls outside the top 10 in World Cup history.

The rapid back-to-back goals from Saibari and Galarza highlight the aggressive pace teams are bringing early in the 2026 tournament. With records shifting in a matter of hours, fans are already watching closely to see how long Galarza’s mark will stand. No further goals in the first 60 seconds have been recorded so far, but the race is on.