German Miroslav Klose played in the 2014 final, 12 years after appearing in the 2002 final.

In the 1954 World Cup, a total of 12 goals were scored in a single match as Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5 in Lausanne.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the first and only tournament to feature two host nations: South Korea and Japan.

In a 1994 FIFA World Cup group stage match, Russia’s Oleg Salenko scored a record five goals against Cameroon for a 6-1 win.

Before the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final, Germany`s biggest win over Brazil in an international game came in 1986. The Germans won 2-0 then.

Like Brazuca this year, the official match ball for the 2002 FIFA World Cup was called Fevernova.

For the first time in World Cup history, both Brazil and Argentina have made it to the semi-finals.

Germany is the only nation to reach semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup four consecutive times. They achieved this in 2002, 2006, 2010 and now in 2014.

Danish striker, Ebbe Sand scored the fastest goal in the World Cup for a substitute in 1998. He took only 16 seconds to score against Nigeria.

Tim Howard made 16 saves against Belgium. That`s the most by any goalkeeper in a World Cup game since 1966.

German legend, Lothar Matthaus played in 25 FIFA World Cup games spanning 25 years. He won the title in 1990, after finishing runners-up in 1982 and 1986.

The original host of 1986 FIFA World Cup was Colombia. But Mexico hosted the tournament as the South American nation backed-out.

For the first time in the FIFA World Cup, a country from every continent was represented in 1982. The Spain World Cup also witnessed the increase of teams from16 to 24.

Most "own goals" (6) at a World Cup were scored in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

Last time England were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup at the Group stage was in 1958. They drew all their games then.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria created an unique record by not selecting a single player from their domestic league in the 23-player squad.

South Africa, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, was the first host nation to be eliminated in the first round itself.

All the previous winners have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, including the host Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Argentina, England, Uruguay and Spain.