Ever wondered about some of the odder moments of World Cup history? Well look no further.

• The largest crowd ever at a World Cup finals match was the estimated 174,000 who showed up to watch Brazil play Uruguay in the final that wasn't a final at the Maracana in 1950. Some estimate the crowd to be even higher, even beyond 200,000. As for the game itself, Brazil needed only to draw against Uruguay at the Maracana to win the 1950 World Cup but the Uruguayans prevailed 2-1.

• The smallest crowd at a World Cup finals match was 300 at Romania and Peru during the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay.

• France's Lucien Laurent claims the honour of the first goal in World Cup finals history, when Les Bleus played Mexico, however the first hat-trick is undecided. FIFA believes it is Bertram Patenaude of the United States who has the honour, scoring a treble on 17 July 1930 against Paraguay, but others say it was Guillermo Stabile of Argentina who was first, with three goals two days later against Mexico.

• This year South Africa has nine cities hosting World Cup finals, with two stadiums in Johannesburg and one stadium per other city. The first tournament was played in only three stadiums within the one city, Montevideo. The highest number was in Spain 1982, with 17 stadiums in 14 cities, including two each in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville for the 52 matches.

• July 31 was declared a national holiday in Uruguay after they won the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

• The host nation and the holders qualified automatically for the finals for the first time in France 1938, though this tournament is the second since then that the champions have been forced to qualify.

• Dutch East Indies were the first Asian team to take part in the finals in 1938, while Africa's first country to qualify was Egypt, which made it in 1934.

• Spectators in 1954 certainly got their money's worth, with 140 goals in 26 matches, an average of 5.38 goals per game, including the record for goals in a game when Austria beat Switzerland 7-5 after earlier trailing 0-3. It was 5-4 at half-time, which is a goal every five minutes.

• That year Hungary also set the record for most goals in a tournament with 27, two better than the 25 scored by eventual winner, Germany.

• Uruguay was undefeated in World Cup finals history until 1954 - they won 1930 and 1950, and refused to play in the other two tournaments.

• Who says football is boring? The first-ever 0-0 World Cup draw wasn't until 1958 between Brazil and England.

• Uruguay's Jose Batista has one record not to be proud of: the fastest-ever red card, when he was sent off inside the first minute against Scotland in 1986.

• Oceania was not only the last region to have a team play in the World Cup finals (Australia 1974), but it has also been the least successful continental zone in World Cup history, with only one team ever progressing to the second round, Australia in 2006. Africa has had two teams make the quarter-finals (Cameroon 1990, Senegal 2002) and North America and Asia have both seen teams progress to the semis (USA 1930 and Korea Republic 2002).

• Only two continents have won the World Cup - Europe have nine wins as does South America.

• Three times sides have won by nine goals, the largest margin in the World Cup finals, and Hungary has done it twice, beating Korea Republic 9-0 in 1954 and El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, while Yugoslavia beat Zaire 9-0 in 1974.

• Turkish striker Hakan Sukur broke a 40-year-old record in the 2002 third place playoff against Korea Republic when he scored after just 11 seconds, the fastest-ever goal from a kick-off in World Cup finals history.

• Denmark's Ebbe Sand, however, can claim the title as best impact player, scoring the fastest goal as a substitute against Nigeria in 1998 after just 16 seconds.

• German Lothar Matthaus equalled Mexican goalkeeper Antoni Carbajal's record for most World Cup tournament appearances in 1998 with five, and in the process broke the record for most matches with 25.

• Frenchman Just Fontaine holds the record for goals in a tournament with 13 in 1958, but he fell one short of the record of 14 for most career goals scored in the World Cup finals, which belonged to Gerd Muller from West Germany until Brazil's Ronaldo eclipsed it with 15 at Germany 2006

• The feats of Pele hardly need to be pointed out, but it should be noted that he was the youngest player to play in a World Cup final and still remains the youngest scorer at the World Cup finals when he found the back of the net against Wales in 1958 at 17 years and 239 days. He was 10 days older in the final.

• At the other end of the spectrum, the oldest player to score a goal was Roger Milla (pictured) at 42 years and 39 days, for Cameroon against Russia in 1994. In that same game, Oleg Salenko scored the most amount of goals ever in a World Cup finals match with five for the Russians as they won 6-1.

• Brazil is the only country to have played in every World Cup finals. Germany has only missed twice, in 1930 and 1950, and likewise Italy, 1930 and 1958.

• The only player to have scored a goal plus an own-goal in the same match is Ernie Brandts of Netherlands in the second phase match against Italy in 1978.

• First substitute to score a goal was Juan Basaguren when he netted the last goal against El Salvador in Mexico's 4-0 win in 1970

• Italy plays in blue shirts rather than the colours of its national flag in a custom dating back to the country's pre-republican days. Blue was the official colour of the Royal House of Savoy and the Azzurri tribute to the Italian monarchy survives today.

• France's World Cup defence in 2002 was the worst in history, the then European champion failing to score a goal and finishing bottom of its group.

• Senegal forgot to enter the 1994 World Cup.

• When England reaches at least the second round without going on to win, the team that knocks it out might as well pop the cork on the champagne. Almost every time they have reached the second round but not claimed the trophy - the exception being when Argentina did not go on to triumph in 1998 - the team that eliminated it has gone on to win: Uruguay (1954), Brazil (1962), West Germany (1970), Argentina (1986), West Germany (1990) and Brazil (2002) being the subsequent winners.

• Sweden remained undefeated throughout the entire 2002 World Cup finals and its earlier qualifying campaign. In qualifying it won eight matches and drew two, and though it lost in the second round to Senegal, it was 1-1 at full-time.

• The 1986 tournament was meant to be held in Colombia, but violence and civil unrest forced FIFA to switch it to Mexico, the second time the South American country has hosted it (1970 was the other).

• Belgium holds the record for consecutive draws with five.

Awards

• The adidas Golden Shoe (formerly called the Golden Shoe, or, sometimes, the Golden Boot, first awarded in 1930) for top goal-scorer. Current holder is Miroslav Klose with five

• The adidas Golden Ball for best player (formerly called the Golden Ball, first awarded in 1982); in 2006 Zinedine Zidane took gold, silver went to Fabio Cannavaro and Bronze went to Andrea Pirlo

• The Yashin Award for best goalkeeper (first awarded in 1994). The award is named in honour of the late and legendary Russian goalkeeper, Lev Yashin, and the current holder is Gianluigi Buffon.

• The FIFA Fair Play Award is given to the team with the best record of fair play during the World Cup final tournament. Only teams that qualified for the second round are considered. Current holder: Brazil and Spain

• The Most Entertaining Team award for the team that has entertained the public the most during the World Cup finals, as determined by a poll of the general public, and was first awarded in 1994. Portugal was given that award in 2006..

• The Gillette Best Young Player award for best player under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year, which wasawarded for the first time in 2006 to Lukas Podolksi.

The World Cup Dream Team:

Goalkeeper: Lev Yashin

Defenders: Paolo Maldini, Franz Beckenbauer, Roberto Carlos

Midfielders: Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Baggio, Michael Platini

Strikers: Johan Cruyff, Pele, Romario