Generally, soccer is a low-scoring game, unlike other sports like basketball, cricket, or American Football.
Soccer fans love thrillers, and the most entertaining games are those that have scores like 7-1, 4-3, 5-5, 6-3 or even 7-4
But sometimes, things can get out of hand, whether it’s in a knockout cup competition in which a lower league team is pitted against a heavyweight or an international qualifier that matches a top nation against a tiny footballing minnow.
In this article, TOP SOCCER BLOG brings you 10 of the highest-scoring games in soccer history.
1. AS Adema 149-0 Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne (2002)
The highest-scoring soccer match in history is the 149-to-nil fixture between two Madagascar clubs, AS Adema and Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne.
The farcical match was played on the 31st of October 2002.
The match was part of a four-team round-robin play-off to determine the Madagascar national championship.
The league crown went to Adema after SOE, who were defending champions, was held to a 2-2 draw by DSA Antananarivo in their penultimate match — during which the referee awarded a late and disputed penalty to Antananarivo, resulting in a draw.
That draw meant that SOE was knocked out of the title race. With the championship already decided, SOE decided to protest; according to some sources, there was an argument between the SOE coach and the referee himself.
SOE deliberately scored 149 own goals, with spectators saying that after each kick-off, the ball was kicked into their own goal with the opposition players standing and looking bemused.
Furthermore, it was reported that spectators descended on the ticket booths to demand a refund.
Following the match, the Malagasy Football Federation (FMF) suspended SOE coach Zaka Ratsarazaka for three years, and four of the team’s players, SOE captain Manitranirina Andrianiaina, goalkeeper Dominique Rakotonandrasana, Mamisoa Razafindrakoto (who was the captain of the Madagascar national football team) and Nicolas Rakotoarimanana, were suspended until the end of the season and banned from visiting stadiums for the same period.
All other players from both teams received a warning and a threat of more serious action should they commit further offenses.
The referee was not punished, as the situation was deemed to be out of his control, while Madagascar’s sports ministry proceeded to dissolve the FMF, which was later reconstituted.
2. Plateau United Feeders 79-0 Akurba (2013)
Back in 2013, one of the most outrageous match-fixing scandals happened in the lower division of the Nigerian football League.
It resulted in players and management of four teams — and the officials — getting banned for life from their domestic league following two outlandish simultaneous games that recorded scores of 79-0 and 67-0.
Plateau United Feeders were 79-0 victors over Akurba FC, while Police Machine FC demolished Bubayaro FC 67-0.
The clubs engaged in such infamy all in a desperate bid to secure promotion.
Plateau United Feeders and Police Machine were level on goals heading into their respective games and wanted to make sure they stayed just one goal ahead by the end of each match.
What transpired was a ridiculous insult to fans in attendance and a disgrace to Nigerian football as a whole.
Interestingly, Feeders scored 72 of their goals in the second half, while Police Machine reportedly scored 61 times after the break in their game.
Each club went into the break and found out that the other team was doing quite well in their game, so they decided to go for the kill in the second half.
3. Police Machine FC 67-0 Bubayaro FC (2013)
This is the corresponding fixture of the above-mentioned game. Police Machine FC of Yola defeated Bubayero FC of Gombe State 67-0.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) called both games “a mind-boggling show of shame.”
Consequently, Plateau Feeders, Akurba FC, Police Machine FC, and Bubayaro FC were each banned for 10 years, with the players and officials in each game banned for life.
4. Vanuatu 46-0 Micronesia U-23 (2015)
At the 2015 Pacific Games, Vanuatu went into their final group stage match against Micronesia, needing to win by at least 38 goals.
The lowly Micronesian side had previously lost their previous two matches woefully.
Vanuatu achieved their aim, going 38-0 up after 66 minutes before winning 46-0.
Their job was done, and they set a new record for the biggest win in an international football match.
Hilariously, it was all in vain as Tahiti and Fiji played out a 0-0 draw, meaning Vanuatu finished third and failed to progress!
It was one of the most one-sided matches ever.
According to the Micronesian head coach, many of his players were actually playing on a standard football pitch first time in their lives.
Many of the squad had never left their village before, let alone their respective islands. It’s probably no surprise they were slightly overawed by the occasion.
After conceding 114 goals in three matches, many of the Micronesian players decided they wanted to become goalkeepers. Why? Because their goalkeeper was cheered by the stadium every time he made a save!
International media dubbed Micronesia ‘the worst side ever,’ but the players received a good welcome upon their return home, and they were praised for their attitude despite the heavy defeats.
5. Arbroath 36-0 Bon Accord (1885)
Arbroath was drawn against Bon Accord in the first round of the Scottish Cup, which was played on the 12th of September 1885.
Although Arbroath were only founded seven years earlier, in 1878, they were already vastly more experienced than Bon Accord, who were only a year old.
Bon Accord is said to have even arrived for the match without any form of standard football kit, a sign of what was about to happen.
With the teams being so mismatched, it was likely that Arbroath would win easily, but even in those days when high-scoring games were common, the result was unprecedented.
Arbroath were 15-0 up by halftime and scored another 21 goals in the second half. It was reported that 41 goals were actually scored, but 5 of them were disallowed.
Amazingly, Arbroath goalkeeper, Jim Milne Sr, did not touch the ball in the entire game and spent the whole match sheltering from the rain under a spectator’s umbrella!!!
6. Dundee Harp 35-0 Aberdeen Rovers (1885)
On the same day that Arbroath crushed Bon Accord 36-0 (above), 18 miles away in Dundee, Dundee Harp were also playing in the first round of the Scottish Cup against Aberdeen Rovers.
Dundee Harp astoundingly beat Aberdeen Rovers 35-0.
The referee noted 37 goals, but Harp’s secretary suggested a miscount must have occurred as he had recorded only 35.
The match official, acknowledging it was difficult for him to keep accurate details during such a flurry of goals, accepted the lower tally and officially recorded 35-0 as the score.
7. Australia 31-0 American Samoa (2001)
On the 11th of April, 2001, Australia played versus American Samoa in an Oceanian qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
The match was played at the International Sports Stadium in Coffs Harbour, Australia.
Australia went on to set a world record for the largest victory in an international football match, winning the game 31-0.
Australia’s Archie Thompson also broke the record for most goals scored by a player in an international match by scoring 13 goals.
David Zdrilic, who scored 8 goals in the match, also recorded the second-highest number of goals in an international match since World War I.
The outcome of the match led to debates about the format of qualification tournaments, with the Australian manager Frank Farina and Thompson feeling that preliminary rounds should be introduced to avoid such unbalanced matches.
It eventually led to FIFA introducing a preliminary round in the Oceanian zone qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Moreso, the unbalanced level of opponents also contributed to Australia’s switch to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.
8. Tahiti 30-0 Cook Islands (1971)
At the 1971 South Pacific Games, the Cook Islands national team played their first-ever match on the 2nd of September 1971.
Unsurprisingly, they were thoroughly thumped by Tahiti, losing 30-0.
9. Villareal 27-0 Navata (2009)
In 2009, La Liga side Villarreal whipped Navata 27-0 in a pre-season friendly game.
Navata was actually a semi-professional side based in Catalonia (who played in that region’s local league).
In the match, Jonathan Pereira amazingly scored 7 goals, while fellow forwards Joseba Llorente, Robert Pires, and Ruben Marcos also grabbed a brace each.
10. Bayern Munich 27-0 FC Rottach-Egern (2023)
The latest and most recent highest-scoring games in football history was when Bayern Munich won 27-0 in a pre-season friendly match against FC Rottach-Egern, a 9th-tier side, on July 23, 2023.
The score was astonishingly 18-0 by half time, but Rottach-Egern managed to reduce the damage in the second half to just nine goals.
During the match held at Bayern Munich’s training camp near Tegernsee, Jamal Musiala, Mathys Tel, and Marcel Sabitzer each scored five goals, while Serge Gnabry scored a hat-trick.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel started two entirely different teams to play each half.
It is worth noting that in 2019, Bayern Munich won against Rottach-Egern with a score of 23-0.
Bonus: Preston North End 26-0 Hyde United (1887)
The 1887-89 Preston North End team were the original Invincibles, early giants of the Victorian game who swept away all before them, even embarking on an incredible 42-game unbeaten streak at one point.
They won the 1889 FA Cup without conceding a single goal.
In a historic fixture, they thrashed Hyde United 26-0 in 1887.
Ahead of the match, Preston had wanted the game to be played in midweek to ease fixture congestion, but their opponents declined.
Preston decided to teach their weak opposition a bitter lesson by fielding their strongest team.
Scottish forward Jimmy Ross scored 8 goals in the match before going on to score 19 goals in the competition that season; the record stands to date.
