After 24 games 

©TM/IMAGO

With the first round concluded, there have now been 24 games at the World Cup, and every one of the 16 host stadiums has at least hosted one game. Given the insane ticket prices, most games seem well attended as well. But in which stadiums did visitors get the best bang for their buck? Using our extensive database, we have compiled a list of stadiums with the most goals on matchday 1 of the World Cup group stages.

So which stadium is at the top? NRG Stadium in Houston and the AT&T Stadium in Dallas came out on top. Both had ten goals in two games. That’s an average of five goals per game. In Houston, however, eight of those goals came in Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao. The second match was a 1-1 draw between Portugal and DR Congo. Dallas, in the meantime, was treated to two of the best games in the tournament. The Netherlands and Japan battled to a 2-2 draw, and England beat Croatia 4-2.

Next on the list is SoFi Stadium with nine goals in two games. That’s still a respective 4.5 goals per match for the good people of Los Angeles. Five of those games in the United States men’s national team’s opening game against Paraguay. The US boys destroyed Paraguay 4-1. The second match at SoFi was a 2-2 draw between New Zealand and Iran. The stadium with the most goals per game, however, is the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, where Sweden destroyed Tunisia 5-1. A result with significant consequence: Tunisia fired head coach Sabri Lamouchi and hired Hervé Renard in his stead.

Only 0-0 draw of the tournament – Atlanta without goals

What about the stadiums with the least number of goals? Across two games, BMO Field in Toronto has the worst record. The Canadian men’s national team drew Bosnia-Herzegovina here 1-1, and Ghana managed just a 1-0 win over Panama. But it could be worse. Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia saw just one goal in Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador, and Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium had no goals on matchday 1. But at least it experienced one of the first major shocks of the tournament as Spain was held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde. It was the only goalless fixture of the tournament.