Wacky World Cup Facts

The 2002 World Cup of soccer will be the planet's largest sporting event. More than one billion people are expected to follow the month-long soccer tournament between the world's top 32 soccer powers. It's the first one played in Asia and the first one hosted by two countries - Korea and Japan. Here's a list of some other World Cup soccer facts and feats.

Crowd Pleasers

The largest crowd to watch a World Cup soccer game live are the 199,850 people who crammed into a stadium in Brazil for a game between Brazil and Uruguay during the 1950 World Cup.

The smallest crowd to watch a World Cup soccer game was the 300 who showed up to the game between Romania and Peru during the 1930 World Cup of soccer in Uruguay.

Soccer Snacking

Chile managed to reach the semi-finals of the 1962 World Cup before losing 4-2 to Brazil. On their way they beat Switzerland, USSR and Italy. Players said they ate Swiss cheese to beat the Swiss, spaghetti to beat Italy, drank vodka to beat USSR, and tried coffee to beat Brazil - but coffee obviously didn't agree with them.

One food many people will be eating during the 2002 World Cup is dog meat. While most people in North America would never think of eating a poodle or beagle, many people in Korea consider dog meat to be a delicacy. There are around 6,000 dog meat restaurants in Korea that serve soup, sandwiches and even hamburgers made from dog meat. Woof! Woof!

Feet and Fingers

During the 1994 World Cup, German soccer player, Stefan Effenberg, was sent home because he gave the finger to a fan during a game.

India refused to play in the 1950 World Cup because FIFA told the players they would have to play in soccer cleats, rather than barefoot.

The soccer player who scores the most goals during the 2002 World Cup wins the Golden Boot Award.

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