It’s a feeling only a select few footballers in the world truly know — the indescribable rush of scoring a goal at a World Cup. Whether it’s the fans watching from the stands or players on the same pitch, those who witness a scorer’s pure explosion of joy can only try to imagine the storm of emotion within the goalscorer — a sensation they may never truly experience.
FIFA took the opportunity to delve deeper into this phenomenon after the first round of matches at FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025™. First up: Thais Gallais. The French striker scored with a beautiful header in Les Bleuettes’ 4-2 win against Samoa. “When you score a goal in the World Cup, you don’t actually think about anything”, she explained. “You are just too happy to think about anything, you just run around everywhere celebrating… You feel really proud.”
Gallais scored not once but twice in her first game, and she was not the only player to bag a brace. Italy’s Giulia Galli, China’s Zhou Xinyi and Fang Zhenzhu, Canada’s Julia Amireh and Spain’s Carlota Chacon were all at the double in the opening round of matches. “Scoring a brace at the World Cup is not something that happens every day, especially when you’re representing your country”, Gallais said after the match.
“Obviously, it’s an amazing feeling”, explained Giulia Galli, trying to put her achievement into words. “I think my [first] goal gave the whole team an extra boost. The whole world is watching us play and that gives us even more energy than usual.”
Some players make headlines by scoring match-winning braces in their tournament debuts, while many others are content with just one goal — sometimes within seconds of kickoff, like France’s Camille Marmillot, who wasted no time against Samoa. “There’s so much joy and euphoria because you don’t expect to score like that in the second minute of a World Cup. I’m brimming with pride”, admitted the Lyon player.
Other goals are remembered not only for being the first, but also for the sheer beauty of the strikes. The stunning free kicks scored by China’s Chen Ruilin and France’s Elena Moreira Da Rocha fall into that category, with goals that were as beautiful to witness as they were unforgettable. “I practice free kicks a lot in training from these sorts of positions, because it’s relatively close to goal”, Ruilin explained. “In that moment, I told myself that I had to stay calm and that I’m ready and to execute it perfectly. Then, I picked the best way to hit it from that spot… and it went in. It was a great feeling.”
Sometimes, the first goal in the World Cup is a reward for a long wait. For Brazil’s Giovanna Waksman, her strike in the 3-0 victory over Morocco was a combination of intense joy and relief. The talented South American youngster had left last year’s competition in the Dominican Republic empty-handed. “It’s a wonderful feeling. Last year, I scored but the goal was chalked off and I was really disappointed afterwards”, admitted the midfielder.
Inevitably, some goals decide matches, while others lose their sparkle when the final result doesn’t go the team’s way. “It’s difficult to enjoy my goal, but that’s football. You can’t win every game”, said Yolande Zoua after scoring with a sumptuous curling effort in Cameroon’s 4-3 loss to the Netherlands.
However, during the first round of matches, the ultimate moment of joy went to Julia Amireh. The Canadian bagged a brace in her team’s 4-1 win over Nigeria — all while celebrating her 17th birthday. “I couldn’t have wished for a better birthday”, she told FIFA. “I can’t put it into words. Having the girls by my side and my family and all the fans watching… there are literally no words to describe how I’m feeling.”
What’s most thrilling for these young World Cup stars is that while the first goal sparks an outpouring of emotion, every goal after that brings just as much happiness, such is the magic of football.
