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World Cup history made as 2026 tournament breaks own goal record
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- World Cup history made as 2026 tournament breaks own goal record
World Cup history made as 2026 tournament breaks own goal record
The 2026 World Cup has entered the record books before the round of 16 has even got underway, with this year's tournament officially becoming the highest-scoring edition for own goals in competition history.
The record was broken during Egypt's dramatic knockout victory over Australia when defender Mohamed Hany inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net. Later the same day, Cape Verde's Diney Borges added another unfortunate own goal during his side's thrilling extra-time defeat to Argentina , taking the overall total to 14.
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That eclipses the previous record of 12 own goals set at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the 1998 tournament saw just five. With 16 matches still remaining, there is every chance the record will be extended even further before the competition concludes.
Hany has also made unwanted World Cup history on a personal level. The 30-year-old defender became the first player officially credited with scoring two own goals at the same tournament, having also found the wrong net during Egypt's earlier meeting with Belgium.
There is, however, a historical footnote. Some records from the 1966 World Cup credit Bulgaria's Ivan Davidov with an own goal that other sources attribute to Ivan Vutsov, who would also have finished that tournament with two own goals. Regardless, under current official records, Hany stands alone with an unwanted piece of World Cup history.
