Calculation method and coverage
The comparison uses completed matches as its denominator: 64 matches for 2022 and 104 matches for 2026. Because the two datasets cover different numbers of matches, raw goal totals and per-match rates answer different questions. The raw totals show the volume of goals recorded, while the per-match figures make the two periods more comparable on a match-by-match basis.
The timing split is defined from the half-time and full-time scores. First-half goals are the goals recorded by half-time. The after-half-time figure is calculated as:
After-half-time goals = full-time match goals − half-time goals.
This means that the after-half-time block captures goals scored after the half-time score, including goals scored during extra time where extra time occurred. It is therefore a score-based measure rather than a separate count of only goals in the second half. Penalty shoot-out kicks are not match goals and are excluded.
All per-match figures below use the relevant completed-match denominator. The rates are shown to two decimal places and the shares to one decimal place, matching the precision of the comparison. The totals themselves remain whole-goal counts.
Totals and per-match rates
The headline volume is higher in 2026: 182 goals came after half-time, compared with 105 in 2022. Total match goals also increased from 172 to 308. Since 2026 contains 104 completed matches rather than 64, the total-goal comparison must be read alongside the normalised figures.
| Year | Completed matches | First-half goals | First-half goals per match | After-half-time goals | After-half-time goals per match | Total goals | Total goals per match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 64 | 67 | 1.05 | 105 | 1.64 | 172 | 2.69 |
| 2026 | 104 | 126 | 1.21 | 182 | 1.75 | 308 | 2.96 |
The per-match figures show that the increase was not only a result of the larger number of matches. After-half-time scoring rose from 1.64 goals per completed match in 2022 to 1.75 in 2026. That is an increase of 0.11 goals per match when rounded to two decimal places.
Total scoring rose from 2.69 to 2.96 goals per match, an increase of 0.27. First-half scoring also increased, from 1.05 to 1.21 goals per match, an increase of 0.16. Thus, both parts of the match contributed to the higher 2026 scoring rate, while the after-half-time block still remained the larger part of total scoring in both years.
Before-half-time and after-half-time shares
Raw totals do not show how goals were distributed within matches. To measure that distribution, each timing block is divided by the relevant total: 67 first-half goals out of 172 total goals in 2022, and 126 out of 308 in 2026. The after-half-time shares use 105/172 and 182/308 respectively.
| Year | First-half goals | After-half-time goals | Total goals | First-half share | After-half-time share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 67 | 105 | 172 | 39.0% | 61.0% |
| 2026 | 126 | 182 | 308 | 40.9% | 59.1% |
After-half-time goals accounted for 61.0% of all match goals in 2022. In 2026, they accounted for 59.1%. The 2026 share was therefore 1.9 percentage points lower, not higher. First-half goals made up the remaining 39.0% in 2022 and 40.9% in 2026.
This distinction is central to the comparison. The number of after-half-time goals increased substantially in absolute terms, and the per-match rate also increased. But the timing mix shifted slightly towards first-half goals: first-half scoring per match rose by 0.16, compared with a 0.11 increase after half-time. The result was more scoring in both periods, with a slightly smaller proportion occurring after half-time.
Extra time and penalty shoot-outs
The timing convention affects how the after-half-time category should be read. Because the measure is full-time score minus half-time score, any extra-time goals are included in the after-half-time total. The figures do not present extra-time goals as a separate timing block.
The coverage includes 0 AET results in 2022 and 5 AET results in 2026. This difference is relevant context when comparing the after-half-time totals and shares, because the after-half-time category includes the extra-time goals from matches that went to extra time. The supplied totals do not separately identify how many after-half-time goals came from extra time.
| Year | AET results | PEN-status matches | Penalty shoot-out kicks counted as match goals? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 | 5 | No |
| 2026 | 5 | 4 | No |
Penalty shoot-out kicks are excluded from match-goal totals in both years. The dataset contains 5 PEN-status matches in 2022 and 4 in 2026, but those shoot-out kicks do not enter the 172 and 308 match-goal totals. The figures should therefore be understood as match-score goals under the stated convention, not as totals that include shoot-out kicks.
What the comparison means
More after-half-time goals in 2026
On the narrow question of volume, 2026 is higher. It recorded 182 after-half-time goals, 77 more than the 105 recorded in 2022. The larger number of completed matches explains part of that difference, which is why the per-match comparison matters. Even after normalisation, 2026 remained higher at 1.75 after-half-time goals per match against 1.64.
The same pattern appears in total scoring. There were 308 match goals in 2026 compared with 172 in 2022, while the goals-per-match rate rose from 2.69 to 2.96. The data therefore support the statement that 2026 produced more after-half-time goals both in absolute terms and per completed match.
A slightly lower share after half-time
The answer changes when the measure is the share of all goals. After-half-time goals represented 61.0% of the 2022 total and 59.1% of the 2026 total. So, although the after-half-time count and rate were higher in 2026, the category was a slightly smaller part of the overall goal distribution.
This is not a contradiction. A higher rate can coexist with a lower share when the other timing block also grows and grows faster relative to the total. Here, first-half goals per match rose from 1.05 to 1.21, while after-half-time goals per match rose from 1.64 to 1.75. The descriptive result is more goals across both blocks, with the first-half portion taking a slightly larger share.
The safest summary
The evidence supports three separate statements: 2026 had more completed matches; 2026 had more after-half-time goals per match; and after-half-time goals made up a slightly lower share of all goals. Combining these into a single claim that late scoring simply “increased” would lose the distinction between volume, rate and composition.
Limits of the comparison
This is an aggregate comparison of two sets of completed matches. The denominators are not the same: 64 matches in 2022 and 104 in 2026. Raw totals are consequently affected by coverage, while per-match rates address that difference only by averaging over the available completed matches.
The timing measure also combines all goals after the half-time score, including extra-time goals. There were 0 AET results in 2022 and 5 in 2026, but the supplied figures do not give a separate extra-time goal count. It is therefore not possible here to isolate the effect of extra-time goals from the broader after-half-time category.
Penalty shoot-out kicks are excluded because they are not match goals. The presence of 5 PEN-status matches in 2022 and 4 in 2026 should not be treated as additional scoring in the totals.
Finally, these figures describe differences; they do not explain them. The comparison cannot establish why scoring rates or timing shares differed, and it cannot prove that one factor caused another. In plain terms, the results show association and distribution in the recorded totals, not causation. Rounding may also create small apparent differences when rates and percentages are compared at the displayed precision.
Frequently asked questions
1. How many goals came after half-time in 2022 and 2026?
There were 105 after-half-time goals in 2022 and 182 in 2026. These are match-goal totals calculated from the full-time score minus the half-time score.
2. Did the after-half-time share increase in 2026?
No. After-half-time goals represented 61.0% of 172 total goals in 2022 and 59.1% of 308 total goals in 2026. The share fell by 1.9 percentage points.
3. Which year had the higher after-half-time rate per match?
2026 had the higher rate. It recorded 1.75 after-half-time goals per completed match across 104 matches, compared with 1.64 across 64 completed matches in 2022.
4. Are extra-time goals included in the after-half-time figure?
Yes. The convention is full-time score minus half-time score, so extra-time goals fall within the after-half-time block. The coverage includes 0 AET results in 2022 and 5 in 2026.
5. Are penalty shoot-out kicks included in the goal totals?
No. Penalty shoot-out kicks are not match goals and are excluded. There were 5 PEN-status matches in 2022 and 4 in 2026, but those kicks do not contribute to the match-goal totals.