FACTS TO KNOW: THE FIFA WORLD CUP

Here are a few interesting World Cup facts with which you can show off. The tournament is a trending topic now and for the foreseeable future — indulge in excessively bringing these points up.

> The host nation automatically qualifies to play in the World Cup.

> The first country to host the World Cup (in 1930), Uruguay, was also the winning team that year.

> Brazil has the highest World Cup titles — the country has won five times — in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002! They have also played in every tournament so far.

> The original trophy was called the Jules Rimet Trophy. The gold award was stolen in 1983 and has never been found.

> From an initial 13, the tournament format has grown to support 32 national teams. By 2026, it is expected to include 48.

> Germany’s Miroslav Klose is the top World Cup goal scorer to date with 16 goals.

> The 2002 World Cup was the first time it was held in two countries — South Korea and Japan.

> The World Cup’s fastest recorded goal was scored a mere 11 seconds into the game by Turkey’s Hakan Sukur against South Korea in 2002. > Aged 17 years, 1 month and 10 days, Northern Ireland’s Norman Whiteside is the youngest ever player to have debuted at the World Cup (Yugoslavia vs. Northern Ireland, 1982).

> Italy has the most number of World Cup draws — 21.

Enough banter between goals?