Worth knowing about the World cup

Worth Knowing about the World cup

When Germany won the World cup in 1990, 3 teams had won the World cup 3 times (Brazil, Italy and Germany), 2 teams had won it twice (Argentina and Uruguay) and 1 team had won it once (England).
Germany also managed to have participated in 12 World cups (1934 - 1990 excl 1950) reaching 8 semifinals, 6 finals, and won 3 of them.
Germany was the first team to reach 100 games at the World Cup. This was achieved during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil on 2014-06-16 against Portugal, whom they beat 4-0.
Germany was the first team to reach 4 consecutive World Cup semi finals, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014.
West Germany was the first team to reach 3 consecutive World Cup finals: 1982, 1986, 1990. Brazil has since done the same in 1994, 1998, 2002.
Even though Germany and Brazil both have played more games at the World Cup than any other nation (pr. 2022), their first match-up was in 2002 when they met in the final. Brazil won 2-0.
King Gustav the 5th (swedish king) had his 80th birthday june 16th 1938, the same day that Sweden played semifinal against Hungary. But he wasn't pleased with the match, because the hungarian were so superior, that a blackbird could have sat on the hungarian side of the field, without getting disturbed.
When the Czechoslovakian team came to the World cup in Chile (1962), they didn't believe much in themselves. Before the quaterfinals and the semifinals they checked out of their hotel, even though they won both matches.
Brazil is the only country that have paricipated in all World cups.
South Africa was the first host country to have been eliminated in the 1st round (2010).
Qatar was the first host country to loose an opening match (2022)
Qatar's first World cup (2022) ended in dispair, as they as the first host country was eliminated after the group stages with 0 points.
Brazil, Spain, Germany and Argentina are the only countries, who have won a World cup outside their own continent (Brazil: 1958, 1970, 2002), (Spain: 2010), (Germany 2014), (Argentina 2022)
For the first time the World cup in 2010 could present four of five South American teams (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) in the quarter final. Only Chile didn't manage to qualify ... they were eliminated by Brazil in the second round.
In the 2010 World cup Ghana came as close as possible being the first african team in a semifinal. Unfortunately Gyan was denied by the bar, as he took the last shot of the ekstra time ... a penalty. The honor ofbecomming the first African nation in a semifinal fell to Morocco 12 years later at the World Cup in Qatar.
Algeria is the first African nation to have scored 4 goals in a single World cup match (WC Brazil 2014 against South Korea, 4-2)
Morocco is the first African nation to have won a penalty shoot out at the World cup(2022, 1/8-final against Spain 3-0).
Rob Rensenbrinck (Holland) scored goal #1000 in the World cup, when he put Holland in lead against Scotland in 1978 by 1-0 (Holland lost 2-3). Marcus Albäck (Sweden) scored World Cup goal #2000 during the 2006 World Cup against England.
Holland is the only team to have reached 3 World cup finals and not winning a single one.
Jose Batista (Uruguay) got expelled after only 55 secs, in a match against Scotland in Mexico 1986.
Alfred Bickel (Switzerland) and Erik Nilsson (Sweden), are the only two players who have participated in a World cup before and after 2nd World war. (1938 and 1950)
Hungary's 3-2 defeat against West Germany in 1954 was the 1st in 33 matches in 4 years, and the only defeat in 6 years. (The team was broken into pieces, when the USSR invaded Hungary in 1956).
Norman Whiteside, Northen Ireland (born 7/5-65) is the youngest player ever to have played a World cup match (1982).
Essam Elhadary, Egypt (born 15/1-1973) is the oldest player at age 45 ever to have played a World cup match (2018-06-25)
Faryd Mondragon, Colombia (born 21/6-1971) second oldest Player ever to have played a World cup match (2014-06-24). His first World cup was in 1994.
24years and 3 months was the age difference between Camerouns Roger Milla (42) and Rigobert Song (17) in 1994 – this is still a record
Dino Zoff is the oldest World Champion. He was 40 when he won the cup as captain for the winning Italien team i 1982.
When Ghana and Germany played each other during the 2010 World cup, it was the first time two half brothers (Keven Prince Boateng, Ghana and Jerome Boateng, Germany) faced one another on opposite teams. In the 2014 edition of the World cup they faced each other again when Germany and Ghana met in the 2nd round of the group stage.
When Jerry Palacios was called up to join the Honduras national team for the World Cup in 2010, he joined his brothers Johnny and Wilson Palacios. Thus making it the first time in history where a team had 3 brothers during a World cup.
During the 2010 World Cup, Honduras was the first team ever to have three brothers on the team roster. Johnny, Wilson and Jerry Palacios.
From 1954 - 2014 Germany was always amongst the last 8 teams to remain in the World Cup. The streak ended when they failed to go past the groupstage in 2018
In the history of the World Cup final competition, only 54 players (pr. 2022) scored three and more goals in one match. In 1994, Oleg Salenko (RUS) shot to fame when he scored 5 times in less than 60 minutes in that 6-1 win over the "Indomitable Lions" of Cameroon. Sandor Kocsis (1954), Just Fontaine (1958) and Gerd Mueller (1970) are the only strikers who scored two hat-tricks in the same competition. With his three goals against Jamaica in Paris on 21 June 1998 - exactly four years after his hat-trick against Greece in Boston - Batistuta became the first player to score a hat-trick in two different World Cup.
Oleg Salenko is the only topscorer at the World cup not making it through the group stage.
During the 2002 World cup, France did not manage to score a single goal, and had to leave the tournament with 2 defeats and 1 draw. This was the first time a world champion was sent home without scoring a single goal.
During the semifinal in 1938 between Italy and Brazil, Giuseppe Meazza suddenly found himself with some very loose shorts. Unfortunately the elastic in his short had ruptured, just before taking a penalty. But Meazza kept his nerve. He held his pants with one hand while running towards the ball ... he scored, and Italy won the game 2-1.
Prior to the World cup in 1994 the president of FIFA Joao Havelange wanted to change the game, so a match would fall into 4 quaters each 25 min, in order to accomodate the American TV-networks need for more commercial time. Most of the participating countries were not happy with this idea.
The red and yellow cards, which today is a natural part of the game, were first introduced to the World cup in 1970. During the World Cup in 1966 the english referee Ken Aston had noticed that a lot of players did not understand wheter they had been booked or sent off. The yellow and red colour should supposedly be because of a traffic signal at Kensington High Street in London
The first World cup in 1930 was held in a single city, Montevideo in Uruguay. Only 3 stadiums were used. As a contrast to this, the World Cup in Spain (1982) boasted 17 stadiums in 14 cities.
The first game to ever have a "cooling break" was the game between Holland and Mexico in Forataleza, Brazil, during the 2014 World Cup. It was help after 30min of each half, due to the heat. Each half was extended with the lenght of the break.
Antoine Griezman of France, was the first player to convert a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision (a penalty kick) into a goal, when he hit the back of the net from the penalty spot, giving France a 1-0 lead against Australia in Kazan 16th of June 2018
2018 saw the first game with 4 substitutions. However the 4th substitution was only allowed in extra time of the game (minutes 90 - 120). The round of 16 game between Spain and Russia saw Daler Kuziaev be replaced by Aleksandr Erokhin (Russia) in the 97th minute.
The semifinal between Brazil and Germany in 2014 between boasted several records:
1) Highest number of goals scored by a winning team in a semifinal: 7 (Germany)
2) First player to reach 4 semifinals: Miroslav Klose (Germany)
3) Most goals in shortest period of time: 5 in 29 mins (Germany)
4) Fastest consecutive goals by one player: 2 in 2 mins - Andre Schürle (Germany)
5) Miroslav Klose (Germany) became the all-time topscoring player at the World Cup, totaling, after the game, 16 goals in 23 matches spanning 4 World cups.

Nico Williams (Wales) was the first played to be substitued using the new new rule for suspected concussion, where a team can replace a player, without using the regular 5 substitutions during the 2022 World cup.
When Lionel Messi fielded the game in the second round game (1/8 final) at the World Cup in 2022, it was his match # 1000 in his professional career.
The 2022 edition of the World Cup, was the first to see teams from all 6 footballing continents in the first stage after the group stage (round of 16).
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Last updated 2022-12-18 (yyyy-mm-dd)