Ranking the 10 national teams that scored the most goals in 2021

#7 Japan - 41 goals

Japan v Australia - FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier Final Round Group B

After the only African team, we move towards the only Asian team to make it to this list. Japan have only played their Asian qualifiers this year in international football and they have played them in some style. The Samurai Blue started their calendar year with a 14-0 thumping of Mongolia in March.

They followed up as they ran riot against Myanmar, leaving them ailing with a 10-0 scoreline in May. In the final round for a World Cup place, four teams from Asia will make it to Qatar by finishing in the top two in the two respective groups. Japan has only lost to Saudi Arabia so far and sits in second spot.

Junya Ito is seen as one of the most potent sources of goals in the Japan side having twice scored the match winner in their last two ties. Japan won both the games by a narrow margin of 1-0.

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#6 USA - 43 goals

Mexico v United States: 2022 World Cup Qualifying

The USMNT boasts some serious young talent in their squad and it will be exciting to see if they can hold on to the World Cup qualification spots. Their Gold Cup triumph was an example of how they can grind out wins in tough situations but the bigger picture will worry them a bit.

In the six matches that USA played in the Gold Cup, they won five of those with a narrow scoreline of 1-0, including the final. So it would seem that they are doing just enough to get over the line. Gregg Berhalter's team are buoyed by the Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League titles and that momentum will be useful.

Having played 21 games this calendar year, their goal tally stands at 43. Ricardo Pepi has been their top goal-getter in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers. Having missed out on the Russia 2018 World Cup, the USA are likely to secure their ticket to Qatar as they sit in second spot halfway through the qualification stage.

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#5 Denmark - 45 goals

England v Denmark - UEFA Euro 2020: Semi-final

After emerging as a surprise package at Euro 2020 with their semi-final run, Denmark have kept their spirits high and qualified for the World Cup in Qatar. The Danes had the chance to end their qualifiers with a perfect run but high-flying Scotland handed them their only loss.

That should hardly concern Denmark, who have scored 45 goals this calendar year in the 18 matches that they have played. Joakim Maehle and Andreas Olsen have been their top performers, providing crunch goals and assists.

The likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Simon Kjaer have been great leaders of the team and could be playing their final World Cup in 2022. Kasper Hjulmand's side are a very entertaining team to watch and it would be interesting to see if they can surprise everyone in Qatar.

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#4 Netherlands - 46 goals

Netherlands v Gibraltar - 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier

The Dutch finally ended their eight-year-long absence from the World Cup by sealing the last spot available for automatic qualification. Louis van Gaal took over a struggling Netherlands team who bowed out of Euro 2020 in the last 16.

The experienced Dutchman has papered over the cracks that were visible under Frank de Boer. Under his reign they have drawn two games and won five. In total, 'Oranje' have scored 46 goals in their 16 games in 2021. Memphis Depay has been in red hot form and has registered 18 goal contributions in 10 qualifying matches.

Van Gaal has handed debut to emerging prospect Noa Lang, who plays for Club Brugge and has shown his willingness to help nurture raw talent. However, Denzel Dumfries, one of their brightest players at the Euro 2020 has witnessed a dip in form since his move to Inter.

The Dutch camp will be hoping their top players can stay fit and manage their work load as the Qatar World Cup nears.