Soccer generates a lot of fanfare all across the globe with its various tournaments. For example, one of the most-watched tournaments in the world today is the FIFA World Cup that happens once every four years.
Even the best players sometimes never get to hold the World Cup. For example, the two current best players, arguably even the best player ever, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have yet to win it.
And, over the course of the competition, there have been a number of records sets by teams and individuals. Read on to learn about some of the records that have been broken over the years in various World Cups.
Top Scoring Teams
Teams strive to score as many goals as they possibly can in a game. Now, in a tournament like the World Cup, there are teams that score many goals than others, and that doesn’t mean they’ll win the World Cup.
Initially, Brazil held the record for the team with the most goals in a tournament, scoring an unprecedented 22 goals in the 1950 finals. That record was shuttered four years later by Hungary, in Switzerland, as they managed to bag in a record 27 goals in the 1954 World Cup.
Biggest Win in a Game
At a World Cup game, a record was set with Hungary and Yugoslavia for the 9 - 0 win over South Korea and Zaire respectively. This still remains an embarrassing record to the two teams who lost by those high margins.
That record was broken by Hungary again in the 1982 tournament when they beat El Salvador by 10 - 1. This to this date still remains the record of the biggest win margin that has ever been recorded in a single game at a World Cup.
Most Goals Scored in a Single World Cup
When it comes to a player scoring the most goals in a single tournament, no one has surpassed Just Fontaine of France who scored a whopping 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup.
The record was previously held by Sandor Kocsis of Hungary who had scored a record 11 goals in the previous 1954 finals that were held in Switzerland.
Most FIFA World Cup Scored in By One Player
In fact, a number of top players like Wayne Rooney have had to wait to score in a single tournament. If you think that’s hard, how about scoring in different World Cups. This is a record that not too many players can boast.
Though it is a record that has been held by a number of top players over the last couple of years. With the likes of legendary Pele, Miroslav Klose, and Uwe Seller being the only players to have scored in four consecutive tournaments.
That was until the 2018 World Cup where another top player, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored in his fourth consecutive World Cup. He’ll of course be looking to set a record in the 2022 World Cup given that he’s the only player in that list who is still playing.
Most Scores on Own Team's Goals
One record that no player wants on his record is a score on their own goal, but they do still happen. A huge chunk of them being through accidents. In the 1998 finals in France, there were at least 6 own goals scored in that tournament.
That record was broken in the 2018 World Cup where a record 12 own goals were scored over the course of the competition. This was double the previous record and was pretty much an embarrassment to the various teams and their coaches.
Fewest Goals in a Final
In finals, you expect teams to score goals and go all out for the win. But, at times they just opt to shut each other out.
In such games, you’d expect to see a well-fought-out match like 2006 final which ended in a 1-1 match. This would, of course, mean a penalty shootout where the winner would then be decided.
One match that broke the record for not registering even a single goal in a FIFA World Cup final is 1994 final where Brazil and Italy played out a rather boring 0-0 draw. This was much to the shock and disappointment of the fans from both countries.
Consecutive Clean Sheets in a Tournament
A soccer game is as much about conceding goals as it is about scoring them. But there are teams that have mastered the art of keeping the opponents at bay. These teams play a pretty rigid defensive system that is quite hard to breakdown.
And in the World Cup, no team had stringed together five clean sheets in a single tournament before Italy did it in the 1990 tournament.
Biggest Defeat Margin
One of the records that no team wants to carry is the biggest defeat record. But, there are teams that have endured heavy losses over the years.
For example, South Korea was hammered 9-0 by Hungary in the 1954 World Cup. Zaire helped South Korea carry that record as they were defeated by Yugoslavia by the same margin in the 1974 tournament.
That record, however, is now held by El Salvador who was hammered by Hungary in the 1982 tournament. The match ended with Hungary 10 while El Salvador had a solitary goal to their name.
Highest Scoring Draw
Draws are part of the World Cup, and you’d expect to find a number of them. Both teams try to shut out each other, while others go all out and try to outscore each other. There have been a number of games in World Cups that have ended in 2 - 2 draws or less.
But in 1954, England and Belgium, that’s after extra time, played out an interesting 4 - 4 draw. That record was again achieved in the 1962 tournament but this one without extra time. This game, pitting the Soviet Union vs Colombia, ended in a 4 - 4 draw as well.
Most Goals in a Match
There are games where we have seen a number of goals scored in a match that was high. Especially in highly competitive games such as the World Cup.
But, in the World Cup, where the stakes are pretty huge, there are games when the teams go all out. For example, in 1954 final, in a game pitting Austria against Switzerland, there were 12 goals scored in that tie. Austria won the tie with 7 goals and Switzerland lost despite scoring 5 goals.
Conclusion
The FIFA World Cup is always an exciting and historic event that captivates the world, and there have been many wild records over the years. Google to learn some more about some of the records that have been made in FIFA history.