One of the great things about football is that sometimes numbers simply don't matter all that much.
While the scoreline is an obvious exception, other stats and figures can often prove meaningless on the pitch without an end product.
When it comes to World Cups, population size is one interesting number that often floats around in relation to teams, causing lots of comparisons.
Whether it's a side punching well above their weight or another unable to live up to crushing expectations, such figures can really put performances into perspective.
The Sporting News wraps up all the key population statistics for the tournament in Qatar.
MORE: Which nations have qualifed for the 2022 World Cup? | Complete World Cup schedule
Smallest nations at World Cup 2022
Hosts Qatar were the smallest nation represented at the 2022 World Cup.
The Middle Eastern country currently have a population of around 2.9 million people.
Wales, Uruguay and Croatia are the next smallest nations represented with populations below 4 million.
Croatia remarkably made the 2018 World Cup final despite its limited population to prove that size really doesn't always matter.
| Nation | Population* | World Cup apps | FIFA ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | 2.9 million | 0 | 50 |
| Wales | 3.2 million | 1 | 19 |
| Uruguay | 3.4 million | 13 | 14 |
| Croatia | 3.8 million | 5 | 12 |
| Costa Rica | 5.2 million | 5 | 31 |
*Based on current estimates
Smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup
Iceland remain the smallest ever nation to qualify for a men's FIFA World Cup.
The European nation boasted a population of just 334,000 people when they qualified for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Iceland managed to draw their first World Cup game with Argentina 1-1 before losing to Nigeria and Croatia as they fell short of the knockout rounds.
Arnar Vioarsson's side were unable to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and won just two of their 10 qualifying matches.
Iceland's population as of 2021 sits at 376,000.
Biggest nations at World Cup 2022
The United States will arrived as the biggest nation represented at the 2022 World Cup with a current population of 330 million.
USA were notably missing from the 2018 World Cup after failing to qualify for the tournament.
Current world number one Brazil are the second biggest nation playing in Qatar and are chasing their sixth World Cup title.
| Nation | Population* | World Cup apps | FIFA ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 330 million | 10 | 16 |
| Brazil | 215 million | 21 | 1 |
| Mexico | 128 million | 16 | 13 |
| Japan | 125 million | 6 | 24 |
| Iran | 85 million | 5 | 20 |
*Based on current estimates
Biggest nations yet to qualify for a World Cup
India, the second largest nation by population in the world, is the biggest yet to play at a men's FIFA World Cup.
With a current population of over 1.3 billion people, India have struggled to carve out football success and won just one of their eight qualifiers for the 2022 tournament.
India did qualify by default for the 1950 World Cup but ultimately decided against competing too.
China, the current biggest nation in the world when it comes to population, have only qualified for one World Cup.
They played at the 2002 tournament held in Japan and South Korea but lost all three of their group games.
China did make it to the final round of AFC qualifying for the 2022 World Cup but only won one of their final 10 games to fall well short of making another appearance.
