International Football
RUSSIA 2018 QUALIFYING SERIES IN NUMBERS
Courtesy of FIFA Media Team, Sports Village Square brings to you the Facts and Figures on the 32 teams’ roads to the 21st FIFA World Cup Finals
- A total of 871 matches were played in the Russia 2018 qualifiers, one more than originally projected. The South Africa versus Senegal match had to be replayed owing to referee’s manipulation of the result of the original match.
- Four nations made their debut in the qualifying competition. They are Bhutan, Gibraltar, Kosovo and South Sudan.
- Italy were the only previous world champions to fail to make it through.
The Road to Russia 2018 is the longest in the history of world finals qualifying competitions. For some it has been a mere stroll in the park; for others an arduous journey full of obstacles. Some 209 teams started out, but only 31 made it to the end, joining hosts Russia in next year’s world finals.
With the dust having now settled, FIFA.com takes a look at some of the qualifying competition’s quirkier statistics.
MATCHES AND RECORDS
871 – is the total number of matches played in the Russia 2018 qualifiers, a record. The first took place in Timor-Leste on March 12, 2015 and the last in Peru on November 12, 2017.
63 – is the number of World Cup qualifying matches Spain have now gone without defeat, a record La Roja can add to when the Qatar 2022 qualifiers get under way. Next on the list is Nigeria with 36.
22 – is the number of matches played by Australia on the road to Russia 2018, equalling the record set by Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago in the qualifiers for Korea/Japan 2002.
TEAMS
4 – is the number of teams who made their World Cup qualifying debuts: Bhutan, Gibraltar, Kosovo and South Sudan.
7 – is the number of previous World Cup winners who made it through the qualifiers: Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, Uruguay, England and Argentina. The only one to miss out were four-time world champions Italy, who will be absent for the first time since Sweden 1958, following their defeat to the Swedes in the European play-offs.
21 – is the number of World Cup finals Brazil will have contested when they step out at Russia 2018. The first team to book their place, on March 28, 2017, the Brazilians are also the only nation never to have missed a single world finals. Holders Germany are next on the list with 17 consecutive appearances.
20 – is the number of teams who lined up at Brazil 2014 and will do so again at Russia 2018. Curiously, Nigeria are the only African side among them.
36 – is the number of years since Peru were last at the World Cup, at Spain 1982. The other teams to return after long absences are Egypt, whose last appearance came at Italy 1990, and Morocco, who were last on the big stage at France 1998.
GOALS AND GOALSCORERS
2,457 – is the number of goals that were scored in the qualifying competition as a whole. Quito scored the first, for Timor-Leste, in their 4-1 defeat of Mongolia in Dili on March12, 2015. Christian Ramos scored the last, for Peru, in their 2-0 win over New Zealand in Lima on November 15, 2017.
* The biggest win was Qatar’s 15-0 defeat of Bhutan in the second round of the Asian qualifiers.
* Joint leading goal scorers of the qualifiers, with 16 goals apiece:
- Mohamed Al Sahlawi (Saudi Arabia)
- Ahmed Khalil (United Arab Emirates)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland), who also scored three hat-tricks
* Highest goalscorers in a single match, with five goals:
- Mohamed Al Sahlawi (Saudi Arabia), against Timor-Leste
- Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala), against St. Vincent and the Grenadines
* Goalscorers
- Youngest: Ahmed Al Sarori (Yemen), 17 years and 95 days
- Oldest: Pablo Escobar (Bolivia), 38 years and 91 days
* Players
- Youngest: Anthony Likiliki (Tonga), 15 years and 257 days
- Oldest: Dady Aristide (Turks and Caicos Islands), 44 years and 293 days
International Football
Guinea names Portugal’s Duarte as new national coach

Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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International Football
Veteran coach Van Gaal says he is cured of cancer

Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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International Football
Like father like son, Davide Ancelotti becomes Brazil’s Botafogo manager

In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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