Belgium 1-0 Canada Most Belgium international appearances. 143 Vertonghen 128 Witsel 125 Alderweireld 124 Hazard Oldest outfield players (non-goalkeepers) to play in a World Cup match 42-039 Roger Milla (1994 Cameroon v Russia) 39-288 Atiba Hutchinson (2022 Canada v Belgium) 39-260 Angel Labruna (1958 Argentina v Czechoslovakia) 39-145 Stanley Matthews (1954 England v Uruguay) Most consecutive victories in the group stage. 8 Brazil 1986-1994 8 Brazil 2002-2010 8 Belgium 2002, 2014-2022 Consecutive World Cup matches before scoring first goal. 5 Bolivia 1930, 1950, 1994 4 Greece 1994, 2010 4 Canada 1986, 2022 (ongoing)
Make that 5. There are 5 teams that have played against Germany in WC history and have a positive record (i.e., more wins than losses): Italy (3 wins – 2 ties – 0 losses), East Germany (1–0–0), Denmark (1–0–0), Croatia (1–0–0), and Japan (1–0–0).
Not sure if someone has notice this eerie trend. Could Germany follow in the steps of Italy? Italy 2006: Champion 2010: Out in the group stage 2014: Out in the group stage 2018: Did not qualify 2022: Did not qualify Germany 2014: Champion 2018: Out in the group stage 2022: Out in the group stage??? 2026: Will not qualify??? 2030: Will not qualify??? I doubt it will happen, but still...
Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon Most World Cup appearances for Switzerland. 10 Valon Behrami (2006, 2010, 2018) 10 Stephan Lichtsteiner (2010, 2014, 2018) 10 Xherdan Shaqiri (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) Switzerland 1-0 Breel Embolo becomes the first player to score in the World Cup against the country of his birth. *In 2018 Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) scored against Serbia. At the time of his birth, Serbia was a Republic within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Most consecutive World Cup match defeats. 9 Mexico (1930-1958) 8 Cameroon (2002-2022)
Uruguay 0-0 South Korea Most World Cup appearances for Uruguay. 16 Fernando Muslera (2010-2018) 15 Diego Godín (2010-2022) 15 Edinson Cavani (2010-2022) 14 Luis Suárez (2010-2022) 13 Ladislao Mazurkiewicz (1966-1970) Oldest Uruguay players in World Cup history. 36-281 Diego Godín (2022 v South Korea) 36-279 Obdulio Varela (1954 v England) Uruguay are the first team in World Cup history to field four players (no goalkeepers) aged 35+ in a World Cup match. (Diego Godín, Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Martín Cáceres) Teams with 2+ shots hitting the post in 2+ games against the same rival: Brazil v Mexico (1950, 1954) Poland v Peru (1978, 1982) Brazil v Argentina (1982, 1990) Brazil v Costa Rica (1990, 2002) England v Germany (1990, 2010) Uruguay v South Korea (1990, 2022) Uruguay progression when drawing their opening World Cup match. 1966: Quarterfnals (0-0 v England) 1986: Round of 16 (1-1 v West Germany) 1990: Round of 16 (0-0 v Spain) 2010: Semifinalis (0-0 v France) 2022: ??? (0-0 v South Korea) 2022 is the first World Cup that had 4 first round group phase matches end goalless. Denmark 0-0 Tunisia Mexico 0-0 Poland Morocco 0-0 Croatia Uruguay 0-0 South Korea
Portugal 3-2 Ghana Players who have participated in the most World Cup tournaments. 5 Antonio Carbajal (Mexico - 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966) 5 Lothar Matthäus (Germany - 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) 5 Rafael Márquez (Mexico - 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) 5 Lionel Messi (Argentina - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) 5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) is the first player to have played in five World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) AND 5 Euros (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) Lothar Matthäus (Germany) also played in 5 World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) but in 4 Euros (1980, 1984, 1988, 2000). Brothers who have played in the World Cup for different countries. Boateng : Jérôme (Germany 2010,2014, 2018), Kevin-Prince (Ghana 2010, 2014) Williams : Nico (Spain 2022), Iñaki (Ghana 2022) Players who scored in most World Cup tournaments. 5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) 4 Pelé (Brazil - 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970) 4 Uwe Seeler (West Germany - 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970) 4 Miroslav Klose (Germany - 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) 4 Lionel Messi (Argentina - 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022) Breakdown of Cristiano Ronaldo's goals in five World Cup tournaments. 2006: 1 2010: 1 2014: 1 2018: 4 2022: 1 *All in the group phase. Most penalties taken in World Cup history. (shootouts excluded) 4 Eusébio (Portugal) converted 4 4 Rob Rensenbrink (Netherlands), converted 4 4 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina), converted 4 4 Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), converted 2 4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), convertede 3 Oldest goal scorers in World Cup history. 42-039 Roger Milla (1994 Cameroon v Russia) 37-292 Cristiano Ronaldo (2022 Portugal v Ghana) 37-236 Gunnar Gren (1958 Sweden v West Germany) All-time leading goal scorers in the World Cup group phase. 11 Miroslav Klose (Germany) 9 Teófilo Cubillas (Peru) 8 Gerd Müller (West Germany) 8 Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany) 8 Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) 8 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Youngest Portugal goal scorers in World Cup history. 23-013 Joao Felix (2022 v Ghana) 21-132 Cristiano Ronaldo (2006 v Iran) 22-217 António Simoes (1966 v Brazil) 23-167 Rafael Leao (2022 v Ghana) Youngest Portugal goal scorers on their World Cup debut. 23-014 João Félix (2022 v Ghana) 23-167 Rafael Leão (2022 v Ghana) 26-029 Hugo Almeida (2010 v North Korea) Number of goals scored by CAF in the 2022 World Cup. 2 Ghana 0 Cameroon 0 Morocco 0 Senegal 0 Tunisia World Cup matches: 0-0 at halftime, 5 goals in the second half. 1982 Poland 5-1 Peru (Group Phase) 1994 Netherlands 2-3 Brazil (Quarterfinal) 2018 Belgium 3-2 Japan (Round of 16) 2022 Portugal 3-2 Ghana (Group Phase)
Brazil 2-0 Serbia Oldest Brazil players to play in a World Cup. 38-036 Thiago Silva (2022 v Serbia) 37-166 Djalma Santos (1966 v Hungary) Brazil players to score a brace in their World Cup debut. Moderato (1930 v Bolivia) José Perácio (1938 v Poland) Ademir (1950 v Mexico) Pinga (1954 v Mexico) José Altafini (1958 v Austria) Amarildo (1962 v Spain) Neymar (2014 v Croatia) Richarlison (2022 v Serbia) Longest consecutive streaks of not losing a World Cup group stage match. 16 Germany (1990-2010) 1986, 0-2 v Denmark - 2010, 0-1 v Serbia 16 Brazil (2002-2022) 1998, 1-2 v Norway - ongoing
1998 - 2018 (3 points for a win + top two in group advance) 73 opening group stage matches ended with a win/loss result. (aka Did not end in a draw.) Teams that LOST their opening match at a World Cup. ▪️ finished 1st: 2 (2.7%) (2010 Spain, 2018 Colombia) ▪️ finished 2nd: 6 (8.2%) (2002 Turkey, 2006 Ghana, 2006 Ukraine, 2014 Greece, 2014 Uruguay, 2014 Algeria) ▪️ finished 3rd: 26 ▪️ finished 4th: 39 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Advance to the Round of 16: 8 (11 %) Eliminated: 65 (89 %) Teams that WON their opening match at a World Cup. ▪️ finished 1st: 36 ▪️ finished 2nd: 25 ▪️ finished 3rd: 12 (16.4%) (2002 Costa Rica, 2002 Argentina, 2002 Russia, 2006 Czechia, 2006 South Korea, 2010 Slovenia, 2010 Switzerland, 2014 Ivory Coast, 2014 Italy, 2018 Iran, 2018 Serbia, 2018 Senegal) ▪️ finished 4th: 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Advanced to the Round of 16: 61 (83.6%) Eliminated: 12 (16.4%)
That's interesting that NO TEAM has ever finished last in the group after winning their first game. This year in Group C might be a little different though, because the pot 4 team beat the pot 1 team in the first match. , I could see Saudi Arabia suddenly finding the moment too big for them, and losing to both Poland and Mexico. If that happens, they will finish last, unless Argentina completely self-destructs.
Yeah, although the American commentator on the broadcast today said it was Serbia's precursor Yugoslavia that beat Brazil in 1934. It wasn't. it was Spain. Yugoslavia wasn't even at that tournament.
Wales 0-2 Iran Goalkeepers expelled (red card) in a World Cup match. Gianluca Pagliuca (1994 Italy v Norway) Itumeleng Khune (2010 South Africa v Uruguay) Wayne Hennessey (2022 Wales v Iran) At 97'32", Rouzbeh Cheshmi scores the latest decisive (aka match-winning) goal (excluding extra time) in a World Cup match. World Cup victories for Iran. 2-1 v United States (1998) 1-0 v Morocco (2018) 2-0 v Wales (2022) Iran v UEFA in the World Cup. 0-3 v Netherlands (1978) 1-1 v Scotland (1978) 0-1 v FR Yugoslavia (1998) 0-2 v Germany (1998) 0-2 v Portugal (2006) 1-3 v Bosnia and Herzegovina (2014) 0-1 v Spain (2018) 1-1 v Portugal (2018) 2-0 v Wales (2022)
Qatar 1-3 Senegal CAF v World Cup host countries. 2002 Tunisia 0-2 Japan 2014 Cameroon 1-4 Brazil 2018 Egypt 1-3 Russia 2022 Senegal 3-1 Qatar Longest time for host countries to score their first goal. 168' Qatar 2022 135' Mexico 1970 127' England 1966
Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador Earliest World Cup goals conceded by Ecuador. 3'37" v Germany (Miroslav Klose) 5'1" v Netherlands (Cody Gakpo) Netherlands players to score in their first two World Cup appearances. Memphis Depay (2014) Cody Gakpo (2022) Ecuador 1-1, 49' Netherlands concedes a World Cup goal after 511 scoreless minutes (2014, 2022). Goalkeepers during that span. 371' Jasper Cillessen 139' Andries Noppert 1' Tim Krul Most consecutive World Cup goals for a country scored by one player. 6 - Eusébio (Portugal, 1966) 6 - Paolo Rossi (Italy, 1982) 6 - Oleg Salenko (Russia, 1994) 6 - Enner Valencia (Ecuador 2014, 2022) World Cup host countries that failed to advance from the group stage. 2010 South Africa 2022 Qatar
England 0-0 United States England v United States in the World Cup. 0-1, 1950 1-1, 2010 0-0, 2022 United States clean sheets against UEFA teams in the World Cup. 1-0 v England, 1950 0-0 v England, 2022 World Cup opponents England have played the most without ever defeating them. 4 Brazil 3 Uruguay 3 United States Teams involved in most goalless draws in World Cup history. 12 England 9 Brazil 5 goalless draws in the first 20 matches of a World Cup. 1974 2022
(Apologies, best image I could find) Tunisia 0-1 Australia Headed goals by Australia in the World Cup. Tim Cahill, 2010 v Serbia Tim Cahill 2014 v Chile Mitchell Duke, 2022 v Tunisia Australia 1-0 First time in 18 World Cup matches that Australia led at halftime. Australia victories in the World Cup. 3-1 v Japan (2006) 2-1 v Serbia (2010) 1-0 v Tunisia (2022) Australia clean sheets in the World Cup. 0-0 v Chile (1974) 1-0 v Tunisia (2022) Number of goals = number of yellow/red cards issued. 0 goals, 0 cards : (1930 July 13 when opening match France v Mexico kicked off) 2,598 goals, 2,598 cards (2022 November 26 following Tunisia v Australia)
Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia World Cup penalties saved by Poland goalkeepers (excluding shootouts). Jan Tomaszewski (1974 v Sweden, Staffan Tapper) Jan Tomaszewski (1974 v West Germany, Uli Hoeness) Wojciech Szczęsny (2022 v Saudi Arabia, Salem Al-Dawsari) Teams that saved a penalty and had a penalty saved during the same group phase of a World Cup. Mexico 1930 (Bonfiglio saves Paternoster - ARG ; M. Rosas saved by Bossio - ARG) Argentina 1930 (Paternoster saved by Bonfiglio - MEX ; Bossio saves M. Rosas - MEX) Poland 2022 (Lewandowski saved by Ochoa - MEX ; Szczęsny saves Al-Dawsari - KSA)
France 2-1 Denmark Leading France goal scorers in World Cup history. 13 Just Fontaine 7 Kylian Mbappé 6 Thierry Henry Youngest players to have scored 6 World Cup goals. 17-251 Pelé (Brazil) 22-357 James Rodríguez (Colombia) 23-340 Kylian Mbappé (France) 23-345 Mario Kempes (Argentina) UEFA World Cup winners to begin their defence of the trophy with two victories. 1934 Italy (1938: 2-1 v Norway, 3-1 v France) 2018 France (2022: 4-1 v Australia, 2-1 v Denmark) Youngest players to have scored 7 World Cup goals. 17-251 Pelé (Brazil) 23-340 Kylian Mbappé (France)
Argentina 2-0 Mexico Born in Argentina, played for Mexico in the World Cup. Gabriel Caballero (2002) Guillermo Franco (2006, 2010) Rogelio Funes Mori (2022) Players who have participated in the most World Cup tournaments. 5 Antonio Carbajal (Mexico - 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966) 5 Lothar Matthäus (Germany - 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) 5 Rafael Márquez (Mexico - 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) 5 Lionel Messi (Argentina - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) 5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) 5 Andrés Guardado (Mexico - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) Most Argentina appearances in World Cup history. 21 Diego Maradona 21 Lionel Messi 20 Javier Mascherano 18 Mario Kempes 10/24 matches at Qatar 2022 have been 0-0 at halftime. Leading Argentina goal scorers in World Cup history. 10 Gabriel Batistuta 8 Guillermo Stábile 8 Diego Maradona 8 Lionel Messi 8 goals in 21 World Cup appearances. Diego Maradona (8 assists) Lionel Messi (7 assists) Argentina players with the most World Cup match victories. 13 Lionel Messi (21 appearances)) 12 Diego Maradona (21 appearances) 12 Javier Mascherano (20 appearances) 11 Angel Di María (15 appearances) Argentina v CONCACAF in the World Cup. 6-3 v Mexico, 1930 6-1 v United States, 1930 4-1 v Haiti, 1974 2-0 v El Salvador, 1982 5-0 v Jamaica, 1998 2-1 aet v Mexico, 2006 3-1 v Mexico, 2010 2-0 v Mexico, 2022
One thing is that we've now got 4 different AFC teams that have won a match in a world cup. I'm sure that's a first.