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| The World Cup finals are held every four years, but the competition itself takes place over a three-year period, and includes a regional qualifying tournament. 197 national teams entered the qualification for the ]. The final tournament involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated host nation. | The World Cup finals are held every four years, but the competition itself takes place over a three-year period, and includes a regional qualifying tournament. 197 national teams entered the qualification for the ]. The final tournament involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated host nation. | ||
| The World Cup final tournament, which has been held every four years since ], except in ] and ] |
The World Cup final tournament, which has been held every four years since ], except in ] and ] when it was cancelled due to ], is the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the ]. | ||
| Only seven nations have won the World Cup. ] is the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times. ] and ] follow with three titles each. ] and ] have two titles each. Finally, ] and ] have one title each. | Only seven nations have won the World Cup. ] is the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times. ] and ] follow with three titles each. ] and ] have two titles each. Finally, ] and ] have one title each. | ||
Revision as of 01:09, 27 January 2006
The FIFA World Cup (often called Football World Cup, The World Cup, or simply World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer), and the world's most representative team sport event. Organised by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body, the World Cup is contested by men's national football teams which are FIFA members.
The World Cup finals are held every four years, but the competition itself takes place over a three-year period, and includes a regional qualifying tournament. 197 national teams entered the qualification for the 2006 World Cup. The final tournament involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated host nation.
The World Cup final tournament, which has been held every four years since 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was cancelled due to World War II, is the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games.
Only seven nations have won the World Cup. Brazil is the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times. Germany and Italy follow with three titles each. Argentina and Uruguay have two titles each. Finally, France and England have one title each.
The next football World Cup will be held in Germany between June 9 and July 9, 2006.
History
Previous international competitions
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 this 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 the first intercontinental football competitions. These victories led the FIFA to choose Uruguay as the home of the first FIFA sanctioned World Cup.
The first 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.
France and USA simultaneously won the first World Cup matches in history, beating Mexico 4-1 and Belgium 3-0, respectively. The first ever goal was scored by Lucien Laurent of France and the first ever hat-trick was accomplished by Bert Patenaude of USA against Paraguay (USA won the match 3-0). In the final, Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in front of a crowd of 93,000 people in Montevideo, to become the first nation to win a World Cup.
Growth
The issues facing the early World Cup tournaments were travel (for teams outside the continent of the host nations), and war, with the 1942 and 1946 editions being cancelled due to World War II.
The British home nations, where football was first played, entered the World Cup for the first time in 1950, after reaching an agreement with FIFA about their status.
For the tournaments between 1934 and 1978, 16 teams took part in the final tournament (except in a few cases where teams withdrew after qualifying). Most of the qualifiers were from Europe and Latin America, with a very small minority from Africa, Asia and Oceania. These teams were usually easily defeated by the European and Latin American teams (with the notable exception of North Korea in 1966, which reached the quarterfinals).
The final tournament was expanded to 24 teams in 1982, then to 32 teams in 1998, allowing more teams from Africa, Asia and North America to take part. In recent years, these comparatively newer participants have enjoyed more success, with examples such as Cameroon in 1990, and South Korea, Senegal and USA in 2002. The World Cup is now a truly global event, with as many as 197 nations entering qualification for the 2006 edition.
Format
Qualification
- Main article: FIFA World Cup qualification
Qualifying tournaments are held to reduce the field for the final tournament (except in 1930, when teams were invited to take part). These tournaments are held within the six FIFA continental zones (Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, Europe), and are organized by their respective confederations. For each tournament, FIFA decides the number of spots awarded to each of the continental zones beforehand, generally based on the relative strength of the confederations' teams, but also subject to lobbying from the confederations.
Starting from the 1938 World Cup, the host nations have received an automatic berth in the finals. Moreover, until 2002, the defending champions had also received an automatic berth, but starting from the 2006 World Cup they have to enter the qualifying tournament in order to gain a berth.
Nowadays, the qualification process can start as early as almost three years before the final tournament, and last over a two-year period. The formats of the qualification tournaments differ between confederations. Usually, one or two spots are awarded to winners of the Intercontinental Play-offs. For example, the winner of the Oceanian zone and the fifth-placed team from the South American zone entered a play-off to decide which team would qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
Final tournament
Currently, the final tournament involves 32 national teams competing over a month in the previously nominated host nation(s). It is divided into two stages, a group stage and a knockout stage.
For the first round, teams are drawn into eight groups of four. During the draw, eight teams are seeded, with one being drawn into each group, while the other teams are allocated into pots based on geographical considerations, then drawn into each group. The basic constraint is that no group contains more than two European teams or more than one team from any other confederation. In each group, a round-robin tournament is played, with each team playing three matches. The last round of matches of each group are held at the same time to ensure fairness. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage.
In the knockout stage, teams play each other in one-off matches, with extra time and penalty shootouts used to decide the winner, if nessessary. In the Round of 16, the winner of each group plays against the runner-up from another group. This is followed by the quarterfinals, the semifinals and the final. The losing semifinalists also contest a third place match.
Results
World Cup summaries
Note: FIFA has not yet specified which continent will host the World Cup in 2018. See Selection of hosts for details.
There was no official World Cup Third Place match in 1930; USA and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals. 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 victory over Brazil (match known as Maracanazo), was the decisive match which put them ahead on points and ensured that they finished top of the group as world champions.Successful national teams
- See also: National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup for a complete listing of all performances by national teams, past and present.
In all, 207 teams have competed to qualify to the World Cup (see National team appearances in the FIFA 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.
Brazil, by a clear margin, is the most successful World Cup team overall, having won the tournament five times in total, as well as having finished as runners-up twice. Brazil is also the only nation to have participated in every World Cup so far.
South America holds the most titles at nine, followed by Europe at eight. 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). Brazil and Italy were finalists each up for their 3rd cup in 1970 and for their 4th cup in 1994, both times Brazil edged Italy.
| Team | Titles | Winning years (* as hosts) | Runners-up (* as hosts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:BRAf | 5 | 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 | 2 (1950*, 1998) |
| Template:GERf | 3 | 1954, 1974*, 1990 (all as West Germany) |
4 (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002) (all but latest as West Germany) |
| Template:ITAf | 3 | 1934*, 1938, 1982 | 2 (1970, 1994) |
| Template:ARGf | 2 | 1978*, 1986 | 2 (1930, 1990) |
| Template:URUf | 2 | 1930*, 1950 | - |
| Template:ENGf | 1 | 1966* | - |
| Template:FRAf | 1 | 1998* | - |
| Template:TCHf | - | - | 2 (1934, 1962) |
| Template:HUNf | - | - | 2 (1938, 1954) |
| Template:NEDf | - | - | 2 (1974, 1978) |
| Template:SWEf | - | - | 1 (1958*) |
Six of the seven teams have won a world championship while playing in their own homeland at least once: this is one of the reasons why nations actively lobby to be selected as World Cup hosts, and one of the main critiques from the detractors of the tournament and FIFA itself, accused of favourable refereeing and draws for the host. 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, even if in every previous attempt never managed to pass the first round. Both England (
) and France (
) won their only World Cups while playing as host nations.
A total of 78 national teams have qualified for the final tournament at least once. The top 10 national teams in terms of the number of appearances are (includes appearances in the upcoming 2006 Football World Cup):
| Appearances | Team |
|---|---|
| 18 | Template:BRAf |
| 16 | Template:GERf Template:ITAf |
| 14 | Template:ARGf |
| 13 | Template:MEXf |
| 12 | Template:ENGf Template:FRAf Template:ESPf |
| 11 | Template:BELf Template:SWEf |
Best performances by continental zones
- See also: National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup for a complete listing of all performances by national teams, past and present.
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
. The first Asian team to make it to the semi-finals was South Korea at the
(Turkey also made it to the semi-finals at the same tournament, but since they are a member of UEFA, they are considered a European team). Two African teams have reached the quarter-finals: Cameroon at the
and Senegal in 2002. The only visits of teams from Oceania in the tournament ended in the first round: Australia at the
and New Zealand in the
. Australia has now qualified for the 2006 Cup after winning through a play-off with Uruguay.
The trophy
- Main article: Football World Cup Trophy
In the World Cup competitions from 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy (originally simply known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde but renamed in 1946 after the president of FIFA who organized the first tournament in 1930) was awarded to the winner. In 1970, Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently. This particular trophy, however, was stolen in 1983, and never recovered.
After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. This will not be awarded to the winning nation permanently, irrespective of the number of times the competition is won by the said team. Argentina, Germany (both times as West Germany) and Brazil have all won the second trophy twice. The current trophy will not be retired until the name plaque has been entirely filled with the names of winning nations, which will not happen until 2038.
Awards
- Main article: FIFA World Cup awards
At the end of each World Cup final tournament, several awards are presented to the players and teams which have distinguished themselves from the rest in different aspects of the game.
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 adidas Golden Shoe (formerly called the Golden Shoe, or, sometimes, the Golden Boot, first awarded in 1930) for top goal scorer;
- The adidas Golden Ball for best player (formerly called the Golden Ball, first awarded in 1982);
- The Yashin Award for best goalkeeper (first awarded in 1994);
- The FIFA Fair Play Award for the team with the best record of fair play (first awarded in 1978);
- The Most Entertaining Team award for the team that has entertained the public the most, during the World Cup final tournament, as determined by a poll of the general public, first awarded in 1994;
- The Gillette Best Young Player award for best player under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year, which will be awarded for the first time in 2006.
Records and statistics
- Main article: FIFA World Cup records
- Largest margin of victory: Hungary 9-0 South Korea, 1954; Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire 1974; Hungary 10-1 El Salvdaor, 1982
- Fastest goal from kickoff: Hakan Şükür, 11 seconds, Turkey vs South Korea, 2002
- Most World Cup tournament appearances: Antonio Carbajal (Mexico, 1950-1966) and Lothar Matthäus (West Germany and Germany, 1982-1998), 5
- Most World Cup match appearances: Lothar Matthäus, 25
- Most goals scored: Gerd Müller (West Germany 1970-1974), 14
- Most goals scored in one tournament: Just Fontaine (France), 13, 1958
Media coverage
The World Cup is the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games. The cumulative audience of the World Cup 2002 event is estimated to be 28.8 billion viewers. 1.1 billion individuals have watched the final match of this tournament. The World Cup 2006 draw, which decided the distribution of teams into groups, has been watched by 300 million viewers.
Each Football World Cup usually has its own mascot. World Cup Willie, the mascot for the 1966 competition, was the first World Cup mascot. Mascots for the forthcoming World Cup 2006 are Goleo, a lion, and Pille, a football.
See also: FIFA World Cup mascotsSelection of hosts
- For the list of the host countries, see the section World Cup summaries.
At present, the host country of the World Cup is decided six years before the tournament, voted by FIFA's executive committee.
The World Cups between 1930 and 1998 were all held in either Europe or the Americas, with the hosting rights almost always alternated between them. The 2002 World Cup was the first World Cup held outside the two continents, when the tournament was co-hosted for the first time by South Korea and Japan. Initially, the two Asian countries were competitors in the bidding process, but at the last minute before the vote, they agreed with FIFA to co-host the event. However, the competitive nature of the two host nations (partly due to a historical rivalry) and the distance between them led to problems in organization and logistics. After the tournament, FIFA has repeatedly said co-hosting will likely not happen again, and in 2004 FIFA stated that its statutes do not allow bids that involve co-hosting.
The decision to award the 2006 World Cup to Germany was controversial, as it was widely expected that the tournament would take place in South Africa. The final tally was 12 votes to 11 in favour of Germany. The New Zealand FIFA member, Charles Dempsey, who was instructed to vote for South Africa by the Oceania Football Confederation, abstained from voting at the last minute. If he had voted for the Africans, the tally would have been 12:12, giving the decision to FIFA President Sepp Blatter; it was widely believed then that Blatter would have voted for South Africa. Dempsey was among eight members of the executive committee to receive a fax by editors of the German satirical magazine Titanic on Wednesday, the night before the vote, promising a cuckoo clock and Black Forest ham in exchange for voting for Germany. He argued that the pressure from all sides including "an attempt to bribe" him had become too much for him. Consequently, FIFA has decided to rotate the hosting of the final tournaments between its constituent confederations.
The first World Cup bidding process under continental rotation was the 2010 World Cup. Africa was the continent chosen, and South Africa won the vote over four other African nations. This will be the first World Cup held in Africa, and will be the largest sporting event ever held there (the Olympics have never been held there).
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. Several nations have expressed interest in hosting the 2018 World Cup. However, FIFA has not decided which continent will host it, as they have indicated that they might back out of the rotation.
References
- Uruguay 1930 FIFA World Cup site. Retrieved on January 9, 2006.
- Ibid.
- FIFA World Cup Origin FIFA Media Release. Retrieved on January 9, 2006.
- FIFA Newsletter by Joseph S. Blatter, FIFA General Secretary, June 1997. Retrieved on January 8, 2006.
- "Socceroos face major challenge: Hiddink", ABC Sport, December 10, 2005. Retrieved on January 8, 2006.
- Host nation of 2010 FIFA World Cup™ - South Africa, FIFA Media Release, May 15, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2006.
- "FIFA president Blatter a big loser with Germany getting 2006 World Cup" by Robert Wagman, SoccerTimes, July 7, 2000. Retrieved on January 8, 2006.
- "German magazine takes credit for bribery hoax", IOL, July 7, 2000. Retrieved on January 8, 2006.
- "Games win inspires bid to host 2018 World Cup" by John Goodbody, The Times, November 16, 2005. Retrieved on January 8, 2006.
See also
- FIFA Women's World Cup
- Homeless World Cup
- FIFA World Cup mascot
- List of national football teams
- List of other competitions named World Cup
- List of sporting events
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
- WorldCup-History.com
- Planet World Cup with information on each men's World Cup finals
| FIFA World Cup | |
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| Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) | |
| Tournaments |
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| Qualification | |
| Finals | |
| Squads | |
| Final draw | |
| Broadcasters | |
| Bids | |
| Officials | |
| Team appearances | |
| Overall records |
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| Miscellaneous | |
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