An impressive result obtained by Germany last Sunday (14) went beyond a simple victory in their debut game in the World Cup. The 7-1 defeat of Curaçao, valid in group E, also guaranteed the German team leadership in one of the most important historical records of the tournament: the team with the highest number of goals scored in all editions of the World Cup.
With the seven goals finding the net in the opening match, Germany’s goal count in World Cups rose to 239, thus surpassing Brazil, which had 238. This difference, although minimal, was enough to end a long period in which the Brazilian team occupied the first position in this globally relevant statistic.
The European representation achieved this feat in its 21st participation in the competition. In total, Germany played 113 World Cup matches, maintaining an impressive average of 2.07 goals per game. The country’s history of achievements includes four world titles, won in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014.
In turn, Brazil, the only nation to have been present in all 23 editions of the tournament to date, has played 115 matches and boasts an average of 2.08 goals per match. The Brazilian team remains the greatest champion in the history of the event, with five trophies won in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
The defeat imposed on Curaçao presented a particular story, as the Germans replicated the score of the memorable victory against Brazil itself in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup. The scorers for the European team were Nmecha, Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz (twice), Musiala and Brown. For the Curaçao team, Livano Comenencia scored the goal of honor, ensuring his place in history as the first player to find the net for the country in World Cups.
In the historical survey of goals scored in World Cups, Germany now appears at the top, closely followed by Brazil. Argentina, France and Italy complete the list of the top five teams with the highest records.
Check out the teams with the highest number of goals in all World Cups
- Germany – 239 goals
- Brazil – 238 goals
- Argentina – 152 goals
- France – 136 goals
- Italy – 128 goals
- Spain – 108 goals
- England – 104 goals
- Netherlands – 96 goals
- Uruguay – 89 goals
- Hungary – 87 goals
Among Germany’s top scorers in World Cups, Miroslav Klose stands out, the team’s record holder with 16 goals, Gerd Müller, with 14, and Jürgen Klinsmann, with 11. On the Brazilian side, the list is headed by Ronaldo, with 15 goals, followed by Pelé, who scored 12 times, and by Ademir, Jairzinho and Vavá, all with nine goals scored.