Witness the tragic legacy of Colombian defender Andrés Escobar, whose 1994 World Cup own goal led to his fatal shooting in Medellín, illustrating how toxic football fanaticism turns sporting mistakes into dangerous real-world violence.

While the world’s elite forwards arrived in North America with their eyes fixed on the Golden Boot, they are currently being outpaced by a rather embarrassing collective entity. Seven own goals have already been registered at the 2026 World Cup - five more than the entire 2022 tournament in Qatar.