Sixty-four seconds. That’s all Matías Galarza needed to etch his name into World Cup history. The 24-year-old Paraguayan midfielder scored the fastest goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup during Paraguay’s Group D clash against Turkey on June 19, earning himself the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match award in the process.
For a country that hadn’t appeared on the World Cup stage since 2010, that kind of opening statement carries weight.
A 64-second redemption arc
Paraguay entered the Turkey match reeling from a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the United States in their tournament opener. When Galarza buried the ball in the net barely a minute into the second match, the goal gave Paraguay an early lead at exactly the moment they needed one.
From Olimpia to the World Cup spotlight
