Intercontinental Play-off Stats: Race For Tickets To The World Cup Finals

Karim Bagheri scores in play-off against Australia, takes Iran to 1998 World Cup in France (FIFA)

JAKARTA - Australia and Costa Rica won the last two tickets to the 2022 World Cup after beating their opponents. The Socceroos overthrew Peru on penalties and Los Ticos beat New Zealand with a narrow 1-0 score.

The first intercontinental play-offs were launched in Sweden in the 1958 World Cup qualifiers. Here we present some statistics compiled from the official FIFA website.

213,000 The cumulative attendance from the Iran-Australia fight in 1997 was 213,000. In detail, 128,000 watched the 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran and 85,000 were inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the second leg seven days later.

86 UEFA representatives have the best record for passing through intercontinental play-offs (86 per cent – 6 wins, 1 loss). They are followed by CONMEBOL (70 percent – 7 wins, 3 losses), Concacaf (50 percent – 3 wins, 3 losses), AFC (33 percent – 2 wins, 4 losses), OFC (30 percent – 3 wins, 7 losses) and CAF (0 percent – 0 wins, 1 loses).

36Thirty-six clean sheets have been maintained over the 42 intercontinental play-off matches. Eight matches ended 0-0, with the 2006 Germany play-off being the last game to end in a goalless draw.

7Hungary beat Bolivia by seven goals to reach the 1978 Argentina World Cup – the largest margin of victory in an intercontinental play-off. The hosts scored five goals in 27 first-half minutes en route to a 6-0 win in Budapest, before winning 3-2 at La Paz. The two teams have recorded six-goal aggregate wins, with Yugoslavia beating Republic of Korea 8-2 to reach Chile 1962 and Mexico beating New Zealand 9-3 to reach Brazil 2014.

6Australia has participated in a record six previous intercontinental play-offs. Followed by New Zealand and Uruguay (three each), then Bahrain, Iran, and Israel (two each).

5Oribe Peralta scored an unrivaled five goals in the intercontinental play-offs. The Mexican hero who beat Brazil in the final of the 2012 London Olympic Football Tournament bagged two goals in a 5-1 win over New Zealand at Azteca in Mexico City in 2013, before scoring a 19-minute hat-trick in the second leg at 'The Cake Tin' in Wellington. The only other hat-trick scorer in the intercontinental play-offs is defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak, his heroics against Honduras sending Australia to Russia 2018. Milan Galic, who scored three Yugoslav goals in two legs against the Republic of Korea in 1961, is the only player another who has more than two goals in the intercontinental play-offs.

4The best final result achieved by a country in the World Cup after qualifying through the intercontinental play-offs is fourth place. Yugoslavia did it in Chile 1962, eliminating West Germany en route to the semi-finals. Uruguay with Diego Forlan repeated that feat in South Africa 2010.

3Two intercontinental play-off matches were settled on penalties – and all three were won by Australia. First, on the way to fight for a ticket to the 1994 World Cup in the United States against Canada - although then lost to Argentina. Second, when they beat Uruguay to reach their second World Cup finals in Germany 2006. Third, when they beat Peru to advance to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

20-year-old @schwarzer_mark, on his starting debut for the @Socceros, with two absolutely MASSIVE saves in the penalty shoot-out! #AUSvCAN pic.twitter.com/Hps2EIPAzv

— Socceroos (@Socceroos) May 12, 2020

2Only two teams that lost in the first leg of a play-off were able to qualify for the World Cup – and on both occasions the match involved the same country. Uruguay lost 0-1 in Melbourne in 2001, but Alvaro Recoba and Dario Silva inspired a 3-0 win in the second leg in Montevideo. Australia took revenge four years later. Following a 0-1 loss at the Centenario, Mark Bresciano scored the only goal in Sydney before John Aloisi scored the winner on penalties.

THE moment. 32 years of heartbreak over. John Aloisi with nerves of absolute steel. #AllForTheSocceros pic.twitter.com/6okeUheLO9

— Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 16, 2020