Football World Cup 2018 Statistics
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held in Russia, and there are 32 teams that have qualified for it. Five from Africa, five from Asia, 14 from Europe, three from North & Central America and the Caribbean, and five from South America.
There is some top talent on the World Cup teams, as usual, but there are also some lesser-known names that could make waves this year. Ousmane Dembele of France, for example, is a famous young player that many have high hopes for. Mohamed Salah of Egypt is another one to watch.
Team Statistics
The World Cup features the best teams in football, but the teams have changed a lot since the tournament began. There have been 79 different national teams that have made it to the finals of the World Cup since 1930.
Historically, the most successful team is Brazil. They have made 21 appearances in the World Cup and have been the champions five times. Germany is another team that has had a lot of success – having qualified 19 times and won the championship four times.
England has a passion for football and has qualified 15 times, however, their current active streak in terms of qualifying is just six years in a row. To date, they have won the championship just once – in 1966.
Panama will be one team to watch – they are making their FIFA World Cup debut this year, as is Iceland. Will their teams be able to handle the pressure of the world stage?
Player Statistics
There are some interesting players in the World Cup this year. Host country Russia is fielding an interesting team. Stanislav Cherchesov took over the National team after it performed disappointingly in the Euro 2016s, and he has made some sweeping changes.
He brought in two younger players – Viktor Vasin and Fedor Kudryashov, to shore up the defence, and he plays just three at the rear instead of four. Fyodor Smolov and Aleksandr Kokorin are two that are still going strong, and that we can expect to score many goals.
Another interesting team is Group A’s Egypt. Their defensive style works well for them. Egypt is fielding goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, who at 45 years old will be the oldest player at the World Cup.
Group B’s Morocco are stepping back onto the world stage for the first time in 20 years. Their star player is Hakim Ziyech, who is smart and strong. The team hopes to have a hidden gem in the form of Sofiane Boufal, who is from Southampton.
Group C’s France could be facing trouble, because their left-back position is filled by Benjamin Mendy of Manchester City, and he is currently nursing a knee injury.
Yellow and Red Card Statistics
Tempers often flare in the World Cup, and yellow and red cards are common. The first ever player to be sent off in a World Cup match was Placido Galindo, who was representing Peru in 1930 – the first year of the World Cup.
The quickest red card occurred in 1986 when Jose Batista of Uruguay was sent off in the first minute.
The greatest number of red cards in a single World Cup match occurred in 2006’s Portugal vs Netherlands match. The referee issued 16 yellow cards, and four red cards.
The 2014 World Cup saw a total of ten red cards issued – nine in the first round, and one in the second round.
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