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The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the '''Football World Cup''' or the '''Soccer World Cup''', but usually referred to simply as the '''World Cup''', is an international Football competition contested by the Men's National Football Teams of the member nations of ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA ), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930 , except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II . The tournament's final phase, often called the ''World Cup Finals'', is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the , 2007 . The current format of the Finals involves thirty-two national teams competing at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. To determine the participating teams, Qualifying Rounds take place over the three years preceding the Finals. In the eighteen tournaments held, only seven nations have won the title. Brazil is the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times. The current Cup holder, Italy , follows with four titles, while Germany holds three. The other former champions are Uruguay (who won the inaugural tournament) and Argentina with two titles each, and England and France with one title each. The Most Recent World Cup Finals were held between June 9 and July 9 , 2006 in Germany , where Italy was crowned champion after beating France in the final, winning the Penalty Shootout 5-3 after the match finished 1-1 after Extra Time . Germany placed third after beating Portugal 3-1. The Next World Cup Finals will be held in 2010 in South Africa . Since 1991, FIFA has also organized the FIFA Women's World Cup every four years. HISTORY See Also: History of the FIFA World Cup Previous international competitions The world's first international football match was a challenge match played in Glasgow in and Ireland . As football began to increase in popularity in other parts of the world at the turn of the century, it was held as a Demonstration Sport (with no medals awarded) at the 1900 and 1904 Summer Olympics , and at the 1906 Intercalated Games ; football became an official competition at the 1908 Summer Olympics . Planned by The Football Association (FA), the event was for Amateur players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. Great Britain (represented by the England National Amateur Football Team ) won the event in both 1908 and 1912 . After 2006 . Some may argue that the FA Cup was the first ''World Cup'', as Scottish side Queen's Park F.C. played in 1884 and 1885 (reaching the final on both occasions) and numerous Welsh sides ( Cardiff City won in 1927) having competed in England's national cup, however this can be dismissed as all teams who have participated have been located in the United Kingdom . With the Olympic event continuing to be contested only between amateur teams, 2006 . and featured the most prestigious professional club sides from Italy , Germany and Switzerland , but The Football Association of England refused to be associated with the competition and declined the offer to send a professional team. Lipton invited West Auckland , an amateur side from County Durham , to represent England instead. West Auckland won the tournament and returned in 1911 to successfully defend their title, and were given the trophy to keep forever, as per the rules of the competition. In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the . Retrieved on June 10 2006 . Uruguay then won the Olympic football tournaments in 1924 and 1928 . In 1928 FIFA made the decision to stage their own international tournament outside of the Olympics. With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions (as 1924 was the start of FIFA's professional era) and to celebrate their Centenary of independence in 1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country. First World Cup , the location of the first World Cup final in 1930 in Montevideo , Uruguay ]] The 2006 . 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 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. 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., FIFA Media Release . Retrieved on May 13 , 2006 . Growth The issues facing the early World Cup tournaments were the difficulties of intercontinental travel, and war. Few South American teams were willing to travel to Europe for the 1934 and 1938 tournaments, with Brazil the only South American team to compete in both. The 1942 and 1946 competitions were cancelled due to World War II and its aftermath. The 2006 . 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. Uruguay won the tournament again. In the tournaments between 1934 and , semi-finalists in 1930; Cuba , quarter-finalists in 1938; North Korea , quarter-finalists in 1966 ; and Mexico , quarter-finalists in 1970 . The finals were expanded to 24 teams in and reaching the knockout rounds in 1994 , 1998 , 2002 and 2006 ; Morocco , reaching the knockout rounds in 1986; Cameroon , quarter-finalists in 1990; Costa Rica , reaching the knockout rounds in 1990 ; Nigeria , reaching the knockout rounds in 1994 and 1998; Saudi Arabia , reaching the knockout rounds in 1994; United States, reaching the knockout rounds in 1994 and quarter-finalists in 2002; South Korea , finishing in fourth place in 2002; Senegal , quarter-finalists in 2002; Japan , reaching the knockout rounds in 2002; and Australia and Ghana , both reaching the knockout rounds in 2006. However, European and South American teams have remained the stronger forces. For example, the quarter-finalists in 2006 were all from Europe or South America. 198 nations attempted to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup , and a record 204 will attempt to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . Record number of 204 teams enter preliminary competition An equivalent tournament for Women's Football , the FIFA Women's World Cup , was first held in 1991 in the People's Republic Of China . . TROPHY See Also: FIFA World Cup Trophy on a German Stamp ]] From , 2006 . After 1970, a new trophy, known as the '', 2006 . This new trophy is not awarded to the winning nation permanently, irrespective of how many World Cups they win. World Cup winners retain the trophy until the next tournament and are awarded a gold-plated replica rather than the solid gold original. Argentina, Germany (as West Germany), Italy and Brazil have all won the second trophy twice, while France has won it once. It will not be retired until the name plaque has been entirely filled with the names of winning nations in 2038. FORMAT Qualification See Also: FIFA World Cup qualification Since the second World Cup in 1934 , qualifying tournaments have been held to thin the field for the final tournament. They are held within the six FIFA continental zones (Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, Europe), overseen by their respective confederations. For each tournament, FIFA decides the number of places 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. 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 places are awarded to winners of intercontinental , 2006 . Final tournament The current finals tournament features 32 national teams competing over a month in the host nation(s). There are two stages: a ''group stage'' followed by a ''knockout stage''. In the group stage, teams compete within eight groups of four teams each. The finals draw, held six months before the tournament in the host nation, determines the groups. Eight teams are Seeded (including the hosts, with the other teams selected using a formula based on both the FIFA World Rankings and performances in recent World Cups) and drawn to separate groups. The other teams are assigned to different "pots", usually based on geographical criteria, and teams in each pot are drawn at random to the eight groups. Since 1998 , constraints have been applied to the draw to ensure that no group contains more than two European teams or more than one team from any other confederation. The knockout stage is a Single-elimination Tournament in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with Extra Time and Penalty Shootouts used to decide the winner if necessary. It begins with the "round of 16" (or the second round) in which the winner of each group plays against the runner-up of another group. This is followed by the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the Third-place Match (contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final. Below are the various formats used in previous tournaments:
SELECTION OF HOSTS See Also: FIFA World Cup hosts Early World Cups were given to countries at meetings of FIFA's congress. The choice of location was highly controversial, given the three-week boat journey between , 2006 . After the 1958 FIFA World Cup , to avoid any future boycotts or controversy, FIFA began a pattern of alternating the hosts between The Americas and Europe, which continued until the 1998 FIFA World Cup . The 2002 FIFA World Cup , hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea , was the first one held in Asia (and the only tournament with multiple hosts), and in 2010 , South Africa will become the first African nation to host the World Cup. The host country is now chosen in a vote by FIFA's Executive Committee. This is done under a Single Transferable Vote system. The national football association of the country who desires to host the event receives a guide called "Hosting Agreement" from FIFA, which explains the steps and indicates requirements that need to be met to offer a strong bid. The association that desires to celebrate the event also receives a form that the association must fill out and return to FIFA. This document represents the official confirmation of the candidacy. After this, a FIFA designated group of inspectors visit the country to identify that the country meets the requirements needed to host the event and a report on the country is produced. The decision on who will host the Cup is currently made six years in advance of the tournament. For the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the hosting of the final tournament was rotated between its constituent confederations, and only countries from the chosen confederation may bid on the tournament. Bidding for the 2014 FIFA World Cup |
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