Eldor Shomurodov's goal voted best of the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage

The voting process, which recently concluded on the official FIFA website, allowed football fans worldwide to choose from a shortlist of 12 standout goals netted during the tournament's opening phase. Shomurodov’s masterful strike against the Democratic Republic of the Congo emerged as the clear winner.

The memorable goal came just 10 minutes into the match. Chasing down a lofted pass into the penalty box, the Uzbek striker found himself at a remarkably tight angle. Despite the difficult positioning, Shomurodov executed a flawless, lofted chip over the advancing opposition goalkeeper to break the deadlock and open the scoring.

FIFA praised the technical brilliance of the moment on its official platforms, noting that the goal was calculated to the centimeter and executed to absolute perfection, marking it as the definitive highlight of Uzbekistan's historic debut appearance at the World Cup.

Shomurodov’s sublime effort captured the imagination of football fans globally, ultimately outpolling spectacular goals from some of the world's biggest football stars, including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior.