View source for History of the FIFA World Cup

{{short description|FIFA World Cup history}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
The [[FIFA World Cup]] was [[1930 FIFA World Cup|first held in 1930]], when [[FIFA]], the world's football governing body, decided to stage an international men's [[association football|football]] tournament under the era of FIFA president [[Jules Rimet]] who put this idea into place. [[Jules Rimet]] was the president of FIFA from 1921 to 1954. Rimet was appreciated so much for bringing the idea of FIFA to life that in 1946 the trophy was named the Jules Rimet Cup instead of the World Cup Trophy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chyzowych |first=Walt |title=The World Cup |publisher=Icarus Press |year=1982 |isbn=0-89651-900-7 |edition=1st |location=South Bend, Indiana |pages=2 |language=English}}</ref> The inaugural edition, held in 1930, was contested as a final tournament of only thirteen teams invited by the organization. Since then, the World Cup has experienced successive expansions and format remodeling, with its current 48-team final tournament preceded by a two-year qualifying process involving over 200 teams worldwide.

==International football before 1930==
[[File:1872 engl v scotland ralston.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the [[1872 Scotland v England football match|first international match]] between England and Scotland, 1872]]
The [[1872 Scotland v England football match|first official international football match]] was played in 1872 in [[Glasgow]] between [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] and [[England national football team|England]],<ref name="first match">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0012/ |title=The first international football match |work=Scotland – A Sporting Nation |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=17 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919112239/https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0012/ |archive-date=19 September 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> although at this stage the sport was rarely played outside Great Britain.

At the end of the 19th century, games that were considered the "[[Football World Championship|football world championship]]" were meetings between leading English and Scottish clubs, like the [[1895 World Championship (football)|1895 game]] between [[Sunderland A.F.C.]] and the [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.]], which Sunderland won.<ref name=blazed>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/apr/25/even-when-sunderland-ruled-the-globe-club-world-cups-were-controversial|title=Sunderland's Victorian all-stars blazed trail for money's rule of football |work=The Guardian |author=Jonathan Wilson|date=2020-04-25|access-date=2020-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425193627/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/apr/25/even-when-sunderland-ruled-the-globe-club-world-cups-were-controversial|archive-date=2020-04-25|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk/issue-5/when-sunderland-met-hearts-in-the-first-ever-champions-league-match/ When Sunderland met Hearts in the first ever 'Champions League' match | Nutmeg Magazine], {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713130057/https://www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk/issue-5/when-sunderland-met-hearts-in-the-first-ever-champions-league-match/ |date=13 July 2020}}, Nutmeg Magazine, September 2017</ref><ref name = "London Hearts">{{cite web|title=Sat 27 April 1895 Hearts 3 Sunderland 5|url=http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/games/189504271.html|work=londonhearts.com|access-date=27 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216082058/http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/games/189504271.html|archive-date=16 December 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name = "Roker Roar">{{cite web|url=http://www.roker-roar.com/navbar/worldchampions.html|title=World Champions!|work=roker-roar.com|access-date=27 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323230923/http://www.roker-roar.com/navbar/worldchampions.html|archive-date=23 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.1sports1.com/most-successful-era-of-some-famous-english-clubs/|title=Most Successful Era Of Some Famous English Clubs|date=2018-01-04|website=1SPORTS1|access-date=2019-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228131738/https://www.1sports1.com/most-successful-era-of-some-famous-english-clubs/|archive-date=2017-02-28|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the twentieth century, football had gained ground all around the world and national football associations were being founded. The first official international match outside the [[British Isles]] was played between [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] and [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] in [[Montevideo]] in July 1902.<ref name="First">{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/argurures.html |title=ARGENTINA-URUGUAY Matches 1902–2009 |publisher=RSSSF |first=Héctor Darío |last=Pelayes |date=24 September 2010 |access-date=27 April 2011 |archive-date=13 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713180922/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/argurures.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Fédération Internationale de Football Association ([[FIFA]]) was founded in [[Paris]] on 21 May 1904 – comprising football associations from France, Belgium (the preceding two teams having played their first national against each other earlier in the month), Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, with Germany pledging to join.<ref name="formation">{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/historyfifa1.html |title=History of FIFA – Foundation |access-date=2 August 2009 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615200849/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/historyfifa1.html |archive-date=15 June 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

As football began to increase in popularity, it was contested as an [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]]-recognized [[Olympic sport]] at the [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]] and [[1904 Summer Olympics]], as well as at the [[1906 Intercalated Games]], before becoming an official FIFA-supervised Olympic competition at the [[1908 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="1908 Games">{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=196952/overview.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023010953/http://fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=196952/overview.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 October 2007 |title=London, 1908 |work=Men's Olympic Football Tournament |publisher=[[FIFA]] |access-date=17 January 2009}}</ref> Organised by England's [[The Football Association|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 Summer Olympics|1912]].

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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110509012624/http://www.iffhs.de/?28d6edaca29d815685fdcdc3bfcdc0aec010 1906 - Athens] at the IFFHS (archived)</ref>

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]] in 1908, was one of the first, and the following year; Sir [[Thomas Lipton]] organized 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'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westauckland.plus.com/westaucklandweb/worldcup.html |title=The First World Cup |access-date=13 November 2018 |publisher=West Auckland and St. Helen's community |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232416/http://www.westauckland.plus.com/westaucklandweb/worldcup.html |archive-date=26 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> at the expense of its less well-known Italian predecessor.

In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognize the Olympic tournament as a "world football championship for amateurs",<ref>{{cite web|title=Where it all began |url=https://www.fifa.com/en/history/history/0,1283,4,00.html |publisher=FIFA official website |access-date=10 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202034147/http://www.fifa.com/en/history/history/0%2C1283%2C4%2C00.html |archive-date=2 February 2007 |url-status=dead|df=dmy-all }}</ref> and took responsibility for organizing the event. This led the way for the world's first intercontinental football competition, at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]], won by [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]].<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1920f-det.html VII. Olympiad Antwerp 1920 Football Tournament] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922145329/https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1920f-det.html |date=22 September 2022 }} [[RSSSF|rec. sport. soccer Statistics Foundation]]. Retrieved on 10 June 2006.</ref> Uruguay won the tournaments in [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]] and [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928]].

==Beginning of the World Cup==
[[File:Estadio Centenario 1930.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Estadio Centenario|Centenario Stadium]] in the Uruguayan city of Montevideo, stage of the final of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930]]

In 1930, FIFA made the decision to stage their own international tournament. The [[1932 Summer Olympics]], held in [[Los Angeles]], did not plan to include football as part of the programme because the sport was not popular [[soccer in the United States|in the United States]]. FIFA and the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] also disagreed over the status of amateur players, and so football was dropped from the Games.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A565148 The Football World Cup - An Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503183912/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A565148 |date=3 May 2011 }}, [[h2g2]]. Retrieved on 1 March 2006.</ref> FIFA president [[Jules Rimet]] thus set about organizing the [[1930 FIFA World Cup|inaugural World Cup tournament]]. With Uruguay now a two-time official world champion and due to celebrate its centenary of independence in 1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country. 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 the European sides at the time of the [[Great Depression]]. No European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/pwc/1930.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426212450/http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/pwc/1930.html |archivedate=26 April 2006 |title=FIFA World Cup&nbsp;– Classic Moments from FIFA World Cup History |work=FIFA |accessdate=14 June 2009 }}</ref> Rimet eventually persuaded teams from [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]], [[France national football team|France]], [[Romania national football team|Romania]], [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] and [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] to make the trip.<ref>Stewart, Mark. Soccer: A History of the World's Most Popular Game. New York: F. Watts, 1998. Print.</ref> 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 [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], who beat [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] 4–1 and [[Belgium national football team|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 U.S. in the Americans' 3–0 win against [[Paraguay national football team|Paraguay]]. In the [[1930 FIFA World Cup final|final]], [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] defeated [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] 4–2 in front of a crowd of 93,000 people in [[Montevideo]] to become the first nation to win a World Cup.<ref>[http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/releases/en/fwc_origin_en.pdf FIFA World Cup Origin] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051016062844/http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/releases/en/fwc_origin_en.pdf |date=16 October 2005 }} FIFA Media Release. Retrieved on 9 January 2006.</ref>

The [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]] was hosted by Italy and was the first World Cup to include a qualification stage. Sixteen 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 attendance at their World Cup in 1930, boycotted the 1934 World Cup. [[Bolivia national football team|Bolivia]] and [[Paraguay national football team|Paraguay]] were also absent, allowing Argentina and [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] to progress to the finals in Italy without having to play any qualifying matches. [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]] became the first African team to compete, but lost to Hungary in the first round. [[Italy national football team|Italy]] won the tournament, becoming the first European team to do so.

The [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938 World Cup]] competition was also held in Europe (in France), 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 qualifications.  Following a play-off match against [[Latvia national football team|Latvia]], [[Austria national football team|Austria]] had officially qualified for the final round, but because of the [[Anschluss]] in April 1938 with Germany, the Austrian national team withdrew, with some Austrian players being added to the [[Germany national football team|German squad]] (which was eliminated in the first round). Austria's place was offered to [[England national football team|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. Polish striker [[Ernest Willimowski]] became the first player to score four goals in a World Cup game during [[Poland national football team|Poland]]'s 6–5 loss against Brazil; his record was later equalled by other players, but was not bettered until 56 years later in the 1994 World Cup.

==Hiatus due to World War II==
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right" 
|- style="font-size: 96%;"
|+ {{nowrap|1942 & 1946 FIFA World Cup bids}}
!width=125px|Country
!width=130px|Result
|-
|{{flagdeco|Nazi Germany}} [[Germany at the FIFA World Cup|Germany]]
|rowspan=2 {{N/A|''Cancelled''}} 
|- 
|{{flagdeco|Brazil|1889}} [[Brazil at the FIFA World Cup|Brazil]] (resume)
|} 
The [[FIFA World Cup]] was planned to take place in 1942. Germany officially applied to host the 1942 FIFA World Cup at the 23rd FIFA Congress on 13 August 1936 in [[Berlin]]. In June 1939, Brazil also applied to host the tournament. The beginning of European hostilities in September 1939 prompted further plans for the 1942 World Cup to be cancelled, before a host country was selected. The FIFA tournament did not take place.

During [[World War II]], FIFA struggled to keep itself afloat, and it had no financial or personnel resources with which to plan a peacetime tournament for when hostilities ended.<ref>Tomlinson, Alan; ''FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association): The Men, the Myths and the Money'', p. 19 {{ISBN|9780415498319}}</ref> When the war ended in 1945, it was clear that FIFA would have no hope in a single year of planning and scheduling a 1946 World Cup. In fact, FIFA's first meeting was on 1 July 1946 – around the time the 1946 World Cup would ordinarily have been played – and when it planned the next World Cup for 1949 no country would host it.<ref>Lisi, Clemente Angelo; ''A History of the World Cup, 1930-2010''; p. 44 {{ISBN|0810877538}}</ref> The only major international tournament in 1946 was the [[1946 South American Championship]] in which [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] beat [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] 2–0 on 10 February 1946.

==Post-war years==

===1950s===
Competitions resumed with the [[1950 FIFA World Cup|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,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0001/index.shtml Scotland and the 1950 World Cup], {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216135901/https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0001/index.shtml |date=16 December 2008 }}, BBC. Retrieved on 1 March 2006.</ref> but rejoined in 1946 following FIFA's invitation. England's involvement, however, was not to be a success. The English failed to make the final group round in a campaign that included a [[England v United States (1950)|surprise 1–0 loss to the United States]].<ref>It was rumoured that initial news reports, thinking that the 2–0 score was a typing error, said that England won 10–1. Historical newspapers, however, indicate that story is a myth. 
Cf. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131220191844/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/brazil1950/index.html 1950 FIFA World Cup Brazil, US shock England]'' and 
{{cite news|url=http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2014/06/11/copies-of-old-newspapers-reveal-englands-world-cup-myth/|title=Copies of old newspapers reveal a World Cup myth|first=Amy|last=Sell|date=11 June 2014|work=[[British Newspaper Archive]]|access-date=11 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615054337/http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2014/06/11/copies-of-old-newspapers-reveal-englands-world-cup-myth/|archive-date=15 June 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

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 national football team|Soviet Union]] and [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]]) did not enter. Title-holder Italy did take part, despite the [[Superga air disaster]] of 1949 in which the entire ''[[Grande Torino]]'' [[Torino F.C.|team]] (many of whom 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. The last match of the second group phase, however, is sometimes referred to as a "final", as the group standings meant the winners would be the overall winners. Uruguay were surprise victors over hosts Brazil with a final score of 2–1 (the game would later be known as [[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Maracanazo]]), and became champions for the second time.  This game also held the record for the highest attendance at any sporting match, at roughly 200,000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sambafoot.com: Maracanã, the largest stadium of the world |url=http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/19321_maracana__the_largest_stadium_of_the_world.html |access-date=20 June 2014 |publisher=sambafoot.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115004043/http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/19321_maracana__the_largest_stadium_of_the_world.html |archive-date=15 November 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Wankdorf 1954 world cup final match clock.jpg|thumb|Clock installed in the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern in the final match of the 1954 FIFA World Cup]]

The [[1954 FIFA World Cup|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 national football team|Scotland]] made their first appearance in the tournament, but were unable to register a win, going out after the group stage. This tournament set a number of all-time goal-scoring records, including highest average goals per game and highest-scoring team (Hungary), and most goals in a single match (Austria's 7–5 quarter-final victory over [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]]). 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 [[1954 FIFA World Cup Final|Miracle of Bern]] in Germany.

Brazil won the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 World Cup]], held in Sweden, and became the first team to win a World Cup outside their home continent (only 4 teams have done this to date – Brazil in 1958, 1970, 1994 and 2002, Argentina in 1986 and 2022, Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014). The Soviet Union participated this time, most likely due to their win at [[1956 Summer Olympics|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 number of withdrawals would give [[Israel national football team|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 national football team|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. French striker [[Just Fontaine]] became the top scorer of the tournament.

===1960s===
Chile hosted the [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962 World Cup]]. Two years before the tournament, an earthquake struck, the [[Great Chilean earthquake|largest ever recorded]] at 9.5 [[Moment magnitude scale|magnitude]], prompting officials to rebuild due to major damage to infrastructure. When the competition began, two of the best players were in poor form as Pelé was injured in Brazil's second group match against Czechoslovakia. Also, the Soviet Union saw their goalkeeper [[Lev Yashin]] show poor form including a 2–1 loss to hosts [[Chile national football team|Chile]] as the hosts captured third place.

The competition was also marred by overly defensive and often violent tactics. This poisonous atmosphere culminated in what was known as the [[Battle of Santiago (1962 FIFA World Cup)|Battle of Santiago]] first round match between Italy and Chile in which Chile won 2–0. Prior to the match, two Italian journalists wrote unflattering articles about the host country. In the match, players on both sides made deliberate attempts to harm opponents though only two players from Italy were sent off by English referee [[Ken Aston]]. In the end, the Italian team needed police protection to leave the field in safety.

When the final whistle blew, Brazil beat Czechoslovakia for the second World Cup in a row by a final of 3–1 led by [[Garrincha]] and [[Amarildo Tavares da Silveira|Amarildo]], in Pelé's absence, and retained the Jules Rimet trophy.

[[Colombia national football team|Colombia]]'s [[Marcos Coll]] made World Cup history when he scored a goal direct from a corner kick (called an Olympic Goal in Latin America), the only one ever made in a World Cup, past legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin.

The [[1966 FIFA World Cup|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 (dog)|"Pickles"]]. [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]] was banned for violating the anti-discrimination charter ([[apartheid]]). The ban remained in effect until 1992 when the [[South African Football Association|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 national football team|North Korea]], became the first Asian team to reach the quarter-finals, eliminating Italy in the process. England won the tournament, although [[João Havelange]] (former FIFA president from 1974 to 1998) claimed that the 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed so that England and Germany would win respectively.<ref>[http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=753029 Goal.com 1966 & 1974 World Cups Were Fixed – Former FIFA President] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627195457/http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=753029 |date=27 June 2008 }}</ref> [[Geoff Hurst]] became the first player to score a [[hat-trick]] in a World Cup Final and [[Eusébio]], whose team [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] were taking part in their first World Cup, was the tournament top-scorer, with nine goals to his name.

===1970s===
The [[1970 FIFA World Cup (qualification)|qualification stages]] of the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970 World Cup]] were coincidental with 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. The tournament is also remembered for the semi-final match between Italy and West Germany, in which five 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.

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-N0716-0314, Fußball-WM, BRD - Niederlande 2-1a.jpg|thumb|Johan Cruyff in action during the 1974 FIFA World Cup]]

A new trophy was created for the [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974 edition]], held in West Germany. After a draw in their first [[1974 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA–CONMEBOL play-off)|UEFA/CONMEBOL Intercontinental play-off]] match against Chile in the qualifiers, the Soviet Union refused to travel to the [[Santiago|Chilean capital]] for the return fixture for political reasons, and in accordance with the regulations, Chile were awarded a victory. [[East Germany national football team|East Germany]], [[Haiti national football team|Haiti]], [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]] and [[Zaire national football team|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 national football team|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 semi-finals to West Germany 0–1.

The [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978 World Cup]] was held in Argentina, causing controversy as a [[1976 Argentine coup d'état|military coup]] had taken place in the country two years earlier. Allegations that Dutch star [[Johan Cruyff]] refused to participate because of political convictions were refuted by him 30 years later.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/apr/16/newsstory.sport15 |title= Kidnappers made Cruyff miss World Cup |work=The Guardian |location=London | date= 16 April 2008 |access-date=20 June 2008  | first=Paul | last=Doyle | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205014012/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/apr/16/newsstory.sport15 | archive-date=5 December 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref> and none of the teams decided to stay away.

This was the hardest ever World Cup to qualify for. With 95 countries vying for 14 places (the holders and hosts qualified automatically), there were nearly seven teams competing for each place in Argentina. Hungary won their European group but still had to win a play-off against Bolivia to qualify, while England and Italy - the only former champions involved in European qualifying - were placed in the same group, with the result that England were eliminated on goal difference despite winning five of their six qualifying matches.

[[Iran national football team|Iran]] and [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] were first-time participants. Tunisia won their first match against Mexico 3–1 and became the first African team to ever win a World Cup game. There was some on-field controversy as well. During the second round, Argentina had an advantage in their match against [[Peru national football team|Peru]] since the kick off was several hours after Brazil's match with Poland. Brazil won their match 3–1, so Argentina knew that they had to beat Peru by four goals to advance to the final. Trailing 2–0 at half-time, Peru simply collapsed in the second half, and Argentina eventually won 6–0. Rumors suggested that Peru might have been bribed into allowing Argentina to win the match by such a large margin. Argentina went on to win the final 3–1, with the Dutch being runners-up for the second time in a row.

==Late 20th century==

===1980s===
Spain hosted an expanded [[1982 FIFA World Cup|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 national football team|Cameroon]], [[Algeria national football team|Algeria]], [[Honduras national football team|Honduras]], [[New Zealand national football team|New Zealand]] and [[Kuwait national football team|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 [[Kuwait 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.

Also during the group stages, [[Hungary v El Salvador (1982 FIFA World Cup)|Hungary beat El Salvador 10–1]], which has been the only occasion to this day that a team scored ten goals in a World Cup match.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/may/20/25-world-cup-stunning-moments-el-salvador-hungary-spain-1982 |title=World Cup stunning moments: El Salvador humiliated in Spain |access-date=16 November 2018 |last=Doyle |first=Paul |date=17 May 2018 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520194604/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/may/20/25-world-cup-stunning-moments-el-salvador-hungary-spain-1982 |archive-date=20 May 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The group match between [[West Germany v Austria (1982)|West Germany and Austria]] later resulted in a change of World Cup rules, after both teams visibly aimed to keep the qualification ensuring 1–0 scoreline over 80 minutes. 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 striker [[Paolo Rossi]], who was making his comeback after a match-fixing scandal and the ensuing ban, was the tournament top-scorer with six goals including a classic [[Italy v Brazil (1982 FIFA World Cup)|hat-trick against Brazil]].

[[File:Maradona gol a inglaterra.jpg|thumb|300px|1986 FIFA World Cup: Argentine player Diego Maradona scoring against England]]

Because of [[Colombia]]'s withdrawal to host the tournament, [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] became the first nation to hold two World Cups by hosting the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|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 men's national soccer team|Canada]], [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] and [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]] made their first finals. [[José Batista]] of Uruguay set a World Cup record being sent off after a mere 56 seconds into the game against Scotland. 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|handball 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.

===1990s===
The [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990 World Cup]] was held in Italy. Cameroon, participating in their second World Cup, made it to the quarter-finals after beating Argentina in the opening game. No African country had ever reached the quarter-finals before. Mexico was unable to compete in the [[1990 FIFA World Cup (qualification)|1990 World Cup preliminary]] competition as a result of a two-year ban for age fraud at a youth championship, an incident known as [[Cachirules|Los Cachirules]]. the United States qualified for the first time since 1950. An unpleasant episode marred the [[1990 FIFA World Cup (qualification CONMEBOL)|South American qualifiers]]: during the match between Brazil and [[Chile national football team|Chile]], a firework landed close to the Chilean goalkeeper [[Roberto Rojas (Chilean footballer)|Roberto Rojas]], who then feigned injury by cutting his own face with a razor blade he had hidden in his glove. His team refused to continue the match (as they were down a goal at the time). [[El Maracanazo|The plot was discovered]] and resulted in a 12-year suspension for Rojas and to Chile being banned from the 1994 World Cup.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/17/sport/football/brazil-chile-world-cup-scandal/ |title=World Cup scandal! The unbelievable plot to eliminate Brazil |access-date=16 November 2018 |last=Edwards |first=Piers |date=18 June 2014 |publisher=CNN |location=Atlanta |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621050859/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/17/sport/football/brazil-chile-world-cup-scandal/ |archive-date=21 June 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The final featured the same teams as in 1986. After finishing runners-up in the two previous tournaments, West Germany beat Argentina 1–0 in the final to record their third title. The [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] also made their first appearance in the tournament, reaching the quarter-finals without winning a single game (four draws, with a penalty shoot-out win over Romania in the second round). This is the furthest a team has ever advanced in the World Cup without winning a game.

The [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994 World Cup]], held in the United States, saw the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties, with Brazil edging out Italy. [[Serbia and Montenegro national football team|FR Yugoslavia]] was excluded due to [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 757|UN sanctions]] in connection with the [[Bosnian war|war in Bosnia-Herzegovina]]. Colombia qualified [[Argentina v Colombia (1994 FIFA World Cup qualification)|unexpectedly defeating Argentina 5-0]]. [[Japan national football team|Japan]] narrowly missed a ticket to the World Cup after drawing with [[Iraq national football team|Iraq]] in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the "[[1993 Japan v Iraq football match|Agony of Doha]]". As a result, [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]] qualified to the tournament. [[Russia national football team|Russia]] (taking the place of the Soviet Union which had disintegrated over 1990 and 1991) played their first World Cup competition as a new country, with [[Greece national football team|Greece]], [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]] and [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]] as the other first-timers. Diego Maradona was banned mid-tournament after testing positive for [[cocaine]]: without him, Argentina were eliminated in the last 16 by [[Romania national football team|Romania]]. Despite soccer's relative lack of popularity in the host nation, the tournament was the most financially successful<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-06-09/russia2018/World-Cup-Moments-1994-Penalties-decide-low-key-but-financially-successful-American-tournament-6736191279|title=World Cup Moments, 1994: Penalties decide low key but financially successful American tournament - The Malta Independent|website=www.independent.com.mt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612150808/https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-06-09/russia2018/World-Cup-Moments-1994-Penalties-decide-low-key-but-financially-successful-American-tournament-6736191279|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=July 19, 1994 |title=U.S. Cup brimming with profits WORLD CUP 1994  |page=D |work=[[Baltimore Sun]]}}</ref> in World Cup history; it broke tournament records with overall attendance of 3,587,538 and an average of 68,991 per match,<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.espn.com/soccer/news/story/_/id/1834594/1994 | title=World Cup History: 1994 | date= April 30, 2014 | first=John|last=Brewin|author2=Martin Williamson | website = ESPN.com | access-date = June 25, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200627000050/https://www.espn.com/soccer/news/story/_/id/1834594/1994 | archive-date = June 27, 2020 | url-status = live }}</ref> marks that stood unbroken as of 2018<ref name="FIFA Records">{{cite web| url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/213e0ab950f5bbbc/original/o3dx8kjlopctz35v460o-pdf.pdf| title=FIFA World Cup comparative statistics 1982-2014 | publisher = FIFA | access-date=June 25, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716015538/https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/213e0ab950f5bbbc/original/o3dx8kjlopctz35v460o-pdf.pdf | archive-date=July 16, 2021 | url-status=live }}</ref> despite the expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams starting with the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/08/sports/soccer/world-cup-concacaf-2026-bid.html | title = U.S., Mexico and Canada Likely to Affirm Joint World Cup Bid|first=Andrew |last = Das |newspaper = The New York Times | date = April 8, 2017 | access-date = June 25, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170409005446/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/08/sports/soccer/world-cup-concacaf-2026-bid.html | archive-date = April 9, 2017 | url-status = live }}</ref>

The total attendance for the tournament of nearly 3.6 million remains the biggest 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 6–1 group stage win over Cameroon. In the same match, 42-year-old [[Roger Milla]] scored the only goal for Cameroon, becoming the oldest player ever to score in a World Cup match. [[Hristo Stoichkov]] shared the Golden Boot as the joint top goal scorer in the tournament with Oleg Salenko (six goals), as well as earning the Bronze Ball award. He led Bulgaria to a shock 2–1 win over defending champions Germany in the quarter-finals, before losing 2–1 to Italy and losing the third place play-off to Sweden, 4–0.

The [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 World Cup]] was held in France, and had an expanded format featuring 32 teams. Iran beat the [[Maldives national football team|Maldives]] in [[1998 FIFA World Cup (qualification AFC)|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, with Brazilian star player [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] being controversially capped for the match after having had a seizure hours before kickoff. Debutants [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]] finished a commendable third.

==21st century==
===2000s===
The [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]] was the first to be held in Asia, and was hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan. 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 national football team|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 national football team|South Korea]], [[Senegal national football team|Senegal]] and the United States all reaching the last eight. Brazil beat Germany 2–0 in the final for their fifth title. The [[Turkey national football team|Turkish]] [[Hakan Şükür|Hakan Sukur]] made history by scoring the earliest World Cup goal of all time against South Korea at only 11 seconds.

The [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]] was held in Germany. It was the first World Cup for which the previous winner had to qualify; the host nation(s) continue to receive an automatic berth. Four African teams also made their debut in the world cup finals: [[Togo national football team|Togo]], [[Ivory Coast national football team|Ivory Coast]], [[Angola national football team|Angola]] and [[Ghana national football team|Ghana]] who impressively made it to last 16 by beating the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]], third ranked in the world, 2–1, along with the United States 2–0, before losing to the defending champions Brazil 0–3.

First seed and holders Brazil and second seeded England were initially English bookmakers' favourites. A strong performance by Germany brought them as far as the semi-finals. However, the final match-up was between Italy and France, in which French captain [[Zinedine Zidane]] was sent off in the last ten minutes of extra time for a [[headbutt]] to the chest of 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.

===2010s===
The [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010 World Cup]] was held in South Africa. It was the first cup hosted on African soil, and the cup was won by [[Spain national football team|Spain]]. The tournament was noted for its highly defensive opening matches, controversies surrounding goal-line technology, and the introduction of [[vuvuzela]]s. Though considered as one of the tournament favorites, the Spaniards won the cup despite scoring only eight goals in seven games and losing their opening match to Switzerland. [[David Villa]] led the squad in scoring with five goals. In a final which saw a record number of yellow cards distributed and what some considered violent play from the Dutch side, the ten-man Netherlands squad were defeated 1–0 in the 116th minute of extra time by an [[Andrés Iniesta]] goal.

[[File:Götze kicks the match winning goal.jpg|thumb|300px|Germany and Argentina in the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup: Götze scoring the match winning goal]]

The [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014 World Cup]] was held in Brazil, marking the second time that Brazil hosted the competition. The cup was won by Germany, who beat Argentina 1–0 in the final. The Netherlands defeated Brazil (who lost to the eventual winners, Germany, [[Brazil v Germany (2014 FIFA World Cup)|7–1]] in the semifinals) 3–0 in the bronze medal game.

Because of the relatively high ambient temperatures in Brazil, particularly at the northern venues, cooling breaks for the players were first introduced during these games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insideworldfootball.com/fifa/13379-fifa-approves-extra-breaks-to-help-players-keep-their-cool |title=FIFA approves extra breaks to help players keep their cool |publisher=Inside World Football |date=7 October 2013 |access-date=18 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010030837/http://www.insideworldfootball.com/fifa/13379-fifa-approves-extra-breaks-to-help-players-keep-their-cool |archive-date=10 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In this World Cup there was the debut of sensors to avoid phantom goals with the [[Goal-line technology]], used to determine, in doubtful situations, whether the ball crossed the goal line.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/goal-line-technology-at-brazil-2014-2408684 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603141332/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/goal-line-technology-at-brazil-2014-2408684 |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 June 2018 |title=Goal Line Technology at Brazil 2014 |access-date=16 November 2018 |publisher=FIFA |location=Zurich }}</ref>

The [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018 World Cup]] was held in Russia. It was the first cup to be held in [[Eastern Europe]]. The cup was won by France, who beat Croatia 4–2 in the final. Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the bronze medal game. It was also the first cup to use the [[video assistant referee]] (VAR) system.

===2020s===
[[File:221218184732-messi-wc-trophy.jpg|thumb|[[Lionel Messi]], captain of [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], only player to win the [[FIFA_World_Cup_awards|Ballon d'Or]] at a World Cup twice.]]
The [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 World Cup]], hosted by Qatar, was the first tournament to not be held in summer time in which it is usually held, and the first to be held in the Middle East. The cup was won by Argentina, who prevailed over defending champions France 4–2 in the penalty shootout, after the final was drawn 3–3 after extra time, despite France's [[Kylian Mbappé]] netting a hat-trick, becoming only the second player to do so in a World Cup Final. Previous tournament runners-up Croatia won the bronze medal match, beating Morocco 2–1, whose fourth-place finish was the furthest of any African nation at the World Cup. It is also the last to feature 32 teams, as the next edition is scheduled to expand to 48 teams.

The [[2026 FIFA World Cup|2026 World Cup]] is scheduled to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, making it the first to be hosted by three nations.

===2030s===
The hosts for the [[2030 FIFA World Cup|2030]] World Cup will be Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay in South America for the opening matches to honor the centennial of the first FIFA World Cup, as well as Morocco in Africa, and Spain and Portugal in Europe.

The [[2034 FIFA World Cup|2034]] world cup will be hosted by [[Saudi Arabia]], and the host for the 2038 World Cup is yet to be decided.

==Evolution of the format==
The number of teams and the format of each final tournament have varied considerably over the years. In most tournaments, the tournament consists of a [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] group stage followed by a [[single-elimination]] knockout stage.<ref name="FIFAformat">{{cite web |  url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_04e_fwc_formats_slots_8821.pdf |  archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227032244/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_04e_fwc_formats_slots_8821.pdf |  url-status=dead |  archive-date=27 February 2008 |
 title=Formats of the FIFA World Cup final competitions 1930–2010 | work=FIFA.com | access-date=1 January 2008 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!rowspan=2 width=60| Year
!rowspan=2| Teams
!colspan=2| Matches
!rowspan=2| Format
|-
! {{abbr|Min.|Minimum possible matches, if no replays or play-offs had taken place}}
! {{abbr|Act.|Actual number of matches, including all replays and play-offs}}
|-
! [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]]
! 13
!colspan=2| 18
| 4 groups of 3–4, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final
|-
! [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]]
! 16
! 16
! 17
| round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]]
! 15
! 15
! 18
| round of 16,{{efn-la|One team received bye to the quarter-finals.}} quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]]
! 13
!colspan=2| 22
| 4 groups of 2–4, final round-robin group of 4
|-
! [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]]
! 16
! 24
! 26
| 4 groups of 4,{{efn-la|Each group had two seeded and two unseeded teams, and only matches were played that featured a seeded and an unseeded team.}} quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]]
! 16
! 32
! 35
|rowspan=4| 4 groups of 4, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]]
! 16
!colspan=2| 32
|-
! [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]
! 16
!colspan=2| 32
|-
! [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]]
! 16
!colspan=2| 32
|-
! [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]]
! 16
!colspan=2| 38
|rowspan=2| 4 groups of 4 (first round), 2 groups of 4 (second round), 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]
! 16
!colspan=2| 38
|-
! [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]
! 24
!colspan=2| 52
| 6 groups of 4 (first round), 4 groups of 3 (second round), semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]
! 24
!colspan=2| 52
|rowspan=3| 6 groups of 4, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]
! 24
!colspan=2| 52
|-
! [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]
! 24
!colspan=2| 52
|-
! [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]
! 32
!colspan=2| 64
|rowspan=7| 8 groups of 4, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]
! 32
!colspan=2| 64
|-
! [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]
! 32
!colspan=2| 64
|-
! [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]
! 32
!colspan=2| 64
|-
! [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]
! 32
!colspan=2| 64
|-
! [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]]
! 32
!colspan=2| 64
|-
! [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]]
! 32
!colspan=2| 64
|-
! [[2026 FIFA World Cup|2026]]
! 48
!colspan=2| 104
|rowspan=3| 12 groups of 4, round of 32, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final
|-
! [[2030 FIFA World Cup|2030]]
! 48
!colspan=2| 104
|-
! [[2034 FIFA World Cup|2034]]
! 48
!colspan=2| 104
|}

;Notes
{{notelist}}

In 1934 and 1938 draws in knockout matches were resolved via a replay. Later, drawing of lots was provided for, though never invoked. Since 1974, penalty shootouts are used.

In 1954 each group had two seeded and two unseeded teams; the seeded teams played only unseeded teams and vice versa.

Up to 1958, ranking ties in groups were to be broken via a playoff; this only happened in 1954 and 1958.

Until the 1990 FIFA World Cup, 2 points were conceded for a win and 1 point was conceded for a draw. Since the 1994 FIFA World Cup, 3 points are conceded for a win and 1 point is conceded for a draw.

Each group of four teams plays a round-robin schedule. As of the 1986 World Cup, all final group games must be held simultaneously, a rule instituted by [[FIFA]] to minimize collusion amongst teams requiring a certain result to advance. FIFA instituted a policy to award three points for a win in the 1994 World Cup. Although goals for was already a tiebreaker, FIFA hoped to create an additional incentive for teams to pursue victory. The first team affected by the rule was Paraguay in 1998, which would have won its group on goal differential over Nigeria under prior FIFA rules. Paraguay advanced to the knockout phase as group runner-up and was defeated by host nation and eventual champion France in the round of 16. It is not possible under the new point system to be eliminated from the group stage with a second place or higher winning percentage, however it is possible to finish behind a team with the same winning percentage yet a lower goal difference. This took place in the 2010 World Cup when New Zealand finished with three draws and Slovakia finished with one win, one draw, and one loss. Slovakia advanced in Group F by finishing second with four points, eliminating New Zealand with three points. Under the previous FIFA point allotment system, New Zealand would have advanced with a zero goal difference, while Slovakia would have been eliminated with a goal difference of −1.

The criteria for advancement to knockout phase is as follows:
# Greatest number of points in group matches
# Greatest total goal difference in the three group matches
# Greatest number of goals scored in the three group matches
# If teams remained level after those criteria, a mini-group would be formed from those teams, who would be ranked on:
## Most points earned in matches against other teams in the tie
## Greatest goal difference in matches against other teams in the tie
## Greatest number of goals scored in matches against other teams in the tie
# If teams remained level after all these criteria, FIFA would hold a drawing of lots
# The drawing of lots for tied teams takes place one hour after the final game in the group at the stadium where the championship match is held. The drawing of lots is similar to the World Cup draw in terms of style and format; a ball is drawn from a pot, which contains balls with the names of each tied team.

As of the 2022 World Cup, lots have only been drawn once in tournament history. However, they were used to separate second and third place in a group (Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands in 1990) where both were already assured of qualification. Thus, a team has never been eliminated based upon drawn lots.

==World Cup–winning teams, captains, and managers==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Host
! Winning Team
! Captain
! Head coach
|-Against
| [[1930 FIFA World Cup Final|1930]]
| {{flag|Uruguay}}
| {{fb|URU}}
| [[José Nasazzi]]
| [[Alberto Suppici]]
|-
| [[1934 FIFA World Cup Final|1934]]
| {{flag|Kingdom of Italy|name=Italy}}
| {{fb|ITA|1861}}
| [[Giampiero Combi]]
| [[Vittorio Pozzo]]
|-
| [[1938 FIFA World Cup Final|1938]]
| {{flag|French Third Republic|name=France}}
| {{fb|ITA|1861}}
| [[Giuseppe Meazza]]
| [[Vittorio Pozzo]]
|-
| [[1950 FIFA World Cup Final|1950]]
| {{flag|Brazil|1889}}
| {{fb|URU}}
| [[Obdulio Varela]]
| [[Juan López Fontana]]
|-
| [[1954 FIFA World Cup Final|1954]]
| {{flag|Switzerland}}
| {{fb|FRG}}
| [[Fritz Walter]]
| [[Sepp Herberger]]
|-
| [[1958 FIFA World Cup Final|1958]]
| {{flag|Sweden}}
| {{fb|BRA|1889}}
| [[Hilderaldo Bellini]]
| [[Vicente Feola]]
|-
| [[1962 FIFA World Cup Final|1962]]
| {{flag|Chile}}
| {{fb|BRA|1960}}
| [[Mauro Ramos]]
| [[Aymoré Moreira]]
|-
| [[1966 FIFA World Cup Final|1966]]
| {{flag|England}}
| {{fb|ENG}}
| [[Bobby Moore]]
| [[Alf Ramsey]]
|-
| [[1970 FIFA World Cup Final|1970]]
| {{flag|Mexico}}
| {{fb|BRA|1968}}
| [[Carlos Alberto Torres]]
| [[Mário Zagallo]]
|-
| [[1974 FIFA World Cup Final|1974]]
| {{flag|West Germany}}
| {{fb|FRG}}
| [[Franz Beckenbauer]]
| [[Helmut Schön]]
|-
| [[1978 FIFA World Cup Final|1978]]
| {{flag|Argentina}}
| {{fb|ARG}}
| [[Daniel Passarella]]
| [[César Luis Menotti]]
|-
| [[1982 FIFA World Cup Final|1982]]
| {{flag|Spain}}
| {{fb|ITA|1946}}
| [[Dino Zoff]]
| [[Enzo Bearzot]]
|-
| [[1986 FIFA World Cup Final|1986]]
| {{flag|Mexico}}
| {{fb|ARG}}
| [[Diego Maradona]]
| [[Carlos Bilardo]]
|-
| [[1990 FIFA World Cup Final|1990]]
| {{flag|Italy|1946}}
| {{fb|FRG}}
| [[Lothar Matthäus]]
| [[Franz Beckenbauer]]
|-
| [[1994 FIFA World Cup Final|1994]]
| {{flag|United States}}
| {{fb|BRA}}
| [[Dunga]]
| [[Carlos Alberto Parreira]]
|-
| [[1998 FIFA World Cup Final|1998]]
| {{flag|France|1998}}
| {{fb|FRA|1998}}
| [[Didier Deschamps]]
| [[Aimé Jacquet]]
|-
| [[2002 FIFA World Cup Final|2002]]
| {{flag|South Korea|1997}} <br> {{flag|Japan}}
| {{fb|BRA}}
| [[Cafu]]
| [[Luiz Felipe Scolari]]
|-
| [[2006 FIFA World Cup Final|2006]]
| {{flag|Germany}}
| {{fb|ITA|2003}}
| [[Fabio Cannavaro]]
| [[Marcello Lippi]]
|-
| [[2010 FIFA World Cup Final|2010]]
| {{flag|South Africa}}
| {{fb|ESP}}
| [[Iker Casillas]]
| [[Vicente del Bosque]]
|-
| [[2014 FIFA World Cup Final|2014]]
| {{flag|Brazil}}
| {{fb|GER}}
| [[Philipp Lahm]]
| [[Joachim Löw]]
|-
| [[2018 FIFA World Cup Final|2018]]
| {{Flag|Russia}}
| {{fb|FRA|2018}}
| [[Hugo Lloris]]
| [[Didier Deschamps]]
|-
| [[2022 FIFA World Cup Final|2022]]
| {{Flag|Qatar}}
| {{fb|Argentina}}
| [[Lionel Messi]]
| [[Lionel Scaloni]]
|}

==See also==
* [[History of FIFA]]
* [[FIFA World Cup hosts]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{commonscat}}

{{FIFA World Cup}}
{{International Football}}

[[Category:FIFA World Cup|History]]
[[Category:History of association football|FIFA World Cup]]