A group at BigSoccer has been tracking the total number of goals since the World Cup started, and everyone seems relieved that we’re not likely to break the record for fewest goals per games.
The current record: Italy ’90, 115 goals / 52 games = 2.212 goals per game
This year so far: 139 goals / 62 games = 2.24 goals per game
So our scenarios from the last two games are:
- 0 goals: 2.17
- 1 goal: 2.19
- 2 goals: 2.20
- 3 goals: 2.219
- 4 goals: 2.23
- 5 goals: 2.25 even
- 6 goals: 2.28
- 7 goals: 2.30 (tying Germany 2006)
This Cup has no chance of catching up with the others. Even with a wide-open third-place game, which is often the case, this will be the third-lowest scoring Cup in history at best.
Other Cups, ranked lowest to highest:
- Germany 2006: 147 / 64 = 2.30
- Korea/Japan 2002: 161 / 64 = 2.52
- Mexico 1986: 132 / 52 = 2.54
- Germany 1974: 97 / 38 = 2.55
- France 1998: 171 / 64 = 2.67
- Argentina 1978: 102 / 38 = 2.68
- USA 1994: 141 / 52 = 2.71
- England 1966: 89 / 32 = 2.78
- Chile 1962: 89 / 32 = 2.78
- Spain 1982: 146 / 52 = 2.81
- Mexico 1970: 95 / 32 = 2.97
- Sweden 1958: 126 / 35 = 3.60
- Uruguay 1930: 70 / 18 = 3.89
- Brazil 1950: 88 / 22 = 4.00
- Italy 1934: 70 / 17 = 4.12
- France 1938: 84 / 18 = 4.67
- Switzerland 1954: 140 / 26 = 5.38
Duresport.com 
Among all the other ‘first time’ and records we’ll get at this World Cup, if Spain wins, they will have, by far, the least goals scored in the tournament for any winner (since ’70, at least).
Spain has currently only scored 7 goals. In that historically low ’90 Cup, Germany finished with 15. Netherlands could match that (currently with 13 goals).
Other numbers:
– 13
’06: Italy – 12
’02: Brazil – 18
’98: France – 15
’94: Brazil – 11
’90: Germany – 15
’86: Argentina – 14
’82: Italy – 12
’78: Argentina – 15
’74: Germany
’70: Brazil – 19
And with that last one, we’re back to where the winners only played 6 games to win it all. (An interesting bit that I learned doing this — despite changes in format for the Cup since ’74, the numbers of games played to win it all has been the same: 7).
If we get a repeat of the ’94 Cup, Spain winning on penalties after no goals, they will have won the cup with an average of only 1 goal per game.
Yes, they pass beautifully, but, man, having just researched this, I’m now really pulling for Holland. They may not play as pretty, but at least they score a few goals.
Having seen one high-scoring up against the low-scoring (Germany – Spain), and the low-scoring win out, I’m not optimistic.
Predicting a 1-0 Spain win, giving them four of them in a row.