Analysis

The World Cup’s heaviest team, its fastest player and why the USA are the kings of the dribble

Christian Pulisic dribbles against Paraguay; the USA leads in runs with the ball at this World Cup Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

By Conor O'Neill and Duncan AlexanderJune 19, 2026 Updated June 20, 2026

We are 27 per cent of the way through the biggest World Cup ever staged. And the questions are flooding in.

Are we actually witnessing a historic goals-per-game rate?
Could Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT side be the new Brazil?
How much of a physical outlier are Erling Haaland’s Norway?
And can we see the World Cup’s fastest player in action on Friday? (Yes, we can).

Interested in finding out the answers? Then read on.

Why the 2026 World Cup goal rush is legit

Soccer is the world’s most beloved low-scoring sport for a reason. Goals are hard to score and results have to be earned.

But sometimes the goals dip too low. At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the scoring rate dipped to just 2.21 and the sport’s lawmakers reacted by bringing in the backpass law in 1992, stopping goalkeepers from being able to pick up the ball when one of their teammates passed it to them.

It had the desired effect: no World Cup since has been as low scoring as 1990.

But there are relatively few people watching the 2026 tournament who can genuinely remember the last time a World Cup was serving up more goals per game, because that was way back in 1958.

In 2026, there have been 3.2 goals per game, a scoring rate that mirrors the sort of rates we have seen in the Champions League in recent seasons. It’s making every game at this year’s tournament worth tuning in for.

But if you are strapped for time and unable to watch the whole 90 minutes, then the, er, fourth quarter is the one to check out — with a goals per 10 minutes rate of 0.35, a figure that takes into account injury time at the end of second halves.

We wait to see how long this rate holds, as the group stage transitions into high-stakes knockout matches. In the meantime, enjoy the goals.

In the U.S., dribbling is sweeping the nation

Whether it is Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, or Christian Pulisic for the USMNT, America has developed a taste for sports stars bursting past opponents.

At the World Cup, the co-hosts completed 22 take-ons in their 4-1 victory over Paraguay, a tally no other side has matched, including the eight teams that have played twice

Pulisic completed four, joint-most alongside full-back Sergino Dest, despite playing only the first half before being withdrawn with a calf injury. The graphic below shows how the U.S. tore into Paraguay from both flanks, overwhelming them through slick footwork and rapid changes of direction.

Against a U.S. side this willing to run at defenders, Australia on Friday risk — like the water in its sinks compared with their North American counterparts — being sent spinning in the opposite direction.

Australia’s Bos-move

But if Australia has a secret weapon — other than increasingly iconic goalkeeper Patrick Beach — it’s the speed at which they can counter-attack.

So look out on Friday for left-back Jordan Bos, who is the fastest player at the 2026 World Cup so far, clocking a top speed of 22.8 miles per hour in his side’s game against Turkey. It’s roughly the average speed of traffic in Los Angeles.

He is followed in the list by two Manchester City players — Norway’s Erling Haaland and Uzbekistan’s Abdukodir Khusanov — both known for their pace, and both showing it in the early stages of this year’s World Cup.

Why Norway’s success is a tall story

It is not just superstar forward Haaland; this Norwegian side are a muscular bunch in general. Weighted by minutes, the average player towers at 6ft 2in and clocks in at 185 pounds.

These are estimates provided by statistical providers. Footballers are not routinely stripped naked, weighed and measured by a group of clipboard-wielding data scientists for our edification, but the figures broadly match the eye test.

With these hulking dimensions, Norway looked every bit the Nordic warriors in their pre-tournament photoshoot, where they were bedecked in Viking armour.

Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands, a nation renowned for its tall population, come in as the second-tallest squad at the tournament.

And while they may be footballing heavyweights, Argentina sits on the lighter end of the scale at 166 pounds. Only South Africa is shorter than Argentina’s average height of 5ft 10in. But that does not stop their diminutive magician Lionel Messi from making defenders feel very small indeed.

Jun 24, 2026

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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'

Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.

The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.

Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.

But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.

'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.

'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'

The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.

Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'

A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs

Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts

But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'

A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.

'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.

Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.

'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.

'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.

'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.

'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'

'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.

'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'