FIFA World Cup records and statistics
This article lists records of the FIFA World Cup and its qualification matches.
Matches
- Highest scoring: Austria 7 Switzerland 5,
.
- Biggest wins: Hungary 9 South Korea 0, World Cup 1954; Yugoslavia 9 Zaire 0
; Hungary 10 El Salvador 1,
.
- Biggest win in a qualifying match: Australia 31 American Samoa 0, April 11 2001, Coffs Harbour, Australia, 2002 World Cup.
Goals
- First ever goal: Lucien Laurent (
France), France vs Mexico,
.
- Fastest goal from kickoff: 11 seconds, Hakan Şükür (
Turkey), Turkey vs South Korea,
.
.
Fastest goals
Time (seconds) |
Player | Opponent | World Cup |
---|---|---|---|
11 | ![]() |
Template:KORf | 2002 Korea/Japan |
15 | ![]() |
Template:MEXf | 1962 Chile |
23 | ![]() |
Template:PORf | 1966 England |
24 | ![]() |
Template:AUTf | 1934 Italy |
27 | ![]() |
Template:FRAf | 1982 Spain |
37 | ![]() |
Template:ITAf | 1978 Argentina |
Appearances
- Most World Cup tournament appearances: 5, Antonio Carbajal (Template:MEXf, 1950-1966) and Lothar Matthäus (
West Germany and Germany, 1982-1998).
- Most World Cup final tournament match appearances: 25, Lothar Matthäus,
West Germany and Germany, 1982-1998.
- Most World Cup final tournament minutes played: 2,220 minutes, Paolo Maldini, Template:ITAf, 1990-2002.
- Most World Cup final appearances: 3, Cafu (Template:BRAf, 1994-2002).
- Youngest player: Norman Whiteside (
Northern Ireland), 17 years and 42 days, Northern Ireland vs Yugoslavia,
.
.
- Youngest player, qualifying match: Souleymane Mamam (
Togo), 13 years, 310 days, Togo vs Zambia, May 6 2001,
.
- Oldest player: Roger Milla (
Cameroon), 42 years and 39 days, Cameroon vs Russia,
.
- Oldest player, final: Dino Zoff (
Italy), 40 years and 133 days, 1982 World Cup.
- Oldest player, qualifying match: MacDonald Taylor (
United States Virgin Islands), 46 years 180 days, U.S. Virgin Islands vs St. Kitts and Nevis, February 18 2004, 2006 World Cup.
- Largest age difference on same team: 23 years, 358 days,
, Template:CMRf (Rigobert Song: 18 years, 10 days; Roger Milla: 42 years, 1 day).
- Largest age difference on same team in a final: 22 years, 5 days,
, Template:ITAf (Dino Zoff: 40 years, 11 days; Giuseppe Bergomi: 18 years, 6 days).
Goals and goalscorers
- Most goals scored: 14, Gerd Müller
(West Germany, 1970-1974).
- Most goals scored in one tournament: 13, Just Fontaine (Template:FRAf),
.
- Most goals scored in one match: 5, Oleg Salenko, Russia vs Cameroon,
.
- Youngest goalscorer: 17 years and 239 days, Pelé (Template:BRAf), Brazil vs Wales,
.
- Oldest goalscorer: 42 years and 39 days, Roger Milla (Template:CMRf), Cameroon vs Russia, World Cup 1994.
- Tournament with most goals: 1998, 171 goals
- Tournament with most goals per match: 1954, 5.38 goals per match
- Tournament with fewest goals per match: 1990, 2.21 goals per match
Overall top goalscorers
- 1 There was a controversy regarding the number of goals scored by the Brazilian Ademir Menezes in 1950 because of incomplete data from the final group round game against Spain, that ended in a 6-1 victory for Brazil. The first goal had been credited to Spanish defender Parra as an own goal, and the fifth Brazilian goal was credited to Jair. However, recently FIFA credited Ademir with both these goals, thus making him the 1950 World Cup top scorer, with 9 goals.
Coaches
- Most matches coached: 25, Helmut Schön (West Germany, 1966-1978).
- Most wins: 16, Helmut Schön (West Germany, 1966-1978).
- Most championships: 2, Vittorio Pozzo (Italy, 1934-1938).
- Most nations coached: 5, Bora Milutinović (Mexico, 1986; Costa Rica, 1990; USA, 1994; Nigeria, 1998; China, 2002).
Tournament progress
Appearances in final
- 7 - Brazil, Germany
- 5 - Italy
- 4 - Argentina
- 2 - Czechoslovakia, Holland, Hungary, Uruguay
- 1 - England, France, Sweden
Note, the 1950 final group fixture between Uruguay and Brazil is usually counted as a final for statistical purposes.
Appearances in semi finals/last four
- 10 - Brazil, Germany
- 7 - Italy
- 4 - Argentina, France, Sweden, Uruguay
- 3 - Holland
- 2 - Austria, Czechoslovakia, England, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia
- 1 - Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Portugal, South Korea, Soviet Union, Spain, Turkey, USA
Others
Attendance
- At a World Cup final tournament: 174,000, Uruguay vs Brazil, 16 July 1950, Maracana Stadium, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, World Cup 1950 (Also known as Maracanazo).
- At a World Cup qualifying match: 162,764, Brazil vs Colombia, 9 March 1977, Maracana Stadium, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, World Cup 1978.
Discipline
- Fastest Yellow Card: 1 minute, Sergei Gorlukovich (
Russia), Sweden vs Russia,
; Giampiero Marini (Template:ITAf), Italy vs Poland,
.
- Fastest Red Card: 56 seconds, José Batista (Template:URUf), Scotland vs Uruguay,
.
Teams who have appeared in a FIFA World Cup but never scored in one
(Note: Records are prior to the 2006 tournament, where seven teams (Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago and Ukraine are making their first appearance. Note: Ivory Coast scored a goal on 10 Jun 2006 in their first game against Argentina)
- Canada (1986)
- China (2002)
- Democratic Republic of Congo (1974 as Zaïre)
- Greece (1994)
- Indonesia (1938 as Dutch East Indies)