After waiting patiently for four years, it's impossible not to feel excited for the World Cup™. If you're counting down the days like us, the wait is almost over. To whet your appetite, we’ve pulled together everything you need to know about the ultimate men’s football competition. Are you ready to test your knowledge for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™? Have all your World Cup ™ questions, answered!
When Does The World Cup™ Start?
The FIFA World Cup™ 2022 kicks off on Sunday 20 November. Not long now until you hear the roar of the crowds, the wild celebrations and the pundits’ post-match debates.
How Often Is the FIFA World Cup™?
The FIFA World Cup™ occurs every four years. This means that the last FIFA World Cup™ was held in 2018 (in Russia) and the next one will be in 2026 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Which Country Will Host The 2022 World Cup™?
Qatar is the country hosting the 2022 World Cup™, the first one held in winter. If you look back through the history of the event, 17 countries have hosted the World Cup™ from 1930 on.
How Many Teams Will Take Part In The 2022 World Cup™?
That first championship was nothing like the massive occasion we know today. For starters, there were just 13 national teams – which didn’t include countries like England or Italy. It was eventually won by the host nation when they beat Argentina 4–2 in front of 93,000 people in Montevideo.
Compare this with Russia 2018, where France won the last World Cup™, triumphing over 32 other teams in front of billions of people on live TV. This year’s tournament will be no different, with 32 teams competing on the world stage.
Trophy Hunters
The cup that was first lifted above the heads of those Uruguayan players over 90 years ago was called the Jules Rimet Trophy, in honour of the French President of FIFA at the time. It was his idea to hold the competition in its present form.
This famous prize now sits permanently in Brazil’s trophy cabinet, after they won it for the third time in 1970.
The current cup is called the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy and was designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, showing two human figures holding up the Earth. Fortunately, it’s hollow, because if it was solid, it would be too heavy to lift! Made from 18-carat gold with bands of malachite (a green and black swirled gemstone) on its base, it’s 36.8 centimetres high and weighs 6.1 kilograms.
Worth around $20 million, it’s one of the most expensive trophies in sporting history. It’s certainly not something any winning captain would want to drop.
Goal! Which Country Has Won The Most World Cups™?
Of course, Brazil is the most famous team in the competition. They've won the most World Cups, with five titles under their belt - one more than Germany.
But Germany have some pretty good bragging rights of their own. Germany scored seven goals in the 2014 semi-finals against Brazil – a record defeat for any team at that stage of the competition.
That’s the beauty of the World Cup™ – and what we all love about football in general. It’s so unpredictable.
Making Headlines: Who Is The Most Successful World Cup™ Player ever?
We all remember the incredible performances of Ronaldo and Pelé, but can you name the most successful players in the history of the World Cup™? Here are five of them:
1.Hakan Şükür – scored the quickest World Cup™ goal in an incredible 11 seconds (Turkey v South Korea 2002)
2.Norman Whiteside – youngest ever player in the finals (17 years old playing for Northern Ireland in 1982)
3.Essam El-Hadary – oldest ever player in the final (45 years old playing for Egypt in 2018)
4.Geoff Hurst – only hat-trick in a final (England, 1966 - for the few who don't know!)
5. Miroslav Klose – all-time top scorer (netted 16 goals for Germany over four tournaments)
When Football Didn’t Come Home
These players, like many who take part in the finals, become national heroes, especially if they return home with the famous golden trophy.
After scoring his unique hat-trick in 1966, you might have assumed Geoff Hurst returned with the match ball too. Not so. German midfielder Helmut Haller swiped it after the game.
Eventually, it was reunited with Sir Geoff in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of his feat (or should that be ‘feet’?). That famous leather sphere from 1966 is a remarkably different beast to the football ball which will be used in the 2022 World Cup™. Interested in knowing more about thw history of adidas' World Cup™ footballs and football boots? Read this blog to find out more about the adidas balls or check out this article on which football studs were used throughout the years.
And The Winner Of The World Cup™ 2022 Is…?
There have been 21 official FIFA World Cup™ competitions. Since the very first event in 1930 it has kept on growing in scale. The prize fund is now $450 million, with $47.5 million going to the eventual winners. And of course, it’s always a fantastic sporting spectacle.
So who do you think will be the world’s finest footballing nation in 2022? While we are all eager to watch our favorite teams, the favourite seems to be Brazil, Spain, France or Germany.
The chances are it will be a country from either Europe or South America, as no other continent has ever boasted a World Cup™ winner. For the stattos among you, Europe has won the most titles (12). South America are close behind with nine.
What we can be sure of is that when Qatar and Ecuador face each other at 4 pm on 20 November, the world will be watching. And by the evening of the 18 December, one entire nation will be celebrating an early Christmas present. Who’s got goosebumps already?