The FIFA World Cup 2022 is about to kick off in Qatar, running from 20 November to 18 December in one of the world’s hottest venues. Here, 32 teams will compete in eight groups in the hopes of holding aloft the FIFA World Cup Trophy. To get you ready for Sunday’s opening ceremony, here’s a look at 7 interesting facts about the World Cup.
1. Where did it all start?
The first-ever Football World Cup was hosted in 1930 at the suggestion of Jules Rimet who wanted to create an international competition between various football teams. There were only 13 teams to compete in the first World Cup with the host nation, Uruguay, taking the inaugural winners’ title.
2. How many teams qualify for the World Cup?
FIFA decides how many representative nations from each continent will compete – also known as the number of berths per confederation. The qualifying rounds start two years ahead of the tournament with more than 200 countries competing. As a rule, the host country gets automatic qualification with 31 spots remaining. The current format sees 32 teams split into eight groups of four with the first two in each group making it to the knockout stage. This will change in 2026 when 48 teams will be included.
3. Who has won the most World Cups?
Brazil has not only won the most World Cups – at five – it is the only country to play in every tournament since the competition started, making the top four 11 times. The country has also hosted the World Cup twice. Italy and Germany are tied for second place, having won the World Cup four times each.
4. Which country has scored the most World Cup goals?
While Brazil has won the most World Cups, it’s Germany that has scored the most goals – 224. Germany has also competed in the most final and semi-final matches, playing a record 106 games in total. Miroslav Klose, the highest scorer in tournament history, is also from Germany.
5. Why is the World Cup every four years?
There needs to be sufficient time for all the qualification fixtures to be played which is why the World Cup has been hosted every four years since it started. The only two years that the World Cup wasn’t played was 1942 and 1946 because of World War II.
6. Multiple host nations
In 2002, when Asia hosted its first World Cup, there were two host nations for the first time in World Cup history – South Korea and Japan. In 2026, we will see the second time the World Cup will have multiple host nations with USA, Canada and Mexico all playing their part.
7. What about the heat in Qatar?
The choice of Qatar as a host nation has brought with it some amount of controversy, particularly around human rights abuses, discrimination of women and more. But one of the biggest concerns was the heat considering Qatar is one of the hottest countries in the world. Annual average temperatures range from 14 to 41°C, with most months exceeding 30°C. To address this, Qatar decided to build fully air-conditioned stadiums at its eight venues for the World Cup.
The 22nd World Cup will kick off with Qatar taking on Ecuador in Group A, with the match scheduled to kick off at 6pm (South African time) on Sunday, 20 November in Al Bayt Stadium.
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