Every FIFA World Cup match brings with it a cascade of fascinating facts. Alongside the goals and drama on the pitch, records continue to tumble and new milestones are constantly being set. Here is a visual journey through some of the most intriguing statistics, curiosities and achievements from the World Cup stage.
*Click on the jersey to explore the fun facts
Total number of
goals scored (1930-2018)
2720
Scorer of the first goal
Lucien Laurent (France -1930)
First hat-trick
Bert Patenaude (USA -1930)
Most goals in a tournament
1998 and 2014 (171 each)
Least goals in an edition
1930 and 1934 (70 each)
Country with maximum number of goals
Brazil (237)
Most number of goals by a player
Miroslav Klose, Germany (16 goals from 24 matches)
Player with most number of goals in a game
Oleg Salenko of Russia (5 goals, against Cameroon in 1994)
Country with most number of World Cup titles
Brazil – 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Teams with most number of final meetings
Argentina-Germany (1986, 1990, 2014)
Country with most number of goals in an edition
Hungary - 27 (1954)
The Golden Ball Award is presented to the outstanding player at each FIFA World Cup finals.
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2018
2014, 2022
There have been two iterations of the FIFA World Cup Trophy. The old one, called the Jules Rimet Trophy, was in place from 1930 to 1970. It was named after the third FIFA President Jules Rimet, who was one of the key men responsible for creating a World Cup tournament. This Trophy was designed by French sculptor Abel Lafleur.
weight: 3.8 kg
Material:
gold-plated sterling silver
blue base made:
lapis lazuli stone
height: 35 cm
Gold statuette of Nike,
the Greek goddess of victory
Material:
gold-plated sterling silver
Gold statuette of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory
blue base made:
lapis lazuli stone
weight: 6.175 kg
Material:
4.927 kg gold (18 karats)
circular base:
malachite
height: 36.8 cm
The winners of each tournament have their name engraved on the base.
circular base:
malachite
Material:
4.927 kg gold (18 karats)
The winners of each tournament have their name engraved on the base.
Adidas Trionda will take centre stage as the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup. Its name combines 'Tri', representing the tournament's three host nations - the United States, Canada and Mexico - and 'Onda', the Spanish word for 'wave'. The ball features a thermally bonded design made up of just four polyurethane panels, a significant departure from the traditional 16-panel construction. Its graphics pay tribute to the three host countries through their iconic colours and symbols: blue and stars for the United States, red and the maple leaf for Canada, and green and the eagle for Mexico. At its core is an embedded Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), a sensor that tracks the ball's position, speed and touches in real time.
