Historic fortune: USA become first team to benefit from back-to-back own goals in World Cup history

Seattke: The United States Men’s National Team have carved an unprecedented niche into football folklore at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Following their high-stakes Group D encounter against Australia, the tournament co-hosts became the first nation in the history of the World Cup to benefit from an own goal in back-to-back matches.

The historic moment unfolded in the 11th minute of their clash at Seattle Stadium on Friday, 19th June. A dangerous low cross from forward Folarin Balogun, intended for the arriving Ricardo Pepi, forced a desperate intervention from the Australian defence. Centre-back Cameron Burgess inadvertently bundled the ball into his own net from just three yards out, handing the Americans an early lead.

This remarkable slice of fortune followed an almost identical opening sequence in the USA's tournament curtain-raiser. Mauricio Pochettino’s side opened their World Cup campaign on 12th June with a resounding 4-1 victory over Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium. In that fixture, it took a mere seven minutes for the home side to find the scoresheet courtesy of a major blunder from Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla, who accidentally deflected a Weston McKennie pass into his own net.

Prior to this summer's tournament, the United States had only ever benefited from three own goals across their entire World Cup history, stretching back to the inaugural edition in 1930. Bobadilla’s opening-night mishap initially drew the Americans level with heavyweights Germany and Italy for the second-most benefited own goals in competition history. However, the subsequent error forced against Australia just seven days later elevated the USA’s historical tally to five, establishing an entirely new global benchmark for consecutive fortune.