Random World Cup Facts

almango · Jun 22, 2021

Every Four Years said: ↑

There was 1 Asian team at the 1938 WC: the then-Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). India could have been the second in 1950 but withdrew. Although frankly we probably wouldn't have much better then South Korea 1954 and probably didn't belong in the WC anyway. A lot of people don't know this, and I don't blame them considering how dreadful we are now, but India was actually one of the better teams in Asia back in the 50s and 60s. We beat South Korea at the 1964 Asian Cup and finished runners-up to Israel.
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India also made the semi finals of the 1956 Olympic tournament.

Kamtedrejt · Jun 29, 2021

Metropolitan said: ↑

Since 1998, during euro and world cup knockout stages, France has only been eliminated by the future champion.

1998: winner
2000: winner
2002: eliminated in group stage
2004: eliminated in quarter-final by Greece
2006: eliminated in final by Italy
2008: eliminated in group stage
2010: eliminated in group stage
2012: eliminated in quarter-final by Spain
2014: eliminated in quarter-final by Germany
2016: eliminated in final by Portugal
2018: winner
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2021: ?????

I think this streak will come to an end this year. I just can't see Switzerland winning the tournament.

Metropolitan · Jun 29, 2021

Kamtedrejt said: ↑

2021: ?????

I think this streak will come to an end this year. I just can't see Switzerland winning the tournament.
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Yep, it's definitely over.

Hayaka · Jun 29, 2021

It would be funny if it wasn't.

Metropolitan · Jul 11, 2021

I've been looking at Historical results of knock-out games in major tournaments between "top" nations. By "top", I needed to pick a list so that was Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, England, the Netherlands and Portugal. I agree this could be disputed but I needed to make a choice.

Looking at those results, I've found something interesting. Outside Wembley stadium, England has never won the knockout game of a major tournament against any of those teams. However, in Wembley, England has never lost against any of those teams.

This remain true tonight as both of England eliminations in Wembley were decided on penalty shootouts (which technically count as draws): euro 96 semi-final against Germany and euro 2020 final against Italy.

Paul Calixte · Aug 23, 2021

Just realized something strange with the next fixtures in Conmebol, specifically Matchday 9:

Bolivia vs. Colombia
Ecuador vs. Paraguay
Venezuela vs. Argentina
Peru vs. Uruguay
Chile vs. Brazil

Here we have a complete Conmebol matchday without a single game between neighboring countries

Anyone know the last time that happened?!

HomietheClown · Aug 23, 2021

I love South American soccer and have been watching it for about 3 decades but even a stat like that is to obscure for me.

Rafael Hernandez · Aug 23, 2021

Paul Calixte said: ↑

Just realized something strange with the next fixtures in Conmebol, specifically Matchday 9:

Bolivia vs. Colombia
Ecuador vs. Paraguay
Venezuela vs. Argentina
Peru vs. Uruguay
Chile vs. Brazil

Here we have a complete Conmebol matchday without a single game between neighboring countries

Anyone know the last time that happened?!
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You have to take into account that it's also because CONMEBOL used the same calendar for every World Cup qualifier and thus since it didn't happen that one time, it mean it wouldn't for like 3 World Cups.

The last one I think was in 1997 when Matchday 15 had Ecuador vs Paraguay, Chile vs Uruguay, Bolivia vs Colombia and Venezuela vs Peru. Of course it would have had Argentina vs Brazil but Brazil was the WC champion and didn't play the qualifiers (which would have made it possible in another different matchday in 2006 had they not eliminated the automatic WC berth for the Champion).

joebarnin · Aug 23, 2021

Paul Calixte said: ↑

Just realized something strange with the next fixtures in Conmebol, specifically Matchday 9:

Bolivia vs. Colombia
Ecuador vs. Paraguay
Venezuela vs. Argentina
Peru vs. Uruguay
Chile vs. Brazil

Here we have a complete Conmebol matchday without a single game between neighboring countries

Anyone know the last time that happened?!
Click to expand...

I wrote some code to look at the odds. There are 945 ways in which 10 teams can match up in a given game day. Turns out 40 of them have all five games not involving a neighboring country. So, all things being equal, about 4.2% of the time. Here is the full list:

Chili vs. Uruguay, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Venezuela, Bolivia vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Uruguay, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Bolivia vs. Venezuela, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Uruguay, Argentina vs. Venezuela, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Uruguay, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Venezuela, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Paraguay, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Brazil, Peru vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Paraguay, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Venezuela, Bolivia vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Paraguay, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Columbia, Bolivia vs. Venezuela, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Paraguay, Uruguay vs. Venezuela, Argentina vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Paraguay, Uruguay vs. Columbia, Argentina vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Venezuela, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Paraguay, Argentina vs. Ecuador, Bolivia vs. Columbia, Peru vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Paraguay, Argentina vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Paraguay, Argentina vs. Columbia, Bolivia vs. Ecuador, Peru vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Ecuador, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Peru vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Ecuador, Peru vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Peru, Ecuador vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Ecuador, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Venezuela, Bolivia vs. Columbia
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Ecuador, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Bolivia vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Ecuador, Argentina vs. Venezuela, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Columbia
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Ecuador, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Ecuador, Paraguay vs. Venezuela, Bolivia vs. Columbia
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Ecuador, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Bolivia vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Venezuela, Paraguay vs. Ecuador, Bolivia vs. Columbia
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Venezuela, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Bolivia vs. Ecuador
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Ecuador, Bolivia vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Peru, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Venezuela, Bolivia vs. Ecuador
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Venezuela, Argentina vs. Ecuador, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Columbia
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Venezuela, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Ecuador, Bolivia vs. Columbia
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Venezuela, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Bolivia vs. Ecuador
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Venezuela, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Ecuador
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Columbia, Argentina vs. Ecuador, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Columbia, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Ecuador, Bolivia vs. Venezuela
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Columbia, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Venezuela, Bolivia vs. Ecuador
Chili vs. Brazil, Uruguay vs. Columbia, Argentina vs. Venezuela, Paraguay vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Ecuador
Chili vs. Venezuela, Uruguay vs. Paraguay, Argentina vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Venezuela, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Columbia, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Venezuela, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Columbia, Paraguay vs. Peru, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Columbia, Uruguay vs. Paraguay, Argentina vs. Peru, Bolivia vs. Venezuela, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Columbia, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Peru, Paraguay vs. Venezuela, Ecuador vs. Brazil
Chili vs. Columbia, Uruguay vs. Bolivia, Argentina vs. Venezuela, Paraguay vs. Peru, Ecuador vs. Brazil

unclesox · Sep 5, 2021

Brought over from the Qatar 2022 thread.
https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/qatar-2022.2001054/page-183#post-39888102

EvanJ said: ↑

With three wins and help, France can qualify this month, which would be over fourteen months before the World Cup. I wonder what the record is for most days from clinching qualification to the start of a World Cup excluding teams that didn't need to qualify.
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EARLIEST QUALIFIERS (in days) FOR A WORLD CUP

530 : Argentina (17 December 1960 - 30 May 1962)
449 : Brazil (22 March 1981 - 13 June 1982)
444 : Brazil (28 March 2017 - 14 June 2018)
422 : Mexico (16 May 1965 - 11 July 1966)
420 : Uruguay (7 April 1985 - 31 May 1986)
414 : Brazil (21 April 1957 - 8 June 1958)
410 : Hungary (17 April 1985 - 31 May 1986)
405 : Mexico (9 May 1993 - 17 June 1994)
397 : Belgium (30 April 1969 - 31 May 1970)
394 : Uruguay (13 June 1965 - 11 July 1966)

Hayaka · Nov 26, 2021

We haven't had a quiz question for awhile, so I thought I'd ask one:

There has been one World Cup group in which three of the four teams in it have failed to return to the World Cup. Which World Cup group was it and what were the teams? (Excluding the 2018 groups, of course).

This isn't particularly hard, so try to answer it without using the Internet.

glennaldo_sf · Nov 26, 2021

Hayaka said: ↑

We haven't had a quiz question for awhile, so I thought I'd ask one:

There has been one World Cup group in which three of the four teams in it have failed to return to the World Cup. Which World Cup group was it and what were the teams? (Excluding the 2018 groups, of course).

This isn't particularly hard, so try to answer it without using the Internet.
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Hee hee I got this right away and without looking.. 2010... Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand?

Hayaka · Nov 26, 2021

You got it.

Good for you to not have to look.

Hayaka · Nov 26, 2021

This one should be a little tougher. What is the only UEFA side who has more than one loss to AFC teams at the World Cup?

Iranian Monitor · Nov 26, 2021

Hayaka said: ↑

This one should be a little tougher. What is the only UEFA side who has more than one loss to AFC teams at the World Cup?
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Italy: 1966 N Korea, 2002 S Korea

glennaldo_sf · Nov 26, 2021

Hayaka said: ↑

This one should be a little tougher. What is the only UEFA side who has more than one loss to AFC teams at the World Cup?
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Hee hee... it's not just AFC teams, but 2 Koreas

Hayaka · Nov 26, 2021

I'm obviously not asking tough enough questions.

I like to ask ones that don't take a lot of Internet searching, but you guys are too good. I promise a more difficult one next time.

Rafael Hernandez · Nov 26, 2021

Talking about Italy

Nightmare draw for Italy. Portugal in the final.

Awful that one of these teams won’t make World Cup, while some dreadful teams in North and South America will#WorldCup2022
— Carlo Garganese (@carlogarganese) November 26, 2021

Pretty funny that the baby whines about this especially because since defeating Uruguay in the 1990 Round of 16, Italy has only won 1 game against a CONCACAF/CONMEBOL team (Ecuador 2002) since. And they have played against a team from those in every World Cup since 1990, even in 2002 when they defeated Ecuador, they couldn't defeat Mexico. Also it's the 1990 World Cup, the one they hosted where they were also eliminated by a CONMEBOL team.

locoxriver · Nov 26, 2021

LOL “dreadful teams in South America”, when as of today even Uruguay and Chile wouldn’t even be making it due to how competitive CONMEBOL is.

But anyway, wrong thread for this discussion

Rafael Hernandez · Nov 26, 2021

locoxriver said: ↑

LOL “dreadful teams in South America”, when as of today even Uruguay and Chile wouldn’t even be making it due to how competitive CONMEBOL is.

But anyway, wrong thread for this discussion
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Few threads better to put the spotlight on Italy's WC record on sides this side of the Atlantic.

Hayaka · Nov 26, 2021

Okay, this one will require some knowledge of geography. There are three cases of World Cup groups having countries where three of the four in the group share a land border with another country in the group. Name those three World Cup groups.

Rafael Hernandez · Nov 26, 2021

Hayaka said: ↑

Okay, this one will require some knowledge of geography. There are three cases of World Cup groups having countries where three of the four in the group share a land border with another country in the group. Name those three World Cup groups.
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Does 2018 Group B count because of Ceuta and Melilla?

Hayaka · Nov 26, 2021

I give up.

Yeah, you got the "trick question" part. The other two are relatively easy.

locoxriver · Nov 26, 2021

@Hayaka step your game up! You’re dealing with the pros!

Hayaka · Nov 26, 2021

locoxriver said: ↑

@Hayaka step your game up! You’re dealing with the pros!
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I guess . . . I'm definitely in a slump.