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Alla Zakarian

01-06-2018 | 15:33 Football
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Amazing World Cup Facts You Probably Didn't Know

32 teams and only one cup. From 14 June to 15 July, we can enjoy the most interesting tournament FIFA World Cup 2018 which will take place in Russia. This World Cup will be Russia’s 11th Word Cup appearance. Here are some fun facts about this tournament. The World Cup has been played 20 times, Brazil holds the most title with five. Italy and Germany are close behind with four each. For the first time in the history of soccer, the 2002 World Cup was held in two different countries: South Korea and Japan. The World Cup trophy went missing for 7 days in 1966 when it was stolen just prior to the tournament. The distance between the easternmost host city (Ekaterinburg) and the westernmost host city (Kaliningrad) at the 2018 World Cup is over 1500 miles. For comparison, that’s about the same distance as Moscow to London, England. Of all countries that have appeared in the World Cup, Indonesia has played the least number of matches – just one in 1938. Mexico has the most World Cup loss (25), though they do also have 14 wins and 14 draws. The World Cup-winning country is rumoured to see a baby boom 9 months after the World Cup. In fact, Hyundai even created a commercial based on this fact. A World Cup qualifying match sparked a war between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. Soccer match outcomes have triggered no shortage of rioting and violence over the years, but the effects of this 1969 qualifying match were more dramatic than those of any other soccer match in history. More than 2,000 lives were lost and 100,000 people displaced over the four-day course of the war. While no dearth of turmoil and controversy have surrounded FIFA and the World Cup, the event has had an irrefutably positive impact on globalization. The shared love of the game has halted wars, restored peace, unified countries, and served as the foundation for numerous charities and goodwill initiatives. As for whether the game’s universal appeal can promote peace and strengthen bonds at least as much as individual match outcomes can strain them, the verdict is still up for debate. Iceland and Panama will make their debuts in the competition. It seems to be unfair, but history says that in order to win the World Cup, you have to win the group stage. Since 1986, the world champion has come first in the group stage. There's a curious and sad fact that involves the English team. 11 of the 62 games England have played in World Cups have ended 0-0, and it's a record. The national team with most sending offs in the history of the World Cup are Brazil, with 11 amongst all the times they played. It's followed by Argentina (10) and Uruguay (9). Peru, a team that competed in the first World Cup, will play in World Cup for the first time since 1982. It is the longest absence of any team that will be in Russia. The record for most goals in the competition was reached in two times, in 1998 and 2014 all the teams scored 171 goals. On the other hand, 2010 had a really sad goal average with 145 in 64 games. Every World Cup has been won by a coach who shares his nationality with his team. And there are no exceptions! Nigeria is considered one of the best African teams and one of the most feared ones to face at the group stage. In fact, no African country has qualified for the World Cup as often as Nigeria since their debut in 1994. This will be their sixth time.

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