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Football World Cup: The Most Popular and Prestigious Sporting Event in the World



Football World Cup: History, Facts, and Winners




The football world cup is one of the most popular and prestigious sporting events in the world. It is a tournament that showcases the best national teams in men's association football, also known as soccer. The winner of the tournament is crowned as the world champion of football. But how did this tournament start and what are some of the interesting facts and stories behind it? Who are the most successful teams and players in its history? And who will win the next edition of the tournament in 2022? In this article, we will explore these questions and more.




football world cup




Introduction




The football world cup is organized by FIFA, which stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or International Federation of Association Football. FIFA is the global governing body of football, responsible for regulating and promoting the sport worldwide. FIFA was founded in 1904 in Paris, France, by representatives from seven European countries. Today, FIFA has 211 member associations from all continents.


The first football world cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay, a South American country that had won two consecutive Olympic gold medals in football in 1924 and 1928. Uruguay invited 13 teams to participate in the inaugural edition of the tournament, which they also won by defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final. Since then, except for 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of World War II, the tournament has been held every four years. The current format of the tournament involves a two-year qualifying process, involving over 200 teams from around the world, followed by a final tournament of 32 teams that lasts for about a month.


History of the football world cup




The idea of organizing a global football tournament was proposed by Jules Rimet, a French lawyer who became FIFA president in 1921. He was inspired by the success of Olympic football, which had been played since 1900. However, he faced many challenges and oppositions from various parties, such as European clubs who did not want to release their players for international duty, or British associations who were reluctant to join FIFA. Rimet persevered and managed to convince Uruguay to host and finance the first tournament in 1930.


Some of the major events and milestones in the history of the football world cup are:


  • In 1934, Italy hosted and won its first title, beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 in extra time. Italy repeated its success in 1938 in France, becoming the first team to defend its title.



  • In 1950, Brazil hosted its first tournament after a 12-year hiatus due to World War II. The final round was a round-robin group of four teams, with Uruguay beating Brazil 2-1 in front of nearly 200,000 fans at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. This match is known as Maracanazo, meaning the shock of losing at home.



  • In 1954, Switzerland hosted the tournament, which saw the highest average goals per game (5.38) in history. Hungary, led by the legendary Ferenc Puskás, scored a record 27 goals in five matches, but lost 3-2 to West Germany in the final. This match is known as the Miracle of Bern, as West Germany came back from 2-0 down to win their first title.



  • In 1958, Sweden hosted the tournament, which saw the emergence of a 17-year-old Brazilian star named Pelé. He scored six goals in four matches, including two in the final against Sweden, which Brazil won 5-2. This was Brazil's first title and the start of their dominance in world football.



  • In 1966, England hosted and won its first and only title, beating West Germany 4-2 in extra time. The final was marred by a controversial goal by England's Geoff Hurst, which may or may not have crossed the line. The referee awarded the goal after consulting with his linesman, who was from Azerbaijan. This match is known as the Wembley Goal or the Ghost Goal.



  • In 1970, Mexico hosted the tournament, which was the first to be broadcast in color. Brazil won its third title and became the first team to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently. Brazil's team is widely regarded as one of the best ever, featuring players such as Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivelino, Gerson, and Carlos Alberto. Brazil beat Italy 4-1 in the final, with Carlos Alberto scoring one of the most memorable goals in history.



  • In 1974, West Germany hosted and won its second title, beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the final. The Netherlands introduced a revolutionary style of play called Total Football, which involved fluid movement and positional interchange among all players. Their star player was Johan Cruyff, who won the Golden Ball award as the best player of the tournament.



  • In 1978, Argentina hosted and won its first title, beating the Netherlands 3-1 in extra time. The tournament was overshadowed by political turmoil and human rights violations in Argentina, which was under a military dictatorship at the time. Some matches were allegedly influenced by bribery or intimidation, such as Argentina's 6-0 win over Peru, which allowed them to advance to the final round.



  • In 1982, Spain hosted the tournament, which was expanded from 16 to 24 teams. Italy won its third title, beating West Germany 3-1 in the final. Italy's star player was Paolo Rossi, who scored six goals in three matches, including a hat-trick against Brazil in one of the most thrilling matches ever. Rossi had just returned from a two-year ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.



  • In 1986, Mexico hosted the tournament for the second time, after Colombia withdrew due to economic and security reasons. Argentina won its second title, beating West Germany 3-2 in the final. Argentina's star player was Diego Maradona, who scored five goals and assisted five more, including two iconic goals against England in the quarter-finals: one with his hand (the Hand of God) and one with his feet (the Goal of the Century).



  • In 1990, Italy hosted the tournament for the second time, which saw a record low average goals per game (2.21) and a record high number of penalty shoot-outs (four). West Germany won its third title, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final with a late penalty kick by Andreas Brehme. Argentina became the first team to have a player sent off in a final (Pedro Monzón) and also had another player sent off later (Gustavo Dezotti).



  • In 1994, the United States hosted the tournament for the first time, which saw a record attendance of nearly 3.6 million fans. Brazil won its fourth title, beating Italy 3-2 on penalty shoot-outs after a 0-0 draw in the final. Brazil's star player was Romário, who scored five goals and won the Golden Ball award. The tournament also featured the emergence of new stars such as Bulgaria's Hristo Stoichkov, who won the Golden Boot award with six goals, and Nigeria's Rashidi Yekini, who scored his country's first ever goal at the world cup.



  • In 1998, France hosted the tournament for the second time, which was expanded from 24 to 32 teams. France won its first title, beating Brazil 3-0 in the final. France's star player was Zinedine Zidane, who scored two goals in the final and won the Golden Ball award. The tournament also marked the debut of Croatia, who finished third, and the farewell of Saudi Arabia's Saeed Al-Owairan, who scored one of the best solo goals ever against Belgium.



  • In 2002, Japan and South Korea co-hosted the tournament for the first time, which was also the first time it was held in Asia. Brazil won its fifth title, beating Germany 2-0 in the final. Brazil's star player was Ronaldo, who scored eight goals and won the Golden Boot award. The tournament also saw the surprise performances of Senegal, who reached the quarter-finals in their debut, and Turkey, who finished fourth.



  • In 2006, Germany hosted the tournament for the second time, which saw a record number of yellow and red cards (345 and 28 respectively). Italy won its fourth title, beating France 5-3 on penalty shoot-outs after a 1-1 draw in the final. Italy's star player was Fabio Cannavaro, who won the Golden Ball award as the captain and leader of the defense. The tournament also witnessed the infamous headbutt by Zidane on Marco Materazzi in the final, which resulted in Zidane's red card and his retirement from football.



  • In 2010, South Africa hosted the tournament for the first time, which was also the first time it was held in Africa. Spain won its first title, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in extra time. Spain's star player was Andrés Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the final and won the Silver Ball award. The tournament also featured the first use of goal-line technology to verify whether a ball crossed the line or not.



  • In 2014, Brazil hosted the tournament for the second time, which saw a record number of goals scored (171). Germany won its fourth title, beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time. Germany's star player was Manuel Neuer, who won the Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper of the tournament. The tournament also witnessed one of the most shocking results ever, when Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals.



  • In 2018, Russia hosted the tournament for the first time, which saw a record number of penalty kicks awarded (29) and scored (22). France won its second title, beating Croatia 4-2 in the final. France's star player was Kylian Mbappé, who scored four goals and won the Best Young Player award. The tournament also featured the first use of video assistant referee (VAR) to review and correct decisions by the on-field referee.



Facts about the football world cup




The football world cup is full of interesting and surprising facts that reflect the diversity and richness of the sport and its culture. Here are some of them:


  • The most goals scored in a single match was 12, when Austria beat Switzerland 7-5 in 1954.



  • The fastest goal scored in a match was 11 seconds, by Turkey's Hakan Şükür against South Korea in 2002.



  • The oldest player to play in a match was 45 years and 161 days old, Egypt's Essam El-Hadary against Saudi Arabia in 2018.



  • The youngest player to play in a match was 17 years and 41 days old, Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside against Yugoslavia in 1982.



  • The most appearances in the tournament was 25, by Germany's Lothar Matthäus from 1982 to 1998.



  • The most goals scored in the tournament was 16, by Germany's Miroslav Klose from 2002 to 2014.



  • The most titles won by a coach was three, by Brazil's Mário Zagallo in 1958, 1962, and 1970.



  • The most expensive ticket sold for a match was $3,000, for the final between France and Croatia in 2018.



  • The most watched match on television was the final between Germany and Argentina in 2014, with an estimated audience of over one billion people.



  • The most attended match in person was the final between Uruguay and Brazil in 1950, with an official attendance of 199,854 people at Maracanã Stadium.



Winners of the football world cup




The football world cup has seen many teams and players achieve glory and fame by winning the coveted trophy. Here are some of the winners of the tournament:



CountryTitlesYears


Brazil51958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002


Germany41954, 1974, 1990, 2014


Italy41934, 1938, 1982, 2006


Argentina21978, 1986


France21998, 2018


Uruguay21930, 1950


England11966


Spain12010


Total21


The players who have won the most individual awards and honors at the football world cup are:


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Award/HonorPlayer(s)


Golden Ball (best player)Pelé (Brazil), Diego Maradona (Argentina), Zinedine Zidane (France), Lionel Messi (Argentina)


Golden Boot (top scorer)Ronaldo (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany)


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Golden Glove (best goalkeeper)Fabien Barthez (France), Oliver Kahn (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany)


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Best Young Player (under-21)Pelé (Brazil), Michael Owen (England), Thomas Müller (Germany), Kylian Mbappé (France)


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FIFA Fair Play Award (most sporting team)Brazil (four times), Spain (two times), England (two times)


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FIFA All-Star Team (best XI players)Pelé (Brazil), Diego Maradona (Argentina), Zinedine Zidane (France), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Port ugal), Luka Modrić (Croatia)


The countries and players who are expected to win the next football world cup in 2022 are:


  • France, who are the defending champions and have a talented and balanced squad, led by Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, and N'Golo Kanté.



  • Brazil, who are the most successful team in history and have a strong and experienced squad, led by Neymar, Roberto Firmino, and Casemiro.



  • Germany, who are the four-time champions and have a young and dynamic squad, led by Timo Werner, Joshua Kimmich, and Manuel Neuer.



  • Spain, who are the 2010 champions and have a creative and versatile squad, led by Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets, and Thiago Alcântara.



  • Belgium, who are the current number one ranked team in the world and have a golden generation of players, led by Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Eden Hazard.



  • Argentina, who are the two-time champions and have one of the best players ever, Lionel Messi, along with other stars such as Sergio Agüero, Ángel Di María, and Paulo Dybala.



Conclusion




The football world cup is more than just a sport. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, and unity. It is a spectacle that brings joy, excitement, and passion to millions of people around the world. It is a history that tells stories of triumphs, tragedies, heroes, villains, miracles, and controversies. It is a competition that showcases the best of human skills, talents, and spirit. It is a dream that inspires generations of players and fans to pursue their goals and aspirations.


The football world cup is the ultimate prize in football. It is the glory that every team and player wants to achieve. It is the challenge that every fan wants to witness. It is the event that every lover of football wants to experience. The football world cup is the beautiful game at its finest.


What do you think of the football world cup? Do you have a favorite team or player? Who do you think will win the next tournament in 2022? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.


FAQs




Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the football world cup:


  • Q: How many teams will participate in the 2022 football world cup?



  • A: The 2022 football world cup will have 32 teams as usual. However, FIFA has decided to expand the tournament to 48 teams from 2026 onwards.



  • Q: Where will the 2022 football world cup be held?



  • A: The 2022 football world cup will be held in Qatar, which will be the first Arab country and the smallest country by area to host the tournament.



  • Q: When will the 2022 football world cup be held?



  • A: The 2022 football world cup will be held from November 21 to December 18, which will be the first time it will be held in winter instead of summer due to the hot climate of Qatar.



  • Q: Which team has scored the most goals in a single football world cup?



  • A: The team that has scored the most goals in a single football world cup is Hungary, who scored 27 goals in five matches in 1954.



  • Q: Which player has scored the most goals in a single football world cup?



  • A: The player that has scored the most goals in a single football world cup is France's Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in six matches in 1958.



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