World Cup – Fun Facts

To celebrate the 2014 Football World Cup, Kiwi Kids News is bringing you a footy fact for every day of the World Cup.

13. Who scored the fastest goal in a World Cup?
Hakan Suker of Turkey scored the fastest ever goal in the history of the World Cup, against South Korea in 2002. 10.8 seconds was all it took for the striker to score, a record which today still remains unbroken!

12. Who was the first player ever to get sent off in a World Cup?
During the opening match of the 1974 World Cup the Chilean player Carlos Caszely made history by being the first player ever to be sent off by a straight red card in a World Cup.

11. How far did the World Cup trophy travel on tour?
The total distance covered by the World Cup trophy during its world tour before Brazil 2014, was 149,576.78 km (92,942.702 miles). That’s more than three times around the world!

10. Who found the missing World Cup?
On the 20th of March 1966 the original Jules Rimet World Cup trophy was stolen from an exhibition in London. It was found a week later by a small dog called Pickles, out on a walk with his owner.

9. How many players tested the Adidas Brazuca football?
The new World Cup ball is pleasing to the eye but it has also gone through a rigorous testing procedure over the past two and a half years. It was tested by more than 600 professional players and 30 teams in 10 countries across three continents, making the Brazuca the most tested ball in Adidas’ history.

8. When was the World Cup first televised?
The first World Cup televised in Switzerland at the 1954 World Cup, but it wasn’t until the 1970 World Cup that it was broadcast worldwide. Now it is one of the most viewed sporting events in the world. Last year’s World Cup in South Africa attracted an audience of 3.2 billion people: around 46% of the world’s population, and that doesn’t include people who watched in.

7. How many World Cup matches have been decided by a penalty shoot-out?
22 world cup matches have been decided by a penalty shoot-out. Shoot outs only came into effect from 1978. The most successful team at penalty shoot-outs is Germany. Only one German player has ever missed a penalty.

6. How many people does the Maracana stadium seat?
The famous Maracana Stadium in Brazil will host the final of the World cup this year. Currently the stadium can hold 73,531 people.
The Stadium opened in 1950  and a record-breaking 173,850 people paid for a ticket to watch the final World Cup match between Uruguay and Brazil. However, people actually believe that the actual attendance to the match was around 210,000. This is a the record for any crowd watching a sporting event.

5. How many times has New Zealand been to the World Cup Finals.
New Zealand has been to the World Cup Finals on two occasions. The first in 1982 and the second time in 2010. In 2010 the All Whites were the only team not to lose a game in the entire tournament.

4. Which country has played the most matches at the World Cup?
Germany has played an amazing 99 matches at the Fifa World Cup. This is two than Brazil who are in second place with 97. Germany will play their 100th match against Portugal on 16 June.

3. Which country has won the World Cup the most?
Brazil is the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup. They have won the tournament 5 times and have also qualified for every World Cup match without the need for playoffs.

2. When did the World Cup first start?
The first ever World Cup match was played in Uruguay in 1930. Thirteen teams from around the world competed. Uruguay became the first ever nation to win the world cup with a 4-2 triumph over Argentina.

1. Why do Brazil play in a yellow kit?
The Brazilian team originally played in a white kit, until they lost the World Cup at home in 1950. The kit was then seen as “cursed” and a campaign was launched to design a new one.
An 18-year-old named Aldyr Garcia Schlee came up with the winning design of yellow and green shirts with blue shorts.
The kit was nicknamed the “Canarinha” which means canary.