Matias Galarza scores fastest World Cup goal as Paraguay beat Turkey

A 64-second strike changed Group D before Türkiye could settle. Matias Galarza’s early goal gave Paraguay a 1-0 win at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium and ended Türkiye’s World Cup run, while also pushing the group into a sharper fight for the remaining knockout place.

The fixture, Group D, Match 31, kicked off at 03:00 local time on 20 June 2026 in the San Francisco Bay Area. FIFA said Galarza’s finish was the fastest goal of the tournament so far, a burst that immediately handed Paraguay control and forced Türkiye into a chase that never produced an equaliser.

That opening minute was the decisive swing. Paraguay did not need to dominate possession to control the logic of the match; once Galarza scored, the game shifted onto Türkiye’s terms and away from the measured, low-margin approach that often defines World Cup group play. FIFA later named Galarza the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match, recognition that reflected both the speed of the breakthrough and the weight of its consequences.

The result carried broader significance because Group D had already been shaped by earlier results. The United States beat Paraguay 4-1 on 12 June and then defeated Australia 2-0 on 19 June, which was enough to clinch the group. Australia had also beaten Türkiye 2-0 on 14 June, leaving Türkiye with no route back after the loss to Paraguay. Paraguay’s earlier defeat to the United States meant this win was necessary to keep its own campaign moving, and the 1-0 scoreline preserved that possibility.

For Paraguay, the victory re-ignited a campaign that had been put under pressure by the loss to the United States. For Türkiye, it was a blunt exit from a tournament that runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, with 48 teams and 104 matches on the expanded schedule. For the United States, first place in Group D is already secured. For Australia, the path remains open, but the margin for error is now thin. For Türkiye, the margin has gone to zero.