FIFA World Cup : Top 4 Fastest Ever Goals

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Often hailed as the most prestigious football tournament in the world, the decades-long history of the FIFA World Cup has witnessed numerous underdog victories, game-changing last-minute goals, penalty shoot-outs and shocking upsets. Over the years, numerous legendary football players, including Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo Nazário, Gerd Müller and Just Fontaine, have dominated the FIFA World Cup with their unbeaten records of spine-chilling goals.

However, when it comes to changing the course of the match with the fastest goals ever witnessed in the history of the FIFA World Cup, only a few path-breaking football players have been able to etch their names in the glorious past of the world’s most prestigious and star-studded football tournament.

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In this article we will take a look at the top four fastest goals that still rule the history of the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup : Top 4 Fastest Ever Goals

• Hakan Şükür, Turkey – 11 Seconds (2002)

Often popularly referred to as the “Bull of the Bosphorus”, the Turkish former professional footballer, Hakan Şükür, who played as a striker, undoubtedly created history during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The iconic clash between Turkey and South Korea during the third-place playoff game took a drastic turn as Turkish forward Ilhan Mansız intercepted the ball and passed it quickly to Hakan Şükür.

The Turkish striker, Hakan Şükür, made no mistake and scored a game-changing goal for his team at the eleven-second mark, making it the fastest ever goal in the history of the FIFA World Cup, which still remains unbeaten as of 2025. Hakan Şükür’s spine-chilling goal paid off well and the Turkish team went on to clinch the match 3–2, against South Korea, securing third place—their best-ever finish at a World Cup.

• Václav Mašek, Czechoslovakia – 16 Seconds (1962)

The Czech professional football player, Václav Mašek, who played as a striker for the Czechoslovakia national football team, undoubtedly the entire 1962 FIFA World Cup edition with a single goal that he smashed against Mexico in the group stage match on 6 June 1962 at the iconic Ruzhynski Stadium, Santiago, Chile.

The Czechoslovakia national football team dominated the Mexican side from the beginning of the match and the Czech striker Václav Mašek, who was playing as a forward, received a quick pass and struck the ball past the Mexican goalkeeper Héctor Hernández. Well, just sixteen seconds into the match, Václav Mašek smashed a goal, establishing himself as the second-fastest football player to score a goal in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Václav Mašek’s dominating goal ultimately led Czechoslovakia to a phenomenal 3-0 victory.

• Ernst Lehner, Germany – 25 Seconds (1934)

Well, the iconic 1934 FIFA World Cup edition witnessed a streak of memorable moments and the much-awaited clash between Germany and Australia in the quarterfinals was undoubtedly one of those ground-breaking moments ever witnessed in the history of the World Cup.

Germany’s legendary striker Ernst Lehner scored a goal in the 25th second of the match before the Austria national football team could even prepare for the swift attack. Well, scoring a goal in the initial seconds of the match undoubtedly gave the German side an edge in a high-stakes knockout match and established Ernst Lehner as one of the most prolific strikers of his era, who played a major role in leading Germany to the semifinals of their first World Cup appearance in 1934.

• Bryan Robson, England – 27 Seconds (1982)

Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four fastest goals ever scored in the history of the FIFA World Cup, we have the iconic and one of the most memorable goals from the former English legendary football player Bryan Robson, who is often popularly also referred to as “Captain Marvel” and currently serves as the football manager of the England national football team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup’s group stage match between England and France at the San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Spain.

Bryan Robson, the skipper of the England national football team in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, led the team from the front as soon as the match against France kicked off and brilliantly pounced on Steve Coppell’s throw-in with a brilliant volley, beating French goalkeeper Jean-Luc Ettori in the 27th second of the match establishing himself as the fourth-fastest goalscorer and the fastest English goalscorer in the history of the World Cup.

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