Interesting facts about world football teams. The most fascinating facts from the history of the World Cup

On all continents of the globe, in the cultures of different peoples, you can find prototypes of football - a popular game of our time.

Pottery from the Mayan period (600-1000 AD) depicts players with a ball. The game was called tlachtli. The Mayans knew how to process rubber. Balls were made from it. At first, the balls were cast, so hitting the ball with your head or bare foot was not recommended. The game used shoulders, hips and shins. The site consisted of two halves. The goal of the players of the opposing teams was to keep the ball in the air for a long time and hit the rings located vertically on the field.

In 1529, the artist Christoph Weiditz, traveling as part of the Spanish conquest expedition to Mexico, described the game of tlachtli:

“They play the game using only their feet, and the object for the game is a leather ball inflated with air.”

• Approximately 1,500 playing fields of various sizes and shapes have survived to this day in Mexico. Ancient balls came to us from Egypt (2000 BC). Wood, leather and even papyrus were used in their manufacture.
• In ancient Chinese and Japanese manuscripts in the 3rd century BC. games similar to football are described. The teams played in the presence of emperors and dignitaries.
• In ancient Greece and Rome, ball games were part of the education and physical culture of men and women.
• The game in its modern form was created by the British in the 19th century.

The exact rules and general provisions of the football game were established in England back in the 1860s. At that moment, the players determined which field dimensions were optimal for the game, and which goal was best suited for professional matches.

The very first championship in the whole world was the English Cup. At that time, at the peak of popularity, dozens of new clubs were formed, their total number in the championship could reach 100 units.

Interesting facts about the World Cup

• The World Football Championship is sometimes referred to by the common word "Mundial". This is a Spanish word that in this language means "global, encompassing the whole world." Fans and commentators called him this additional word back in 1982. Afterwards the name stuck, and today the term “Mundial” is used to refer to any FIFA World Cup.

• The gold cup with the image of the Greek goddess of victory Nike became the first trophy of the World Cup. The cup was created by the best jeweler in Paris, Abel Lefler. The figurine was 30 cm high and consisted of cast pure precious metal – gold.
• After winning the Championship in 1970, the Brazilian team became three-time world champions and the Golden Goddess Cup passed to them forever.
• The World Cup was made by Italian sculptor Silvio Gannizaga. The trophy is made from a single piece of gold and weighs 4,970 kilograms. Its height is 36 centimeters. At the base there are layers of malachite, on which are the names of the champions and the inscriptions of the winning teams.

• The cup is transitional; it is not awarded to the winner forever. There is always a copy at the team’s stand, although it’s not made of pure gold.
• Previously, international championships were held without substitutions - this is exactly what was stated in the official match regulations. In one of the first competitions there was a serious fight, and one of the Peruvian football players broke his opponent's leg. The teams continued to play without their players. Only then did managers allow official player substitutions if necessary.

2018 FIFA World Cup interesting facts

• The 2018 International Championship in Russia is already the twenty-first since its inception.
• Russia will host the world championship for the first time.

• The games will be held in the largest cities of the country: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod and Yekaterinburg.
• The mascot of the championship was the Wolf Zabivaka.
• For the first time in history, all 209 national associations belonging to FIFA will take part in the World Cup.

Fascinating facts about Russian football

• In 1992, the national team was created, which became the successor to the USSR national team.
• In 1996, the national team took a prize in an international tournament for the first time. The prestige of this result was added by the fact that this was the first serious achievement of the already independent national team.

• In 2008, the Russian team managed to win third place in the European Cup.

Fascinating facts about football and football players

What's hidden in the fog?

One day, when two Scottish teams met, a heavy fog thickened. The football players searched for each other for a long time and could not even see the ball under their feet. Running up to the benches, he saw no one. The referee immediately interrupted the game. It turned out that there were thirty players on the field at the same time.

Three day match

In August 1981, the longest ever football match was played between two Irish teams at Cullinafersey Football Club in Kerry. The game lasted 65 hours and 1 minute.

"Ole-Ole-Ole"

The famous football chant “Ole-Ole-Ole” comes from Spain, where the word “Ole” was shouted at bullfights or flamenco dances. And it comes from the word “Allah,” which was repeated in prayers by the Arab conquerors of Spain in the 8th century.

The penalty that didn't happen

It is believed that the penalty kick for a violation in the penalty area was proposed by Irish football expert John Penalty in 1891. And a penalty kick was named after him.

William McCrum invented the penalty

In fact, such a person did not exist, and William McCrum suggested the penalty. The idea was called death penalty. This actually happened in 1891.

Why is the football field striped?

It turns out that the football field looks striped not because two types of grass are sown. The grass is simply cut in different directions with lawn mowers, which not only cut it, but also crush it. Because of this, when light is reflected, a striped effect is created.

The most expensive match for one fan

One of the Real Madrid fans named Gael once couldn’t get a ticket for his team’s coveted match. But just two minutes before the referee's initial whistle, he was given a ticket by another fan in an accidental surprise. Feeling happy, he handed over his lottery ticket as a sign of gratitude. The randomly donated lottery ticket was a winner and brought the new owner more than 300 thousand pesetas.

Worst goalkeeper

A goalkeeper named Jimmy Taylor is considered the most unfortunate and unprofessional in the world of modern football.

On average, he could concede more than 17 goals per match with regular consistency. In one of the short seasons, almost half a thousand balls flew into his goal.

Barefoot on the field

In the middle of the last century, the FIFA World Cup was held, in which the Football Federation banned three teams from participating for a simple reason: they only wanted to play barefoot. These were Scots, Turks and Indians. This may have been due to religious principles or the inability to purchase real boots.

Two matches at the same time

In 1959, two games were held simultaneously in one of the German stadiums - four teams ran on one field. The reason was a mistake by the stadium managers, who scheduled two games at once in one hour.

All 19 world championships - from 1930 to 2010 - in interesting figures and facts.

1930, Uruguay

final match: Uruguay - Argentina, 4:2

Dorado (12), Sea (57), Iriarte (68), Castro (89) - Peucelje (20), Stabile (37)

The first World Cup was timed to coincide with the centenary of Uruguay's independence.

The entire tournament took place in one city - Montevideo.

The Europeans did not want to sail across the Atlantic. The organizers covered the costs, but only France, Yugoslavia, Romania and Belgium reached the goal. Only the Balkans made it to the playoffs and were defeated by Uruguay - 1:6.

Before the final, the opponents could not agree whose ball to play - the Argentinean or the Uruguayan. We decided to use each one in half.

Uruguay forward Castro was missing one arm, which did not stop him from scoring a goal in the final.

The last participant in the final, Francisco Varaglio, died on August 30, 2010 at the age of 100.

1934, Italy

Italy - Czechoslovakia, 2:1

Orsi (81), Schiavio (95) - Puig (76)

The tournament lasted only 15 days. Now South America has boycotted the World Cup. Uruguay refused to defend the title, Argentina and Brazil put up reserves.

But for the first time Africa played at the World Cup. True, the Egyptian team immediately lost to the Hungarians (2:4) and returned to Cairo.

The main spectator in Turin at the Stadio Mussolini arena was Duce Benito Mussolini himself.

The German national team competed under the fascist flag.

For the first time there was a hat-trick: German Konen scored three goals for Belgium. And a week later, a Czech with a tongue-twister name, Oldřich Nejedly, hit the German goal three times.

In the final, Monty played for Italy, who at the 1930 World Cup played for... Argentina in the final.

1938, France

Italy - Hungary, 4:2

Kolaussi (6, 35), Piola (16, 82) - Titkosh (8), Saroshi (70)

FIFA announced that the tournament would be held in turn in South America and Europe, but gave the World Cup not to Argentina, but to France. The South Americans were offended and again declared a boycott. Only Brazil arrived.

Austria won a place in the final group, but Germany soon annexed it, taking the best Austrian players into its national team. Sweden took the vacant place.

The only case where two players played poker in one match was the Brazilian Leonidas and the Pole Wilimovski. Brazil won 6:5, and Leonidas received the nickname Black Diamond.

For the first time, a world champion defended his title. Italian head coach Pozzo used only 14 players, the rest were tourists.

1950, Brazil

Uruguay - Brazil, 2:1

Schiaffino (66), Gija (79) - Friasa (47)

Tournaments in 1942 and 1946 were canceled due to World War II. Germany and Japan were not allowed to play at all.

India withdrew under the pretext that it was expensive to fly to Brazil. In fact, FIFA banned playing barefoot, which the Indians could not tolerate.

A year before the championship, the Torino club, whose players formed the backbone of the Italian national team, crashed in a plane crash. Italy did not film, but sailed to Brazil by ship.

“Only three people silenced the Maracana: Frank Sinatra, the Pope and me,” said the scorer of the winning goal, Uruguayan Alcides Guigia. A dozen Brazilian fans died of heart attacks.

1954, Switzerland

Germany - Hungary, 3:2

Morlock (10), Ran (18, 84) - Puskas (6), Cibor (8)

The Soviet Union lost the 1952 Olympics and refused to go to the World Cup. The officials decided that our football was too raw and there was no need to embarrass ourselves.

The Hungarians were considered the main favorites. The team led by Puskás and Kocsis even knocked out Brazil, but went down in the final, torpedoed by the Germans. Although in the group match, Germany lost to Hungary - 3:8. Then coach Herberger did not field the main players, and defender Liebrich seriously injured Puskás.

FIFA issued a memorandum: “The German players deservedly won, but Hungary became the best team in the championship.”

In 26 matches of the tournament, 140 goals were scored. 5.38 goals per game is a record in World Cup history.

1958, Sweden

Brazil - Sweden, 5:2

Vava (9, 32), Pele (55, 90), Zagallo (68) - Lindholm (4), Simonsson (80)

For the first time, big football was broadcast on TV to the whole world.

For the only time, four British teams played in the World Cup: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

17-year-old Brazilian Pele made his debut, becoming the second scorer of the tournament (6 goals).

USSR national team debut. In the group we played with England (2:2), Austria (2:0) and Brazil (0:2). And in the quarterfinals they lost to the Swedes (0:2).

The Union national team lacked the bright forward Eduard Streltsov, who went to prison on charges of rape.

The top scorer was the Frenchman Juste Fontaine, although his team only took bronze.

In the final, Pele made a double and was so emotional that he needed help from doctors.

1962, Chile

Brazil - Czechoslovakia, 3:1

Amarildo (17), Zito (69), Vava (78) - Masopust (15)

In 1960, a powerful earthquake occurred in Chile (magnitude 9.5). They wanted to take away the tournament, but the President of the Chilean Football Federation, Dittborn, exclaimed: “Leave the World Cup, we already have nothing left!” He died a month before the start, and the opening match Uruguay - Colombia (2:1) was held at the stadium named after Dittborn.

The USSR won the group (2:0 with Yugoslavia, 4:4 with Colombia, 2:1 with Uruguay), but lost to Chile in the quarterfinals (1:2).

In the match with the Uruguayans, the referee counted Chislenko's goal, but captain Netto pointed out to the referee the mistake: the ball flew into the hole in the net. This is considered an example of fair play.

The final took place at the National Stadium in Santiago, where 11 years later dictator Pinochet would hold 40 thousand opponents of the military regime.

The final was judged by our Latyshev - and did not give a penalty for the handball of the Brazilian Santos. In Czechoslovakia they were offended: “The judge showed a lack of understanding of the tasks of socialism!”

1966, England

England - Germany, 4:2

Hurst (18, 101, 120), Peters (78) - Haller (12), Weber (90)

On the eve of the tournament, the prize - the Jules Rimet Cup - was stolen in London. A week later, he was found in the bushes by a dog named Pickles (Cucumber).

The first mascot was Willie the lion wearing a T-shirt with the British flag.

The best performance of our team! 3:0 with the DPRK, 1:0 with Italy, 2:1 with Chile in the group, 2:1 with the Hungarians in the quarterfinals. And fourth place after defeats from Germany (1:2) and Portugal (1:2) in the bronze match.

England became the champion for the only time. Hurst scored a hat-trick in the final. The third goal was scored by linesman Bahramov, although the moment was very controversial. The Germans gave the referee the nickname Herr Zwei-drei (Mr. 2:3). According to legend, when Bahramov was asked before his death whether there was a goal, he answered: “Stalingrad.” Like, this is revenge on the Germans for the war.

1970, Mexico

Brazil - Italy, 4:1

Pele (18), Gerson (66), Jairzinho (71), Alberto (86) - Boninsegna (37)

El Salvador defeated Honduras in the qualifying group, and a military conflict began between the countries. It was called La guerra del fútbol (The Football War). 6,000 people died.

The USSR took first place in the group, ahead of Mexico (0:0), Belgium (4:1) and El Salvador (2:0). But in the quarterfinals they ran into Uruguay (0:1). Esparrago scored a goal in the 116th minute, although before that the ball went out of bounds, our team stopped the game, but the referee did not blow the whistle.

The Brazilians became champions for the third time in a row and received the Jules Rimet Cup, the FIFA president who organized the first World Cup, forever. Trophy in the form of the goddess of victory Nike (30 cm, 1.8 kg of gold). And in 1983, the cup was stolen from the office of the Brazilian Football Federation, and it disappeared forever.

Pele became the only player to win the World Cup three times.

1974, Germany

Germany - Holland, 2:1

Breitner (25), Müller (43) - Neeskens (2)

England, Spain, France, Portugal, Hungary, and the USSR did not qualify for the World Cup.

Holland demonstrated a new model - “total football”. Its essence is that the whole team must practice defense and attack.

But in the final, the Dutch were run over by a “German car”, in which Müller, nicknamed Little Fat Gerd, was shining.

A couple of days before the final, the tabloid Bild came out with a story that the Dutch leader Cruyff was having fun in the pool with naked German women and drinking champagne. The guy had to make excuses to his wife: “Nothing happened!” But he was unsettled.

For the first time at the championship, doping control was used. The first victim was the Haitian Jean-Joseph, who was expelled in disgrace.

1978, Argentina

Argentina - Holland, 3:1

Kempes (38, 105), Bertoni (115) - Nanninga (82)

The USSR lost to the Hungarians in the qualifying round and again did not qualify for the World Cup.

After the match between Peru and Scotland (3:1), ephedrine was found in the blood of Scottish forward Willie Johnston. The next morning the newspapers came out with the headlines “Shame on you, Willie!”

Argentina defeated Peru in the semi-final group with the required score (6:0) and reached the final, leaving Brazil behind. The world press cried out that the hosts had played a fixed match. And the Briton David Yallop even wrote the book “How the Game Was Stole.” They say that the head of the Argentine junta, Videla, handed over 50 million dollars and 35 thousand tons of grain to Peruvian officials. FIFA did not investigate, but simply banned Yallop's book.

Before the tournament, Argentina, to the surprise of many, released 17-year-old prodigy Maradona from the squad. But she still became a champion.

1982, Spain

Italy - Germany, 3:1

Rossi (57), Tardelli (69), Altobelli (81) - Breitner (83)

The tournament began to be called “mundi-al”, which means “world” in Spanish.

Hungary won the biggest victory in World Cup history, defeating El Salvador 10:1.

In the match France - Kuwait, the Soviet referee Stupar counted a dubious goal by the French. Kuwaiti Sheikh Fahd al-Sabah came onto the field, took the team to the locker room and began to demand that Stupar cancel the goal. He agreed and... was disqualified for life by FIFA: he did not stand up for the honor of the referee's uniform.

The USSR left the group (1:2 with Brazil, 3:0 with New Zealand, 2:2 with Scotland), but in the second round it stumbled against Poland (1:0 with Belgium, 0:0 with the Poles) - we played defensively when victory was needed.

The top scorer was the Italian Rossi (6 goals), who in 1979 was disqualified for two years and sent to prison for betting fraud.

1986, Mexico

Argentina - Germany, 3:2

Brown (23), Valdano (55), Burruchaga (83) - Rummenigge (74), Feller (80)

Colombia was preparing to play the role of organizer, but declined due to economic problems. Mexico hosted the World Cup for the second time, although eight months earlier it suffered a devastating earthquake (killing 25 thousand people).

The tournament was a stellar one for Maradona. The Argentine scored two super goals in the quarter-finals with England (2:1) - after a gorgeous solo pass (“goal of the century”) and with his hand, which the referee did not notice. Maradona acknowledged this and said: "It was the hand of God."

The USSR played brilliantly (6:0 with Hungary, 1:1 with France, 2:0 with Canada), but in the 1/8 finals we were beaten by Belgium (4:3) with the help of Swedish referee Fredriksson.

In the final, Maradona made a golden pass to Burruchaga. At home, the success of the Argentina national team was celebrated by 30 million fans.

1990, Italy

West Germany - Argentina, 1:0

Breme (85)

The USSR, England and Greece applied to host the 1990 World Cup. But in 1984 this right was given to Italy.

The Union was falling apart, and the national team was dying. We didn't even make it out of the group (0:2 with Romania, 0:2 with Argentina, 4:0 with Cameroon).

Cameroon, under the leadership of our coach Nepomniachtchi, became a troublemaker, reaching the quarterfinals, where they foolishly failed to beat England.

In the 1/8 finals match, the Dutchman Rijkaard famously spit at the German Feller. Both were removed.

The Germans reached the final for the third time in a row. And yet they pulled Argentina! Maradona accused FIFA of deliberately killing them and Brehme's penalty was a fake.

1994, USA

Brazil - Italy, 0:0 (3:2 pen.)

Salenko scored five goals as Russia beat Cameroon 6-1 and won the Golden Boot as the World Cup's top scorer. But the team did not make it out of the group (0:2 with Brazil, 1:3 with Sweden).

Cameroonian Milla became the oldest football player in the history of the World Cup - 42 years and 39 days.

The great Maradona was removed from the tournament simply because ephedrine, norephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine and methylephedrine were found in his blood.

Fourth place was unexpectedly taken by the Bulgarian team, in which all the names of the players ended in “ov”.

How to buy a ticket to the World Cup

Experienced football fans probably started buying tickets for the World Cup (the generally accepted Spanish name for the World Cup) last year. They knew in advance what difficulties the acquisition of the coveted tickets would entail. Money and desire alone were not enough.

What to do in Brazil

This summer, football passions will overshadow all other Brazilian delights. But why not combine business with pleasure? Brazil is famous for its magnificent beaches. But the swimming season here is from December to March. In summer, comfortable weather for swimming will be established only on the northeast coast (in El Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza, where the Russian national team does not play).

Brazil has truly impressive nature: the famous Amazon jungle, roaring Iguazu Falls, national parks, mountains and islands. Other attractions are Catholic cathedrals, colorful zoos and museums, restaurants and eateries with national dishes and real coffee beans. Considering the considerable costs of travel, you shouldn’t limit yourself to just football. To fully experience all the colors of Brazil, you should plan your trip for at least a couple of weeks.

Dangers in Brazil

Despite the traditional friendliness of local residents, there are a number of problems that can ruin your holiday. The main one is crime. Low living standards and unemployment contribute to the growth of street crime. In Brazil, it is not recommended to wear expensive jewelry in public or leave valuables at the hotel. Also, you should not look for adventure and walk through poor areas - favelas. Here the likelihood of getting into a bad story increases significantly.

In addition to robberies, you should be wary of civil unrest. Riots have become more frequent in Brazil lately. Their reason is residents' dissatisfaction with the actions of the police and authorities, including the decision to hold the World Cup in the country. According to statistics, more than half the population opposed him. Active opponents of the World Cup are calling on fans from all over the world to ignore the upcoming championship through social networks and the media.

Danger	How to avoid
Bank card fraud	It’s best to take at least a couple of credit cards with you on a trip and not pay with them anywhere
Documentation	Police urge foreigners to carry their passport with them at all times during the 2014 World Cup
Drugs and prostitution	Visiting nightclubs is fraught with dangerous temptations - meeting easily accessible girls or drug dealers
Sunstroke, burn	Avoid staying in the sun for long without a hat, drink more water and hide in the shade
Infection, fatigue	Take all necessary medications for your trip. Be prepared to acclimatize and not overexert yourself the first time upon arrival. Be sure to wash food and filter water
Meeting with predatory animals or snakes.	It is strictly forbidden to go on a wilderness excursion without an experienced guide.

Where to watch the World Cup

The difficult path from Russia to Brazil, associated with so many difficulties, will be overcome only by a handful of the most loyal football fans. What will remain for the rest? Naturally, television broadcasts of matches. The 2014 World Cup will be broadcast live and in replays on public channels: Channel One, Russia-1 and Russia-2. Thousands of sports bars will open their doors to those who like to watch football in the company of friends. Also, fan zones will be organized in some cities, where fans will be able to watch matches on large screens.

Perhaps the largest fan zone in Russia (with a capacity of at least 5 thousand people) will be created by June 1, 2014 at the Mayakovsky Central Park of Culture and Culture in Yekaterinburg. A 60 m TV screen will be installed on it.

• The tournament will take place from June 12 to July 13, 2014. You can view the match schedule.
• The Brazilian team is the only team to have participated in every World Cup and won it five times.
• The official mascot of the 2014 World Cup is the armadillo, a beast that can curl into the shape of a ball.
• The winner of the World Championship will earn $35 million, the second place winner will earn $25 million. Total prize fund: $576 million.

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

The 2014 World Cup will begin very soon, so now is the time to get acquainted with the most important facts about the upcoming World Cup.

1. A debutant will play at the 2014 World Cup

This tournament is held every four years. This gives new participants the opportunity to prepare properly and try their hand at the World Cup. At the 2014 World Cup, the only debutant, the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, had a chance to prove themselves. This team qualified to travel to Brazil by winning the UEFA zone qualifying group G.

1. The 2014 World Cup will involve more cities than ever before

The World Cup matches will be held in 12 cities: Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife, Salvador, Cuiaba, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.

1. Temperature conditions of the 2014 World Cup

Since Brazil is a very large country, the temperature and humidity may vary depending on the location. For example, the climatic conditions in Fortaleza (north of the country) and Porto Alegre (south) will be different. In northwest Brazil, temperatures can reach 30 degrees in Manaus, while in Porto Alegre it can reach just 19 degrees Celsius.

1. Civil protests

Of course, Brazil is a country where most of the population is simply crazy about football. However, not all citizens of this country share the joy of hosting the 2014 World Cup. It is not the fact that the World Cup is being held that causes people's indignation, but rather how much money was spent on its preparation.

1. Previous World Cup winners

Eight previous winners will take part in the Brazilian World Cup. First of all, these are the tournament hosts themselves, who have won the World Cup five times. In addition to them, the tournament includes Italy (four victories), Germany (three), Uruguay, Argentina (two victories each), England, France and Spain (one victory each.)

1. Brazil hosts the World Cup for the second time

Given that Brazil is considered by many to be the spiritual home of football, it is somewhat surprising that the country will host the World Cup for only the second time in its history. The first time Brazil hosted this tournament was in 1950. In the final match, the Brazilians lost to Uruguay. Now, 64 years later, the Brazilian team will try to win the 2014 World Cup at home.

1. The World Cup will be held in South America for the fifth time

For the first time since 1978, the tournament will be held on the South American continent. Then, in 1978, the World Cup was hosted by Argentina, whose players eventually became winners. Previously, in 1962, the FIFA World Cup was held in Chile, where the Brazilians won. Uruguay won in Brazil in 1950, just as they won at home in 1930.

Based on the above, it follows that in all four cases when the World Cup was held in South America, a representative of this continent won. Will the tradition continue? We'll find out soon!

1. Goals, goals, goals

At the World Cup in South Africa four years ago, spectators saw 145 goals scored. Considering that exactly 64 matches are played at the World Cup, an average of 2.3 goals were scored per game. And this despite the fact that in 43 matches one of the teams managed to keep their gates locked. Comparing the performance of recent tournaments, we can expect approximately the same picture. At the 2006 World Cup, 147 goals were scored, in 2002 - 161, and in France in 1998 - 171. As we can see, there is a trend towards a decrease in performance. There is nothing surprising in this, since the organization and tactics are growing from year to year.

1. Best Achievement

Since the concept of “best achievement” at the World Cup can include many factors, we will start from an analysis of the performances of teams that reached the semi-final stage. In this case, Germany is the leading team, having reached the semi-finals in the last 12 World Cups, winning three titles. Next comes the Brazilian team, which has reached the semi-finals 10 times. Next come Italy (8) and France (5)

1. Anti-record

Agree that it is a little strange to single out the worst team that has already managed to get to the 2014 World Cup. However, Mexico set a kind of anti-record by losing the most World Cup finals without winning a single one. This happened six times: in 1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1978.

1. Bookmakers' favorites

For bookmakers, the World Cup is one of the busiest periods, as players place a huge number of bets. From the bookmakers' point of view, the favorites for the upcoming 2014 World Cup are the national teams of Brazil and Germany. They share the first two places. They are followed by Argentina and Spain. Next are Belgium, Holland, Italy and England. Among the obvious outsiders, according to bookmakers, are Honduras, Iran, Costa Rica and Algeria.

1. Automatic goal detection system will be used at the 2014 World Cup

It’s unlikely that anyone has forgotten Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against the German national team, when the ball hit the crossbar, dropped over the goal line and jumped into the field. This monstrous mistake by the referee team broke the game for the English, who eventually lost with a score of 1:4. Yes, the Germans were stronger then and would have won anyway, but there was a lot of talk about this mistake. It is hoped that with the use of the goal identification system, such topics will no longer occur.

1. Will Brazilian Ronaldo's record be broken?

As you know, the record of the toothy man who scored 15 goals for the national team has not yet been broken. The 2014 World Cup could set a new achievement. Germany striker Miroslav Klose has scored 14 goals. The 35-year-old football player, despite the fact that he does not always start, if he scores at least one goal, he will be equal to Ronaldo. If he manages to score at least two goals, the Brazilian striker's record will be broken.

1. Goodbye vuvuzelas, hello cashirolas

Remember the 2010 World Cup four years ago? It is hardly possible to forget the soundtrack that “delighted” us throughout all 64 matches. Now vuvuzellas will be replaced by cashirolas, which will become a feature of the 2014 World Cup. It is worth noting that its use in stadiums is prohibited.

1. The best scorers of the qualifying rounds who will play at the 2014 World Cup

When you watch matches of the World Cup, you always want to know who you can expect to score goals from. The authors of accurate strikes can be predicted based on the results of the qualifying round. Thus, the leaders in this indicator were Luis Suarez from Uruguay (11 goals), Robin van Persie from Holland (11), Edin Dzeko from Bosnia and Herzegovina (10), Oribe Peralta from Mexico (10) and Leo Messi from Argentina (10).

1. Head coaches with new teams

Many mentors are preparing to travel with their teams to the FIFA World Cup for the first time, and only a few of them have already been to this tournament, albeit with other teams. Thus, Iranian head coach Carlos Queiroz worked with the Portuguese team at the 2010 World Cup. The head coach of Honduras, Luis Fernando Suarez, coached Ecuador in 2006, and Reynaldo Rueda will take the Ecuadorian national team to Brazil, although four years ago he was in South Africa with Honduras. Russian national team coach Fabio Capello was the head coach of the England national team in 2010, and Jurgen Klinsmann, who now leads the US national team, led the host team of Germany at the 2006 World Cup. The current coach of the British, Roy Hodgson, was at the head of the Swiss national team in 1994.

It turns out that the penalty kick is named after the Irish football rules expert John Penalty (pictured), who in 1891 proposed awarding such a kick for foul play or handball by the defending team within its penalty area.

Fog is a real scourge for English football. The entire field and stands are shrouded in an impenetrable veil. Striker George Odts said after one of these games, which ended with a score of 3:3: “I definitely remember that I scored five goals, but I don’t know which goal.” In addition, at the end of the game, the referee discovered that there were 18 people playing for each team.

The Amkar football club from Perm received its name from the abbreviation of two chemical substances - ammonia and urea, since they were the main products of Mineral Fertilizers OJSC, which created the club.

In the late 70s, in a match between Mexican teams, referee Gonzalez showed 26 red cards. After several players were sent off for rough play, both teams rushed to find out who was right. When the debate turned into a general brawl, all the players had to be removed. The coaches who ran onto the field suffered the same fate and were escorted off the field.

Loud scandals often occur in football, one of which occurred on December 21, 1983, when a European Championship match took place between the outsider of the qualifying round, the Malta national team, and the Spanish team. In order to get ahead of the Dutch group leaders, the Spaniards needed a victory with a difference of 11 goals. The surprise of the spectators and UEFA knew no bounds when the game ended with a score of 12:1. Everyone was sure of bribery, but when studying the video recordings, nothing was found. But then there were rumors for a long time that that year the Malta national team flew by plane to one of the prestigious resorts for Christmas.

Football is not only a beautiful game, but also the unbridled emotions of fans, which can result in various kinds of incidents. English authorities have calculated the annual damage caused to private and public property by angry fans. The result was a considerable sum - forty million pounds sterling.

The fastest goal in football history was scored during the Adelaide City-Sydney United match in 1995. 3.67 seconds after the start of the game, Adelaide City's Australian Damien Morey sent the ball into the opponent's goal.

Wembley Football Stadium in England is for games only and training is prohibited.

Brazil is the only country to have participated in every FIFA World Cup.

Goal of the Century - a goal recognized as the best in the history of the World Cup according to a poll organized on the FIFA website during the first world championship of the 21st century. It was scored by Argentina's Diego Maradona in the 54th minute of the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against England. The match took place on June 22, 1986 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The "goal of the century" capped Maradona's brilliant run into the English penalty area, during which he beat six players, including the goalkeeper. Just three minutes earlier, Maradona scored a highly controversial goal dubbed the “hands of God.”

German goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel was the only one in the world to play in all six continental FIFA confederations, and in 2001 he was imprisoned in Singapore for match-fixing.

Shortly before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, its main trophy was stolen from a public display. The police and Scotland Yard were involved in the search, but the cup was found seven days later in the bushes of one of the London gardens thanks to a dog named Pickles, who was walking there with its owner. After England won the championship, the dog was invited to a banquet and was given the right to lick the players' plates.

After retiring from big-time football, former Russian national team player Valery Karpin became the owner of a professional cycling team.

Until the mid-1960s, substitutions were prohibited in football, and if a goalkeeper was injured, a field player took his place.

The Brazilian football team "Cacova", which had good results, was unexpectedly disbanded by order of the Minister of the Interior. The fact is that the team consisted mainly of police, and during matches with its participation entire “outfits” of fans in police uniforms arrived at the stadium. An orgy of crime began in the city. But the order in the stands was exemplary.

Diego Maradona has not paid large amounts of taxes since he played for Napoli; now this amount is almost $40 million. Therefore, when Maradona is in Italy, he always runs the risk of losing some things. In 2006, Italian police confiscated a Rolex watch from the football player, and in 2009, an earring from his ear, which was then sold at auction.

This happened in the early 60s after a football match in Porto Alegre (Brazil). Excited spectators jumped onto the stadium field and headed to the referee. The frightened referee ran with all his might into the locker room. Undeterred by this obstacle, the fans broke down the door. The judge huddled in a corner and, in a semi-fainting state, awaited a terrible fate. However, as it turned out, the audience just wanted... to thank him for his excellent judging.

The oldest football player in the English Premier League was John Burridge. In 1955 he played for Manchester City at the age of 43 years and 5 months. During his long career he played for 26 different clubs.

At the end of the 50s, the goalkeeper of the Djurgården youth team (Stockholm) set a unique record. In one of the matches, which his team won with a score of 18:0, he never touched the ball. Two goal kicks were taken by a defender who was running after the ball himself.

During a friendly football match in the Italian town of Asti, the center forward of the local team, Maschio, missed the ball and picked the ground. So much so that he seriously injured his leg. When the soil was examined, they discovered a skeleton, which turned out to be a valuable historical find. Maschio received a cash prize and a badge “for his passion for archaeological research.”

Italian goalkeeper Grosso advised the referee to wear glasses during the game, for which he was sent off the field. During the investigation of this incident, it turned out that Grosso is the owner of an optical store, and the arbitrator has really poor eyesight. In this regard, the goalkeeper’s words addressed to the referee were regarded by the disciplinary commission not as an insult, but as useful and very rational advice. It ended with the goalkeeper being forgiven, and the judge buying glasses from his store.

In the Spanish city of Fuente, the local team hosted football players from the Gonsha club. A few minutes passed, and the guests were leading 2:0. And suddenly an angry bull appears on the field, as if in a bullfighting arena, then another, then a third. Players and judges who did not have the skills of a matador rushed in all directions. The public followed suit. The referee, who barely had time to hide in the locker room, cautiously looked out the window: the bulls were still rushing across the field. The game had to be cancelled. It soon became clear that the bulls prepared for bullfighting were released by an avid fan of the local club in order to prevent a major loss for his team.

The defeat of the Honduras national football team by the El Salvador national team in the playoff matches of the qualifying stage of the 1969 FIFA World Cup was the direct cause of the six-day war between these countries.

It is known that Lev Yashin was not only a football goalkeeper, but also a hockey goalkeeper. In 1953, he won the USSR Hockey Cup and bronze medalist at the USSR Championship. They already wanted to invite Yashin to the hockey team for the World Cup, but he decided to concentrate on football.

David Beckham, an English football star, became a trendsetter in 2002 with his famous mohawk haircut. This hairstyle has been voted the most unforgettable in the sports world.

According to a survey conducted by one of the leading UK image agencies, Beckham took first place in the list of 20 famous personalities who stand out in the sports arena not only for their professionalism, but also for the originality of their hairstyle. A year later, Beckham again appeared on the pages of glossy publications - this time with tightly braided pigtails.

This hairstyle made it to the top again, this time in 12th place. In addition to Beckham, the list of 20 non-standard hairstyles included their owners - English goalkeeper David Seaman with a ponytail, "bald" American tennis player Andre Agassi, red-haired Swedish football player Freddie Ljungberg, the Romanian football team, which dyed its entire team yellow at the World Cup 1998, Brazilian Ronaldo with a forelock, Carlos Valderrama with a “dandelion” on his head, as well as American tennis player John McEnroe with a hairstyle that British stylists called “A la microphone.”