World Cup Information & History
Click on the past World Cup icons below for detailed information on each World Cup tournament! We start with the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay and finish with the 2006 World Cup from Germany. Italy are the current World Champions and go to South Africa attempting to win World Cup 2010!
Quick Guide to the history of the World Cup 1930 - 2006
URUGUAY 1930
The World Cup began in Uruguay as 13 teams battled it
out to become the tournament's inaugural winners.
European interest waned after it was decided the
championships should be contested in South America.
Controversy reigned in the second match in Pool One between Argentina and France. Hard man Luisito Monti put the South Americans ahead just nine minutes from time and, with six minutes still remaining and a French forward through on goal, Brazilian referee Almeida Rego blew for full-time. A near-riot ensued and despite the game resuming, France failed to find the net and finished third in their group. Argentinian striker Guillermo Stabile, who grabbed a hat-trick in a 6-3 win against Mexico, ended the tournament as top scorer with eight goals.
The USA, who had
topped their group without conceding a goal, were
thumped 6-1 by Stabile and his team-mates at the
semi-final stage. Uruguay recorded an identical score
against Yugoslavia to secure their place in the final
- a match in which they came from behind to beat
Argentina 4-2.
ITALY 1934
The Italians went into the tournament as clear
favourites and did not disappoint, winning the trophy
and becoming the second host country to lift the top
prize. A trio of Argentinians - Enrico Guaita, Luisito
Monti and Raimondo Orsi - defected to join up with the
Italians and form the nucleus of a strong side under
the shrewd leadership of Vittorio Pozzo.
The format of the tournament differed from that seen in Uruguay, with the group stages abandoned in preference for a straight knock-out system. This proved costly for both Brazil and Argentina who had sailed 8,000 miles to take part, only for the two sides to lose their first-round matches.
Hugo Meisl's
Austria were said to be Italy's biggest rivals and
they came head to head at the semi-final stage. A
heavy pitch prevented two footballing sides from
playing an attractive passing game and it took a
solitary strike from Guaita to settle the tie.
Czechoslovakia booked their place in the final with a
3-1 victory against Germany. Oldrich Nejedly netted
twice as he ended the tournament as leading scorer
with five.
Italy were 2-1 victors in the final, coming from
behind to grab a dramatic winner in extra-time through
Angelo Schiavio.
FRANCE 1938
The competition was disrupted by impending war and
upheaval throughout Europe. Only two of the
first-round matches were decided after 90 minutes,
with France and Hungary confidently brushing aside
Belgium and the Dutch East Indies respectively.
Holders Italy scraped past Norway in what proved to be
their toughest match of the tournament as they went on
to defend their crown with ease.
The game of the championships was a remarkable contest between Brazil and Poland. Leading 3-1 at the break following a hat-trick from star striker Leonidas, the Brazilians looked comfortable. But, in a rampant second-half display the Poles, led by Ernest Wilimowski's treble, hauled the Europeans back into the game as the scores were level at 4-4 as extra-time began with the game ending 6-5.
Brazil were so
confident of reaching the final they rested the
eight-goal Leonidas for the semi-final clash with
Italy and it proved costly as they slumped to a 2-1
defeat. The defending champions went on to crush
Hungary 4-2 in a one-sided final.
BRAZIL 1950
The tournament returned after World War II with a new
prize for the winners - the Jules Rimet Trophy.
Argentina were absent - refusing to play in Brazil -
while both Czechoslovakia and Scotland declined to
take their places despite qualifying. The Scots
claimed they would only compete if they finished top
of the Home Championship group, even though second
position cemented a finals place. But they failed,
with England taking top spot.
The
championships returned with a ramshackle group system,
Brazil claiming Pool One and Uruguay winning the
two-team Pool Four. Pools Two and Three provided
significant shocks, with Italy losing 3-2 against
Sweden and England falling to their most embarrassing
defeat in their history - 1-0 against the USA.
There was no World Cup final, with four teams -
Brazil, Sweden, Uruguay and Spain - competing in a
final pool. Conveniently, Brazil and Uruguay faced
each other in the final game to decide who would top
the group and ultimately claim the prize - Alcide
Ghiggia netting a late winner for Uruguay in a 2-1
victory.
SWITZERLAND 1954
Hungary arrived in Switzerland as the strongest
favourites in World Cup history and they almost lived
up to their billing. With Ferenc Puskas, Nandor
Hidegkuti and Sandor Kocsis scoring goals for fun, the
'Magic Magyars' rattled in 17 goals in two group
matches - beating Korea 9-0 and West Germany 8-3. The
Hungarians clashed with Brazil in the 'Battle of
Berne' in the quarter-finals. Three players were sent
off and players from both sides were later involved in
a dressing-room brawl.
England drew 4-4 with Belgium in their opening match and secured a quarter-final place with a 2-0 win against Switzerland, but that was as far as they went. Scotland made an early exit from the competition, losing both matches and failing to score. In the game of the tournament, Austria beat Switzerland 7-5. The Swiss scored three goals in 20 minutes, only for Austria to hit back with three strikes in as many minutes. In one seven-with two goals as they claimed a shock 3-2 victory.
SWEDEN 1958
The first World Cup to receive television coverage
provided enthralling entertainment, as Edson Arantes
do Nascimento - Pele - burst onto the scene. The
17-year-old lined up alongside Didi and Garrincha as
the Samba stars played a bold 4-2-4 formation.
Just Fontaine was exciting in the France attack, netting a World Cup record of 13 goals in six matches. All four home nations qualified for the competition for the first and last time to date, with Northern Ireland eliminating Italy and Wales winning a play-off against Hungary to reach the quarter-finals. They then limited Brazil to just one goal in their defeat in the last eight.
The Munich air disaster earlier in the year had decimated the England side and they failed to get past the first round. Hosts Sweden were the surprise package of the tournament, beating West Germany 3-1 in the semi-final after Erich Juskowiak's 57th-minute dismissal. Pele scored a hat-trick in 23 minutes as Brazil destroyed France 5-2 in the other semi.
In the final,
Pele scored the goal of the tournament. With his back
to goal, he trapped the ball on the chest, lobbed it
over his head, spun the defender and thundered a
volley home to make the score 3-1. Two goals from Vava,
a Mario Zagallo strike and another from Pele sealed a
5-2 win.
CHILE 1962
Brazil retained their crown without the injured Pele,
who tore a thigh muscle in the first group match
against Mexico. Garrincha took centre stage as the
Brazilians adopted a 4-3-3 formation.
Czechoslovakia were the surprise team of a tournament marred by violence. The 'Battle of Santiago' between Chile and Italy was remembered for all the wrong reasons as the game turned into a violent confrontation, with spitting, fighting and two-footed tackles. Just two players were sent off as the referee missed Leonel Sanchez breaking Humberto Maschio's nose with a left hook.
Chile beat
nine-man Italy 2-0. Garrincha helped Brazil to a 3-1
win against England in the quarter-finals and wreaked
havoc in the semi-final victory against Chile before
being sent off for retaliation.
The Czechs, who had beaten Yugoslavia 3-1 in the other
semi-final in front of just 5,000 spectators, took the
lead against Brazil in the final through Josef
Masopust. But goals from Amarildo - dubbed the 'White
Pele' - Zito and Vava secured a second consecutive
tournament win for the Brazilians.
ENGLAND 1966
The 1966 World Cup was won by the host nation for the
first time in 32 years. North Korea were responsible
for one of the greatest shocks of all time when they
beat Italy 1-0 and qualified for the quarter-finals.
Portugal then came from three goals down to beat them
5-3, with striker Eusebio scoring four times.
England were
held to a 0-0 draw by Uruguay in their first match and
then beat both Mexico and France to secure a play-off
place.
West Germany topped their group, beating Spain and
Switzerland and drawing with Argentina. The Soviet
Union were beaten 2-1 by the Germans in the first
semi-final, while England faced Portugal. Bobby
Charlton upstaged Eusebio to score twice in a 2-1 win.
In the final,
West Germany took the lead through Helmut Haller's
strike. Geoff Hurst equalised and Martin Peters then
fired England ahead. Still leading in injury-time,
Wolfgang Weber broke English hearts with an equaliser.
In extra-time England scored one of the most disputed
goals in history. Alan Ball crossed for Hurst to thump
a shot against the underside of the crossbar, with the
ball bouncing down on the goalline. The referee was
unsure whether to award a goal, but Soviet linesman
Tofik Bakhramov did not hesitate and their lead was
restored. And, as Kenneth Wolstenholme was uttering
those now immortal words with people on the pitch,
Hurst blasted home a fourth to complete his hat-trick.
MEXICO 1970
Brazil had assembled one the greatest teams ever to
grace a football pitch as they once again lifted the
World Cup. There were no surprises in Groups One and
Two, with the Soviet Union, Mexico, Italy and Uruguay
qualifying.
Brazil met an England side which was said to be better than 1966 in Group Three in the tie of the competition. With just 10 minutes gone, Jairzinho sent over the perfect cross for Pele. He timed his run and jump perfectly, heading downwards for what looked to be a certain goal. Gordon Banks had other ideas, however, producing one of the greatest saves of all time, managing to somehow twist his body to push the ball over the crossbar.
England qualified, despite losing 1-0, but went down 3-2 to West Germany in the quarter-finals. Jairzinho scored the winning goal as he went on to notch strikes in all six games. Italy booked a place in the final with a dramatic win against West Germany. Karl-Heinz Schnellinger grabbed an injury-time equaliser to make it 1-1 and force extra-time. A tight game suddenly opened up and despite the best efforts of tournament top scorer Gerd Muller, Italy finally secured a 4-3 victory.
The Italians were swept aside in the final. Pele, Gerson, Jairzinho and, after a languid and sublime team move, Carlos Alberto, were all on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win.
WEST
GERMANY 1974
Holland and West Germany met in the final of a
competition dominated by the Europeans. The
trophy returned to West Germany after 20
years, with Franz Beckenbauer proving a
powerhouse in both defence and attack.
Unfancied Poland shocked millions of
onlookers, finishing third by beating Brazil
1-0. Grzegorz Lato finished as the top scorer
with seven goals.
FIFA unveiled a new format for the championships, with two sets of group matches. Brazil, without Pele who had now retired, scraped through to the second stage by finishing runners-up in Group Two, while Holland conceded just one goal as they eased through. In the second round, Holland topped Group A, with West Germany sitting pretty in Group B, as the two best footballers in the world at that time came head to head in the final.
Beckenbauer
came out on top against Johann Cruyff as the
Germans recorded a 2-1 win. Holland took the
lead straight from the kick-off when Cruyff
was brought down by Uli Hoeness in the box and
Johann Neeskens converted the spot-kick. West
Germany equalised with a penalty of their own.
Bernd Holzenbein was tripped by Wim Jansen and
Paul Breitner scored, before Gerd Muller's
43rd-minute strike secured victory.
ARGENTINA 1978
The Dutch masters were to fall at the final
hurdle for the second consecutive competition
as Argentina scooped their first World Cup on
home turf. Their path to glory was not without
controversy however, as suspicions arose that
Peru's Argentinian-born goalkeeper Ramon
Quiroga had done little to prevent the hosts
from scoring the goals they needed to secure a
place in the final. They needed to win by more
than four goals and ran out 6-0 victors.
In the group stages, Poland were once again impressive, while West Germany were held to a surprising 0-0 draw by Tunisia. Italy and Germany played not to lose, while Holland thrilled with their attacking style. Scotland faced the humiliation of losing 3-1 against Peru and scraping a 1-1 draw against Iran, while off the field, Willie Johnston was sent home for failing a random drugs test. They went out in style, however, by beating Holland 3-2, Archie Gemmill sealing victory with a stunning solo goal.
Holland
faced Germany in a repeat of the 1974 final in
the second group stage, as one of the best
games of the tournament finished 2-2. This
sent the Dutch through to the final against
the hosts, who had held off the challenge of
South American rivals Brazil. Mario Kempes -
the tournament's top scorer with six goals -
was the star, scoring twice as Argentina won
3-1 after extra-time.
SPAIN 1982
Italy were the deserved winners in Spain after
a slow start. West Germany, the beaten
finalists, lost 2-1 to Algeria in the shock
result of the early rounds.
England started strongly, coasting through to the second stage with victories over France (3-1), Czechoslovakia (2-0) and Kuwait (1-0). Bryan Robson scored the finals' fastest-ever goal after just 27 seconds of their opening match, a record which stood until 2002, but without injured duo Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking they failed to progress any further.
Northern Ireland impressed, 17-year-old Norman Whiteside setting a record for the youngest player to appear in the competition as they beat hosts Spain 1-0. The game of the tournament saw Italy lead Brazil three times, with the Samba stars hitting back twice - but they still lost 3-2. Paolo Rossi was the star of the show with a brilliant hat-trick as he finished top scorer with six goals.
In the
semi-finals he scored twice more as Poland
were beaten 2-0. The other semi was thrilling,
with West Germany beating France. Goalkeeper
Harald Schumacher escaped punishment for an
appalling foul on Patrick Battiston as the
game finished 3-3 with a penalty shoot-out
sending the Germans through. The final was
disappointing as a tired Germany side lost 3-1
with goals from Rossi, Marco Tardelli and
Alessandro Altobelli giving the Italians
victory.
MEXICO 1986
Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players to
grace the game, led Argentina to glory in
Mexico. The diminutive forward was to cause
controversy, however, as he ended England's
World Cup aspirations in the quarter-finals.
With the scores level at 0-0, a bizarre
attempt at a clearance from Steve Hodge headed
towards Peter Shilton. Maradona jumped with
the goalkeeper, flicking the ball into the net
with his hand. After the match, Maradona
boasted about his efforts, calling it the
'Hand of God'. There was no reason to dispute
his second strike though. A solo run saw him
take on Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Gary
Stevens, Terry Butcher and Terry Fenwick
before slotting the ball past Shilton. England
fought hard and got one back through
tournament top scorer Gary Lineker, but they
could not force an equaliser.
Argentina beat Belgium 2-0 in the semi-finals to meet West Germany who had beaten Mexico on penalties to reach the last four, and France 2-0 to book a place in the final. Argentina led 2-0 through Jose-Luis Brown and Jorge Valdano, only for Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Rudi Voller to level the scores late on. Just two minutes later, however, an inspired Maradona pass picked out Jorge Burruchaga, who raced through to snatch victory for the South Americans.
ITALY
1990
Italia '90 had a distinct lack of goals
and shortage of stunning strikes as West
Germany won a dour final against defending
champions Argentina.
Cameroon caused a massive upset in the opening game of the tournament, beating the Argentinians with a solitary strike from Francois Omam-Biyik and ending the match with nine men. The Africans enjoyed a prolonged spell in the championships, reaching the quarter-finals before England ended their dream 3-2 in extra-time. England had reached the last eight thanks to a stunning volley from David Platt at the end of extra-time against Belgium. Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci was the star for Italy as he ended the tournament with six goals and the Golden Boot. Scotland were humiliated 1-0 by Costa Rica, bounced back against Sweden before crashing out with a loss to Brazil. In contrast, the Republic of Ireland reached the last 16 in their first appearance in the finals.
In
the semi-finals, England lost to Germany
on penalties after drawing 1-1 at the end
of 90 minutes with Gary Lineker equalising.
Paul Gascoigne, after receiving his second
yellow card of the tournament, broke down
in tears as he pondered missing out on the
final should England have got there. In
the final, Germany finally got the better
of Argentina with an Andreas Brehme
penalty settling the tie. The South
Americans had two players sent off in a
dreadful match.
USA 1994
Brazil sealed a record fourth World Cup
win with a penalty shoot-out win against
Italy. In the group stages, Maradona
inspired Argentina to wins against Greece
and Nigeria - but he was then sent home in
disgrace for failing a drugs test as their
hopes faded.
Republic of Ireland shocked finalists Italy with a 1-0 win in their opening match, but lost 2-0 to Holland in the second phase. Brazil topped Group B and faced the hosts in the second round. The Americans slipped to an Independence Day defeat, losing 1-0. Sweden beat Saudi Arabia 3-1 in their clash, while Italy came from behind to snatch an extra-time win against Nigeria. Roberto Baggio was the hero in the quarter-finals as Italy beat Spain 2-1, while Sweden reached the semi-finals with a shoot-out victory against Romania after a 2-2 draw. Brazil beat Holland 2-1, while Bulgaria came from behind to knock Germany out 2-1.
A
double from tournament star Baggio helped
Italy to a 2-1 win against Bulgaria in the
last four, while Brazil beat Sweden 1-0.
The final went to penalties with Baggio
the unfortunate culprit for Italy as he
blasted the decisive kick over.
FRANCE 1998
France became champions for the first time
as they swept to victory, beating an
out-of-sorts Brazil side 3-0 in the final.
Brazil and Italy topped their respective
groups, while eventual winners France
breezed through, taking maximum points
with the raw talent of Thierry Henry
impressing on the wing. England finished
second to Romania in Group G. A 2-1 defeat
against the Romanians was sandwiched
between wins over Tunisia and Colombia.
Argentina were looking dangerous as they
also scooped nine points.
In the second round, Brazil cruised to a 4-1 win against Chile, while in contrast, France scraped a 1-0 win against Paraguay with Laurent Blanc scoring a 'golden goal'. England battled bravely against Argentina, only to lose on penalties. Michael Owen launched himself onto the world stage by scoring the goal of the tournament, a solo run ended with a superb shot into the top corner. In the quarter-finals, France were less than convincing in their shoot-out win against Italy, while Brazil beat a spirited Denmark side 3-2. A fantastic moment of individual brilliance saw Dennis Bergkamp seal a 2-1 victory for Holland against Argentina, while an exciting Croatia side crushed Germany 3-0.
In
the semi-finals, Brazil overcame Holland
on penalties after a 1-1 draw, while
defender Lilian Thuram scored twice for
France to end Croatian hopes. Ronaldo made
the headlines in the build-up to the final
as his name was initially left off the
teamsheet before he eventually did
participate. Zinedine Zidane stole the
show, scoring twice in a 3-0 win for the
French.
JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA 2002
A tournament of shocks culminated in the
competition's two great powerhouses,
Brazil and Germany, meeting for the first
time in World Cup history in the final in
Yokohama.
Argentina and holders France were first-round casualties while Italy were dumped out in the second round by co-hosts South Korea. Brazil were impressive from the off as the 'Three Rs' - Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho - proved to be their inspiration. They came from a goal down to beat England in the quarter-finals before beating Turkey in the last four. South Korea also reached the semis before losing to Germany, while World Cup debutants Senegal exceeded all expectation by getting to the last eight.
Oliver
Kahn's heroic goalkeeping was a key factor
in a largely unconvincing German side
reaching the final but he was at fault as
Ronaldo put Brazil ahead, and the Real
Madrid striker added a second to seal
Brazil's fifth world title.
Germany 2006
The FIFA World Cup ended up in Italian hands in 2006 after an Azzurri triumph that owed everything to teamwork. The abiding memory of the Final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium may be of Zinedine Zidane's meltdown, the France veteran earning an red card for headbutting Marco Materazzi, but there was much to admire about the Italian effort that earned them a fourth world crown.
Led by coach Marcello Lippi, who had enjoyed great success with Juventus, and seemingly galvanised by the match-fixing scandal unfolding back at home, the Italians' quality was enhanced by an obvious camaraderie. Twenty-one of their 23-man squad played and ten of them found the net at these finals.
With a defence built around goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and captain Fabio Cannavaro, Italy defended as well as anyone in FIFA World Cup history, conceding just two goals, one an own goal, the other a penalty. The silk-and-steel midfield combination of Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso also caught the eye, as did the swashbuckling raids of full-backs Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso.
It was the Grosso's goal that swung a superb semi-final against Germany the Italians' way and his spot-kick that sealed victory in the Final shoot-out after a 1-1 draw. Remarkably, it was the Azzurri's first victory on penalties, laying to rest the ghosts of three past failures on the world stage, notably in the 1994 final.
But this FIFA World Cup was not simply an Italian success story. Jurgen Klinsmann's young Germany side took third place on the back of an attractive brand of high-tempo, attacking football. The hosts finished as top scorers with 14 goals, five of them from adidas Golden Shoe winner Miroslav Klose and three from Lukas Podolski, the Gillette Best Young Player.
More than anything, Klinsmann's Nationalmannschaft captured the spirit of Germany 2006. If the old stereotype of dour German efficiency was dismantled by their team's youthful vibrancy on the pitch, off it the German public gave real meaning to the tournament motto 'A time to make friends'. Huge numbers congregated in fan parks across the country and the host country displayed unstinting generosity towards its many visitors.
The month of football in Germany captivated not just the 3,359,439 spectators attending matches in the 12 magnificent stadiums (and Fan Fest millions) but also an estimated worldwide audience of more than 30 billion people. All looked on as a cast list incorporating 32 teams from Angola to the USA conspired to excite, enthral and occasionally exasperate during a 64-match, 147-goal marathon.
They had plenty to savour, including the sight of Zidane rolling back the years to help Raymond Domenech's France see off Spain and Brazil en route to Berlin. The 33-year-old's efforts earned him the adidas Golden Ball but although he found the net against Italy, eight years after scoring twice in the 1998 Final, there was no happy ending.
Portugal's flying winger Cristiano Ronaldo was another individual to shine as his team reached the last four for the first time since 1966. In losing to France, however, Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari fell just short of reaching a second successive Final following his 2002 triumph with Brazil.
Although the semi-finals were an all-European affair, other nations gave notable performances. Before succumbing on penalties to Germany, Argentina provided some sparkling football and scored the best 'team' goal when Esteban Cambiasso concluded a 24-man passing move in their 6-0 humbling of Serbia and Montenegro. And possibly the best individual goal too, in Maxi Rodriguez's stunning volley that beat a strong Mexico team.
The African newcomers had reason for pride also. Cote d'Ivoire gave Argentina and the Netherlands scares despite losing to both, Angola earned draws with Mexico and Iran, and an attack-minded Ghana team driven by Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien beat the Czech Republic and USA before going down to Brazil in the Round of 16.
Other highlights included tiny Trinidad and Tobago holding Sweden to a goalless draw on their finals debut; Ecuador beating Poland and Costa Rica to reach the second round for the first time; and the spirited Australians fighting back to beat Japan with three goals in the last ten minutes on their way to the last 16. Credit too to Switzerland's defence which went unbreached in their four matches.
Inevitably, there were also disappointments. Although Ronaldo entered the record books with his 15th FIFA World Cup goal, Brazil's star names underachieved, despite reaching the last eight, and the same applied to England. The Asian teams failed to build on their breakthrough displays in 2002 and headed home early. As the tournament progressed, the knockout stages proved low on goals, Germany 2006 had the lowest goals average since 1990 and also surprises, save possibly for Ukraine's progress to the quarter-finals. There they lost to Italy but there was no shame in that. Cannavaro and Co would prove worthy winners.
FIFA World Cup - History Guide
For further detailed information on the history of the World Cup, click here to visit the interactive guide at FIFA.com.
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