WORLD CUP PROFILES
DID YOU KNOW?
- Out of the 19 World Cups so far, six have been won by the host country.
- The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil will be the first World Cup ever with goal-line technology.
- The oldest player to lead a country to the World Cup title was the Italian goalkeeper and captain Dino Zoff, who at the age of 40 captained Italy to their 1982 FIFA World Cup title.
- Franz Beckenbauer is the only player in history to have won the World Cup as a player and coach, for Germany.
- Germany and Brazil share the top spot for most appearances in the final of a World Cup. Both countries made it to the finals on 7 different occasions.
- Brazil has scored 210 goals in all World Cups making them a record holder for most goals scored in the tournament.
- The fastest goal in World Cup history was scored by Turkey’s Hakan Sukur, 11 seconds into the game against South Korea during the 2002 World Cup.
- Mexico hold the record for most defeats in World Cup history, losing 22 matches.
- Brazil is the only country to have appeared in every World Cup tournament since 1930 until 2014.
- No host country had ever been eliminated during the first round, until South Africa in 2010.
- Pele is the most successful World Cup player, winning the title 3 different times with Brazil.