World Championships – Records from Asia and Africa, six continents, centenary England: the data from the 1st round

1

Sixteen years later, Australia will again pass the group stage of the World Cup, thus offering Oceania the second round of 16 after 2006. In Germany, they were accompanied by Europe, North America, Africa and South America. In Qatar, it is simply the six continents that are at the rendezvous of the eighth – a first – with the presence also of Asia, which equals its record of representatives (2, as in 2002 and 2010).

2

Winning the opening game has almost always been an open door for the round of 16. Since France in 1930, no one had ever been eliminated after triumphing in their first match of the World Cup. at the equator. Winners of Qatar (2-0), the “Tri” then clashed with the Netherlands (1-1) and Senegal (2-1) to become the second country in history to be eliminated in the group stage after winning the match d debut at the World Cup.

2/5

Absent since 2018 (no representation in the round of 16), this time Africa saw some of their nations manage to emerge from the group stage with qualifiers Morocco and Senegal. Enough to equal the 2014 record (2, with Algeria and Nigeria), even if Africa hoped for better with its five teams still in the running before the final day.

5

Twenty-four years after the 1998 World Cup, Africa rediscovers the joy of dominating a World Cup group. First group F, Morocco become the fifth African team to top a group stage after Nigeria (1994, 1998), Cameroon (1990)… and Cameroon (1986). Morocco’s seven points are also a record for an African country in the group stage, which had only done better than six (Ghana in 2006).

2

Ayew-Asamoah, same fight. Ghana had missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup by missing a penalty against Uruguay, they missed the same way for the eighth edition in 2022. The Black Stars thus become the first selection to miss two penalties against the same opponent in the World Cup history. Damn.

3

Since 2006, the Asiatic Zone has also been home to Australia, which moved from the Oceania Zone to the Asiatic Zone and has never left the pools since this shift. It is now done, with this second place in group D, behind France. With Japan and South Korea also qualifying, it is therefore the first time in history that the Asia Zone places three nations in the round of 16 of the World Cup.

0

2018 had been a big slap in the face for Germany, then reigning world champions. 2022 will be a new year, with a second first-round elimination. If the Germans did not expect as strong as in 2018, it is a real historic surprise given that Germany had never gone out in the first round for two consecutive editions. Downgrade.

0

As Kylian Mbappé would say: “Football has changedAnd that also applies in the World Cup, like the six continents represented in the round of 16. Unfortunately for European nations, this complicates their task even more. In 2022, no group allowed two European nations to qualify, which had only happened once since 1970. That was in 2010.

100

England will have been there in the first round. Having qualified quite easily, first in Group B, the “Three Lions” have also reached the legendary bar of 100 goals scored at the World Cup. England thus became the seventh nation to turn 100, after Brazil (232), Germany (228), Argentina (140), Italy (128), France (126) and Spain (107).

28

Qatar – United States, same battle. As in 1994 during the American World Cup, no nation will be able to refuel in this first round of the Qatar World Cup. No one will have done better than Holland, England and Morocco, authors of seven points. It’s simply the first time in the World Cup for 28 years.

7

By chaining them up, Mexico had almost forgotten what it was like to miss the round of 16 of the World Cup. Since his absence from the 1990 World Cup due to suspension, the “Tri” had always made it through the first round, qualifying for the round of 16 seven times. Until this 2022 edition and this failure in group C still within their reach.

3

Scoring against his home country is always a special moment, but to be successful in the World Cup is absolutely historic and extremely rare. Swiss Breel Embolo (against Cameroon) and Tunisian Whabi Khazri (against France) took over in Qatar and thus joined the Swiss Alfred Bickel (in 1938 against Germany), the only player so far in history to have already scored against his home country in the World Cup. Now there are three.