FIFA World Cup 2022: Stats that define football's greatest show

FIFA World Cup 2022: Qatar will also be playing in its first-ever World Cup.

We take a look at some of the stats ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

1

Qatar will be the first Middle East nation to host the first World Cup and this edition will be the first time the showpiece event is held during the northern hemisphere's winter months. Qatar will also be playing in its first-ever World Cup.

5

Brazil has won the most World Cup titles with five to its name. The South American side last won the World Cup exactly 2 decades ago in 2002. Can Neymar inspire his team to a sixth title? Brazil is definitely one of the favourites with its brilliant attacking team.

5

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing thier fifth, and possibly last, World Cup for Argentina and Portugal respectively. Should either win it for their team, a World Cup title could cement their legacy as the best football player ever.

Will it happen?

5

Ronaldo is on a cusp of another landmark. He could become the first male footballer to score in 5 World Cups.

6

In the last two editions - Russia 2018 and Brazil 2014 - the Golden Boot winner has won the prize with 6 goals in that edition. Colombia's James Rodriguez won it in 2014 while Harry Kane bagged the Golden Boot in Russia 2018. Who will win the Golden Boot in Qatar 2022? And more importantly, how many goals with they score?

6

In the history of football only six host nations have won the World Cup on their home soil. Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978), and France (1998) are the priviliged few.

Will Qatar be the seventh host nation to win the World Cup? Highly unlikely.

7

Among active goalkeepers, Manuel Neuer has the most clean sheets with 7 to his name. The current record stands at 10, which is jointly held by England's Peter Shilton and France's Fabian Barthez; both of whom are long retired. Should Germany make a deep run in the FIFA World Cup 2022, Neuer has a great chance to at least equal the record.

8

The FIFA World Cup has seen eight different winners in its history. Brazil (5), Germany (4), Italy (4), Argentina (2), France (2), Uruguay (2), England (1), and Spain (1) have the bragging rights.

Could we see a ninth winner in this edition?

9

European and South American teams are usually the favourites in any World Cup and the pattern continues in this year's edition. Brazil (5), Argentina (2), and Uruguay (2) have combined for nine titles for the South Americans, while the remaining 12 have been won by the Europeans.

10

Thomas Muller is the leading goalscorer among active players with 10 goals. Leading the line for Germany in this World Cup, the Bayern Munich forward will look to add to that tally and gain distance between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is second (among active players) with 7 goals. Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. have 6 goals each.

13

The record for the most goals in a single World Cup edition belongs to Just Fontaine. The Frenchman scored 13 goals in the 1958 edition.

It will take a monumental effort to beat that record in Qatar 2022.

16

Germany's Miroslav Klose holds the record for the most goals in the World Cup with 16 goals in four editions between 2002 and 2014.

20

There have been 20 World Cup editions since the inaugural competition in 1930.

24.5

USA has the youngest squad at Qatar 2022.

27.7

The oldest team at Qatar 2022 is Argentina, with an average age of 27.7.

56

The quickest red card happened in 1986 when Uruguay’s Jose Batista was sent off against Scotland. Batista was sent off for a bad tackle on Gordon Strachan after just 56 seconds.