The FIFA World Cup has delivered countless unforgettable moments, from dramatic last-minute winners to legendary individual performances. Yet some of the most remarkable records were built through sheer attacking dominance.
Only one nation has ever managed to reach double digits in a single World Cup game. In 1982, Hungary stunned the soccer world by defeating El Salvador 10-1, setting a record that still stands more than 40 years later.
That historic performance not only produced the highest-scoring victory ever seen at a World Cup, but also helped cement a record that has survived generations of soccer stars and dozens of editions of the competition.
Who scored in Hungary’s record-breaking 10-1 victory?
Hungary’s goals in the historic 10-1 win at the 1982 FIFA World Cup were scored by Tibor Nyilasi, Gabor Poloskei, Laszlo Fazekas, Jozsef Toth, Lazar Szentes and Laszlo Kiss. El Salvador’s lone goal came from Luis Ramirez Zapata.
The match took place on June 15, 1982, in Elche, Spain, during the group stage of the World Cup. Hungary raced to a 3-0 lead before halftime and added seven more goals after the break to produce what remains the highest-scoring victory.
The complete list of scorers was:
- Tibor Nyilasi – 4′ and 83′
- Gabor Poloskei – 11′
- Laszlo Fazekas – 23′ and 53′
- Jozsef Toth – 50′
- Laszlo Kiss – 69′, 72′, and 76′
- Lazar Szentes – 70′
- Luis Ramirez Zapata (El Salvador) – 64′
The standout performer was Laszlo Kiss, who came off the bench and scored a hat-trick in just seven minutes. His achievement remains the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history and the only hat-trick ever scored by a substitute.
Remarkably, despite producing the most lopsided scoreline ever seen at a World Cup, Hungary failed to advance beyond the group stage. The Magyars later lost to Argentina and drew with Belgium, finishing third in their group.
Has any team broken Hungary’s World Cup record?
No team has broken Hungary’s World Cup record. The 10-1 victory over El Salvador in 1982 remains the largest win and the only match in which a team has scored 10 goals in a single World Cup game.
The margin of victory in that match was 9 goals. While other teams have matched that margin, none have surpassed it. According to Guinness World Records and FIFA, the biggest winning margin in World Cup history is still 9 goals.
The three matches that share the record for the largest margin of victory are:
| Year | Match | Margin |
| 1954 | Hungary 9-0 South Korea | 9 goals |
| 1974 | Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire | 9 goals |
| 1982 | Hungary 10-1 El Salvador | 9 goals |
What makes the 1982 result unique is that Hungary became the only team ever to reach double digits in goals during a World Cup match. Even dominant modern performances such as Germany‘s 8-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in 2002 or Spain‘s 7-0 win over Costa Rica in 2022 fell short of Hungary’s scoring record.
