With the FIFA World Cup just days away from kick-off, here are some interesting facts about the tournament that will amaze you!
Fans from across the globe just can’t wait for the FIFA World Cup 2014 to kickstart.
The ‘samba’ nation is in ready to host the major football tournament and welcome some of the biggest names in the world of football.
Before even the ball has been kicked, here are some facts and figures of the World Cup that will leave you amazed:
- The 2014 World Cup will be held across 12 different cities in Brazil. These include Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador, Cuiaba, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.
- 8- Previous winners of the FIFA World Cup are set to take part in Brazil 2014 World Cup. One of them is the host nation; Brazil who have won the World Cup a record five times, the last of which came in 2002. Italy (four wins), Germany (three), Uruguay, Argentina (twice each), England, France and Spain (once each) complete the rest of the lot.
- In what could come as a blow for many European nations hear this – no nation from outside South America has ever won the World Cup on South American soil.
- The official ball of the FIFA 2014 World Cup is the Adidas Brazuca. The name was selected by vote from the publc that received responses from more than 1 million Brazilian football fans.
- The total prize money on offer for the tourney is US$576 million (including payments of US$70 million to domestic clubs).
- With technology part of the sporting world these days, for a first, the FIFA World Cup 2014 would see the usage of the ‘goal-line technology’.
- Remember the ‘Vuvuzelas’ from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? Even though those instruments received some flak, vuvuzelas were popular amongst the crowds in South Africa. But in Brazil, these vuvuzelas will be replaced by ‘Caxirola’ – an instrument that can be shaken to produce sound.
- The tatu-bola known as Fuleco in Brazil, an armadillo that defends itself from predators by rolling up into a ball, was chosen as the official mascot by FIFA.
- 1998 winners France hold the record for the most number of goals scored in a single tournament with 171 goals in 64 games.
- Till date in the history of the FIFA World Cup, as much as 76 national sides have taken part in at least one FIFA World Cup. Host nation Brazil is the only country to have been present at every edition, followed by Germany and Italy – both of whom have taken part in 17 out of a possible 19 final tournaments.
The above facts and figures would mean nothing if this year’s World Cup is called a ‘success’. With a host stars geared up to go head-to-head, there are more records awaiting to be broken!
