Joint-holders Mexico kickstart the 2026 World Cup when locking horns with South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium on Thursday night.
While between 1974 and 2002, the defending champions were present in the first match at the major tournament, since 2006 the host nations have always been involved in the opener.
The inaugural match at the 2022 World Cup saw Ecuador overcome Qatar in convincing 2-0 fashion, with Enner Valencia opening the scoring. The first contest of the 2002 World Cup saw Senegal stun defending champions France 1-0, with Papa Bouba Diop proving the only goalscorer in a major upset in Seoul.
Read on as we take a look at which player has scored the opening goal at each World Cup.
Which player has scored the opening goal at each World Cup?
Year: | Goalscorer: | Result: |
2022 | Enner Valencia (Ecuador) | Qatar 0-2 Ecuador |
2018 | Yury Gazinsky (Russia) | Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia |
2014 | Marcelo (Brazil) | Brazil 3-1 Croatia |
2010 | Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa) | South Africa 1-1 Mexico |
2006 | Philipp Lahm (Germany) | Germany 4-2 Costa Rica |
2002 | Papa Bouba Diop (Senegal) | France 0-1 Senegal |
1998 | Cesar Sampaio | Brazil 2-1 Scotland |
1994 | Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) | Germany 1-0 Bolivia |
1990 | Francois Omam-Biyik (Cameroon) | Argentina 0-1 Cameroon |
1986 | Alessandro Altobelli (Italy) | Italy 1-1 Bulgaria |
1982 | Erwin Vandenbergh (Belgium) | Argentina 0-1 Belgium |
1978 | Bernard Lacombe (France) | France 1-2 Italy |
1974 | Paul Breitner (West Germany) | West Germany 1-0 Chile |
1970 | Dinko Dermendzhiev (Bulgaria) | Peru 3-2 Bulgaria |
1966 | Pele (Brazil) | Brazil 2-0 Bulgaria |
1962 | Hector Facundo (Argentina) | Argentina 1-0 Bulgaria |
1958 | Oreste Corbatta (Argentina) | West Germany 3-1 Argentina |
1954 | Milos Milutinovic (Yugoslavia) | Yugoslavia 1-0 France |
1950 | Ademir (Brazil) | Brazil 4-0 Mexico |
1938 | Josef Gauchel (Germany) | Switzerland 1-1 Germany |
1934 | Ernesto Belis (Argentina) | Sweden 3-2 Argentina |
1930 | Lucien Laurent (France) | France 4-1 Mexico |
