Eurozone World Cup Play-offs In Statistics

Croatia qualified for the 1998 World Cup via play-offs and finished on the podium (Twitter @fifaworldcup)

JAKARTA - There are already 32 countries that will appear in the 2022 World Cup. There are those who qualify directly as group winners in the qualifiers, there are also those who have to go through the play-offs.

Specifically for teams from the European zone (UEFA), there were 13 representatives who advanced to Qatar where Wales became the last country confirmed to compete in the football party from November 21 to December 18 next.

FIFA has highlighted some interesting statistics over the years since the play-offs for tickets to the World Cup took effect. Among others; hat-tricks, impossible heroes and 100 percent record features

100Only two of the 27 countries participating in the European zone play-offs have a 100 percent match record. Yugoslavia beat Hungary 7-1 away and 5-0 at home in their two appearances in 1997. Meanwhile, Portugal won all four of their matches – all by one goal difference – against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2009 and Sweden in 2013.

60 Sweden's 1-0 aggregate win in 2017 saw Italy miss the World Cup for the first time in 60 years. Jakob Johansson, who finished the game with his first international goal in the first leg – six years after making his debut for his country and four minutes after coming on – suffered an ACL injury in the second leg and consequently missed Russia 2018.

20Gianluigi Buffon has amazingly played in the play-offs of the European zone with a difference of 20 years. The teenage goalkeeper was introduced in the 31st minute of the play-off in Moscow in 1997 to replace the injured Gianluca Pagliuca, and he produced the superb performance in the snow that helped Italy reach the 1998 France World Cup. Buffon then played in Italy's defeat to Sweden. in 2017. Belgian midfielder Franky Van der Elst, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given, Russia midfielder Sergei Semak and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko appeared in the play-offs with a difference of 12 years.

11Sinisa Mihajlovic, Vladimir Jugovic, Dragan Stojkovic, Dejan Savicevic, Predrag Mijatovic and Savo Milosevic helped Yugoslavia win 12-1 on aggregate (11 goals difference) over Hungary in 1997 – the biggest win in a European play-off. This was followed by Turkey's 6-0 win over Austria in 2001, Spain's 2-6 loss to Slovakia in 2005 and Denmark's 1-5 loss to the Republic of Ireland in 2017.

6Six hat-tricks have been scored in the play-offs of the European zone. Predrag Mijatovic produced the first two, scoring three goals away and four at home for Yugoslavia against Hungary in 1997. After that, hat-tricks were scored by Luis Garcia for Spain against Slovakia in 2005, Tuncay Sanli for Turkey against Switzerland a few days later , Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against Sweden in 2013 and Christian Eriksen for Denmark against Republic of Ireland in 2017.

️ "I knew Portugal needed me and I showed I am here" #OnThisDay in 2013, @Cristiano produced one of the greatest performances in #WCQ history, settling a #WorldCup play-off against Sweden with a stunning second-half hat-trick pic.twitter.com/EjkT61wpwo

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 19, 2021

5 Rinus Michels' Netherlands national team, featuring Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, were just five minutes from reaching Mexico 1986 when disaster struck Rotterdam. In a match where most players wore sweatpants under their shorts, substitute centre-back Georges Grun headed in Eric Gerets' cross to send Belgium on away goals.

5Until the match against Scotland on 2 June 2022, Ukraine extended their European zone play-off appearance record to five. Winning 3-1, Ukraine qualified for the final and met Wales to reach their sixth play-off. But, they lost 0-1 through a Gareth Bale goal and failed to go to Qatar.

Go to FIFA+ to relive the best moments of Ukraine's last #FIFAWorldCup journey. pic.twitter.com/PqNIGdv4SP

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) May 31, 2022

4Four teams have gone through the play-offs of the European zone and finished on the podium at the next World Cup. Croatia have done so twice, finishing third and second in France 1998 and Russia 2018, while Germany and Turkey took silver and bronze at Korea/Japan 2002, respectively.

When the power of football helped unite a nation. Stream 'Croatia - Defining a Nation' for free on FIFA+ from Monday 30 May ❤️🤍💙@HNS_CFF | #FIFAplus pic.twitter.com/WHGCCXzj8p

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) May 26, 2022

3 Three teams have reached the World Cup via the European zone play-offs on away goals: Belgium against the Netherlands in 1985, Switzerland against Turkey in 2005, and Slovenia against Russia in 2009.

2 Two goals is the biggest deficit of a team that lost in the first leg but won the next leg in the play-offs of the European zone and then qualified for the World Cup. France lost 0-2 to Ukraine in Kiev in 2013, but won the second leg 3-0 in Paris. The unexpected hero was Mamadou Sakho, who - like Lilian Thuram - scored his only international goal in the same game.