The FIFA World Cup reaches a historic milestone on Sunday morning with Tunisia against Japan at Estadio Monterrey in Mexico, in the second round of Group 6. The match itself may not be the tournament’s biggest attraction, but it becomes the 1,000th game in World Cup history.
Japan arrives at its seventh World Cup, all of them consecutive since 1998, after looking strong in a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands. Tunisia, appearing for the sixth time and first since 1978, comes in after a poor showing against Sweden and a 5-1 defeat.
From the opening of the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay through this match in 2026 in North America, 999 games will have been played between 80 different national teams. The article reviews the earlier round-number matches: the first games in 1930, the 100th in 1954, the 200th at the 1966 final, the 300th in 1978, the 400th in 1986, the 500th in 1994, the 600th in 2002, the 700th in 2006, the 800th in 2014, and the 900th in 2018.
Among the landmark moments remembered were England’s only World Cup title in 1966, France’s controversial 1998-era and 2018-era triumphs, Argentina’s 1986 run inspired by Diego Armando Maradona, and Germany’s, Italy’s, and Croatia’s major finals appearances. The piece also notes that the 1966 final featured Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick, the first in a World Cup final, and a disputed goal that was awarded without VAR.
The next round-number milestone after this one is not specified, but the article frames Tunisia-Japan as the latest step in a tournament history that has now covered nearly a century.
