List of FIFA World Cup Goal Firsts
The FIFA World Cup has produced countless memorable goals since the first tournament in 1930. Over the decades, the competition has witnessed many historic scoring milestones, from the first-ever World Cup goal and hat-trick to record-breaking feats and the introduction of goal-line technology to help determine whether the ball crossed the line.
Dutch goal at the 1974 World Cup
Significant Goal Scoring Firsts in the History of the FIFA World Cup
- 1930 — France’s Lucien Laurent scored the first goal in FIFA World Cup history during the opening match against Mexico.
- 1930 — The United States’ Bert Patenaude recorded the first World Cup hat-trick in a match against Paraguay.
- 1930 — Mexico’s Manuel Rosas became the first player to score a penalty goal in World Cup history against Argentina.
- 1930 — Mexico’s Manuel Rosas scored the first own goal in FIFA World Cup history during a match against Chile.
- 1934 — Germany’s Edmund Conen became the first player to score a second-half hat-trick at a FIFA World Cup.
- 1938 — Poland’s Ernest Wilimowski became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match and still finish on the losing side.
- 1954 — Austria’s Erich Probst became the first player to score a first-half hat-trick at a FIFA World Cup.
- 1962 — Colombia’s Marcos Coll scored the first “Olympic goal” in World Cup history, finding the net directly from a corner kick against the Soviet Union.
- 1966 — England’s Geoff Hurst became the first player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup final.
- 1970 — Mexico’s Juan Basaguren became the first substitute to score a goal in a World Cup match.
- 1978 — The Netherlands’ Ernie Brandts became the first player to score both an own goal and a goal for his own team in the same World Cup match.
- 1982 — Hungary’s László Kiss became the first substitute to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup match.
- 1994 — Russia’s Oleg Salenko became the first player to score five goals in a single World Cup match.
- 1998 — France’s Laurent Blanc scored the first golden goal in FIFA World Cup history against Paraguay.
- 1998 — Robert Prosinečki became the first player to score for two different nations at FIFA World Cup finals, netting for Yugoslavia in 1990 and Croatia in 1998.
- 2002 — The match between the United States and Portugal became the first World Cup match in which two own goals were scored.
- 2006 — Paraguay’s Carlos Gamarra became the first player whose own goal was the only goal scored in a World Cup match.
- 2014 — Honduras defender Noel Valladares scored the first World Cup goal awarded using goal-line technology, officially recorded as an own goal against France.
- 2018 — Croatia’s Mario Mandžukić became the first player to score an own goal in a FIFA World Cup final.
- 2022 — Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in five different FIFA World Cup tournaments.
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