Russia 2018 : Test your World Cup knowledge with SHT quiz!

Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon was 43 years and 3 days old when he played against Japan at Brazil 2014. His record could be broken this summer by Egyptian stopper Essam El-Hadary, who is aiming to appear aged 45.

Russia 2018 will be the 21st edition of the World Cup. The first was held in 1930 in Uruguay.

The Scots have appeared at 8 World Cups and have failed to progress beyond the first round at each one: 1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998.

Striker Oleg Salenko netted a record 5 goals in Russia’s group game against Cameroon at USA ’94. He ended the tournament as joint-top scorer on 6 goals, although Russia still went out at the group stage.

Norman Whiteside was aged 17 years, 41 days when he appeared for Northern Ireland against Yugoslavia at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Eto’o is the second youngest player to ever appear, and was 17 years, 3 months and 7 days old when he played against Italy in 1998.

Austria’s 7-5 victory against Switzerland in the quarter-final in 1954 remains the highest-scoring World Cup finals game ever with 12 goals.

Argentina have taken part in 5 penalty shootouts at the World Cup finals (1990 x 2, 1998, 2006, 2014); they have won all but one of them (they lost against Germany in 2006). Germany have a 100% World Cup penalty shootout record, winning of 4 out of 4.

Uruguay won the inaugural World Cup on home soil in 1930. Thirteen teams took part, and Uruguay defeated South American rivals Argentina 4-2 in the final in Montevideo. Uruguay added to that success by winning the tournament 20 years later in Brazil.

Germany’s Miroslav Klose scored a record 16 goals at World Cup finals games, spread across 4 tournaments: 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014. Ex-Brazil forward Ronaldo is next best on 15 goals, with West German legend Muller third on 14 goals.

The Netherlands have appeared in 3 World Cup finals and have suffered heartbreak on each occasion: in 1974, 1978, and 2010.

The Brazilians have won the World Cup 5 times in total: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Germany and Italy have won 4 World Cup titles apiece.

Brazil full-back Cafu played in 3 World Cup finals – 1994, 1998, 2002 – winning 2 of them (’94 and 2002).

Pele won three World Cup titles – in 1958, 1962, and 1970 – although he only played 2 games in 1962, and was awarded a winners’ medal retroactively by FIFA in 2007.

Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick to help England to a 4-2 extra-time win over West Germany in 1996, and remains the only player ever to score a hat-trick in the final.

The host nation has won the World Cup on 6 occasions: Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978), and France (1998).