Top Facts You Should Know About the World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is the most noteworthy event in football and perhaps in the entire world of sports. The football fiesta is known for its color, beautiful stadiums, and, most importantly, fantastic football games. Below is a collection of notable facts about the event that you probably do not know.
Almost 50% of the world’s population watched the 2010 World Cup
FIFA announced that nearly 3.2 billion people (about 46% of the world’s people) tuned in to more than a minute of the World Cup in 2010, which sets a world record. The fact gets even crazier as FIFA states that about 2 billion people saw more than 30 minutes of the World Cup. That is 29% of the World!
Seventeen nations have hosted the World Cup since its inception.
Since appearing in 1930, 21 editions were presented. These 21 editions have been held in 17 nations. Many were surprised to know that the only African country, South Africa, was one of the 17 countries that competed. The other nations are Uruguay, Switzerland, Brazil, Sweden, West Germany, Italy, France, Argentina, England, Chile, Mexico, Japan, Russia, USA, Germany, and South Korea.
Other Interesting Facts
- The record for the quickest goal belongs to Hakan Sukur, who scored after just 11 seconds.
- Jose Batista, A Uruguayan defender, holds the record for being issued the quickest red card. After just 56 seconds of play, he was issued the card.
- Salenko, a Russian striker ,holds the record for most goals in a single match scoring five times.