22k
3.6k

Average player height of participating national teams at the 2018 World Cup in Russia

National teams at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by average height of players (in centimeters)

by Christina Gough, last edited Aug 9, 2019
Average player height of participating national teams at the 2018 World Cup in Russia While they may not have made it out of the group stages of the 2018 World Cup, the Serbian national team were top of the table when it came to the average height of their players – their squad boasted an average height of 185.6 centimeters per player. The first-choice goalkeeper for Serbia, Vladimir Stojković, was one of the tallest members of the team at 195 centimeters. At the other end of the scale, the squad of Saudi Arabia came in at an average of just 176.2 centimeters, making them the shortest squad at the 2018 World Cup.
Youth vs. Experience

The oldest squad at the 2018 World Cup belonged to Costa Rica. Their squad had an average age of 29.6 years, almost four years older than the squad of Nigeria, who had the youngest squad at the tournament. However, neither youth nor experience triumphed in this instance as both teams failed to get out of their groups. Indeed, the result of the World Cup, with France emerging victorious after beating Croatia in the final, went very much to form. The France squad was the most expensive squad at the tournament, with a combined market value of 1.08 billion euros. Panama’s squad, on the other hand, had a combined transfer value of just 9.13 million euros.

Homegrown talents

The Premier League is often called the best league in the world, so it is unsurprising that the entire England squad at the World Cup plied their trade in the English top division. In contrast, there were three national squads in which all of the players played their domestic football abroad – none of the players in the squads of Croatia, Sweden, or Iceland played their club football on home soil. Manchester City was the most represented club team at the World Cup in 2018, with 16 of its players participating. Real Madrid came a close second with 15 members of the squad taking part in the tournament.
Show more

National teams at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia by average height of players (in centimeters)

Loading statistic...
Expand statistic
Average player height in centimeters
Serbia 185.6
Sweden 185.2
Iceland 185
Denmark185
Croatia 184.9
Russia 184.3
Tunisia184
Germany183.8
Belgium 183.8
Senegal 183.7
Switzerland 183.5
Iran 183.4
Poland 183.1
Morocco 182.4
South Korea 182.2
England 182.1
Costa Rica 181.6
Australia 181.3
Nigeria181.2
Panama181.1
Portugal 180.5
France 180.5
Brazil 180.4
Colombia 180.2
Egypt 180.1
Uruguay 179.8
Mexico 179.5
Spain 179.5
Argentina 179.4
Peru 178.3
Japan178.1
Saudi Arabia 176.2
Average player height in centimeters
Serbia 185.6
Sweden 185.2
Iceland 185
Denmark185
Croatia 184.9
Russia 184.3
Tunisia184
Germany183.8
Belgium 183.8
Senegal 183.7
Switzerland 183.5
Iran 183.4
Poland 183.1
Morocco 182.4
South Korea 182.2
England 182.1
Costa Rica 181.6
Australia 181.3
Nigeria181.2
Panama181.1
Portugal 180.5
France 180.5
Brazil 180.4
Colombia 180.2
Egypt 180.1
Uruguay 179.8
Mexico 179.5
Spain 179.5
Argentina 179.4
Peru 178.3
Japan178.1
Saudi Arabia 176.2

© Statista 2019

About this statistic

Source: CIES Football Observatory

Download Settings Share
Download started
Please be patient - this may take a moment
by Christina Gough, last edited Aug 9, 2019
While they may not have made it out of the group stages of the 2018 World Cup, the Serbian national team were top of the table when it came to the average height of their players – their squad boasted an average height of 185.6 centimeters per player. The first-choice goalkeeper for Serbia, Vladimir Stojković, was one of the tallest members of the team at 195 centimeters. At the other end of the scale, the squad of Saudi Arabia came in at an average of just 176.2 centimeters, making them the shortest squad at the 2018 World Cup.

Youth vs. Experience

The oldest squad at the 2018 World Cup belonged to Costa Rica. Their squad had an average age of 29.6 years, almost four years older than the squad of Nigeria, who had the youngest squad at the tournament. However, neither youth nor experience triumphed in this instance as both teams failed to get out of their groups. Indeed, the result of the World Cup, with France emerging victorious after beating Croatia in the final, went very much to form. The France squad was the most expensive squad at the tournament, with a combined market value of 1.08 billion euros. Panama’s squad, on the other hand, had a combined transfer value of just 9.13 million euros.

Homegrown talents

The Premier League is often called the best league in the world, so it is unsurprising that the entire England squad at the World Cup plied their trade in the English top division. In contrast, there were three national squads in which all of the players played their domestic football abroad – none of the players in the squads of Croatia, Sweden, or Iceland played their club football on home soil. Manchester City was the most represented club team at the World Cup in 2018, with 16 of its players participating. Real Madrid came a close second with 15 members of the squad taking part in the tournament.
Show more

Other statistics on the topic

FIFA world ranking of men's national soccer teams 2019

Sports & Fitness

FIFA world ranking of men's national soccer teams 2019

FIFA World Cup: Number of goals scored at each tournament 1930-2018

Sports & Fitness

FIFA World Cup: Number of goals scored at each tournament 1930-2018

Average player age of participating national teams at the 2018 World Cup in Russia

Sports & Fitness

Average player age of participating national teams at the 2018 World Cup in Russia

FIFA World Cup total prize money 2018

Sports & Fitness

FIFA World Cup total prize money 2018

Statista Accounts: Access All Statistics. Starting from $588 / Year
Basic Account
Get to know the platform

You only have access to basic statistics.

Premium Account
Your perfect start with Statista
  • Instant access to 1m statistics
  • Download in XLS, PDF & PNG format
  • Detailed references

$49 / Month *

Corporate Account
Full access

Corporate solution including all features.

* All products require an annual contract.
   Prices do not include sales tax.
Leading companies trust Statista:
paypalgoogleadobepgsamsungtelekom
Statista has been my savior on several occasions. The site is easy to maneuver and the data is in a format that can go right into a report or presentation.
Marlene Greenfield

Marlene Greenfield
Vice President, Hearst Magazines

Statistics on "FIFA World Cup 2018"
  • Russia - WC host nation
The most important statistics
  • Stadiums & infrastructure
  • Teams & players
  • Media & fan interest
  • World Cup history
  • FIFA
Discover Statista
Need help with using Statista for your research? Tutorials and first steps
Further Content: Statistics, Studies, and Topic Pages
Statistics
Topics
Studies
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Do you have any questions about our business solutions?

We provide you with detailed information about our Corporate Account.

Menu