The 2026 World Cup has seen a high number of goals from crosses, but that doesn’t mean aerial bombardments are necessarily the route to success.
Lots of width, frequent crosses into the box, and traditional (as in right-footers on the right, lefties on the left) wingers hugging the touchline: we tend to know it as “old-fashioned wing play”, and that adage gives you a certain idea its perception in some circles.
But we always say it: football is cyclical. Trends come and go, and at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, wing play has had an important role.
Admittedly, we can’t necessarily categorise everything we’ve seen as “old-fashioned wing play” because there are still plenty of ‘inverted’ (you know, playing on the opposite flank to your stronger foot) wingers at the World Cup. But you may have noticed wide players are proving key to the fortunes of many teams at this summer’s tournament in a more classical manner, as opposed to cutting in and shooting.
Or maybe you haven’t – either way, we’re here to tell you this is the case.
Whether it’s wingers, wing-backs or offensive-minded full-backs, we are seeing a lot of goals scored from deliveries into the box from out wide.
Twenty-nine of the 48 teams who qualified for the tournament have scored at least one goal within five seconds of a cross into the box.
In isolation, those figures won’t mean much to anyone, but 29 teams scoring within five seconds of any cross into the box is already five more than we’ve ever seen at a single World Cup on record (since 1966). Obviously, not every tournament since then had as many as 29 countries participating, but the point stands: many have had joy in this manner.
The Netherlands are chief among them.
The Oranje scored from crosses in each of their first two games. There was Brian Brobbey converted two low crosses (the second cross took a slight deflection), and Cody Gakpo scored at the back post from another, courtesy of Erling Haaland was the beneficiary on that occasion, racing in to prod home at the back post.
But among others to score comparable goals in this tournament are
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