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The World Cup comes round every four years, providing enthusiastic football lovers great excitement and bringing the winning nation great pride.
According to FIFA more than half the world watched the record breaking 2018 World Cup tournament in Russia, with over 1.12 billion viewers worldwide tuning in for the final between France and Croatia. Clearly showing the enduring popularity and passion that football brings to fans and players alike. People even enjoy betting on their favourite football teams via www.betting-sites.ca and other betting sites.
Therefore, it doesn’t come as a surprise that people call football “the beautiful game.” When we look at the history of the World Cup, we’ll notice some epic games, goals, and wins, along with some crushing examples of defeats. If we dig a little deeper, we’ll find that some crazy events took place along the way. If you’re interested in learning some of the most surprising facts about the World Cup, we suggest you read our list below.
List of the top interesting facts about the World Cup you probably didn’t know about
Here’s a list of some interesting facts about the World Cup you may find surprising:
- The first time in history for Russia to host the World Cup was not until 2018;
- So far, the World Cup has taken place 21 times, in no less than 17 different states;
- Brazil won the most titles from the World Cup. The second and the third place are shared by Germany and Italy, with both having four wins;
- The oldest World Cup player to score a goal was Roger Milla, who was 42 years old when he scored for his Cameroon team playing against Russia;
- The first time for the World Cup to take place was back in 1930 in Uruguay, which was also the World Cup champion that year;
- The most World Cup losses belong to Mexico, with no less than 25 losses. They do have 14 draws and 14 wins, so it’s not the worst;
- All World Cup wins belong to European and South American teams, with Europe holding 11 and South America holding 9.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you found these facts compelling and interesting. All eyes now will be on the next tournament, being held in 2022, in Qatar, will this tournament beat the viewing figures from 2018? I wouldn’t want to bet against it! And to wet the appetite, here are some of the best ever goals scored in the tournament.