Picture : Ismael Saibari is only the second African player to score in his first two appearances at the World Cup, after Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.
World Cup 2026 Statistics – Day 9 (June 19)
USA vs Australia 2-0 (Group D)
*The United States won their first two matches of a World Cup for the second time.
The previous time was in 1930, where they defeated Belgium and Paraguay consecutively (both by 3-0).
*USA are the second World Cup host nation to score a goal in the opening 15 minutes of each of their first two matches, joining France in 1938.
*USA’s last eight World Cup goals (excluding own goals) have been scored by players under 25 years old, equaling the longest such streak in competition history (Poland, 8 consecutive goals between 1938 and 1974).
*Referee Felix Zwayer handed out seven cards in this game, the most for any referee at this World Cup so far.
*USA became the first team in World Cup history to benefit from an own goal in two consecutive matches.
*There are already 7 own goals scored at the 2026 World Cup: only the 2018 edition has seen more scored (12).
*Australia have now joint-second most own goals (3) in World Cup history, along with Morocco and Switzerland, behind only Mexico (4).
Scotland vs Morocco 0-1 (Group C)
*Morocco have not lost any of their last 6 group stage matches at the World Cup (3 wins, 3 draws): the best unbeaten run for an African nation ahead of Cameroon (5 from 1982 to 1990) and Senegal (5 from 2002 to 2018).
*Scotland failed to register a single shot on target in a World Cup match for the 2nd time in their history.
The only previous instance was against Denmark in 1986.
*Ismaël Saibari scored the fastest goal (1 minute 11 seconds) in Morocco’s history at a World Cup.
He surpassed Hakim Ziyech’s goal against Canada on 1 December 2022, which took 4 minutes.
*Morocco haven’t scored so early in a major international tournament since Soufiane Alloudi’s goal against Namibia (at 58 seconds) in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
*Saibari’s goal the second-fastest goal ever scored by an African team in the history of the World Cup, behind only to Asamoah Gyan’s goal for Ghana against Czechia in Germany on 17 June 2006 (1 minute 8 seconds).
*Saibari is only the second African player to score in his first two appearances at the World Cup, after Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.
*Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi became the youngest (18 years 260 days) African player to win a match in World Cup history.
*Achraf Hakimi became the African player with the most World Cup appearances in history – 12, one more than François Omam-Biyik Cameroon) and Asamoah Gyan (Ghana).
Brazil vs Haiti 3-0 (Group C)
*Haiti became the first team mathematically eliminated from the 2026 World Cup.
*Haiti are the 4th nation to have lost all first 5 matches in their history in the World Cup, after El Salvador, Mexico and Canada.
*Brazil are the teams that have played the most matches in the World Cup against opponents from the same confederation (CONCACAF) without losing: 10 (9 wins, 1 draw).
The next are:
Argentina vs CONCACAF: 8 (8 wins)
England vs CAF: 8 (5 wins, 3 draws)
Netherlands vs AFC: 7 (6 wins, 1 draw)
Mexico vs AFC: 6 (6 wins)
*Brazil are undefeated in last 15 matches on the second match-day of the World Cup and has won 11 of their last 12 matches at that stage (they haven’t lost there since the 1-3 defeat against Hungary in 1966).
*Brazil fielded their oldest team in a World Cup match (an average age of 30 years and 190 days), since the 1962 final against Czechoslovakia (30 years and 216 days).
*Brazil played a World Cup match with 2 players aged under 20 (Rayan 19, Endrick 19) for the 2nd time in history after the one against Wales on 19 June 1958 (Pelé 17, José Altafini 19).
Turkey vs Paraguay 0-1 (Group D)
*Turkey are already eliminated after the first two matches.
*Paraguay’s Matías Galarza has scored the earliest goal with a shot from outside the area (1 minute 5 seconds) in the World Cup since Pak Seung-Zin’s for North Korea against Portugal in England 1966 (50 seconds).
*Galarza scored Paraguay’s second fastest goal in World Cup history behind Celso Ayala’s against Nigeria on 24 June 1998 (52 seconds).
*For the 3rd time in the history of the World Cup, 2 goals have been scored in the first 2 minutes on the same day (Saibari and Galarza).
*Galarza’s and Saibari’s goals are the 4th and 7th earliest goals in the XXI Century in World Cups:
0’11’’ – Hakan Sukur (Turkey) in 2002
0’31’’ – Dempsey (United States) in 2014
0’57’’ – Zanka Jorgensen (Denmark) in 2018
1’05’’ – Matías Galarza (Paraguay) in 2026
1’06’’ – Davies (Canada) in 2022
1’08’’ – Gyan (Ghana) in 2006
1’11’’ – Ismaël Saibari (Morocco) in 2026
*Miguel Almirón is the 2nd Paraguayan player ever sent off in the first half of a World Cup.
The only previous instance was Carlos Paredes against Slovenia in 2002 (22nd minute).
*Vincenzo Montella (coach of Turkey) is the first person ever to be booked as both a player (with Italy against Mexico in 2002) and now a coach in the history of the World Cup.
Srečko Katanec remains the only person ever to be sent off at World Cups as both a player (with Yugoslavia in 1990) and a coach (with Slovenia in 2002).