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 are 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 associations compete in regional qualifying tournaments for a place in the finals. The finals tournament now involves 32 national teams (increased in 1998 from the previous 24) 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 teams have competed to qualify to the World Cup, but only eleven have made it to the final match, and of those eleven only seven 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 teams that have won a world championship did it at least once while playing in their own 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 1 History 2 Début of National Teams 3 Teams' Participations 4 Football World Cup tournaments 5 World Cup winners ranking 6 World Cup Awards 6.1 Golden Boot - Top Goalscorers 6.2 Adidas Golden Ball 6.3 Yashin Award 6.4 FIFA Fair Play Award 6.5 Most Entertaining Team 6.6 Gillete Best Young Player Award 7 Overall Top Goalscorers 8 Fastest Goals 9 See also 10 External links 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. Unofficially, 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. The first ever goal was scored by Lucien Laurent who scored for France against Mexico (match ended 4-1 for France). Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in front of crowd of 93,000 in Montevideo to become the first nation to win the the World Cup trophy. In 1946 the World Cup trophy 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, but 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. England (1966 World Cup) and France (1998 World Cup) have both won the title once. The two countries with the most appearances in the World Cup final match are Germany and Brazil each with 7 appearances in the final match (Brazil won 5 while Germany won 3). 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, 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 tournament ended in the first round: Australia at the 1974 World Cup and New Zealand in the 1982 World Cup but Australia has now qualified for the 2006 Cup after winning through a play-off with the 5th placed South American side, Uruguay, in November 2005. 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 team qualifying for the first time as detailed below. Brazil holds the honour of being present at each of the World Cups, and in 2005 became the first ever reigning champions to go through qualifying for the World Cup. 1930 - (1) 1934 - (2) (4) 1938 - 1950 - 1954 - (4) 1958 - (3) 1962 - 1966 - 1970 - 1974 - (4) 1978 - 1982 - 1986 - 1990 - 1994 - (4) (3) 1998 - (1) (1) 2002 - (1) 2006 - (2) (3) 1 After Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia FYR and Slovenia seceded from 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 the 2006 finals under the new name, while Croatia and Slovenia had previously done the same for the 2002 World Cup. 2 Czechoslovakia was divided into successor states Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1991. The true debut of both teams was in 1934; however, after the Velvet Divorce they are now considered separate political entities and as such are entitled to a second debut. 3 Russia and Ukraine had qualified originally in the 1958 World Cup united with the other Soviet Republics as the USSR. However after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 each team is considered to be qualifying for the first time. 4 The first appereance of Germany was in 1934. After 1945, Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany. The 1994 World Cup was the first time a Unified Germany competed in the World Cup since before World War II. Officially, FIFA attributes the three World Cup victories of West Germany to Germany (body Deutscher Fußball Bund). Teams' Participations Team Appearances Record Streak Last Appearance 18 18 2006 16 14 2006 16 12 2006 14 9 2006 13 6 2006 12 8 2006 12 6 2006 12 3 2006 11 6 2002 11 3 2006 10 5 2002 9 4 1986 8 5 1998 8 5 2006 8 4 2006 8 4 1990 8 3 2006 8 3 1990 7 6 2006 7 4 2006 7 4 1998 7 4 1990 7 3 2006 7 3 1998 7 2 1998 7 2 1998 5 4 2002 4 4 2006 4 3 2006 4 3 1998 4 2 2006 4 2 1998 4 2 1982 3 3 2006 3 3 2006 3 3 2002 3 2 2006 3 2 2002 3 2 2002 3 2 1998 3 2 1986 3 1 2006 3 1 1994 2 2 2006 2 2 2002 2 2 1986 2 1 2006 2(1) 1 2006 2 1 2002 2 1 2002 2 1 1990 2 1 1982 1 1 2006 1 1 2006 1 1 2006 1 1 2006 1 1 2006 1 1 2006 1 1 2006 1 1 2002 1 1 2002 1 1 2002 1 1 1998 1 1 1994 1 1 1990 1 1 1986 1 1 1986 1 1 1982 1 1 1982 1 1 1982 1 1 1974 1 1 1974 (2) 1 1 1974 1 1 1970 1 1 1966 1 1 1958 1 1 1938 (3) 1 1 1938 1Includes one appearance as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in 1998. 2Now Democratic Republic of the Congo. 3Now Indonesia. Football World Cup tournaments Year Host Final Third Place Match Winner Score Runner-up 3rd Place Score 4th Place 1930 Details Uruguay name=}} Uruguay 4 - 2 name=}} Argentina name=}} USA Yugoslavia n/a(1) 1934 Details Italy name=}} Italy 2 - 1 after extra time name=}} Czechoslovakia name=}} Germany 3 - 2 name=}} Austria 1938 Details France name=}} Italy 4 - 2 name=}} Hungary name=}} Brazil 4 - 2 name=}} Sweden 1950 Details Brazil name=}} Uruguay n/a(2) name=}} Brazil name=}} Sweden n/a(2) name=}} Spain 1954 Details Switzerland name=}} West Germany 3 - 2 name=}} Hungary name=}} Austria 3 - 1 name=}} Uruguay 1958 Details Sweden name=}} Brazil 5 - 2 name=}} Sweden name=}} France 6 - 3 name=}} West Germany 1962 Details Chile name=}} Brazil 3 - 1 name=}} Czechoslovakia name=}} Chile 1 - 0 name=}} Yugoslavia 1966 Details England name=}} England 4 - 2 after extra time name=}} West Germany name=}} Portugal 2 - 1 name=}} Soviet Union 1970 Details Mexico name=}} Brazil 4 - 1 name=}} Italy name=}} West Germany 1 - 0 name=}} Uruguay 1974 Details West Germany name=}} West Germany 2 - 1 name=}} Netherlands name=}} Poland 1 - 0 name=}} Brazil 1978 Details Argentina name=}} Argentina 3 - 1 after extra time name=}} Netherlands name=}} Brazil 2 - 1 name=}} Italy 1982 Details Spain name=}} Italy 3 - 1 name=}} West Germany name=}} Poland 3 - 2 name=}} France 1986 Details Mexico name=}} Argentina 3 - 2 name=}} West Germany name=}} France 4 - 2 aet name=}} Belgium 1990 Details Italy name=}} West Germany 1 - 0 name=}} Argentina name=}} Italy 2 - 1 name=}} England 1994 Details USA name=}} Brazil 0 - 0 (3 - 2) on penalties name=}} Italy name=}} Sweden 4 - 0 name=}} Bulgaria 1998 Details France name=}} France 3 - 0 name=}} Brazil name=}} Croatia 2 - 1 name=}} Netherlands 2002 Details South Korea & Japan name=}} Brazil 2 - 0 name=}} Germany name=}} Turkey 3 - 2 name=}} South Korea 2006 Details Germany 2010 Details South Africa 2014 Details South America Note: FIFA has not yet specified which continent will host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. 1 There was no official World Cup Third Place match in 1930; USA and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals.' 2 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. You can have access to a full view of World Cup teams ranking according to their performance during the 17 World Cups. 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 six awards: the Golden Boot for top goal scorer; 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. the Gillete Best Young Player 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 (West Germany) 1986 Mexico Diego Maradona (Argentina) Harald Schumacher (West Germany) Preben Elkjær (Denmark) 1990 Italy Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) Lothar Matthäus (West 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 Gillete Best Young Player Award The Gillete Best Young Player award is attributed to the best player in the tournament under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year for each World Cup. For the 2006 World Cup this means that the player has to have born on or after 01 January 1985. It will be awarded for the first time at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The election will take place on the FIFA's official world cup site. Overall Top Goalscorers 14 Goals 13 Goals 12 Goals 11 Goals 10 Goals 9 Goals (4) 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 Opponent Time World Cup Hakan Şükür 11" 2002 Korea/Japan Václav Mašek 15" 1962 Chile Park Soong-Jin 23" 1966 England Ernst Lehner 24" 1934 Italy Bryan Robson 27" 1982 Spain Bernard Lacombe 37" 1978 Argentina See also World Cup Trophy World Cup Teams FIFA Women's World Cup Homeless World Cup World Cup Golden Boot List of sporting events FIFA World Cup mascot Football World Cup video games External links FIFA organization official site FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Official Site FIFA Official Ranking of all Participants at Finals 1930-2002 (PDF) FIFA Match Results for all Stages 1930-2002 Official World Cup Schedule Information WorldCup-History.com Planet World Cup with information on each men's World Cup finals Official World Cup Draw Information 2006 World Cup news and statistics information Bookmakers odds on 2006 World Cup Official World Cup Qualified Countries Football 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 Search Term: "Football_World_Cup" Categories: Football World Cup | International national football competitions | Football (soccer) competitions