Goals Galore: Scoring Booms at Euro 2024

For skeptics of soccer’s entertainment value, one of their biggest arguments is that a 90 minute game can end in a 0-0 tie. Why watch a sport if goals or points are not guaranteed? 

Soccer fans might be able to point out flaws in this argument. Goal-line clearances in a 0-0 game can be just as thrilling to watch as a goal itself. But the 2024 UEFA European Championships has proven to be thrilling in terms of goals scored so far. After 21 games, there has only been one 0-0 tie between the Netherlands and France. 

In addition to this trend, players have scored a record-breaking number of goals outside the penalty area. Thirteen long-range goals have been scored during the first 21 games in the tournament. During Euro 2020, 19 goals outside the penalty area were scored during the entire 51-game tournament. This scoring boom has provided plenty of entertainment, but it has also left fans thinking about what’s behind the trends.

Stats Behind the Scoring Boom

An average of 2.57 goals per game have been scored though Euro 2024’s first 21 matches. At Euro 2020, there was a similar trend with only two 0-0 games in the entire tournament and an average of 2.78 goals per game. And at the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro, the tournament averaged 3.07 goals per game, the most since 2005.

This is a sharp increase from previous editions of the tournament. An average of 2.12 goals were scored at Euro 2016, and Euro 2012 had an average of 2.46 goals per game. At Euro 2016, the first time the tournament was expanded to 24 teams, 108 total goals were scored. Euro 2020 significantly eclipsed this number with 142 goals scored in the same number of games.

Goals are also on the rise elsewhere. In the 2023-24 Premier League season, there was an average of 3.28 goals per game, an increase from the previous season’s 2.85 average. The German Bundesliga also saw a high amount of goals last season, averaging 3.22 per game.

Fixture Congestion

Fixture congestion may be one reason why goals are on the rise. In 2023, players from Europe’s top-five leagues averaged about 50-games worth of minutes in the entire year. There were no major tournaments that year, like the FIFA World Cup, Euros or Copa América. 

With players averaging more games per season, their chances of being injured have increased. One example of this is Barcelona’s 21-year-old midfielder Pedri. He played 73 games as a teenager during a breakout 2020-21 season, but by the age of 20, he had already sustained five hamstring injuries. During the first half of the 2023-24 Premier League season, injuries increased 15 percent from the previous four seasons.

Defensive quality may decrease as players become more mentally and physically tired by playing too many games every year, leading to fewer 0-0 ties.

Energy of the Crowds

Euro 2020 had reduced crowds because of COVID-19 protocols. Full stadiums are now allowed at Euro 2024, and there have been a record 50 million ticket requests for the tournament. With such high demand, Euro 2024 may break attendance records like Euro 2016 did in France. 

Players feed off packed stadiums with passionate fans rooting for their country. Energetic fans that overpower the opposition’s support can be a “12th man” at times, helping their team score goals. 

Fans have already been treated to several memorable games. Germany’s 5-1 demolition of Scotland in the opening game and Albania’s back-and-forth 2-2 draw with Croatia are some standouts. There have also been spectacular goals, like Switzerland forward Xherdan Shaqiri’s one-time finish in the top corner from outside the box and teenage midfielder Arda Güler’s sensational long range goal for Türkiye. 

Whether the specific cause is discovered or not, soccer fans will hope that the record-breaking goal trends continue for the rest of the tournament.