FIFA World Cup 2026 sees major increase in goals from outside the box
FIFA reports that the 2026 World Cup has seen a significant increase in goals scored from outside the penalty area compared to the 2022 tournament. Experts attribute this trend to teams adopting deep defensive blocks, which forces attackers to attempt long-range shots.
Why it matters
This tactical shift highlights evolving defensive strategies in professional football and provides insight into how modern teams are adapting to congested penalty boxes.
A trend of teams defending deep has enticed forwards to take shots from outside the penalty area, Jurgen Klinsmann says.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Argentina's Enzo Fernandez scores their first goal past England's Jordan Pickford, July 15 [File: Paul Childs/Reuters] By Ali Harb Published On 19 Jul 2026 19 Jul 2026 The proportion of goals scored from outside the box has doubled at the World Cup in North America from the previous tournament in Qatar, FIFA says.
Sixteen percent of the goals scored in this World Cup came from outside the penalty area, versus 8 percent in 2022, FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) revealed on Saturday.
Football experts explained the reason behind the increase: a trend of teams defending in a low bloc and pushing the opposition to try their luck from long range.
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