Football World Cup

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FIFA World Cup Trophy
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FIFA World Cup Trophy

The Football World Cup (official name: FIFA World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer). Organised by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body, the World Cup finals tournament is the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world exceeding even the Olympic Games.

The finals tournament is held every four years, but the World Cup competition itself takes place over a three-year period. Teams representing 197 (for the 2006 competition) national football assocations compete in regional qualifying tournaments for a place in the finals. The finals tournament now involves 32 national teams (increased from 24 in 1998) competing over a 4-week period in a previously nominated host nation. A recent innovation has allowed more than one country to act as joint hosts. In the past, the host country and current world champions automatically qualified for the next World Cup, but from 2006 on only the hosts will get an automatic berth.

In all 207 nations have competed to qualify to the World Cup, but only eleven have made it to the final match, and of those eleven only seven national teams have actually won. As a consequence of this exclusiveness, the World Cup inspires a great deal of enthusiasm and national pride amongst the tournament's fans.

Six of the seven past world champions have won while playing in their homeland, and nations actively lobby to be selected as World Cup hosts. The only previous winner not to have won on home ground is the otherwise extremely successful Brazil, who famously lost the deciding match when they hosted the 1950 tournament. Even traditionally "weaker" nations have been successful during their spell as hosts, most recently South Korea, who made it to the semifinals while hosting the 2002 World Cup. Both England (1966 World Cup) and France (1998 World Cup) won their only World Cups whilst playing as host nations.

The next football World Cup will be held in Germany in 2006.

Contents

History

The World Cup was not the first international football competition. Amateur football became a part of the official Olympic programme for the first time in 1908 (See: Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics). In Turin in 1909, in what is sometimes described as The First World Cup, Sir Thomas Lipton organised a football tournament to contest the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy. Italy, Germany and Switzerland sent their most prestigious professional club sides to the competition but The Football Association of England refused to be associated with it and declined the offer to send a team. Not wishing to have Britain unrepresented in the competition, Lipton invited West Auckland FC, an amateur side from the north-east of England and mostly made up of coal miners, to take part. West Auckland won the tournament and returned to Italy in 1911 to defend their title. In the second competition West Auckland beat Juventus 6-1 in the final and were awarded the trophy outright.

In the Olympic games of 1924 and 1928, Uruguay won the football gold medal, in what was considered a proto-world cup. Unofficialy, FIFA recognized Uruguay as World Champion. These victories led the FIFA to choose Uruguay as the home of the first FIFA sanctioned World Cup.

In 1927 the 1932 Summer Olympics were awarded to Los Angeles in the United States where the popularity of American football far surpassed that of the international game of association football (by then becoming known as soccer in the US). The general lack of interest from the Americans and a disagreement between FIFA and the IOC over the status of amateur players led to football being dropped from the official Olympic programme for the 1932 games. As a consequence, Jules Rimet, who had become president of FIFA in 1921, set about organising the inaugural World Cup tournament, to take place in Uruguay in 1930. The national associations of selected nations were invited to send a team but the choice of Uruguay as a venue for the competition meant a long and costly trip across the Atlantic for European sides and up until two months before the start of the competition no team from that continent had promised to send a team. Rimet eventually persuaded teams representing Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In total, thirteen nations took part - seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America. Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in front of crowd of 93,000 in Montevideo to become the first nation to win the World Cup trophy. In 1946 the World Cup trophy (Coupe du Monde) was renamed the Jules Rimet trophy in his honour.

In 1970, Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the original trophy and a new trophy was then designed. Argentina, Germany (both times as West Germany), and Brazil have all won the second trophy twice. However, the current trophy will not be retired until the name plaque has been entirely filled with the names of winning nations. This will not happen until 2038.

Brazil, by a clear margin, is the most successful World Cup team overall, having won the tournament five times in total and finished as runners-up twice. Brazil is also the only nation to have participated in every World Cup so far. Germany, three-time winners (as West Germany) and four-time runners-up (three times as West Germany), are next, while Italy have also won three trophies and two-time runners-up. Argentina and Uruguay are both two-time World Champions, although Uruguay's two successes came rather a long time ago, in the early years of the tournament. England (1966 World Cup) and France (1998 World Cup) have both won the title once.

To date, the final of the World Cup has only been contested by European and/or South American teams. The greatest success of a North American team was reaching the semi-finals. This was achieved by the USA at the 1930 World Cup. The first Asian teams to make it to the semi-finals was at the 2002 World Cup, when South Korea and Turkey both did this (Turkey is however a member of the UEFA, and thus sometimes considered a European country when it comes to football). Two African teams have reached the quarter-finals: Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup and Senegal in 2002. The only visits of teams from Oceania in the finals tournament ended in the first round: Australia at the 1974 World Cup and New Zealand in the 1982 World Cup.

The next World Cup finals will be held in Germany, in 2006. As indicated below, the 2010 World Cup will be held in South Africa. The 2014 World Cup, which FIFA has earmarked for South America, is expected to be held in Brazil as CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, has already backed it as their choice. For the 2018 finals, Netherlands and Belgium have expressed interest in holding the finals jointly, and England have also expressed a possibility of bidding for the prestigious event.

Début of National Teams

Each successive World Cup has welcomed at least one national football team qualifying for the first time as detailed below. Brazil holds the honour of being ever present at the World Cup Finals, and in 2005 became the first ever reigning champions to have to (and manage to) qualify for the World Cup.

* After Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia & Slovenia seceded from the SFR Yugoslavia in 1992, Serbia and Montenegro formed the FR Yugoslavia. They competed as Yugoslavia until 2003 when they became Serbia and Montenegro and qualified for 2006 finals under the new name.

Football World Cup tournaments

Year Host Final Third Place Match
Winner Score Runner-up 3rd Place Score 4th Place
1930
Details
Uruguay Uruguay
Uruguay
4 - 2 Argentina
Argentina
United States
USA

Serbia and Montenegro
Yugoslavia

n/a(1)
1934
Details
Italy Italy
Italy
2 - 1
aet
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Third Reich
Germany
3 - 2 Austria
Austria
1938
Details
France Italy
Italy
4 - 2 Hungary
Hungary
Brazil
Brazil
4 - 2 Sweden
Sweden
1942 ---- NOT HELD(2)
1946 ---- NOT HELD
1950
Details
Brazil Uruguay
Uruguay
n/a(3) Brazil
Brazil
Sweden
Sweden
n/a(3) Spain
Spain
1954
Details
Switzerland Germany
West Germany
3 - 2 Hungary
Hungary
Austria
Austria
3 - 1 Uruguay
Uruguay
1958
Details
Sweden Brazil
Brazil
5 - 2 Sweden
Sweden
France
France
6 - 3 Germany
West Germany
1962
Details
Chile Brazil
Brazil
3 - 1 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Chile
Chile
1 - 0 Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
1966
Details
England England
England
4 - 2
aet
Germany
West Germany
Portugal
Portugal
2 - 1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union
1970
Details
Mexico Brazil
Brazil
4 - 1 Italy
Italy
Germany
West Germany
1 - 0 Uruguay
Uruguay
1974
Details
West Germany Germany
West Germany
2 - 1 Netherlands
Netherlands
Poland
Poland
1 - 0 Brazil
Brazil
1978
Details
Argentina Argentina
Argentina
3 - 1
aet
Netherlands
Netherlands
Brazil
Brazil
2 - 1 Italy
Italy
1982
Details
Spain Italy
Italy
3 - 1 Germany
West Germany
Poland
Poland
3 - 2 France
France
1986
Details
Mexico Argentina
Argentina
3 - 2 Germany
West Germany
France
France
4 - 2
aet
Belgium
Belgium
1990
Details
Italy Germany
West Germany
1 - 0 Argentina
Argentina
Italy
Italy
2 - 1 England
England
1994
Details
USA Brazil
Brazil
0 - 0
(3 - 2) ps
Italy
Italy
Sweden
Sweden
4 - 0 Bulgaria
Bulgaria
1998
Details
France France
France
3 - 0 Brazil
Brazil
Croatia
Croatia
2 - 1 Netherlands
Netherlands
2002
Details
South Korea
& Japan
Brazil
Brazil
2 - 0 Germany
Germany
Turkey
Turkey
3 - 2 Republic of Korea
South Korea
2006
Details
Germany
2010
Details
South Africa
2014
Details
South America

FIFA hasn't yet specified which continent will host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, even though several nations have already announced their intention to bid.

1 There was no official World Cup Third Place match in 1930; USA and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals.
2 At their 1939 Congress, FIFA did not arrive at a decision on whether the 1942 World Cup should be held in Brazil or Germany, and decided to adjourn until their next meeting. Shortly after this, WWII broke out, and all planning was destroyed.
3 There was no official World Cup final match in 1950. The tournament was decided in a final group contested by four teams. However, Uruguay's 2-1 defeat of Brazil was the decisive match which put them ahead on points and ensured that they finished top of the group as world champions.
Final group standings: 1st: Uruguay; 2nd: Brazil; 3rd: Sweden; 4th: Spain.

World Cup winners ranking

South America holds the most titles at nine, followed by Europe at eight.

  1. Brazil Brazil - 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 (5 titles)
  2. Germany Germany - 1954, 1974, 1990 (3 titles)
    Italy Italy - 1934, 1938, 1982 (3 titles)
  3. Argentina Argentina - 1978, 1986 (2 titles)
    Uruguay Uruguay - 1930, 1950 (2 titles)
  4. England England - 1966 (1 title)
    France France - 1998 (1 title)


World Cup Awards

At the end of each World Cup final tournament, several awards are attributed to the players and teams which have distinguished from the rest, in different aspects of the game.

There are currently five awards:

  • the Golden Boot for top goalscorer;
  • the Golden Ball for best player;
  • the Yashin Award for best goalkeeper;
  • the FIFA Fair Play Award for the team with the best record of fair play;
  • the Most Entertaining Team award.

Golden Boot - Top Goalscorers

The Golden Boot (or Golden Shoe) is awarded to the top goalscorer of the World Cup final tournament. The award was introduced at the 1982 World Cup for the first time.

World Cup Top Goalscorer Goals
1930 Uruguay Guillermo Stábile (Argentina) 8
1934 Italy Edmund Conen (Germany)
Oldřich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia)
Angelo Schiavio (Italy)
4(3)
1938 France Leônidas (Brazil) 8
1950 Brazil Ademir (Brazil) 9
1954 Switzerland Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) 11
1958 Sweden Just Fontaine (France) 13
1962 Chile Garrincha (Brazil)
Vavá (Brazil)
Leonel Sánchez (Chile)
Dražen Jerković (Yugoslavia)
Valentin Ivanov (Soviet Union)
Flórián Albert (Hungary)
4
1966 England Eusébio (Portugal) 9
1970 Mexico Gerd Müller (West Germany) 10
1974 West Germany Grzegorz Lato (Poland) 7
1978 Argentina Mario Kempes (Argentina) 6
adidas Golden Boot winners
1982 Spain Paolo Rossi (Italy) 6
1986 Mexico Gary Lineker (England) 6
1990 Italy Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) 6
1994 USA Hristo Stoitchkov (Bulgaria)
Oleg Salenko (Russia)
6
1998 France Davor Šuker (Croatia) 6
2002 Korea/Japan Ronaldo (Brazil) 8
3 Some sources credit Nejedlý with five goals, which would make him outright top scorer. However, FIFA considers him as having scored four.

Adidas Golden Ball

The Golden Ball is an award attributed to the most outstanding player of the World Cup final tournament. FIFA announces a shortlist of ten nominees which is then voted by media representatives. The most voted player is elected to win the Golden Ball, the second most voted player wins the Silver Ball and the third most voted player wins the Bronze Ball. Its awarding is shrouded by allegations of being influenced by diplomacy: the three awards have always been won by players from three different nations.

World Cup Adidas Golden Ball Adidas Silver Ball Adidas Bronze Ball
1982 Spain Paolo Rossi
(Italy)
Falcão
(Brazil)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
(Germany)
1986 Mexico Diego Maradona
(Argentina)
Harald Schumacher
(Germany)
Preben Elkjær
(Denmark)
1990 Italy Salvatore Schillaci
(Italy)
Lothar Matthäus
(Germany)
Diego Maradona
(Argentina)
1994 USA Romário
(Brazil)
Roberto Baggio
(Italy)
Hristo Stoitchkov
(Bulgaria)
1998 France Ronaldo
(Brazil)
Davor Šuker
(Croatia)
Lilian Thuram
(France)
2002 Korea/Japan Oliver Kahn
(Germany)
Ronaldo
(Brazil)
Hong Myung-Bo
(South Korea)

Yashin Award

The Yashin Award is attributed to the best goalkeeper of the World Cup final tournament. The award is named in honour of the late and legendary Russian goalkeeper, Lev Yashin.

World Cup Yashin Award winner
1994 USA Michel Preud'homme (Belgium)
1998 France Fabien Barthez (France)
2002 Korea/Japan Oliver Kahn (Germany)

FIFA Fair Play Award

The FIFA Fair Play Award is given to the team with the best record of fair play during the World Cup final tournament. Only teams that qualified for the second round are considered.

World Cup FIFA Fair Play Award winners
1978 Argentina Argentina
1982 Spain Brazil
1986 Mexico Brazil
1990 Italy England
1994 USA Brazil
1998 France England
France
2002 Korea/Japan Belgium

Most Entertaining Team

The Most Entertaining Team award is attributed to the team that has entertained the public the most, during the World Cup final tournament. It is always decided through public participation in a poll.

World Cup Most Entertaining Team
1994 USA Brazil
1998 France France
2002 Korea/Japan South Korea

Overall Top Goalscorers

14 Goals

13 Goals

12 Goals

11 Goals

10 Goals

9 Goals

8 Goals


  • 4 There was controversy regarding how many goals Brazilian Ademir Menezes scored in 1950, because of incomplete data concerning the Final Round game Brazil vs. Spain (6:1). The first goal had been credited as an own goal by Spanish defender Parra, and the 5:0 goal had been credited to Jair. However, recently FIFA credited Ademir with both these goals; thus he's the 1950 World Cup top scorer with 9 goals.

Fastest Goals

Player Country Time World Cup
Hakan Şükür Turkey 11" 2002 Korea/Japan
Václav Mašek Czechoslovakia 15" 1962 Chile
Park Soong-Jin North Korea 23" 1966 England
Ernst Lehner Germany 24" 1934 Italy
Bryan Robson England 27" 1982 Spain
Bernard Lacombe France 37" 1978 Argentina

See also

External links


FIFA (Men's) World Cup

Uruguay 1930 | Italy 1934 | France 1938 | Brazil 1950 | Switzerland 1954 | Sweden 1958 | Chile 1962 | England 1966 | Mexico 1970 | West Germany 1974 | Argentina 1978 | Spain 1982 | Mexico 1986 | Italy 1990 | USA 1994 | France 1998 | Korea/Japan 2002 | Germany 2006 | South Africa 2010 | South America 2014 | 2018

FIFA Women's World Cup

China 1991 | Sweden 1995 | USA 1999 | USA 2003 | China 2007 | 2011

International football

FIFA - World Cup - Women's World Cup - World Rankings - Player of the Year
Asia: AFC - Asian Cup | Africa: CAF - African Cup of Nations
South America: CONMEBOL - Copa América | North America: CONCACAF - Gold Cup
Oceania: OFC - OFC Nations Cup | Europe: UEFA - European Championship

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