Did you know that Uruguay won the first men's World Cup in 1930?
Did you know that in 1991 USA won the
first women's World Cup?
Did you know that the first time numbers
were used on shirts in World Cup play was in 1938?
Did you know that the boundaries of a
soccer pitch are called touchlines because until the ball has completely
crossed the line, a player may not "touch" the ball with his/her hands?
The
current FIFA WorldCup™ Trophy cannot be won outright, as the
regulations state that it shall remain FIFA's own possession. The
WorldCup™ winners retain it until the next tournament and are awarded a
replica, gold-plated rather than solid gold. The new trophy is 36
cm. high, made of solid 18-carat gold and weighs 4970 grams. The
base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite and has room for 17
small plaques bearing the name of the winners. There is enough
space for the World Champions through the year 2038.
The U.S. U-19 Women's National Team won the inaugural FIFA U-19
Women's World Championship in Canada in 2002, topping Canada in a
thrilling final 1-nil in sudden death overtime.
Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley won the FIFA Goal and Silver
Balls, respectively at the 1999 U-17 World Championship in New Zealand.
The U.S. U-20 Men's National Team competed at the first FIFA World
Youth Championship in Australia in 1981.