The FIFA World Cup started in 1928, when FIFA president Jules Rimet decided to stage an international football tournament. The first competition, in 1930, consisted of just the final tournament of 13 invited teams. The competition has subsequently expanded to a 2 year qualifying process involving almost 200 teams from all over the world. For the club competition, see FIFA Club World Cup. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about an international football organization. ... Jules Rimet (b. ... The first Football World Cup was staged in 1930. ...

Previous international competitions

The first international football match was played in 1872 between England and Scotland, although at this stage the sport was rarely played outside Great Britain. An expansion in international football led to FIFA being formed in May 1904, comprising football associations from seven continental European countries. As football began to increase in popularity, it was held as a demonstration sport (with no medals awarded) at the 1900, 1904 and 1906 Summer Olympics before football became an official competition at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Organised by England's Football Association, the event was for amateur players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. The England national amateur football team won the event in both 1908 and 1912. First international  Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win  Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Biggest defeat  Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... First international Scotland 0–0 England  (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win Scotland 11–0 Ireland  (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 February 1901) Biggest defeat  Uruguay 7–0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... This article is about an international football organization. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. ... A demonstration sport is a sport which is played in order to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events. ... The 1900 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, were held in 1900 in Paris, France. ... The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, were held in St. ... The 1906 Summer Olympics, also called the 1906 Intercalated Games, were held in Athens, Greece. ... The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IV Olympiad, were held in 1908 in London, England. ... The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. ... Look up amateur in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The England national amateur football team was the amateur representative team for England at football. ... The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were held in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden. ...

There was an attempt made by FIFA to organize an international football tournament between nations outside of the Olympic framework in 1906 and this took place in Switzerland. These were very early days for international football and the official history of FIFA describes the competition as having been a failure.

With the Olympic event continuing to be contested only between amateur teams, competitions involving professional teams also started to appear. The Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva, held in Turin, Italy in 1908, was one of the very first and the following year Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, also held in Turin. Both tournaments were contested between individual clubs (not national teams), each one of which represented an entire nation. For this reason, neither was really a direct forerunner of the World Cup, but notwithstanding that, the Thomas Lipton Trophy is sometimes described as The First World Cup,^[1] at the expense of its less well-known Italian predecessor. The Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva (English: The Sport Press International Tournament) was one of the very first international football (soccer) competitions. ... For other uses, see Turin (disambiguation). ... Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton (born May 10, 1850 in Glasgow; died October 2, 1931 in London), Scottish self-made man, merchant and yachtsman who created the famous Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the Americas Cup. ... The Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy (also called Sir Thomas the Orange Trophy) was a football (soccer) competition that took place in Turin, Italy in 1909. ...

In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the Olympic tournament as a "world football championship for amateurs",^[2] and took responsibility for organising the event. This led the way for the world's first intercontinental football competition, at the 1920 Summer Olympics, won by Belgium.^[3] Uruguay won the tournaments in 1924 and 1928. In 1928 FIFA made the decision to stage their own international tournament. With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions and due to celebrate their centenary of independence in 1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country. The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were held in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. ... The Games of the VIII Olympiad were held in 1924 in Paris, France. ... The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, were held in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ... A centenary is an event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of an event. ...

The first official World Cup

The 1932 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles did not plan to include football as part of the programme due to the low popularity of football in the United States. FIFA and the IOC also disagreed over the status of amateur players, and so was dropped from the Games.^[4] FIFA president Jules Rimet thus set about organising the inaugural World Cup tournament to be held 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 Ocean for European sides. Indeed, no European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition.^{[citation needed]} Rimet eventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In total 13 nations took part — seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America. The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, were held in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Youth soccer in small-town Indiana in 2005. ... Stamp The International Olympic Committee (French: Comité International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894. ... Jules Rimet (b. ... Qualifying countries The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the first World Cup tournament ever staged. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

The first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously, and were won by France and the USA, who beat Mexico 4-1 and Belgium 3-0, respectively. The first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France. Four days later, the first World Cup hat-trick was achieved by Bert Patenaude of the USA in the Americans' 3-0 win against Paraguay. In the final, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 in front of a crowd of 93,000 people in Montevideo, and became the first nation to win a World Cup.^[5] Lucien Laurent (born December 10, 1907 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, Ile-de-France near Paris; died April 11, 2005 in Besançon) was a French footballer, famous for scoring the first ever World Cup goal. ... In sports, a hat-trick (more often rendered in North America as hat trick, without the hyphen) is associated with achieving something in a group of three. ... Bert Patenaude. ... Department Montevideo Department Altitude 43 m Coordinates 34º 53S 56º 10W Founded 1726 Founder Bruno Mauricio de Zabala Population 1,325,968 (2004) (1st) Demonym Montevideano Phone Code +02 Postal Code 10000 Montevideo (IPA: ) is the capital, largest city, and chief port of Uruguay. ...

1934–1962

The 1934 World Cup was hosted by Italy, and was the first World Cup to include a qualification stage. 16 teams qualified for the tournament, a number which would be retained until the expansion of the finals tournament in 1982. Uruguay, the titleholders from 1930, still upset about the poor European showing at their World Cup in 1930, boycotted the 1934 World Cup. Bolivia and Paraguay were absent, allowing Argentina and Brazil to go to the finals in Italy without having to play any qualifying matches. Egypt became the first African team to compete, but lost to Hungary in the first round. Italy won the tournament, but faced accusations of biased officiating, with Benito Mussolini said to have influenced the choice of referees for Italy's matches.^[6] ... The first Football World Cup was staged in 1930. ... Mussolini redirects here. ...

The 1938 World Cup competition was also held in Europe, much to the consternation of many South Americans, with Uruguay and Argentina boycotting. For the first time the title holders and the host country were given automatic qualification. Following a play-off match against Latvia, Austria had officially qualified for the final round but because of the Anschluss in April 1938, could not attend. Their place was offered to England, but they declined. This left the Finals with 15 nations competing. France hosted, but for the first time the hosts did not win the competition, as Italy retained their title, beating Hungary in the final. ... German troops march into Austria on 12 March 1938. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

World War II and its aftermath resulted in the cancellation of the 1942 and 1946 competitions. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Competition resumed with the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, which was the first to include British participants. British teams withdrew from FIFA in 1920, partly out of unwillingness to play against the countries they had been at war with, and partly as a protest against a foreign influence to football,^[7] but rejoined in 1946 following FIFA's invitation. The tournament also saw the return of 1930 champions Uruguay, who had boycotted the previous two World Cups. For political reasons, Eastern European countries (such as Hungary, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia) did not enter. Title-holder Italy did take part, despite the Superga air disaster of 1949 in which the entire Grande Torino team (many who were national team players) were killed. The 1950 World Cup was the only tournament not to stage a final tie, replacing knockout rounds with two group phases. However, the final match of the second group phase was in effect a final, as the group standings meant the winners would be crowned champions. Uruguay were surprise victors over hosts Brazil (in a match which would later be known as Maracanazo) and became champions for the second time. The 1950 Football World Cup was the only World Cup ever held which was not decided by a knockout final (although the last match of the tournament did end up determining the overall winner, and this match, also known as Maracanazo, is usually referred to as if it had been... The Superga air disaster happened on Wednesday, May 4, 1949, when a plane carrying almost the entire Grande Torino squad (18 players), plus management, journalists and crew, crashed into the Superga hills near Turin, killing everyone on board. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Torino F.C.. (Discuss) Grande Torino (The Great Torino) is how the Torino F.C. team of the forties is known in Italy. ... Maracanazo (Portuguese: ) is a term which is used to refer to the famous final group match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, that took place in Brazil, when the Uruguayan team beat, against all odds, their Brazilian counterpart at the Maracanã stadium (therefore the term Maracanazo). ...

The 1954 World Cup, held in Switzerland, was the first to be televised. The Soviet Union did not participate because of their dismal performance at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Scotland made their first ever appearance in the tournament, but were unable to register a win, going out after the group stage. The quarter-final match between Austria and Switzerland saw a World Cup record of number of goals scored in a match, when the Swiss lost 5-7, after going 3-0 up. West Germany were the tournament winners, defeating Olympic champions Hungary 3-2 in the final, overturning a 2-0 deficit in the process, with Helmut Rahn scoring the winner. The match is known as the Miracle of Bern in Germany. The 1954 Football World Cup was held in Switzerland. ... The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were held in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. ... First international Scotland 0–0 England  (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win Scotland 11–0 Ireland  (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 February 1901) Biggest defeat  Uruguay 7–0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... Helmut Rahn, known as Der Boss (The Boss), (born 16th August 1929 in Essen; died 14th August 2003) was a German football player. ... The Miracle of Bern film poster The Miracle of Bern (German title: Das Wunder von Bern) is a 2003 film by Sönke Wortmann, which tells the story of the unexpected West German victory in the 1954 World Cup Final in Bern, Switzerland, on July 4, 1954, and the story...

Brazil won the 1958 World Cup, held in Sweden, and became the first and so far only team to win a World Cup outside their home continent (though they repeated the feat in 2002). The Soviet Union participated this time, most likely due to their win at Melbourne 1956. For the first (and so far only) time, all four British teams qualified for the final round. Wales was able to take advantage of a situation in the Africa/Asia zone, where the amount of withdrawals would give Israel qualification without having played a single qualifying match. This prompted FIFA to rule that qualification without playing was not allowed (despite allowing this to happen in earlier years of the Cup), and so Israel were ordered to play against one of the teams finishing second in the other groups. A tie was created, and Wales defeated Israel 2-0 twice in 1958. It was the first (and so far the only) time that a country played a World Cup final round after having been eliminated in the regular qualifiers. The tournament also saw the emergence of Pelé, who scored two goals in the final. In June 1954, the FIFA congress in Bern, Switzerland decided to award the 1958 Football World Cup to Sweden. ... The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were held in 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, although the equestrian events could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations. ... First international  Scotland 4 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) Biggest win Wales 11 - 0 Ireland  (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) Biggest defeat  Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1958) Best result Quarter-finals, 1958 The Wales national football team... Pele redirects here. ...

Chile hosted the 1962 World Cup, a tournament dominated by defensive play which Brazil won, retaining the Jules Rimet trophy. // Overview In 1962 the Football World Cup returned to the continent of South America. ...

1966–2006

The 1966 World Cup, hosted by England, was the first to embrace marketing, featuring a mascot and official logo for the first time. The trophy was stolen in the run-up to the tournament but was found a week later by a dog named "Pickles".^[8] South Africa was banned for violating the anti-discrimination charter (apartheid). The ban remained in effect until 1992 when the South Africa Football Association was finally accepted by FIFA. The qualifying rounds of the tournament saw a controversy when the African nations decided to withdraw in protest of only one qualifying place allocated by FIFA to the regions of Asia, Oceania and Africa. The eventual qualifiers from the zone, North Korea, became the first Asian team to reach the quarter-finals, eliminating Italy in the process. England won the tournament, beating West Germany 4-2 in the final, in which Geoff Hurst became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final. Eusébio, whose team Portugal were taking part in their first World Cup, was the tournament top-scorer, with 9 goals to his name. 1966 was the year that the Football World Cup went back to the country that first conceived football: England. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... The South African Football Association or SAFA is the governing body of football (soccer) in South Africa. ... Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst, MBE (born December 8, 1941 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire) is a footballer enshrined in the games history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. ... In sports, a hat-trick (more often rendered in North America as hat trick, without the hyphen) is associated with achieving something in a group of three. ... Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM (pron. ...

The qualification stages of the 1970 World Cup were the cause of the Football War between Honduras and El Salvador. The finals were held in Mexico. Israel had been with Europe, but due to political issues, it was becoming harder to place them adequately in the qualifying rounds. They were grouped in Asia/Oceania. Korea DPR then refused to meet them, even though this meant automatic disqualification. The group stage clash between defending champions England and Brazil lived up to its billing, and is still remembered for England goalkeeper Gordon Banks' save from a Pelé header on the six-yard line, arguably the greatest save ever. The tournament is also remembered for the semi-final match between Italy and West Germany, in which 5 goals were scored in extra time, and Franz Beckenbauer played with a broken arm, since Germany had used up all their allowed substitutions. Italy were the eventual 4-3 winners, but were defeated 1-4 in the final by Brazil, who became the first nation to win three World Cups, and were awarded the Jules Rimet trophy permanently for their achievement. A total of 71 teams entered the 1970 World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. ... Combatants El Salvador Honduras Commanders Fidel Sánchez Hernández Salvador Henríquez Oswaldo López Arellano Oscar Colindres Strength 20,000 (Army) 1,000 (Air Force) 12,000 (Army) 1,200 (Air Force) Casualties 700 (including civilians) 1,200 (including civilians) The Football War (La guerra de fútbol... Gordon Banks OBE (born December 30, 1937) is a former English footballer, elected in a poll by the IFFHS as the second best goalkeeper of the 20th Century. ... Extra time is an additional period played at the end of some games of football (soccer) if the score is tied after the two standard periods (halves) of play. ... Franz Anton Beckenbauer (born September 11, 1945) is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed der Kaiser (the emperor) because of his elegant style, his leadership qualities, his first name Franz (reminiscent of the Austrian emperors), and his dominance on the football pitch. ... The Jules Rimet trophy was the original physical manifestation of the prize for winning the football world cup, a small gold cup representing the hopes and ambitions of every footballing nation on earth. ...

A new trophy was created for the 1974 edition, held in West Germany. After a draw in their first UEFA/CONMEBOL Intercontinental play-off match against Chile in the qualifiers, the Soviet Union refused to travel to the Chilean capital for the return fixture for political reasons, and in accordance with the regulations, Chile were awarded a victory. East Germany, Haiti, Australia and Zaire made their first finals. The tournament also saw a new format, where the two top teams from each of the earlier four groups were divided into two groups of four each again, the winner of either group playing each other in the final. The West German hosts won the competition by beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the final, but it was also the revolutionary Total Football system of the Dutch that captured the footballing world's imagination. The very well-playing Poland finished third, after defeating Brazil 1-0 (and after defeating Argentina 3-2 and eliminating Italy 2-1 in the initial group play), having barely lost in terrible rain in the semifinals to West Germany 0-1. The 1974 Football World Cup was held in West Germany. ... Location of Santiago commune in Greater Santiago Coordinates: , Region Province Foundation February 12, 1541 Government  - Mayor Raúl Alcaíno Lihn Area 1  - City 22. ... First international Poland 3 - 0 East Germany (Warsaw, Poland; 21 September 1952) Last International Belgium 0 - 2 East Germany (Brussels, Belgium; 12 September 1990) Biggest win Ceylon 1 - 12 East Germany (Colombo, Ceylon; 12 January 1964) Biggest defeat 0 - 3, 12 times; 1 - 4, three times World Cup Appearances 1... In football (soccer), Total Football is a system where a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining their intended organizational structure. ...

The 1978 World Cup was held in Argentina, causing controversy as a military coup had taken place in the country two years earlier. Dutch star Johan Cruyff refused to participate for this reason, though none of the teams decided to stay away. Iran and Tunisia were first time participants. There was some on-field controversy as well, when Argentina, needing to win by a clear four goals in order to make the final in place of Brazil, beat Peru 6-0, the total number of goals they had scored in the tournament till this match. They went on to win the final 3-1, Mario Kempes scoring twice, with the Dutch being runners-up for the second time running. The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina between June 1 to 25, 1978 . ... Johan Cruijff Johan Cruijff (born April 25, 1947 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football trainer/coach and former star player. ... Mario Alberto Kempes (born July 15, 1954 in Bell Ville, Córdoba) is an Argentine former football striker. ...

Spain hosted an expanded 1982 World Cup which featured 24 teams, the first expansion since 1934. The teams were divided into six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the second round, where they split into four groups of three. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals. Cameroon, Algeria, Honduras , New Zealand and Kuwait were the debutants. The group match between Kuwait and France was stage of a farcical incident. As the French were leading 3-1, the Kuwaiti team stopped playing after hearing a whistle from the stands which they thought had come from referee, as French defender Maxime Bossis scored. As the Kuwaiti team were protesting the goal, Sheikh Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, president of the Kuwaiti Football Association, rushed onto the pitch and gave the referee a piece of his mind, who proceeded to disallow the goal. Bossis scored another valid goal a few minutes later and France won 4-1. The semi-final between West Germany and France saw another controversy when German keeper Harald Schumacher's challenge took out Patrick Battiston, with the score at 1-1. Schumacher escaped a red card, and Germany won in a penalty shoot-out, after coming back to level from having gone 1-3 down. The final was won by Italy, making Italian captain Dino Zoff the oldest player to win the World Cup. Italian Paolo Rossi, who was making his comeback after a match-fixing scandal and the ensuing ban, was the tournament top-scorer. ... Harald Anton Schumacher (born March 6, 1954 in Düren, Germany), commonly known as Toni Schumacher, was a football goalkeeper of the 1980s, member of the West German national team, with which he won the 1980 European Championship and lost two World Cup finals, in 1982 and 1986. ... Patrick Battiston (born March 12, 1957 in Amnéville, Moselle) is a former French football player, who played for the France national team in three World Cups and won the 1984 European Football Championship. ... Dino Zoff after the victory of Italy at the 1982 World Cup. ... Paolo Rossi (born September 23, 1956) is an Italian former football (soccer) player. ...

Mexico became the first nation to hold two World Cups by hosting the 1986 World Cup. The format changed again, with the second round being replaced by a pre-quarterfinal, knockout competition, for which 16 teams would qualify. It was also decided that the final two matches in all groups would kick off simultaneously, to ensure complete fairness. Canada, Denmark and Iraq made their first finals. The quarterfinal match between England and Argentina is remembered for two remarkable Diego Maradona goals, later regarded as player of the tournament, the first, the controversial Hand of God goal, and the second, considered to be the Goal of the Century, in which he dribbled half the length of the field past five English players before scoring. In the final, Argentina beat West Germany 3-2, inspired by Diego Maradona, who set up Jorge Burruchaga for the winner. ... Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine former footballer. ... Maradona left, Shilton right The Hand of God goal (Spanish: Mano de Dios) was scored by Diego Maradona in the quarter-final match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup between England and Argentina, played on 22 June 1986 in Mexico Citys Estadio Azteca. ... The Goal of the Century, also known as Greatest Goal in FIFA World Cup History, was an award given for the greatest goal ever scored in a FIFA World Cup tournament. ... Jorge Luis Burruchaga (born October 9, 1962 in Gualeguay, Entre Ríos) was an Argentine professional football player, and currently a football coach. ...

The 1990 World Cup was held in Italy. Cameroon reached the quarter-finals, a first for an African team. As a result of a two-year FIFA ban imposed for falsifying age at a youth championship, Mexico was suspended from the 1990 World Cup preliminary competition. An unpleasant episode marred the South American preliminaries: during the match between Brazil and Chile, a firework landed close to the Chilean goalkeeper Rojas, who then feigned injury. His team refused to continue the match (as they were down a goal at the time). The plot was discovered, and as a result, a long suspension for those involved and a Chile ban from World Cup 1994. The final featured the same teams as in 1986. After finishing runners-up in the two previous tournaments, West Germany won their third World Cup. The 1990 Football World Cup was designated by FIFA in 1984 to be held in Italy, making it the second country to host the event twice. ... 110 teams took part in the 1990 World Cup qualification rounds, divided into six Continental Zones. ... Listed below are the dates and results for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the South American zone (CONMEBOL). ...

A spin-off tournament, the FIFA Women's World Cup, was first held in 1991. It is similar to the men's tournament in format, but so far has not generated the same level of interest. As of 2007, the USA women's team and the German women's team are the most successful, having each won two of the five Women's World Cups. The German team won the 2007 tournament without conceding a single goal. The FIFA Womens World Cup is recognized as the most important International competition in womens football and is played amongst womens national football teams of the member states of FIFA, the sports global governing body. ... The FIFA Womens World Cup 1991 was held in the China and won by the United States womens national football team. ... First International Italy 1–0 USA (Jesolo, Italy; 18 August 1985) Largest win USA 12–0 Mexico (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 18 April 1991) USA 12–0 Martinique (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; 20 April 1991) Worst defeat Norway 4–1 USA (Lagos, Portugal; 19 March 1998) Canada 3–0 USA... First International West Germany 5 - 1 Switzerland (Koblenz, West Germany; November 10, 1982) Largest win Germany 13 - 0 Portugal (Reutlingen, Germany; November 15, 2003) Worst defeat United States 6 - 0 Germany (Decatur, Georgia, USA; March 14, 1996) World Cup Appearances 4 (First in 1991) Best result Winner, 2003 Olympic Games...

The 1994 World Cup, held in the USA, saw the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties, with Brazil edging out Italy. Yugoslavia was excluded due to UN sanctions in connection with the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Russia (taking the place of USSR which had disintegrated over 1990 and 1991) played their first World Cup competition as a new country, with Greece, Nigeria, Norway and Saudi Arabia as the other first-timers. Along with disgrace — Diego Maradona being banned mid-tournament after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs — the tournament also saw tragedy when Colombian defender Andrés Escobar was murdered 10 days after his own-goal against the hosts in their first round match that eliminated Colombia. The total attendance for the final tournament of nearly 3.6 million remains the greatest in World Cup history. Oleg Salenko of Russia became the first player to score five goals in a single World Cup finals game in his country's group stage win over Cameroon. The 1994 Football World Cup held in the USA was won by Brazil who beat Italy 3-2 on penalty kicks after the game and extra time ended 0-0. ... Serbia and Montenegro  â€“ Serbia    â€“ Kosovo and Metohia        (UN administration)    â€“ Vojvodina  â€“ Montenegro Official language Serbian language written in Cyrillic alphabet Capital Belgrade President Svetozar Marović Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water Ranked 105th  102,350 km²  0. ... Combatants Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Predominantly Bosniak) Army of Republika Srpska, Yugoslav Peoples Army, various paramilitary units from Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian) Croatian Defence Council, Croatian Army (Croatian) Commanders Alija Izetbegović (President of Bosnia and Herzegovina) Sefer Halilović (Army chief of staff 1992-1993) Rasim... Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (March 13, 1967 - July 2, 1994) was a Colombian football player, who was shot and killed in Medellín. ... Oleg Salenko (born October 25, 1969 in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Russian soccer striker, who set a World Cup record by scoring five goals in one game, for Russia against Cameroon on June 28, 1994. ...

The 1998 World Cup was held in France, and had an expanded format featuring 32 teams. Iran beat the Maldives in qualification by the widest margin in World Cup history — 17-0. In the finals, the second round match between France and Paraguay witnessed the first Golden Goal in World Cup history, as Laurent Blanc scored to give the hosts a 1-0 victory. Hosts France won the tournament by beating Brazil 3-0 in the final, as the scorer of four goals in the tournament, Ronaldo, appeared to be less than a hundred percent in the match, and was unable to make any impact. Debutants Croatia finished a commendable third. The 1998 Football World Cup was held in France, by the FIFA decision in July 1992. ... Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian zone (AFC). ... The golden goal was a method used in football to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of ordinary time (90 minutes). ... Laurent Blanc (born November 19, 1965 in Alès) is a retired French football defender, who scored the first golden goal in World Cup history. ... Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (b. ...

The 2002 World Cup was the first to be held in Asia, and was hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea. Togolese Souleymane Mamam became the youngest player ever to take to a World Cup preliminary game field at 13 years, 310 days in Lomé in May 2001. Australia defeated American Samoa 31-0 in a preliminary match - a new record for the margin of victory, and the highest-scoring match ever. The tournament was a successful one for teams traditionally regarded as minnows, with South Korea, Senegal and USA all reaching the last eight. Brazil beat Germany 2-0 in the final for their fifth title. The 2002 FIFA World Cup (Official name: 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan) was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... Souleymane Mamam, (born June 20, 1987), is an Togolese football player. ... 2001 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Events: May 1 - Chandra Levy disapears while jogging. ...

The 2006 World Cup was held in Germany. It is the first world cup for which the previous winner had to qualify. The host will continue to receive an automatic berth. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th staging of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international association football world championship tournament. ...

First seed and holders Brazil and second seeded England were initially bookmakers' favourites. A strong performance by Germany brought them as far as the semifinals. However, the final match-up was between Italy and France, in which French captain Zinedine Zidane was sent off in the last 10 minutes of extra time for a headbutt to the chest to Italian central defender Marco Materazzi. Italy went on to win 5-3 in a penalty shootout, the score having been 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time. Zidane redirects here. ... Zidane redirects here. ... Wikinews has related news: Materazzi reveals slur he uttered at 2006 FIFA World Cup Marco Materazzi, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI,[2][3] (born August 19, 1973 in Lecce), is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, who currently plays for Serie A club Internazionale, sometimes known as Inter Milan. ...

Historical format of final tournament

The number of teams in and the format of the final tournament has varied considerably over the years. Mostly the formats have involved "all play all" groups in Round 1 plus multi-round knockouts. In summary:

See also

• History of FIFA
• FIFA overview of qualification campaigns

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the international governing body of association football. ...

References

International football v • d • e
FIFA | World Cup | Confederations Cup | U-20 World Cup | U-17 World Cup | Olympics | Asian Games | All-Africa Games | Pan American Games | Island Games | World Rankings | Player of the Year | Teams | Codes is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The RSSSF logo The rec. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... H2G2 is also an acronym for the The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... This article is about an international football organization. ... For the club competition, see FIFA Club World Cup. ... The FIFA Confederations Cup is a football tournament for national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (CAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, AFC, OFC, CONCACAF), along with the FIFA World Cup champion and the host country, to bring... The FIFA U-20 World Cup, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). ... The FIFA U-17 World Cup, formerly the FIFA U-17 World Championship and before the FIFA U-16 World Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 17 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). ... Football (soccer) has been included in every Summer Olympic Games except 1896 and 1932 as a mens competition sport. ... Football (soccer) was an Asian Games sport since the 1951 edition. ... The football (soccer) tournament was held at the every edition of All-Africa Games since 1965. ... A mens football (soccer) tournament is held at every Pan American Games since the first edition of the multi-sports event in 1951, a womens tournament was only added in 1999. ... Football has been held since 1989 at the Island Games as a mens competition sport. ... This article is about the mens rankings. ... The FIFA World Player of the Year is a football award given annually to the male and female player who are thought to be the best in the world, based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams. ... This is a list of the mens national football (soccer) teams in the world. ... FIFA assigns a three-letter code (dubbed FIFA Trigramme) to each of its member and non-member countries. ...
Asia: AFC – Asian Cup      Africa: CAF – African Cup of Nations      North America: CONCACAF – Gold Cup      South America: CONMEBOL – Copa América      Oceania: OFC – Nations Cup      Europe: UEFA – European Championship      Non-FIFA: NF-Board – VIVA World Cup
FIFA World Cup v • d • e
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 | United States 1994 | France 1998 | Korea/Japan 2002 | Germany 2006 | South Africa 2010 | Brazil 2014 | 2018  The 46 member Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of football in Asia, excluding Cyprus and Israel but including Australia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 53 member CAF (Confederation of African Football) , (French : Confédération Africaine de Football) , (Arabic : الإتحاد الأفريقى لكرة القدم) represents international football in Africa, and organises the African Cup of Nations, CAF Confederation Cup and the African Champions League. ... The African Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Nations Cup (ANC) is the main international football competition in Africa. ... CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) is the continent-wide governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. ... The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main international football competition of the CONCACAF nations. ... CONMEBOL or CSF (CONfederación SudaMEricana de FútBOL, South American Football Confederation) is the governing body of football in most of South America. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... Oceania Football Confederation logo since 1998 The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international football. ... The OFC Nations Cup is the biennial football competition held among the Oceania Football Confederation member nations. ... The Union Européenne de Football Association or Union of European Football Associations in English, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced (you-AY-fuh) or (oo-Ay-fuh) or ), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the mens national football teams governed by the UEFA. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the European Nations Cup, changing to the name European Football... The NF-Board (Nouvelle Fédération-Board, unofficially Non-FIFA-Board) is a football association established for national teams that are not — and usually may not become — members of FIFA, usually because the participating nations do not have internationally recognised sovereign state status. ... The VIVA World Cup is an international football tournament organised by the New Federation Board, an umbrella association for nations unaffiliated to FIFA, planned to be held every two years. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1357x628, 19 KB) Summary This image is copy of World Map FIFA.png I added divisions in UK - England, Scotland & Wales. ... For the club competition, see FIFA Club World Cup. ... Qualifying countries The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from July 11 to July 30. ... Qualifying countries The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from June 13 to July 7. ... Qualifying countries The 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. ... The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, an international tournament for football, that is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. ... The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, and bidding to host the cup will close in 2010. ...
Awards Goalscorers History Hosts Mascots Qualification Records Team apps Trophy