10 FACTS OF WORLD CUP QUALIFYING

The World Cup qualifiers for 2021 have begin Today. Teams from Europe and the Concacaf zone have started their seasons. When it came to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, there were numerous obstacles to tackle.

However, the race for FIFA World Cup spots has already started in Asia and South America, while qualification for the confederations in Europe (UEFA) and North, Middle, and South America and the Caribbean starts this week (CONCACAF).

10 Interesting Facts and statistics about the World Cup Qualifying Rounds

• A record attendance of 162,764 fans were packed into the Maracana Stadium in 1977 to watch a World Cup qualifier match between Brazil and Colombia .

• overall 871 Matches were played in qualifying for Russia 2018 – another record.807 Goals were scored in 278 matches during UEFA’s preliminary campaign for Russia 2018 with an average of 2.9 goals per game. This was slightly higher than four years earlier (2.79 goals).

• 175 World Cup qualifiers have been contested by Mexico, more than any other Concacaf team. El Tri have also played at 16 previous World Cup finals, more than any other national side in the region.

• 11 CONCACAF teams have played in at least one World Cup. Panama became the 11th side in 2018, joining Costa Rica (5), El Salvador (2), Haiti (1), Honduras (3), Jamaica (1), Canada (1), Cuba (1), Mexico (16), USA (10) and Trinidad and Tobago (1).

• Australia Scored 31 Goals in a single match. It was a record and the highest margin of victory ever recorded in an international match, while Archie Thompson’s by scoring 13 also made a record.

• 40 Teams in Africa are divided into ten groups in the race for a ticket to the World Cup. The ten group winners will progress to the third round of qualifying, where they will be paired off for five two-legged play-offs. The five winners of these ties will qualify for Qatar 2022.

• Hungary were the first team to score 10 goals in a World Cup qualifier, defeating Greece by 11-1 on 25 March 1938.

• Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals in European qualifying than any other player (30 goals in 38 games). CR7 found the target 15 times on the road to Russia 2018 alone.

• Brazil has 21 World Cup finals appearances under their belt, making them the only team never to have missed a World Cup. Four-time world champions Germany have competed at 17 consecutive World Cups.