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Revision as of 19:30, 15 April 2006 by Cantthinkofagoodname (talk | contribs) (→Selection of hosts: sp)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The FIFA World Cup (often called the Football World Cup or simply the 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 the men's national football teams of FIFA member nations. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930 (except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II), however, it is more of an ongoing event as the qualifying rounds of the competition take place over the three years preceding the final rounds.
The final tournament phase (often called the "Finals") involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated host nation, with these games making it the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world. In the 17 tournaments held, only seven nations have ever won the World Cup Finals. Brazil are the current holders, as well as the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times, while Germany and Italy follow with three titles each. The next football World Cup Finals will be held in Germany between June 9 and July 9, 2006.
History
Main article: History of the FIFA World CupPrevious 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. 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.
With the Olympic event continuing to be contested only between amateur teams, Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy tournament in Turin in 1909. The competition is often described as The First World Cup, and featured the most prestigious professional club sides from Italy, Germany and Switzerland. The first tournament was won by West Auckland, an amateur side from north-east England that was invited after the Football Association refused to be associated with the competition. West Auckland 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 Olympic tournament as a "world football championship for amateurs", and took responsibility for organizing the event. This led the way for the world's first intercontinental football competition, at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Uruguay won the tournament, before winning the gold medal again in 1928, with another South American team, Argentina, taking silver. On 28 May, 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 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 football was dropped from the Games. FIFA president Jules Rimet thus set about organizing 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. 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. 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.
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 1950 World Cup 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, 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
In the tournaments between 1934 and 1978, 16 teams qualified for each finals tournament (except in a few cases where teams withdrew after qualifying). Most were from Europe and Latin America, with a very small minority from Africa, Asia and Oceania. These teams were usually defeated easily by the European and Latin American teams (with the notable exception of North Korea, who reached the 1966 quarterfinals).
The finals were expanded to 24 teams in 1982, then 32 in 1998, allowing more teams from Africa, Asia and North America to take part. In recent years, these comparatively new participants have enjoyed more success, with Cameroon reaching the quarter-finals in 1990, and South Korea, Senegal and USA all reaching the elimination rounds in 2002. 197 nations attempted to qualify for the 2006 edition, and all but one of the 205 FIFA member nations have previously entered the competition, with Bhutan the only current member never to have entered.
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.
Trophy
- Main article: Football World Cup Trophy
From 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the Cup winner. It was originally simply known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde but was renamed in 1946 in honour of the FIFA president who organized the first tournament. In 1970, Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently. However, the trophy was stolen in 1983, and has never been recovered.
After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. This is not awarded to the winning nation permanently, irrespective of how many World Cups they win. Argentina, Germany (as West Germany) and Brazil have all won the second trophy twice. It will not be retired until the name plaque has been entirely filled with the names of winning nations in 2038.
Format
Qualification
Main article: FIFA World Cup qualificationSince 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 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 . From the 1938 World Cup onwards, host nations have received an automatic berth in the finals. This privilege also used to be granted to the defending champion, but from the 2006 finals onwards, this entitlement has been withdrawn, requiring the champions to qualify as well .
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 and a knockout stage.
In the first stage (the group stage), teams are drawn into eight groups of four. Eight teams are seeded at the draw, and assigned a group. The other teams are drawn at random. Since 1998, constraints have applied to the draw to ensure that no group contains more than two European teams or more than one team from any other confederation. Each group plays a round-robin tournament, guaranteeing that every qualifying nation will play at least three matches. The last round of matches of each group are held simultaneously to prevent collusion between nations. Since 1994, three points have been awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss (prior to this, winners only received two points). The top two teams from each group advance to the second stage (the knockout stage).
The knockout stage is a single-elimination round in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with extra time and penalty shootouts used to decide the winner, if necessary. In the Round of 16, the winner of each group plays against the runner-up from another group. This is followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. The losing semi-finalists contest a third place match.
Selection of hosts
Further information: FIFA World Cup hostsEarly 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 South America and Europe, the two centres of strength in football at the time. The decision to hold the first cup in Uruguay, for example, led to only four European nations competing . The next two world cups were both held in Europe. The decision to hold the second of these, the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France was controversial, as the American countries had been led to understand that the World Cup would rotate between the two continents. Both Argentina and Uruguay thus boycotted the tournament. After World War Two, to avoid any future boycotts or controversy, FIFA began a pattern of alternation between South/North America and Europe, which continued until the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The system evolved so that the host country is now chosen in a vote by FIFA's executive committee. This is done under a single transferable vote system. The decision is currently made six years in advance of the tournament.
Media coverage
The World Cup was first televised in 1954, and is now 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 — summing over all matches — is estimated to be 28.8 billion. 1.1 billion individuals have watched the final match of this tournament. The 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 mascotsResults
World Cup summaries
§ Selection of hosts 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
For a more comprehensive list, see National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup.
In all, 207 teams have competed to qualify for the World Cup Finals, and 78 nations have qualified at least once. Of these, only eleven have made it to the final match, and only seven have won. This exclusivity inspires much enthusiasm and national pride amongst the tournament's fans.
With five victories out of its seven appearances in the final match, Brazil is the most successful World Cup team. It is also the only nation to have participated in every World Cup Finals tournament so far.
At the continental level, South America narrowly leads Europe with nine titles to eight. Brazil and Germany are tied for most appearances in the final match with 7 (Brazil has won 5; Germany has won 3). Brazil and Italy were finalists each challenging for their 3rd cup in 1970 and for their 4th cup in 1994. In both matches, Brazil won.
| 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 champions have won at least one of their titles while playing in their own homeland, the exception being Brazil, who lost the deciding match (known as Maracanazo) when they hosted the 1950 tournament. England (
) and France (
) won their only Cups while playing as host nations. But it isn't just champions that experience success, as traditionally "weaker" nations have also been successful during their spell as hosts. South Korea made it to the semifinals as a co-host in 2002 despite never previously passing the first round. The success of the host in the Cup is a major reason why nations actively lobby to be selected as hosts, leading to the frequent accusation that FIFA arranges favourable refereeing and draws for them.
Best performances by continental zones
See also: National team appearances in the FIFA World CupTo date, the final of the World Cup has only been contested by European and/or South American teams.
| Continent | Best performance |
|---|---|
| South America | 9 titles, won by Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay |
| Europe | 8 titles, won by Italy, Germany, England, and France |
| North America | Semifinal (USA, 1930) |
| Asia | Semifinal (South Korea, 2002) |
| Africa | Quarterfinal (Cameroon, 1990; Senegal, 2002) |
| Oceania | First round (Australia, 1974; New Zealand, 1982) |
Awards
Main article: FIFA World Cup awards
At the end of each World Cup final tournament, six awards are presented to the players and teams for accomplishments other than winning the tournament outright.
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 Salvador, 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
- Oldest player to score a goal: Roger Milla, 42 years and 39 days, Cameroon vs Russia, 1994
References
- 2002 FIFA World Cup TV Coverage, FIFA official website. Retrieved on March 24, 2006.
- 'The First World Cup'. The Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy. Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council. Retrieved on April 11, 2006.
- Where it all began, FIFA official website. Retrieved on April 10, 2006.
- ^ Uruguay 1930 FIFA World Cup site. Retrieved on January 9, 2006.
- The Football World Cup - An Introduction, h2g2. Retrieved on March 1, 2006.
- FIFA World Cup Origin, FIFA Media Release. Retrieved on January 9, 2006.
- Scotland and the 1950 World Cup, BBC. Retrieved on March 1, 2006.
- Bhutan - team profile, FIFA World Cup site. Retrieved on April 10, 2006.
- Jules Rimet Cup, FIFA World Cup site. Retrieved on February 27, 2006.
- The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy, Official Site of The 2002 FIFA World Cup. Retrieved on February 27, 2006.
- Matches and Results, FIFA World Cup site. Retrieved on April 13, 2006.
- Brazil's Juan warns against complacency, FIFA World Cup site. Retrieved on April 10, 2006.
- History of 1930 World Cup, BBC. Retrieved on April 13, 2006.
- France 1938, FIFA World Cup site. Retrieved on April 13, 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.
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
- World Cup Goalscorers
- FIFA World Cup Host Elections 1930-2002 ( in Spanish)]
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
- Official FIFA World Cup Charity Campaign
- Planet World Cup with information on each men's World Cup finals
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