Own goals have become one of the most striking phenomena of the 2026 World Cup, with eight own goals scored in the tournament’s opening days alone – a figure that puts the current edition on course to break the record set at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The US team benefited more than any other from this phenomenon after their opponents scored two own goals in two consecutive matches against Paraguay and Australia – a development that highlights the significant impact such goals are now having on match results. The list of players who scored own goals included Paraguay’s Damian…