Maddie DiMaria scored ten goals in the United States’ opening two games at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026. That is a new record for goals in a single edition of the competition, but it is not the all-time career record. At the end of play on 22 October, DiMaria had 11 goals across her U-17 Women’s World Cup appearances, while DPR Korea’s Yu Jong-hyang topped the historical list with 12.
The distinction comes down to the counting period: one match, one edition or every edition a player has appeared in. Mixing those time frames can turn accurate figures into inaccurate conclusions.
How did DiMaria reach ten goals?
FIFA, Concacaf and the US federation confirm six goals against Samoa on 19 October and four against Kenya on 22 October, both in Group E. The figures below cover just those two matches, not the entire competition.
| Date | Opponent | USA result | DiMaria goals | 2026 running total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19/10/2026 | Samoa | 17-0 | 6 | 6 |
| 22/10/2026 | Kenya | 6-1 | 4 | 10 |
The 17-0 win over Samoa featured six goals from the forward, an unprecedented single-match haul in the U-17 Women’s World Cup. In the 6-1 win over Kenya, DiMaria scored twice from open play and twice from the penalty spot, all in the first half. The second win secured the United States a place in the round of 16.
Which records measure different things?
A single-match record counts goals in one fixture. A single-edition record counts every game played in a particular tournament year. A career record counts goals across all of a player’s U-17 Women’s World Cup appearances, excluding continental qualifiers and other national-team friendlies.
| Scope | Maddie DiMaria | Historical reference as of 22 Oct |
|---|---|---|
| Single match | 6 against Samoa on 19 Oct | Competition record for goals in one match |
| Single edition | 10 at the 2026 World Cup | Previous mark: 8, including Yu in 2025 |
| U-17 World Cup career | 11: 1 in 2025 + 10 in 2026 | Yu Jong-hyang: 12, from 8 in 2025 + 4 in 2026 |
Why does Yu Jong-hyang still lead the career rankings?
Yu Jong-hyang scored eight goals at the 2025 edition and added four in her first two appearances of 2026, taking her U-17 Women’s World Cup career tally to 12. FIFA reported on 20 October that she had surpassed Deyna Castellanos’s previous mark of 11, built from six goals in 2014 and five in 2016.
DiMaria also played at the 2025 World Cup, scoring once. Her ten goals in 2026 therefore take her tournament career total to 11, one behind Yu, even though the American has more in a single edition. As of 22 October, the like-for-like career comparison is 11 to 12; the single-edition comparison is DiMaria’s ten in 2026 against Yu’s eight in 2025.
Concacaf’s report mentions the American’s ten goals alongside Yu’s 12. Both figures are useful, but they have different denominators: ten measures DiMaria’s output in 2026, whereas 12 adds together Yu’s goals in 2025 and 2026.
How do records from other women’s World Cups fit in?
FIFA put DiMaria’s ten-goal tally in the context of other tournaments: Michelle Akers scored ten at the senior Women’s World Cup in 1991; Alexandra Popp scored ten at the 2010 U-20 Women’s World Cup; Christine Sinclair struck 11 at the 2002 U-20 event. Those competitions belong to different age levels and do not count towards the U-17 Women’s World Cup’s all-time scoring ranking.
What is the reporting cutoff?
This analysis covers matches completed through 22 October 2026 and was checked on 23 October. The United States were scheduled to face China PR next on 25 October in Group E. More goals from either DiMaria or Yu could change both the 2026 scoring chart and career standings; none of these figures is presented as the tournament’s final total.
Sources and references
- FIFA, 22 October 2026: DiMaria reaches ten goals against Kenya and comparison across women’s World Cups
- FIFA, 20 October 2026: Yu Jong-hyang becomes the U-17 Women’s World Cup’s all-time top scorer
- FIFA, 22 October 2026: Group E results and the United States reaching the round of 16
- Concacaf, 22 October 2026: victory over Kenya, DiMaria’s four goals and historical context
- U.S. Soccer, 19 October 2026: match report, six goals against Samoa and one in the 2025 World Cup
