The first World Cup in 1930 consisted of only 18 matches.
Only eight nations have won the World Cup: Brazil, Italy, Germany (also as West Germany), Argentina, Uruguay, England, Spain and France.
No country has won the World Cup three times consecutively; Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962) have both won it back-to back.
Brazil has made the most consecutive World Cups, appearing in all 21 tournaments.
Brazil also holds the record for most World Cup titles, with five. Italy and Germany have won four.
Lucien Laurent of France scored the first goal in World Cup history on July 13, 1930.
Russia’s Oleg Slanko holds the record for most individual goals in a single match, netting five goals against Cameroon in 1994.
The all-time leading scorer in the World Cup is Germany’s Miroslav Klose, with 16 goals.
The record for most individual goals in a tournament is held by France’s Just Fonatine, with 13, in just one World Cup (1958).
The highest scoring game in World Cup history was in 1954, when Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5.
Brazilian superstar Pelé is the only player to have won three World Cup championships. His 1958 World Cup debut resulted in a number of long-standing records; youngest goal scorer, youngest player to score a hat trick and the youngest player to appear in a final, at the tender age of 17 years and 249 days.