World Cup 2026: Why late goals are becoming more common than ever

As the clock ticked towards the final quarter hour of Switzerland’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the two teams were deadlocked.

Then everything changed. Substitute Johan Manzambi came off the bench and needed just three minutes to score.

He had two goals at the final whistle, Switzerland scored four times after the 70th minute and Bosnia became the third team in World Cup history to concede four or more goals after the 70th minute.

This is an extreme example of a trend that has emerged throughout World Cup 2026.

Of the 96 goals so far in the tournament, 28 have come from the 76th minute to full-time. It represented 29.2% of all goals scored, making the last 15 minutes – including stoppage time – comfortably the most productive period of the match.

The next-highest scoring window was the period just before half-time, with 19 goals between the 31st minute and the interval.

Nor is the phenomenon confined to a handful of groups. Twenty nations had already found the net in the final quarter hour and second-half stoppage time, with Switzerland’s three goals the most recorded by any team in that period.