The Fastest Goal in Soccer History

The fastest goal in soccer history is usually credited to Saudi Arabia’s Nawaf Al-Abed, who reportedly scored in about two seconds by striking straight from kickoff in a 2009 cup match. But that goal is disputed and unofficial, so the record that stands up to scrutiny belongs to Uruguay’s Ricardo Olivera, who scored in a verified 2.8 seconds in 1998.

Few records are as slippery as the fastest goal, because timing a goal to fractions of a second requires clear footage, an agreed starting point and a match that actually counts. Many claims fail one of those tests. Here is the full picture of the fastest goals in soccer history, the caveats behind the headline numbers, and the fastest strikes in the game’s biggest competitions. All figures are through the 2025 season.

The disputed record: Nawaf Al-Abed’s two seconds

In 2009, Nawaf Al-Abed of Al-Hilal reportedly scored in roughly two seconds, shooting from the halfway line over the goalkeeper the instant the match kicked off. The clip spread worldwide and is still cited as the fastest goal ever. The problem is that the game, a Saudi youth cup tie, was later voided when several ineligible, over-age players were found to have taken part, and the strike lacks the timestamped video Guinness World Records demands.

That combination of a nullified match and incomplete evidence means Al-Abed’s goal, however spectacular, cannot be treated as an official record. It sits in a gray area: famous, plausible, but unverified.

The official record: Ricardo Olivera’s 2.8 seconds

The fastest goal with proper documentation is Ricardo Olivera’s, scored for Río Negro against Soriano in a Uruguayan league match on December 26, 1998. Timed at 2.8 seconds and backed by video evidence, it is recognized by Guinness World Records as the official mark. Olivera struck from the opening move before any opponent could react, and the footage has stood up to decades of scrutiny.

The full leaderboard of fastest goals

The table below sets the record claims alongside the fastest goals in soccer’s major competitions, with caveats noted.

Time	Player	Competition	Year	Note
~2.0s	Nawaf Al-Abed	Saudi youth cup (Al-Hilal)	2009	Disputed; match voided, unofficial
2.8s	Ricardo Olivera	Uruguayan league	1998	Official record, video-verified
7.69s	Shane Long	Premier League	2019	Fastest English top-flight goal
10.8s	Hakan Sükür	FIFA World Cup	2002	Fastest World Cup goal

The gap between the amateur and domestic records and the elite-tournament ones is telling: the higher the level, the harder it is to score straight from kickoff against organized defenses.

Why elite goals are “slower”

The fastest goals almost always come in lower-profile matches, where a team can gamble on a first-touch shot and an out-of-position goalkeeper. At the top of the game, defenses are too disciplined for that, which is why the fastest Premier League goal, Shane Long’s 7.69 seconds, and the fastest World Cup goal, Hakan Sükür’s 10.8 seconds, are several seconds slower than the overall record. For the details on those benchmarks, see our looks at the fastest goal in Premier League history and the fastest goal in World Cup history.

Why the record matters, and why it’s contested

The fastest-goal record captures a single instant of audacity: a player deciding, before the ball has settled, to shoot from distance and catch a keeper napping. But it is uniquely hard to certify, which is why the most famous claim and the official record are two different goals. That tension is part of the appeal, and it separates a viral highlight from a verified milestone like the ones tracked in our leaderboard of the fastest football goals in history.

The short version: Nawaf Al-Abed’s roughly two-second goal in 2009 is the most cited fastest goal in soccer history but is disputed and unofficial, while Ricardo Olivera’s 2.8-second strike in 1998 is the officially recognized record. The fastest Premier League and World Cup goals are slower still, all through the 2025 season.