Fascinating football facts including: For the first time in history, Africa has sent 10 teams to a single FIFA World Cup.. Lionel Messi became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick at the age of 38, while also tying the all-time World Cup scoring record with 16 goals..
Test your football knowledge with today’s Did You Know facts, covering stats, records, and history from the world of football.
Did you know? For the first time in history, Africa has sent 10 teams to a single FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 tournament marks a historic milestone for the continent as Algeria, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia all take part.
The milestone was made possible by FIFA expanding the tournament to 48 teams, giving African football its biggest-ever platform.
Cape Verde are making their first-ever World Cup appearance, while DR Congo return to the tournament for the first time since 1974.
Category: Record | Source: NigerianMatchday.com
Did you know? Lionel Messi became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick at the age of 38, while also tying the all-time World Cup scoring record with 16 goals.
The Argentine icon produced an extraordinary performance to match Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 career World Cup goals, a mark many believed would stand forever.
At 38 years and 357 days old, Messi surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s record as the oldest player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, underlining his unique longevity at the highest level.
His achievement sparked global conversation about whether football has ever seen an individual talent quite like him perform so brilliantly at such an advanced age.
Category: Record | Source: NigerianMatchday.com
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