We all know that Team USA won’t be on the field when the 2018 FIFA World Cup begins June 14. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy one of international sport’s signature events. The 21st edition of the quadrennial soccer tournament will be held across Russia, the largest country to ever host the event; Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, will be the smallest.
On June 13, one day before this year’s matches begin, FIFA will award the 2026 World Cup to either Morocco or to Canada, Mexico and the United States (known as the United Bid). Regardless of the outcome, here are 25 numbers to keep in mind as you tune into the action in Russia.
12: Number of 2018 World Cup venues
11: Number of World Cup cities
5: Number of venues that are new builds
80,000: Capacity of Luzhniki Stadium, the largest venue
35,000: Capacity of both Ekaterinburg and Kaliningrad stadiums, the smallest venues
1930: Year the first World Cup was held; host Uruguay won
5: Number of times Brazil has won the World Cup, more than any other country in the world (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 & 2002)
209: Number of teams that entered the qualification tournament for the 2018 World Cup, a record
32: Number of teams that qualified
736: Total number of players on those 32 teams
45: Age, in years, of the oldest player in the 2018 World Cup, Egypt captain Essam El-Hadary
48: Number of teams that will qualify for World Cup play under a new format beginning in 2026
11.8: Estimated cost, in billions of dollars, Russian officials say it will be to host the World Cup
600: Amount, in millions of dollars, more than they originally planned
3.2: Number of people worldwide, in millions, that watched the 2014 World Cub in Brazil
280: Number of them, in millions, who viewed games online or on a mobile device
3.4: Total attendance, in millions, for all 64 2014 World Cup matches, the most since 1994 in the United States
53,592: Average crowd size at each 2014 World Cup match
32.1: Total number of tweets, in millions, sent during the 2014 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina, the most-discussed single sporting event of all time on Twitter
3,240: Number ofadidas balls, for both training and matches, used during the 2014 tournament.
16,746: Number of printed media credentials issued during the 2014 World Cup
3,127,674: Number of food and beverage transactions that took place at the 2014 tournament stadiums over the course of the competition
420: Tons of recyclable waste collected from the stadiums and additional World Cup-related facilities
171: Total number of goals scored in the 2014 World Cup, tied with 1998 in France for the most ever
June 7-July 7, 2019: Dates of the Women’s World Cup, schedule to take place in France
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