World Cup Magic Moments

The exciting thing about any international competition, in any sport, is the chance for a golden moment that will define the tournament. Moments like lowly Japan beating the mighty South Africa in the Rugby World Cup in 2015, or amateur golfer, Justin Rose, finishing fourth in the Open in 1998.

It’s moments like these that make sport so fascinating. They also open up fantasy sports games, like the Noise World Cup Predictor, to absolutely anyone in your company, because absolutely anything can happen. Even the biggest football fans can be beaten in a football predictor game, because some events just can’t be predicted, however well you know the game and however hard you study the teams.

Let’s take a look at some of the golden moments in past World Cups, that you would never have had amongst your World Cup Predictor fantasy football selections.

Top of the shocks

Nothing brings a tournament alive like an underdog victory, and if you can spot one of these in your World Cup Predictor game, you’ll certainly help your cause. Defending champions seem to be particularly at risk of shock scores, as both France and Germany found out to their cost. In 2002, France lost 1-0 to Senegal, playing in their first ever World Cup game, while reigning champions, Germany suffered a similar fate at the hands of South Korea in 2018, losing 2-0.

Just four years before, Germany had been on the right side of a World Cup shock, when they beat hosts and favourites, Brazil, no less than 7-1 in the semi-final. Not only was this Brazil’s largest ever World Cup defeat, it was also their first defeat at home in 63 games, stretching back almost 40years. Pick a score like that in your World Cup Predictor game and you’ll be well on your way.

Record breakers

The last World Cup final, between France and Croatia, was watched by a worldwide audience of 1.1billion people, with 3.5billion people watching the tournament at some point. That’s half the world’s population! Of course, they were mostly watching on TV. In 1950, things were a little different, as 199,854 fans crammed into Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro to watch the final between Brazil and Uruguay. To this day it remains the largest ever crowd for a football match. Uruguay won 2-1.

There were rather more goals when Austria met Switzerland in 1954. Despite going 0-3 down in the first 20minutes, Austria fought back to 3-3 with goals in the 25th, 26th and 27th minute. They then pulled ahead just five minutes later and added a fifth at 34minutes to lead 5-3. But the game still wasn’t over. By the final whistle, there had been a record twelve goals, with a final score line of 7-5 to Austria.

Even this might match pales in comparison to the 1994 match between Russia and Cameroon in the USA in 1994. Though the score was only 6-1, what made it remarkable was that five of the Russian goals were scored by the same player, Oleg Salenko. Considering there have only been 52 World Cup hattricks, and only seven players have scored four goals in a game, Salenko’s achievement is one you would never predict.

What will be the golden moments in 2022?

Predicting the unpredictable, like the games above, is never easy. Which is why World Cup Predictor games like ours are so much fun, and so inclusive for your whole company. The spontaneous nature of one-off games, in a knockout tournament, means that Bev in accounts, who thinks offside is when the ball leaves the pitch, has as much chance as season-ticket-holder Sally in sales, who knows every last detail about every last player.

It’s a great way to get everyone involved and create some fun rivalry between colleagues, teams and even company sites around the world. To find out how the World Cup Predictor game could help your employees feel inspired and included, get in touch with us today.

The Noise World Cup Predictor – game on for employee engagement.