What Minute Are Most Goals Scored in Football?

5 October 2026·3 min read·By Denver

55.3% of 14,128 goals came in the second half, and the busiest spell was minutes 46 to 60 (17.2%). 8.1% of goals were scored in stoppage time and 22.4% from the 76th minute on.

Most goals are scored between the 46th and 60th minute: 17.2% of all goals in our sample.

More goals are scored in the second half than the first. Of 14,128 goals in 4,927 matches that players predicted on CalledItMate between 22 March and 30 September 2026, 7,815 (55.3%) came after half-time and 6,313 (44.7%) before it.

The busiest 15 minutes were the first quarter-hour after the break: 2,435 goals (17.2%) were scored between the 46th and 60th minute. The quietest was the opening 15 minutes of a match, with 1,859 (13.2%).

Goals by 15-minute period

Minutes 1 to 15: 1,859 goals (13.2%)
Minutes 16 to 30: 1,998 goals (14.1%)
Minutes 31 to 45: 2,095 goals (14.8%)
First-half stoppage time: 361 goals (2.6%)
Minutes 46 to 60: 2,435 goals (17.2%)
Minutes 61 to 75: 2,216 goals (15.7%)
Minutes 76 to 90: 2,378 goals (16.8%)
Second-half stoppage time: 786 goals (5.6%)

The rate builds through the first half, jumps after the interval, and stays high to the end. No single minute stands out on its own: the most common minutes were all within a few goals of each other, so the 15-minute periods tell the real story.

How many goals come in stoppage time?

1,147 goals (8.1%) were scored in stoppage time: 361 at the end of the first half and 786 at the end of the second. Roughly one goal in every twelve arrives after the board goes up.

How many goals come late?

From the 76th minute to the final whistle, including stoppage time, there were 3,164 goals: 22.4% of all goals in the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time. That is why a one-goal lead with 15 minutes left is far from safe. For how often an early lead holds, see how often the team that scores first wins.

Why more goals in the second half?

The data shows when goals happen, not why. The usual explanations are tiredness, substitutes coming on fresh, and teams chasing a result taking more risks late on.

What this means if you predict live

If you pick the next goalscorer or the next team to score during a match, the second half is where most of the action is. Across our sample, 55.3% of all goals were scored after half-time, so the second half accounted for the majority of scoring. For the overall picture, read how many goals are scored in an average football match.

How we counted

Window: matches that kicked off from 22 March to 30 September 2026 inclusive (UTC), finished, have a recorded final score, and received at least one score prediction. Data read on 5 October 2026.
Goals: every goal in those matches, using the minute it was recorded. Goals overturned by VAR are not counted.
Matches used: the 4,927 whose goal-by-goal record adds up exactly to the final score, with a minute for every goal. Matches with a goal recorded after the 90th minute without a stoppage-time marker, mostly extra time, are left out.
Stoppage time is counted separately only where the goal was recorded as stoppage time (for example 45+2 or 90+3).
Excluded: internal test matches, house accounts run by CalledItMate, and duplicate accounts merged into another account.
The competition mix follows what CalledItMate players chose to predict, across 100+ competitions.

Want to use it? CalledItMate is a free football prediction game: call the score before kick-off, then pick the next goalscorer and the next team to score while the match is live. There is nothing to stake, and the weekly winner takes a real cash prize (how the prizes work). Play free at calleditmate.com.