Top 10 World Cup 2026 Own Goals: One Ended Cape Verde’s Miracle

World Cup 2026 own goals broke every record in the book. Fourteen own goals were scored across the tournament, smashing the previous all-time high of seven set back in 2018. 

Some barely mattered in matches already decided. Others changed the entire course of a team’s tournament. These are the ten World Cup 2026 own goals that cost the most.

Quick Reference Table

Rank	Player	Country	Why It Cost So Much
1	Diney Borges	Cape Verde	Decided a Round of 32 knockout tie against Argentina
2	Miro Muheim	Switzerland	Turned a dominant win into a 1-1 draw in their opener
3	Yazan Al-Arab	Jordan	Turned a draw into a 3-1 defeat in the 76th minute
4	Mohamed Hany	Egypt	First player ever to score two own goals in one World Cup
5	Aymen Hussein	Iraq	Scored at both ends in the same match
6	Ellyes Skhiri	Tunisia	Tied the all-time World Cup own goal record
7	Abduvohid Nematov	Uzbekistan	Sealed a 5-0 defeat in a must-win situation
8	Hassan Al-Tambakti	Saudi Arabia	Sealed a 4-0 defeat that hurt qualification hopes
9	Cameron Burgess	Australia	Opened the scoring inside 11 minutes in a 2-0 defeat
10	Damian Bobadilla	Paraguay	The tournament’s very first own goal

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1. Diney Borges, Cape Verde vs Argentina

No World Cup 2026 own goal cost more than this one. Cape Verde, a nation of barely 500,000 people making their World Cup debut, had already stunned the football world by taking Argentina to extra time in the Round of 32. 

Then, deep into extra time, a Messi corner led to a Cristian Romero header that deflected off Borges and past his own goalkeeper. The dream ended right there. Cape Verde’s fairytale run was over, undone by the cruellest possible bounce.

2. Miro Muheim, Switzerland vs Qatar

Switzerland dominated their Group B opener against Qatar, racking up 26 shots and looking set for a routine opening win after Breel Embolo’s first-half penalty. 

Then, 4 minutes into stoppage time, substitute Miro Muheim rose to defend a corner and could only head Boualem Khoukhi’s cross past his own goalkeeper. 

What should have been three points became one, and Switzerland were left to salvage their group campaign in their remaining two matches. 

It remains one of the most damaging World Cup 2026 own goals purely because of how dominant Switzerland had been for the entire 94 minutes before it happened.

3. Yazan Al-Arab, Jordan vs Austria

Jordan were level with Austria deep into the second half when relentless Austrian pressure finally told. 

In the 76th minute, centre back Yazan Al-Arab mistimed a clearance under pressure from a corner and turned the ball into his own net, breaking Jordanian hearts and turning a hard-fought point into a 3-1 defeat.

4. Mohamed Hany, Egypt vs Belgium and vs Australia

Nobody in the history of the World Cup had ever scored 2 own goals in the same tournament until Mohamed Hany managed it at World Cup 2026. 

His first came in a 1-1 draw with Belgium in the group stage. His second, even more dramatic, came in the Round of 32 against Australia, helping level a match that eventually went to penalties, which Egypt won. 

A genuinely unwanted piece of World Cup history.

5. Aymen Hussein, Iraq vs Norway

Aymen Hussein is Iraq’s most reliable striker, so it was a strange sight to see him deep in his own penalty box mistiming an aerial clearance from a corner and looping the ball into his own net against Norway. 

What makes this one of the most unusual World Cup 2026 own goals is that Hussein also scored at the other end in the same match, making him only the 3rd player in men’s World Cup history to find both nets in a single game.

6. Ellyes Skhiri, Tunisia vs Netherlands

Skhiri’s own goal against the Netherlands in the group stage tied the all-time World Cup record for own goals in a single tournament at the moment it was scored, a record that had stood since 2018. 

Two more own goals arrived before the tournament was finished, but Skhiri’s strike was the one that confirmed World Cup 2026 was about to make history.

7. Abduvohid Nematov, Uzbekistan vs Portugal

Uzbekistan were already well beaten by the time Nematov’s 60th-minute own goal made it 4-0 against Portugal, but it summed up a miserable group campaign that left them needing a win in their final match just to have any hope of survival.

8. Hassan Al-Tambakti, Saudi Arabia vs Spain

Al-Tambakti’s 49th-minute own goal sealed a 4-0 defeat to Spain in the group stage, leaving Saudi Arabia needing results elsewhere to have any realistic chance of reaching the knockout rounds.

9. Cameron Burgess, Australia vs USA

Burgess deflected the ball into his own net just 11 minutes into Australia’s group stage clash with co-hosts USA, gifting the Americans an early lead in what finished a 2-0 defeat for the Socceroos.

10. Damian Bobadilla, Paraguay vs USA

The very first World Cup 2026 own goal came from Damian Bobadilla just seven minutes into Paraguay’s opening match against the USA, sliced into his own net attempting to clear a low cross. 

It set the tone for a tournament that would go on to shatter every own goal record on the books.

Why World Cup 2026 Had So Many Own Goals

There are 48 teams in the 2026 World Cup, which means more matches, more mismatched fixtures, and ultimately more chances for defensive errors under pressure.

World Cup 2026 own goals accounted for 14 of the tournament’s total goals, more than double the previous record, and stand as one of the strangest and most talked-about statistical stories the competition has ever produced.

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