World Cup opener tidbits

When the curtain comes up on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, the hosts and Ecuador will take their turn to try to conjure a contest that is bracketed among the great World Cup occasions. Among all the group stage fixtures, it is often the first of the lot that is remembered besides finals and high-drama knockout ties.

Qatar will be the 11th hosts to feature in the tournament opener. Here's look back at the opening fixtures of the previous 21 editions: 

1930: France 4 Mexico 1, Estadio Pocitos, Montevideo, Uruguay

The World Cup was a newcomer on the sporting scene 92 years ago and saw 4,444 spectators – the lowest-ever till date.

1934: Italy 7 USA 1, Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome, Italy

This 1934 World Cup was played as a straight knockout among the 16 entrants. The first World Cup where hosts featured in the tournament opener. Since the 1934 edition, no other team have scored more than what Italy netted against USA, and none had a better goal-difference in the tournament opener.

1938: Switzerland 1 Germany 1, Parc des Princes, Paris, France

With the 1938 edition being another sudden-death competition, the tournament opener was the first to go beyond 90 minutes of regulation time but the two teams could not be separated after 120 minutes of play.  

1950: Brazil 4 Mexico 0, Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The attendance at the legendary Maracana stadium was close to 82 thousand, more than the three World Cup openers that preceded it. This was the first World Cup since World War 2 ended, and the first and only one that happened after more than a four-year gap. 

1958: Sweden 3 Mexico 0, Rasunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden

A third World Cup opening match for Mexico and a third comprehensive loss.

1966: England 0-0 Uruguay, Wembley Stadium, London, England

First opener where the hosts failed to score and the score-line ended in 0-0. The next three openers will go on to feature the same score-line.

1970: Mexico 0-0 Soviet Union, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico

The highest attendance (107,160) till date in the opening fixture.

1974: Brazil 0-0 Yugoslavia, Waldstadion, Frankfurt, West Germany

The first time a defending champions played the opening fixture.

1982: Belgium 1 Argentina 0, Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

Erwin Vandenbergh ended a 20-year goal-drought for World Cup openers.

1986: Italy 1 Bulgaria 1, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico's Estadio Azteca became the first venue to host two World Cup opening fixtures. 

1990: Cameroon 1 Argentina 0, San Siro, Milan, Italy

Perhaps the most famous opening game of them all. Despite red cards for Andre Kana-Biyik and Benjamin Massing either side of the goal, the Africans secured one of the great World Cup victories.

2002: Senegal 1 France 0, Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea

In the first World Cup played in Asia, the opening fixture had all the ingredients for a repeat of Cameroon's heroics 12 years earlier: imperious defending champions, fancied to retain their trophy, against underdogs from Africa.

2010: South Africa 1 Mexico 1, Soccer City, Johannesburg South Africa

Siphiwe Tshabalala never played club football outside South Africa but it was fitting that he became the first player to score in the first Africa-staged World Cup.

2018: Russia 5 Saudi Arabia 0, Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia

Fears over the hosts' ability to shine at their own World Cup were alleviated with this crushing win.