The 10 Best Matches of the 2026 World Cup
The 10 Best Matches of the 2026 World Cup — The 2026 World Cup produced an astonishing 308 goals across 104 matches, highlighted by unforgettable, high-scoring thrillers ranging from Algeria’s historic draw with Austria to England’s dramatic victories over host nation Mexico and France.
The 2026 World Cup delivered an astonishing 308 goals across 104 matches, averaging almost three goals a game, and among those are some free-scoring thrillers from the group stages all the way to the finals.
Despite that, there were also matches that starved spectators of any real thrill. But as the curtain finally dropped on a remarkable tournament, here’s a look back at the 10 best matches the 2026 World Cup gave us.
10. Iran 2-2 New Zealand
Iran denied New Zealand a first ever World Cup win by coming from behind twice in their Group G opener in Los Angeles. Elijah Just scored either side of Iran’s two goals, and the sheer back-and-forth of it made for one of the more entertaining group stage openers of the whole tournament.
9. Norway 1-4 France
With qualification already wrapped up, Martin Ødegaard, Erling Haaland, and all other members of their regular starting XI rested on the bench, Norway’s understrength side actually stood up to an almost full strength France in their final group game.
However, Les Bleus simply had too much class for the depleted Norwegians though, as Ousmane Dembele ran riot with a first-half hat-trick that blew the game apart before Desire Doue added a fourth late on.
8. Turkiye 3-2 USA
Turkiye had already been eliminated after two disastrous group games in which they somehow failed to score from 62 shots combined against Australia and Paraguay.
They finally found their shooting boots in a dead rubber against co-host the United States, snatching a stoppage-time winner through Kaan Ayhan in a five-goal thriller, giving themselves some pride to take home.
7. Morocco 4-2 Haiti
Haiti scored their first World Cup goals in 52 years in this Group C finale, with Yasine Bounou’s own goal sending shockwaves around Atlanta Stadium. Morocco, eyeing another historic run having reached the semi-finals in Qatar 2022, needed two comebacks and two late substitute goals to finally see off the Caribbean underdogs.
6. Belgium 3-2 Senegal
Trailing 2-0 with four minutes left, Belgium looked dead and buried in this Round of 32 clash with Senegal in Seattle. Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans dragged them level and then, deep into extra time, Tielemans converted a penalty in the 125th minute, the latest winning goal ever scored at a World Cup.
5. England 4-2 Croatia
Croatia had knocked England out at the semi-final stage back in 2018, and the two were drawn together again for England’s tournament opener in Dallas.
Harry Kane’s brace and further goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford settled a genuinely chaotic four-goal-in-the-first-half kind of night, delivering both points and a small measure of revenge.
4. Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde
Cape Verde, at their first ever World Cup, pushed the reigning champions all the way to extra time in the Round of 32 before an own goal in the 111th minute finally separated the two sides. It was a phenomenal effort from the tiny island nation, and for long stretches it genuinely looked like Argentina’s title defence might end there and then.
3. Algeria 3-3 Austria
This one carried real historical weight. Austria and West Germany infamously combined to knock Algeria out of the 1982 World Cup through a result both nations wanted, an incident remembered as the “Disgrace of Gijon,” and 44 years later Algeria and Austria met again with both scrapping for a knockout spot.
Riyad Mahrez thought he had won it for Algeria in stoppage time, only for Austria’s Sasa Kalajdzic to snatch a stunning equalizer moments later, sending both sides through in a six-goal thriller. It was the highest scoring draw at the tournament since 1962.
2. France 4-6 England
England’s 6-4 win over France in the third-place play-off was the highest-scoring World Cup match since Hungary’s 10-1 demolition of El Salvador back in 1982, and the highest scoring knockout game since 1954.
England raced into a stunning 4-0 half-time lead through Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a Bukayo Saka brace, only for Kylian Mbappe and France to threaten a wild comeback before Saka’s hat-trick and a late Jude Bellingham strike sealed it for Three Lions.
1. Mexico 2-3 England
This was the game of the tournament by some miles, and the setting made it even better. Played at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, the very stadium where Diego Maradona’s Hand of God broke English hearts back in 1986.
This time, England had to survive Jude Bellingham’s rapid brace, a red card for Jarell Quansah, and dueling penalties from Harry Kane and Raul Jimenez before holding on for 40 minutes with ten men to send the host nation home.
The night also saw Bellingham lay the foundations as he later became the first player to score back-to-back FIFA World Cup knockout brace since Diego Maradona in 1986, and the second youngest to do so after Pelé in 1954.
The Debate Will Go On
Rankings like this are always a bit of fun and a bit of an argument starter, and this list is no exception. Someone out there is furious that Spain’s quiet, ruthless march to the final barely gets a mention here.
On the other hand, someone else is convinced a group game they watched at midnight deserved a place in the top five, and that’s really the whole point of a tournament this good: there were simply too many nights worth remembering to fit them all in one list.
Which matches do you feel should be on the list? Let us know in the comments section.
