Soccer

World Cup in numbers: All the key statistics from the tournament so far

Sydney has hosted record crowds on four occasions (Zac Goodwin/PA)
Sydney has hosted record crowds on four occasions (Zac Goodwin/PA)
By Tom White, PA Sport Data Journalist

England take on Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key tournament statistics with one game remaining.

Goals

Hinata Miyazawa strikes the ball in Japan's defeat to Sweden
Will Hinata Miyazawa’s Golden Boot lead survive? (Abbie Parr/AP)

The 63 matches prior to the final have seen 163 goals scored, an average of 2.59 per game.

That is significantly lower than last summer’s European Championship, won by the Lionesses on home soil, when there was an average of just over three goals per game – 95 in 31.

While that was higher than the last men’s Euros – averaging 2.78 goals per game (142 in 51) – this summer has seen fewer goals than at the most recent men’s World Cups. The 2022 event in Qatar saw 172 goals in 64 games (2.69 per game), three more than in 2018 (169, 2.64 per game).

Spain lead the way with 17, with Japan managing an impressive 15 before being knocked out in the quarter-finals. Sweden scored 14 and England have 13 with the Netherlands, France and Australia the other teams in double figures.

Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa leads the Golden Boot standings on five, one ahead of Sweden defender Amanda Ilestedt. The remaining threats in the final are England’s Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo and Spain trio Alba Redondo, Jenni Hermoso and Aitana Bonmati, all on three each.

Attendances

There have been record attendances for a women’s game in both host nations.

Australia have played in front of capacity crowds of 75,784 at Stadium Australia in Sydney for their opener against the Republic of Ireland, against Denmark in the last 16 and for their semi-final against England. The Lionesses’ quarter-final against Colombia also matched that record and the final will surely follow suit.

In New Zealand, Auckland’s Eden Park hosted 43,217 fans for Spain and Sweden’s semi-final and their respective previous knockout matches against Switzerland and Japan. The 42,137 at the same venue for the opening game of the tournament, New Zealand’s win over Norway, was the country’s record for a home international involving either the men’s or women’s teams.

Over 1.9 million fans have come through the turnstiles for an average attendance of 30,198 across the 63 matches so far.

Landmarks

The group stage witnessed the 1,000th goal at a Women’s World Cup as tournament debutants Zambia left their mark via Barbra Banda’s penalty against Costa Rica.

England completed a record run of scoring in 16 consecutive World Cup games with their 6-1 win over China, adding to all seven of their games at the 2019 tournament and six in 2015.

It was immediately ended by Nigeria in the last 16, but Sarina Wiegman’s side prevailed on penalties before going on to the final.

Casey Phair became the youngest player at a Women’s World Cup, as a substitute for South Korea against Colombia aged just 16 years and 26 days.

Penalties

Australia's Steph Catley scores a penalty against the Republic of Ireland
Australia’s Steph Catley scored two penalties in the group stage (Rick Rycroft/AP)

There were penalties awarded in each of the first seven games, before Denmark and China became the first teams to get through a game without one in Group D.

The pace slowed significantly after that frenetic start, with 19 spot-kicks in the next 56 games for a total of 26 to the end of the third-place play-off.

Twenty of those have been scored, a 77 per cent success rate. Australia’s Steph Catley, China’s Wang Shuang and France’s Kadidiatou Diani each scored two penalties while Fridolina Rolfo, against Australia, became the third different Sweden player to net from the spot.