Here is the list of first goal scorers at every football World Cup till date (from 1930 to 2026). France’s Lucien Laurent scored the first ever FIFA World Cup goal back in 1930 vs Mexico, while Mexico’s Julian Quinones is the latest first goal scorer, netting in the 2026 edition vs South Africa.
List of first goal scorers (opening goal) at every World Cup so far
1930– Lucien Laurent (France) vs Mexico
1934– Ernesto Belis (Argentina) vs Sweden
1938– Josef Gauchel (Germany) vs Switzerland
1950– Ademir (Brazil) vs Mexico
1954– Milos Milutinovic (Yugoslavia) vs France
1958– Oreste Corbatta (Argentina) vs West Germany
1962– Hector Facundo (Argentina) vs Bulgaria
1966- Pele (Brazil) vs Bulgaria
1970– Dinko Dermendzhiev (Bulgaria) vs Peru
1974- Paul Breitner (West Germany) vs Chile
1978– Bernard Lacombe (France) vs Italy
1982– Erwin Vandenbergh (Belgium) vs Argentina
1986– Alessandro Altobelli (Italy) vs Bulgaria
1990– Francois Omam-Biyik (Cameroon) vs Argentina
1994– Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) vs Bolivia
1998– Cesar Sampaio (Brazil) vs Scotland
2002– Papa Bouba Diop (Senegal) vs France
2006– Philipp Lahm (Germany) vs Costa Rica
2010– Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa) vs Mexico
2014– Marcelo (Brazil; own goal) vs Croatia
2018– Yury Gazinsky (Russia) v Saudi Arabia
2022– Enner Valencia (Ecuador) vs Qatar
2026– Julian Quinones (Mexico) vs South Africa
23 World Cups have been conducted till date.
Quinones wears jersey no 16 for Mexico at the 2026 World Cup.