Goals Gluttony: 10 Highest Scoring Football Games

If the non-devotees of football, those who call it soccer, have one key gripe with the sport, it's the lack of scoring. Yet, these 10 cases of highest scoring football games go against their argument as the numbers surpass the norm and the '90 minutes to see 0:0 score' joke. Some of these results are more fitting for water polo, handball, and even basketball matches.

Although the highest scoring games are all one-sided beatdowns.

With an interesting note, that twice two matches played on the same day made the rankings of the top-scoring football matches.

#10 Bayern Munich v FC Rottach-Egern 27-0; (2023)

One of the few inclusions on this list that will have a well-known name. This tells a lot about the mentality behind these high-scoring football matches. Usually, elite sides don't have the drive to push for that news headline-worthy score, they have all the reputation they need.

But in the 2023 Bayern Munich pre-season friendly, the Bavarians unleashed their full power on the amateur side from south of their state. Thomas Tuchel utilized two different starting lineups for both halves, and the trio of Jamal Musiala, Mathys Tel, and Marcel Sabitzer still managed to score five goals each! While Serge Gnabry bagged a hat-trick. That bravado didn't help him get into our list of 10 best German players in 2024 however.

The scoring started in the third minute and stopped in the 89th.

#9 Villareal v Navata 27-0; (2009)

Another pre-season friendly, and another familiar club name. But don't get used to it. In 2009, during a pre-season friendly, Villarreal didn't hold back against a semi-professional side from Catalonia. Especially Jonathan Pereira, who scored seven of the total 27 goals! Joseba Llorente, Ruben Marcos, and Robert Pires (yes, that Robert Pires) scored a brace each.

The Yellow Submarine’s manager Ernesto Valverde utilized two different starting XIs for each halves and still made a historic result.

#8 Tahiti v Cook Islands 30-0; (1971)

Now, for the most fertile ground of highest-scoring football games - the Pacific Ocean. That is the small island nations that dot the map of the vast blue expanse. Although, it's almost unfair to include this match on the list, simply for the fact that the defeated side, Cook Islands, was playing their first-ever match. Talk about a welcome

Tahiti didn't hold back at the 1971 South Pacific Games and thrashed the newcomers 30:0.

#7 Australia v American Samoa 31-0; (2001)

Another of the rare high-scoring matches. The one where it's a competitive, not a friendly setting. American Samoa took their whooping of 31:0 within the qualifers for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Australia set the record for the biggest victory in an international football match.

Two men took the individual glory, as Archie Thompson scored the most goals in an international match - 13! Followed by David Zdrilic, who scored "only" eight goals.

The match actually had organisational ramifications, as FIFA introduced the preliminary round in the Oceanian zone qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. As for such mismatches to be more rare.

#6 Dundee Harp v Aberdeen Rovers 35-0; (1885)

Incredibly, there are two matches on this list of the highest scoring football matches that happened on the same day in the 19th century. With a mere 25-kilometre difference between the two stadiums. Both happening in the first round of the Scottish Cup.

Dundee Harp defeated Aberdeen Rovers 35:0 but the match official counted to 27. Upon insistence from the victorious party, he was assured he miscalculated and that Dundee Harp boys scored two goals fewer. Whew, that would've been embarrassing, losing 37:0.

#5 Arbroath v Bon Accord 36-0; (1885)

If the referee from the previous entry wasn't corrected, Bon Accord players could've saved some face. However, as the goals were correctly counted, they took the worst beating of that day in 1885. Bon Accord players could find some solace in the fact that they were a brand new club, only a year old, and that they showed up to the match without a standardized football kit.

It was reported that five more goals were scored, but luckily for Bon Accord, they were disallowed.

#4 Vanuatu U23 v Solomon Islands U23 46-0; (2015)

Back in the south Pacific, at the 2015 Pacific Games. A curious case of the high-scoring game where it actually was a necessity. In order for Vanuatu to progress from the group consisting of Tahiti and Fiji, they had to make up for the goal difference of 39 on the last, third matchday. They did and left some change just in case.

The Vanuatu forward Jean Kaltak scored 16 times. A quintuple hat-trick +1. However, Tahiti and Fiji played a goalless draw and Vanuatu still had a point fewer than the second-placed team, eliminating them from the competition.

#3 Police Machine v Bubayaro 67-0; (2013)

While having one of the coolest names in the sport of football is usually good, especially when you demolish the opponent, Police Machine's exploits didn't go down well. Because the Nigerian FA called this match 'scandalous' and banned both sides for match-fixing. However, they weren't the only culprits.

#2 Plateau United Feeders v Akurba; 79-0; (2013)

Nigerian FA also banned both sides from this match! Both Police Machine and Plateau United Feeders had the same agenda - chasing promotion. With goal difference being the only possible difference-maker, the sides went berserk in their pursuit. But not cunningly, as Feeders scored 72 of their goals in the second half, while Police Machine bagged 61 goals in the second 45 minutes! A bit obvious.

#1 AS Adema v Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne 149-0; (2002)

The highest-scoring game ever also carries the trophy for the game with the most own-goals. Exactly 149 of them. Played in the four-team play-off to determine the Madagascar national championship. As Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne was held to a draw in their second match of the play-off, the trophy would go to the AS Adema.

However, Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne or SOE for short, were unhappy how their second match against DSA Antananarivo played out. Considering that the referee awarded the opponents a late suspicious penalty for the final score of 2:2 to be achieved. SOE lost the title and the third match against Adema was a formality. But in a sign of protest, SOE players scored 149 own goals in a row.

Considering the world would’ve never heard about this match otherwise, their efforts worked. The price for that is that they will top the highest-scoring football games rankings for the foreseeable future.