Scotland were left shell-shocked by the quickest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far as Morocco surged ahead just 70 seconds after kick-off.

Ismael Saibari blasted the ball past Angus Gunn to open the scoring in lightning-quick fashion, after Grant Hanley misjudged his move forward, allowing the Moroccan forward to race through unchallenged and slot home confidently.

This strike marks the fastest goal in a World Cup match since Alphonso Davies found the net in the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when he scored Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal against Croatia after just 68 seconds.

Although Saibari’s effort currently holds the title for the fastest goal of this summer’s World Cup, it still falls some way short of the all-time record and doesn’t even make the top 10.

Turkey’s Hakan Sukur holds the record for the fastest World Cup goal ever, scoring after just 11 blistering seconds against hosts South Korea. That stunning start came when the Turkish legend intercepted possession straight from kick-off.

England’s Bryan Robson managed a goal in 28 seconds back in 1982, while Clint Dempsey found the net for the USA inside 30 seconds at the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Those two efforts rank fourth and fifth respectively in the all-time list.

North Korea also feature in the record books, with Pak Seung-zin scoring after 50 seconds in 1966 to give his side the lead in their quarter-final against Portugal. However, the Portuguese side came back to win 5-3, before being eliminated by eventual champions England in the following round.

More recently, Mathias Jorgensen struck for Denmark after just 55 seconds in their 2018 Round of 16 match against Croatia, following a long throw-in. Despite taking the lead, Denmark eventually lost that match. Jorgensen’s goal ranks as the 10th fastest in World Cup history, meaning any player needs to score within a minute to make it onto the leaderboard.

While Saibari’s goal might not earn him a place in the record books for overall speed, it does mark the earliest goal Scotland have ever conceded in a World Cup fixture.

Saibari also found the net in Morocco’s tournament opener against Brazil, showing his composure once again by chipping Alisson Becker with a deft finish after being played through on goal.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder is quickly establishing himself as one of the standout performers of this summer’s competition. His rise follows an impressive Africa Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year, where Morocco initially lost the home final to Senegal but were later awarded the title after Senegal were stripped of their crown due to a controversial walk-off protest over a late VAR penalty decision.

Currently playing for Dutch champions PSV in the Eredivisie, Saibari is widely reported to be on the verge of a £55 million transfer to Bayern Munich, underlining his growing reputation in world football.