The Saturday briefing

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

- by CAROLINE FORD

Is there anything you're yearning to know? Send your questions, on any subject, to the contacts given below, and we will do our best to answer them...

While watching Wales' World Cup qualifying match against Liechtenstein, my son asked if every country in the world has a national football team. Now I want to know. Vincent Dalton, via email

The answer is both yes and no. There are 193 sovereign states recognised by the United Nations and 211 national men's football teams affiliated to FIFA. This is because FIFA is a body of independent football associations. The UK has four national football teams: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, even though it is only one political country, as they had established football associations before FIFA was formed.

Many dependent territories or regions, like Gibraltar, Greenland or the Faroe Islands, have their own national teams but are not technically independent countries. Countries and regions such as Kosovo, Taiwan and Palestine are not full UN member states, yet they also have national football teams recognised by FIFA.

Vatican City has a national team but, with the smallest population of any nation approximately 900 it is difficult to form a squad.