The 2026 World Cup's header trends: More assists, higher precision

Headers have accounted for a shrinking percentage of World Cup goals, dropping from 23.7% in 2018 to 18.4% in 2022 to 17.9% in 2026 through the round of 16, according to Northeastern's NetSI Sport research group, which is analyzing this year's tournament data. However, headers are becoming more accurate—converting at a higher rate (11.4%) and producing more shots on target (33.5%) than in the two previous World Cups.