1. The Russian coach Fabio Capello is the highest paid coach at the 2014 World Cup with an annual income of $11,235,210 (that’s about 763 times more than the average person in Russia)
2. On the other hand, Lionel Messi is the most expensive player in the 2014 World Cup with a market value of 139.6 million euros. Cristiano Ronaldo comes in second with a value of 104.2 million euros and Neymar is third at 67.4 million euros
3. According to Pluri Consultoria, Brazil is the most expensive team in the 2014 World Cup with a market value of 507.8million euros. They are followed by Spain at 504million euros and Argentina at 475.2million euros.
4. A Simpsons episode has been dedicated to the 2014 World Cup
5. The winning FIFA 2014 team will get a grand total of $35 million dollars while the runner ups will win $25 million
6. Costing an estimated $11 billion +, the 2014 World Cup is the most expensive World Cup in its 84 years history
7. In order to ensure the safety of spectators, Brazil is using drones and US robots (from a company named iRobot…no joke) during the World Cup
8. Sir Vivian Richards, widely regarded as a legend in the game of cricket, is the only person to play World Cup Cricket as well as represent Antigua for football during the 1974 World Cup Qualifying matches
9. 42 year old Roger Milla from Cameroon became the oldest player to participate and score in the World Cup when he played in 1994
10. The U.S. vs Portugal 2014 World Cup game set a record as the most-watched soccer match in American TV history
11. Two World Cup finals have been decided on penalties. When Brazil beat Italy in 1994, and when Italy beat France in 2006
12. The World Cup was not played in 1942 and 1946 because of World War II
13. The World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with over one billion people watching every 4 years
14. On the other hand, Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history, with 5 wins and reaching the final in 2 other opportunities
15. Mexico holds the record for most defeats in World Cup history, losing 22 matches
16. India withdrew from the World Cup competition in 1950 when they were not allowed to play barefoot
17. The First goalkeeper to win the Most Valuable Player award was the German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn during the 2002 Fifa World Cup
18. Hungary holds the record for scoring the most goals when they beat El Salvador 10 – 1 in 1982
19. Brazilian Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima holds the record for most World Cup goals scored with a total of 15 goals
20. The first FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay back in 1930 and only 13 countries participated
21. The 2014 World Cup will be the first World Cup ever with goal-line technology
22. Fast food and beer are dominating World Cup ads for Hispanic viewers with McDonalds holding 92 spots and Budweiser holding 89 spots on Univision
23. Conversely, Indonesia had the highest excitement ratings with 61.3% claiming to be very excited over the World Cup event
24. According to a global survey, Americans were the least excited about the Word Cup event with only 11% showing extreme interest
25. The Solomon Islands has the world’s highest Google search volume index for “World Cup.”
Source:list25.com
