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World Cup facts and figures to get you sounding like an expert
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo dribbles the ball during the international friendly football match between Portugal and Chile at Estadio Nacional do Jamor in Oeiras, on June 6.
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Patricia De Melo Moreira
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AFP via Getty Images
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It's the World Cup's world and we're just living in it?
At least, that's how it may feel for the next six weeks. The planet's largest sporting event has officially begun in North America with a majority of games happening across the 11 host cities in the U.S.
With a record 48 teams and a whopping 1,248 players, there's an endless number of facts and figures about the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But don't worry. We've gathered some of the top stats to know before you start watching the games.
Oldest player
Heading into his first World Cup ever, Scotland's Craig Gordon will be competing as the oldest footballer on the global stage and second oldest in World Cup history at 43 years old.
Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon in action during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park on Nov. 18, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland.
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Stu Forster
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Getty Images
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But he's far from the only quadragenarian competing. As of June 11, there are seven players in their 40s with one of soccer's greats Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal being the second oldest. Ronaldo, 41, is heading to his sixth World Cup without the major trophy yet to his name.
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Other notable 40-somethings on the field will be Luka Modrić of Croatia and Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico — both of whom are 40. (Uruguay's Fernando Muslera will join the 40s club on June 16.)
Youngest player
More common than quadragenarians at the World Cup are the number of players not old enough to buy alcohol in the U.S. Meanwhile, the youngest is not yet of age to get a tattoo without a parent's permission.
Gilberto Mora of Tijuana at Caliente Stadium on Nov. 26, 2025 in Tijuana, Mexico.
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Francisco Vega
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Getty Images
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That's none other than 17-year-old Gilberto Mora of Mexico. Mora will be the youngest player ever to represent Mexico at the World Cup. But he's still about six months older than the youngest footballer ever to appear on the global stage. That title has been held by Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside since 1982.
Team USA's best run
The U.S. team has competed on soccer's biggest stage a total of 12 times — including at the inaugural World Cup in 1930, where the U.S. placed third out of 13.
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Since then, the country's best run was in 2002 when the U.S. made it to the quarterfinals — defeating Portugal and Mexico before losing to Germany and finishing in 8th.
The U.S. came in 14th at the 2022 World Cup after being pummeled by the Netherlands 3-1 in the Round of 16.
The most common game result
Soccer is a low-scoring sport and the most common scorelines prove it. On the global stage, 182 games — about a fifth of all matches — have ended in 1-0. The second most common is 2-1.
One of the rarest scorelines (and the most goals made in a single World Cup match) was Hungary's 10-1 win over El Salvador at an opening group game in 1982.
Most red cards
A red card, which leads to an immediate dismissal from the field and suspension from the subsequent match, has been handed to Brazil a total of 11 times across 9 different matches since 1930 — though the team's last red card was in 2010.
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Only two players have ever received more than one red. That goes to Cameroon's Rigobert Song and France's Zinedine Zidane, who have both received two on the global stage. Zidane's second red card was especially infamous: At the finals in 2006, he headbutted an Italian player's chest, allegedly because the opponent insulted his mother and sister.
A photo taken July 9, 2006 of French midfielder Zinedine Zidane (L) gesturing after head butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi during the World Cup 2006 final football match between Italy and France at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.
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John MacDougall
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AFP via Getty Images
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World Cup's most-represented club
The global tournament will feature 19 athletes from the English Premier League team Manchester City. The players are spread out across 12 national teams in three continents: Algeria, Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, England, France, Ghana, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Uzbekistan.
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