From November 20 to December 18, 2022, the eyes of the world will focus on what happens in the soccer fields of the Middle East, as for the first time in history, a FIFA World Cup will be held in that part of the world, specifically in Qatar, at that part of the year. An interesting first piece of information to know, don't you think?
There will be 32 National Teams competing against each other for the chance to win the FIFA World Cup Trophy, the most prized trophy in soccer's universe, resulting in 64 vibrant matches that will determine the winner of Qatar 2022. Another good fact, isn't it?
If you are interested in knowing more about soccer's main tournament, its most important facts, and records, keep reading this story in which you will find everything you need to know so as not to be left out of the conversation throughout this special year, the year of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The facts and records you must know about the FIFA World Cup
In total there will be 25 facts and records that you will figure out to be steeped in everything surrounding the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Some are basic but others will make you look like an expert on the subject.
Because it is very likely that the vast majority of people know that Brazil is the country with the most FIFA World Cups won with 5, but few will remember or know which is the country with the most goals scored in a single edition or who is the scorer of the only Olympic goal in the history of this tournament.
Champion with the fewest goals scored
Interestingly, one of the most dominant teams in soccer's history is the one that holds this record. It is Vicente del Bosque's Spain, champions in South Africa 2010, who obtained this distinction with only 8 goals scored.
Champions with the fewest goals conceded
By contrast, those FIFA World Cup winners who based their success not so much on their scoring but on their ability to defend were France (1998), Italy (2006), and Spain (2010), who allowed only 2 goals against in the 7 matches they played.
The only two-time champions
To be able to win a World Cup is a real feat that very few have achieved throughout history: only 8 National Teams. However, to do it twice in a row is something only a couple of teams have done: Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) are the only two-time champions.
Goalkeeper with the longest time without conceding a goal
The FIFA World Cup Italy 1990 will be unforgettable for the former starting goalkeeper of the host team. Walter Zenga had an outstanding performance by having 5 consecutive clean sheets, which led him to have this record of 518 minutes unbeaten.
World Cup winners as players and coaches
The feeling of winning the FIFA World Cup as a player is different from that of winning it as a coach. However, there are three men who have had the opportunity to experience both: Brazil's Mario Zagallo (1958, 1962, and 1970), Germany's Franz Beckenbauer (1974 and 1990), and France's Didier Deschamps (1998 and 2018).
The youngest player to play in (and win) a final
Quality knows no age. A great soccer player is as great in his early years as he is in his later years. The player who played and won a World Cup final the earliest in his life is the legendary Edison Arantes do Nascimento Pelé, in Sweden 1958 at the age of 17 years and 249 days.
The player with the most goals scored in an edition
It's not about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Nor Ronaldo Nazario or Gabriel Batistuta. Nor even Gerd Muller or Pelé. The player who has scored the most goals in one edition of a World Cup is French Just Fontaine, who scored 13 times in his National Team's third-place finish in Sweden in 1958.
The National Team with the most finals contested
If there is a successful team in the history of the FIFA World Cup, it is Germany. It is true it is not the most-winner team of the tournament, but the simple fact of reaching the Final is a true feat. And the Mannschaft has achieved this on 8 occasions, winning 4 and losing the same number of times.
The player with the most titles won
Every king needs a crown to validate him, and Pelé would not be the great soccer legend he is without winning the World Cup. However, it must be specified that O Rei is the player who has won it the most times, with 3: Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, and Mexico 1970.
The team with the most participations
In every celebration, there is always a guest who never misses any of its editions. In the case of the FIFA World Cup, Brazil is the National Team that has not missed a single one of the 21 editions held so far. And guess what? It will also be at Qatar 2022.
The team with the most goals scored in an edition
History always rewards the champions, the first places. However, it is cruel to forget teams that, although they did not conquer glory, showed great signs of quality, as is the case of Hungary, who in the FIFA World Cup Switzerland 1954 was runner-up, but set the record for most goals in a single edition with 27, in which it played only 5 matches. A huge feat.
The player with the most goals scored in a match
One of the greatest displays of accuracy came during the FIFA World Cup United States 1994. Russia's Oleg Salenko scored five goals as his national team crushed Cameroon 6-1. Later, the former Dynamo Kyiv player finished as the tournament's top scorer alongside Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov.
The only Olympic goal scored
Colombia's greatest achievement in a World Cup is the Quarter Finals it reached in Brazil 2014. However, it has a special honor, being the country of the scorer of the only Olympic goal in the history of this tournament: Marcos Coll, who scored it against Russia in Chile 1962.
The player with the most appearances
Playing in a World Cup is a real privilege. There are players who have made it even for a single minute. And there are others who boast an extensive collection of memories, as in the case of German Lothar Matthaüs, who is the player with the most games played in this tournament with 25.
The editions with most and the fewer stadiums used
The first edition of the FIFA World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay, a country that used only 3 stadiums to host the tournament. The less in the history of this tournament. On the other hand, Korea-Japan 2002, 20 stadiums were used to enjoy soccer's biggest party, the major amount of venues used.
The top scorer in the World Cup history
There are players who were born just to shine at the FIFA World Cup. This is the case of Polish-born German Miroslav Klose, who is the top scorer in the history of this tournament with 16 goals netted in four editions: Korea-Japan 2002, Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, and Brazil 2014.
The edition with the most own goals
It's not all happiness in the World Cup data and records. If scoring a goal is the greatest joy, scoring it in one's own goal is a great bitterness. Russia 2018 is the edition with the highest number of own goals in the history of this tournament with 12.
The most goals conceded in an edition
Continuing along the line of sadness, there is one record held by the South Korea National Team that does not give it much pride or satisfaction, as it is the team that has conceded the most goals in a single FIFA World Cup: 16 at Switzerland 1954.
The player with the most finals played
This fact is a test only for true experts. The answer involves a Brazilian and one might think that this honor belongs to Pelé, the only player to win the World Cup 3 times. However, O Rei did not play in the Final of Chile 1962 due to an injury. The correct name is Marcos Evangelista de Moraes better known as Cafu, the legendary side-back who played the 1994, 1998, and 2002 finals.
The oldest player to take part in a FIFA World Cup
Better late than never, a phrase that applies to everything, including the FIFA World Cup. The oldest player to play in it is Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, who participated in Russia 2018 at the age of 45 years and 161 days.
The edition with the most penalties awarded
Russia 2018 was an edition likely to set several records in the history of the FIFA World Cup. The oldest player to play in a World Cup, the most own goals scored, and the highest number of penalties called in a single edition with 29.
The most goals scored by a team in a match
If there is one team with a propensity to score goals during World Cups, it is Hungary. Not only does it hold the record for most goals scored in a single edition, but also for the most goals netted in a single match: 10 vs. El Salvador in Spain 1982, a match they obviously won (10-1).
The players with the most World Cups played
Only three places had to be available at this table since it is very select. Five World Cups equals 20 years, a time in which few players manage to remain among the elite. An atypical case is that of the Mexicans Antonio Carbajal (goalkeeper) and Rafael Marquez (defender) and German Lothar Matthaüs (defender and midfielder), who have played in that number of editions.
The edition with the most goals scored
The goal is the soul of soccer. The moment of greatest ecstasy in this sport. If a World Cup is a party, celebrating a goal in it is an explosion of joy. The editions of this tournament with more joy for the fans were two: France 1998 and Brazil 2014 with 171 goals scored.
The fastest goal in the World Cup history
The nearest to the speed of light that an edition of a FIFA World Cup has been was in Korea-Japan 2002, when the Turkish forward Hakan Sukur became a thunderbolt to score the fastest goal in the history of soccer's main tournament. It took just 10.8 seconds for Sukur to open the score of the Third-place match between his country and South Korea in Daegu.
