# How Throw-Ins Have Become One of the World Cup’s Most Dangerous Attacking Weapons

URL: https://technosports.co.in/throw-ins-become-one-of-the-world-cup-2026/  
Published: 2026-06-30  
Updated: 2026-06-30  
Author: Ankush Mallick

Whether long or short, **throw-ins** are increasingly affecting football matches. Anyone who watched the **Premier League** last season will be familiar with the long throw’s roaring comeback. If you thought they would be taking a back seat at the **[World Cup](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026)**, you would be wrong.

They have not been quite as defining as they sometimes felt in England’s top flight in **2025-26**, but they are very much on show in North America this summer. And short throws are also being used to good effect.

The headline figure: there have already been **six goals from throw-ins** at the **2026 World Cup**. That is the same as the **2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 tournaments combined**. Two at each of the first three of those, and none whatsoever at **Qatar 2022**.

## The Goals: From Coufal to Ayhan

The six goals have come from a range of situations, from long throws directly into the box to quick restarts that led to goals several passes later.

![World Cup 2026](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Krejci-goal-v-South-Korea-1024x768.jpg)

**Czechia** have been the most productive, scoring twice from throw-in situations. **Ladislav Krejčí** headed in from **Vladimír Coufal’s** long throw against South Korea. **Michal Sadílek** scored against South Africa to end a move that began with a long throw down the right-hand side from the halfway line.

![](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sadilak-goal-v-South-Africa-1024x768.jpg)

**Tunisia** saw a long throw into the Sweden box initially cleared, but the ball was immediately crossed back in for **Omar Rekik** to head home — their only goal in a 5-1 defeat. Head coach **Sabri Lamouchi** will have been pleased the long-throw approach worked, though arguably less pleased about being sacked a few days later.

Three goals then arrived in a single day. **Leroy Sané’s** goal against Ecuador followed a throw from **David Raum**, ultimately leading to **Florian Wirtz** setting up the Galatasaray winger inside two minutes. Two more came in **Türkiye’s 3-2 win over the United States**: **Sebastian Berhalter** smashed home after **Mark McKenzie’s** long throw was only cleared to the edge of the box; then Türkiye won it late when a quick throw by the corner flag led to a neat move ending with **Kaan Ayhan** tapping in.

| Goals From Throw-Ins — World Cup 2026 | Scorer | Opponent | Throw Origin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Krejčí (CZE) | South Korea | Coufal long throw |  |
| Sadílek (CZE) | South Africa | Long throw down right |  |
| Rekik (TUN) | Sweden | Long throw cleared, crossed back |  |
| Sané (GER) | Ecuador | Raum throw — Wirtz assist |  |
| Berhalter (USA) | Türkiye | McKenzie long throw |  |
| Ayhan (TUR) | USA | Quick throw — neat move |  |

## Historical Context: The Numbers Are Striking

Six goals from throw-ins is already the **joint second-most at any World Cup on record** (since 1966). The same figure was reached in **2002**. The only edition to feature more was **1994** — the last time the World Cup was held in the United States — when seven goals came from throw-in situations.

![](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Most-goals-from-throw-ins-World-Cup-since-1966-1024x1024.jpg)

Perhaps the players are inspired by playing in NFL stadiums.

| Goals From Throw-Ins by World Cup | Goals |
| --- | --- |
| 1994 (USA) | 7 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| **2026 (USA/CAN/MEX) — ongoing** | **6** |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |

For perspective: there were **zero goals from throw-ins at Qatar 2022**. At this tournament, there are already six in **73 games**. The shift is dramatic.

## Long Throws: Volume and Efficiency

**Long throws into the opposition’s penalty area** — defined as throw-ins aimed into the penalty area measuring at least **20 metres** before the next touch — are significantly more common at this World Cup than at most recent editions.

| Long Throws Into Opponent’s Box Per Game — World Cup History | Per Game |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (so far, 73 games) | 2.4 |
| 2010 | 2.3 |
| 2022 | 1.6 |
| 2018 | 1.6 |
| 2014 | 1.3 |

There have been **177 long throws** into the opposition’s box across **73 matches** — an average of **2.4 per game**. Compare that to just **1.6 per game** in both 2022 and 2018, and **1.3 in 2014**.

The production from those throws has also increased dramatically.

There have been **39 long throws from which at least one shot followed** at this tournament. At Qatar 2022, there were just **12**. In 2018, **19**. In 2014, **10**. In 2010, **25**. Only 2010 comes anywhere close to the current figure.

**Canada** have been the most prolific users in the group stage, taking **20 long throws** into the opposition’s penalty area — almost twice as many as second-placed **New Zealand (12)**.

**Czechia** have been the most efficient, recording **eight long throws from which at least one shot followed** — at least three more than any other team.

## Fewer Throws, Better Used

Here is the counterintuitive twist: teams are taking **fewer** throw-ins overall, but using them more effectively.

![](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Throw-ins-per-game-World-Cup-this-century.jpg)

After **73 games**, there have been an average of **36.8 throws per game** at the **2026 World Cup**. Since the turn of the century, no men’s World Cup had previously averaged fewer than **40 throw-ins per game**. At the **2010 World Cup**, the figure was **50.1 per game**.

| Average Throw-Ins Per Game — World Cup History | Per Game |
| --- | --- |
| 2010 | 50.1 |
| 2022 | ~42+ |
| 2018 | ~40+ |
| **2026 (so far)** | **36.8** |

Fewer throws, more goals, more long throws, more productive sequences. The throw-in is being transformed from a routine restart into a genuine tactical weapon — and the declining overall volume may partly reflect that players are simply better at keeping the ball in play.

## The Five-Second Rule: New Law, Unexpected Consequences

Could a new **FIFA** regulation be partly responsible for the shift?

In February, FIFA announced that at the **2026 World Cup**: “If the referee considers that a throw-in is taking too long or is being deliberately delayed, a five-second visual countdown will be initiated. If the ball is not in play at the end of the countdown, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team.”

Implementation has been somewhat inconsistent — as tends to be the case with most new laws — but throws have already been overturned, and the broader effect on timing is measurable.

| Average Time Per Throw-In | Tournament | Seconds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2018 | — | 14.8 |
| 2022 | — | 15.7 |
| **2026** | — | **13.0** |

The average throw-in at this tournament takes just **13.0 seconds** — significantly faster than the **14.8 seconds** average in **2018** and **15.7 seconds** in **2022**.

The enforced urgency may be having an unexpected tactical consequence. Quicker throws catch defences before they are properly organised. Teams that would previously have used throw-ins as time-wasting opportunities are now forced to be more ambitious — treating them as attacking opportunities rather than dead time. And defenders who usually have more time to set their positions against long throws may be caught off-guard by the reduced preparation window.

## Could This Continue?

There is no obvious reason why these trends should reverse as the tournament progresses.

Teams increasingly recognise throw-ins as a source of **marginal gains** — small advantages that accumulate over the course of a tournament. At a knockout competition, where matches can be decided by a single goal, those marginal gains matter enormously. If teams began the tournament with a throw-in strategy, they are unlikely to abandon it in the knockout rounds.

The **five-second countdown** will continue to reduce the time available for time-wasting and increase the frequency of urgent, ambitious restarts. That combination of tactical evolution and rule enforcement looks set to make **2026** a genuinely landmark year for the throw-in as a tactical weapon.

If the current rate holds, this **World Cup** will finish with more goals from throw-ins than any tournament since **1994** — and players may begin to reconsider the assumption that conceding a throw is ever the safest option.

Read More: [FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32: Netherlands vs Morocco Match Report – Morocco Stun the Netherlands on Penalties to Reach Round of 16](https://technosports.co.in/fifa-world-cup-2026-netherlands-vs-morocco/)  
Also Read: [FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32: Germany vs Paraguay Match Report – Heroic Gill Leads Paraguay to Stunning Penalty Shootout Upset Over Germany](https://technosports.co.in/fifa-world-cup-2026-germany-vs-paraguay-match/)  
Related Article: [FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32: Brazil vs Japan Match Report – Martinelli’s Stoppage-Time Stunner Seals Brazil’s 2-1 Comeback Win Over Japan](https://technosports.co.in/fifa-world-cup-2026-brazil-vs-japan-match/)

## FAQs

### How many goals have been scored from throw-ins at World Cup 2026?

Six — the same as the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 tournaments combined, and already the joint second-most at any World Cup on record since 1966.

### Which team has used long throws most effectively at World Cup 2026?

Czechia have been most efficient, with eight long throws leading to at least one shot — more than any other team. Canada have attempted the most, taking 20 long throws into the opposition’s box during the group stage.

### Are teams using more or fewer throw-ins than at previous World Cups?

Fewer — just 36.8 per game on average, the lowest figure at a men’s World Cup since the turn of the century. At the 2010 World Cup, teams averaged 50.1 throw-ins per game.

### What new rule has affected throw-ins at World Cup 2026?

FIFA introduced a five-second countdown for throw-ins — if the ball is not in play at the end of the countdown, possession is awarded to the opposing team. This has reduced average throw-in time from 15.7 seconds (2022) to 13.0 seconds.

### When was the last time the World Cup saw more throw-in goals than 2026?

The 1994 World Cup — the last time the tournament was held in the United States — produced seven goals from throw-in situations, making it the only World Cup on record to exceed the current 2026 total.