The 10 Most Impressive FIFA World Cup Records of All Time
The 2022 World Cup is right around the corner and we’re here to look at 10 of the most impressive FIFA World Cup records of all time. If you’re searching for World Cup betting sites to use during the tournament, there are plenty of options out there that can help you enjoy one of the most exciting betting tournaments in the world.
#10 Longest Gap Between Tournament Appearances
64 years — Wales (1958-2022)
In 2022, Wales finally broke the longest drought between World Cup appearances. They had failed to qualify for the tournament since 1958 and that makes qualifying in 2022 that much sweeter. The record is now held by Egypt and Norway, both at 56 years. However, with the World Cup expanding to more teams in future tournaments, these types of droughts will likely reduce.
#9 Most Matches Played
25 — Lothar Matthäus, Germany (1982-1998)
Over his International career, Lothar Matthäus became just the second player in history to feature in five different World Cup tournaments. He still currently holds the record for most games played in the World Cup at 25 and he was also the first player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year (1991).
#8 Most Goals By Individual
16 — Miroslav Klose, Germany (2002-2014)
Miroslav Klose was a feature of the German lineup during the early and mid 2000s. He dominated the 2006 tournament with 5 goals, which led Germany to the title. He featured in four World Cups for Germany and scored an impressive 16 goals.
#7 Most Goals By An Individual In Single World Cup
13 — Just Fontaine, France (1958)
In 1958, Just Fontaine dominated the tournament with an impressive 13 goals. He started the tournament with a hat-trick against Paraguay in the group stages and totalled 6 goals before the knockout stages. He scored 2 goals in the quarter-finals and an early goal in the 5-2 semi-final defeat against Brazil. But he saved his best for the 3rd place game as he scored 4 goals in a 6-3 victory over West Germany. Incredibly, a player hasn’t scored 10+ goals at a tournament since 1970 so this record will likely stand for a long time.
#6 Most Goals By A Team In Single World Cup
27 — Hungary (1954)
Hungary currently holds the record for most goals by a team at the World Cup as they scored a huge total of 27 in 1954. They cruised through the group stages as they easily won both games; 9-0 against South Korea and 8-3 over West Germany. The goals continued in the knockout stages as they beat Brazil and Uruguay both 4-2. However, they lost the final against West Germany 3-2.
#5 Most Total Goals In Single Match
12 — Austria 7-5 Switzerland (1954)
A European rivalry matchup between Austria and Switzerland in 1954 turned into what is still the highest-scoring game in World Cup history. This was a quarter-final as well and Austria produced an incredible comeback as they were down 3-0 at one stage. The Austrians would go on to win the third-place medal when they beat Uruguay 3-1.
#4 Most Championships (Team)
5 — Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
The Brazilians are proven performers at the World Cup having won the tournament on five occasions. They even secured a rare and challenging back-to-back double in the 1962 Cup. Their last victory was back in 2002 when they defeated Germany 2-0 in Yokohama, Japan. Italy and Germany are just behind Brazil with 4 titles. Who will win the 2022 FIFA World Cup? As usual, Brazil are one of the top favourites as they look for a 6th title in their history but the French will be hard to beat after winning in 2018.
#3 Highest Attendance
199,854 — Brazil vs. Uruguay (1950)
This is an intriguing record because it will likely never be matched. Mainly because there isn’t a stadium in the world at the moment that can hold 199,000+ people. But in the 1950 Cup, the Maracanã was packed with 199,854 fans to watch an all-South-American battle between Brazil and Uruguay. In the end, Uruguay were victorious 2-1.
#2 Fastest Hat Trick
8 minutes — László Kiss, Hungary (1982)
A World Cup hat-trick is an incredible feat but in 1982, Hungarian László Kiss scored what is still the quickest hat-trick in Cup history. It’s also one of the fastest hat tricks in any league or tournament played around the world. In the 10-1 result, Kiss did the damage in the latter stages of the game with his first goal in the 69th minute and his third in the 76th. Interestingly, Hungary failed to qualify for the knockout stages in the 1982 Cup despite this victory.
#1 Most Championships (Individual)
3 — Pelé (1958, 1962, 1970)
Winning one World Cup is a challenge for any international soccer player but for Brazilian legend Pelé, he led a dominant era for the Brazilians. He featured in back to back titles for Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Then in 1970, he added a third title in a 4-1 thrashing over Italy. He was also named player of the tournament in 1970.
