50 Insane Facts about the World Cup [INFOGRAPHIC]

The biggest event in football will shortly be upon us, and with Brazil 2014 kicking off soon, what better time to brush up on your knowledge of the tournament, teams and terminology. Here are 50 facts to give you the World Cup knowledge you need to be an expert during Brazil 2014. Having a bet on the World Cup? Use our Accumulator Bet Calculator tool to work out the odds and returns.

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The biggest event in football will shortly be upon us, and with Brazil 2014’s kick-off just around the corner, what better time to brush up on your knowledge of the tournament, the teams and terminology? Here are 50 facts to give you a grounding.

Some history:

1930 – The year of the first football World Cup[i]. 1942/1946 – The two times the World Cup wasn’t held as scheduled, both due to the Second World War[ii]. 1 week – The length of time the World Cup trophy went missing, ahead of the 1966 World Cup[iii]. 76 – The record-breaking number of years since Cuba and Indonesia last competed in the World Cup[iv]. Montevideo, Uruguay – The city that hosted the first World Cup[v]. Golden Boot – Also known as the Golden Shoe, this award goes to the top goal scorer in each World Cup[vi]. Golden Ball – This award is given to the best player in each World Cup[vii]. 11 seconds – The time taken to score the fastest opening goal in the World Cup. Turkey’s Hakan Sukur scored against South Korea in 2002[viii].

Numbers:

715.1m – The number of people around the world who watched the 2006 World Cup final on television[ix]. 750,000+ litres – The amount of beer sold in the host stadiums during the 2010 World Cup[x]. 32 – The number of teams that play in any given World Cup tournament[xi]. 8 – The number of teams that have won at least one World Cup[xii]. 204 – The number of teams that put themselves forward for the 2014 World cup (hosts Brazil didn’t need to qualify) [xiii]. 46.4% - The percentage of the world’s population that watched some of the 2010 World Cup on television[xiv].

Brazil in the World Cup:

Brazil – The only team to have played in all of the World Cup tournaments[xv]. 5 – The number of times Brazil has won the World Cup[xvi]. 3 – The number of World Cups that Brazil’s Pele was in the winning team for[xvii]. 15 – Goals by Ronaldo in the World Cup, making him the all-time top scorer

Brazil 2014 – quick facts:

3,845ft / 1,172m – The height above sea level of the Estadio Nacional stadium in Brasilia, host ground to the third-place match among others[xviii]. 76,804 – The capacity of the Estadio Do Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, which will host the 2014 final[xix]. 92% - The percentage of the old Estadio Fonte Nova stadium’s demolition debris used in the construction of the new Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador[xx]. 12 – The number of cities in Brazil that will host matches in the 2014 World Cup[xxi]. Inhumane – A word bandied around in response to lunchtime kick offs in Brazil in 2014, due to the expected temperature[xxii]. 30,000 – The number of families claimed to have been forcibly relocated in Rio de Janeiro, due to rising land prices ahead of the tournament[xxiii]. 12/06/14 – The day the first match of the 2014 tournament kicks off[xxiv]. 1,041,000 – The number of tickets for the 2014 World Cup allocated to host nation Brazil[xxv]. 125,465 – The number of tickets going to the USA, the nation with the second biggest allocation[xxvi]. 80% - The humidity levels in the rainforest city of Manaus, one of the places hosting games[xxvii]. 3.3m – The total number of tickets available for the 2014 World Cup[xxviii]. Bosnia and Herzegovina – 2014 marks the first time this nation has been in the World Cup[xxix].

Brazil 2014 – merchandise and branding:

Ricky Martin – The man whose voice is behind the official 2014 World Cup song[xxx]. Acaraje – A Brazilian snack that street vendors in Bahia have been banned from selling during the World Cup, due to ‘product placement’ issues[xxxi]. Fuleco – The name of the official mascot of the 2014 World Cup[xxxii]. 14 – The age of Fuleco (who is an armadillo). It was born on 1st January 2000[xxxiii]. 125 – The number of designs put forward as part of the 2014 World Cup logo creation process[xxxiv]. 3 – The number of hands featured in the 2014 logo[xxxv]. All in one Rhythm – the official slogan[xxxvi]. 88 – The number of countries visited by the World Cup trophy on a tour ahead of the competition[xxxvii]. 5 men, 1 woman – The number of official ambassadors for the competition. These include former Brazil legend Ronaldo[xxxviii]. 600+ - The number of players and former players who tested the official match ball in its development stages[xxxix].

Brazil 2014 - money:

£2.5bn – The amount of extra money that will be spent during the 2014 World Cup[xl]. 10,000 – The number of England fans expected to head to Brazil for the tournament[xli]. £10,000 – The price of getting to Brazil and attending the games paid by each of those fans[xlii]. £5.5bn – The revenue FIFA rakes in over each four-year World Cup cycle from commercial interests.[xliii] £98 – The price of an official 2014 World Cup Brazuca match ball[xliv]. £0 – The price of the same ball for Brazilians born on the day of its launch[xlv]. £44.99 – The price you can expect to pay for a copy of the official 2014 World Cup video game[xlvi]. £2.4bn – The amount spent by Brazil on stadiums for the 2014 World Cup[xlvii]. $454m / £269m – The amount of money FIFA will give to competing nations in prizes[xlviii].

The future:

Russia – This country will host its first World Cup in 2018[xlix].

So armed with those facts, you’ll hopefully be prepared to chat about the competition with anyone you come across .