1-2018 will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, 88 years after the initial tournament in Uruguay (1930) and for the first time in Russia.
2- 32 countries will compete in the 2018 World Cup, with Iceland and Panama making their debuts in the competition. Slovakia was the last team to make it past the group stage on their debut in 2010.
3- Other than South Africa (2010), all hosts have reached the second round. In 30% of cases (6/20), they have been champions (the last was France in 1998).
4- All World Cups have been won by European (11) or South American (9) sides
5- The last two reigning champions were knocked out in the group stages: Italy in 2010 and Spain in 2014.
6- Mexico has qualified without winning the trophy more than any other country (16 times)
7- Switzerland is the only country to avoid conceding in a World Cup campaign, with no goals conceded in 4 games in 2006.
8- 11 of the 62 games England have played in World Cups have ended 0-0, more than any other team
9- Brazil has had the most red cards in the history of the competition (11), with Argentina (10) and Uruguay (9) not far behind
10- Peru, who competed in the first World Cup, will play in the competition for the first time since 1982, the longest absence of any side that will be in Russia.
11– Germany has scored the most goals in the last three World Cups (14 in 2006, 16 in 2010, 18 in 2014)
12– The most goals in a single World Cup match occurred on June 26, 1954: Austria beat Switzerland 7-5
13- Frenchman Just Fontaine still holds the record for the most goals scored in a World Cup (13, in 1958), while Russian forward Oleg Salenko has bagged more than any other in a single World Cup match: five goals against Cameroon, on 28 June 1994
14- Every World Cup has been won by a coach who is the same nationality as his team
15- Cristiano Ronaldo was the player who participated directly in the most goals (18) in the UEFA Qualifiers: 15 goals and three assists
16- All of Denmark’s 27 goals at World Cups have come from inside the box
17- Iceland are the country with the smallest population to ever compete at a World Cup, with 334,000 residents
18- No African country has qualified as often as Nigeria since their debut in 1994. 2018 will be their sixth World Cup
19- There have been five red cards in Croatia’s last four World Cup games (three for Croatia, two for their opposition)
20- Uruguay were the first World Cup champions in 1930 and won it again in the second running of the tournament in 1950. However, they’ve only got beyond the last 16 once in their last six attempts (4th place in 2010)
Credit: Marca
