The record for the most goals scored by a team in a single World Cup match has stood since 1982, when Hungary crushed El Salvador with an impressive 10-1 in Spain. This result not only represents the highest number of goals scored by a team in a single tournament match but also matches the largest margin of victory in World Cup history.
In this match, Laszlo Kiss made history by becoming the only substitute to score a hat-trick in a World Cup finals, achieving all three goals in just seven minutes of the second half. In addition to him, Tibor Nyilasi contributed with two goals, Gabor Poloskei, Laszlo Fazekas, who also scored twice, Jozsef Toth, and Lazar Szentes also added to the tally.
Other iconic matches with overwhelming victory margins include Hungary's 9-0 win against South Korea in 1954 and Yugoslavia's 9-0 triumph over Zaire in 1974. In the 21st century, the most significant victory in a World Cup was Germany's 8-0 win against Saudi Arabia in 2002, a match in which the all-time World Cup top scorer, Miroslav Klose, scored a hat-trick.
As for the highest number of combined goals between two teams in a match, the record is 12, achieved in the quarter-finals of the 1954 World Cup, when Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5. There have been three matches with a total of 11 goals, namely Brazil-Sweden (6-5) in 1938, Hungary-West Germany (8-3) in 1954, and again the Hungary vs. El Salvador game in 1982. In 1958, France defeated Paraguay 7-3, totaling ten goals, a record recently matched by the result of England 6-4 France in the third-place match of the 2026 World Cup.
In terms of individual goals, the record for a single match belongs to Oleg Salenko from Russia, who scored five goals against Cameroon in 1994. Salenko netted three goals in the first half, including a penalty, and scored the other two in the 72nd and 75th minutes. Russia won the match 6-1, with Dmitri Radchenko rounding off the scoring.
In addition to this achievement, six players have scored four goals in a World Cup match: Ernst Willimowski (Poland, 1938), Ademir de Menezes (Brazil, 1950), Sandor Kocsis (Hungary, 1954), Just Fontaine (France, 1958), Eusébio (Portugal, 1966), and Emilio Butragueño (Spain, 1986).
O MUNDIAL 2026 VIVE-SE COM A LEGO
These historic performances highlight the explosive impact that certain players and teams can have in the most decisive matches of world football, forever marking the history of the FIFA World Cup.
AGORA PODE ACOMPANHAR O MUNDIAL DE FUTEBOL COM TODA INFORMAÇÃO – AQUI
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