As always on Wednesday (except this is the first time we’ve done it), we’re bringing you some football facts. Today’s are all about the men’s World Cup.

Bayern’s Streak

2018 was the first time since 1982 that a men’s World Cup final didn’t feature a Bayern Munich player in the starting line-up.  However they did have representation in the game as midfielder Corentin Tolisso came on in the 73^rd minute for Blaise Matuidi.  Tolisso could have played for Togo through parental lineage. 

Doesn’t Do the Small Time

Giuseppe Bergomi appeared at the World Cup in 1982, 1986, 1990, and 1998.  Despite that, he didn’t appear in any World Cup qualifiers. 

UnBeaten

Costa Rica and New Zealand both went undefeated in World Cups despite not winning.  New Zealand drew all 3 of their group stage matches; against Slovakia, Italy (the defending champions), and Paraguay.  Costa Rica made it to the Quarter Finals in 2014 without losing a game in regulation or extratime.  They beat Uruguay, Italy, and drew with England in the group stage, they then beat Greece on penalties.  They were knocked out by Netherlands in the quarter finals, but because they lost only on penalties the result counts as a draw. 

Stat and Attack

In the 2014 World Cup semifinal between Brazil and Germany, Brazil had more shots, more shots on target, and more possession.  You may remember Germany won the game 1 – 7. 

Fastest

The fastest goal in a world cup game was scored by Turkey’s Hakan Şükür against South Korea in the 3rd place play-off. It was 10.8 seconds into the game.

European Dominance

There have only been two World Cup finals that did not feature a European team. These were the first in 1930 when Uruguay beat Argentina, and the 1950 final where Uruguay beat Brazil. 8 of the finals have been all European affairs.