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FIFA Decides to Organize an International Soccer Tournament
After the International Olympic Committee rejected soccer from being in the 1932 Summer Games (due to the lack of popularity of soccer in the USA), FIFA decided they would hold their own international soccer tournament every four years starting in 1930. -
The 1930 World Cup
13 Nations Participated in the first World Cup: There were 7 nations from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America. By the end, it was Uruguay vs. Argentina. Uruguay won the game 4-2, and were the first nation to win the World Cup. Approximately 93,000 spectators watched the game. -
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The 1934 and 1938 World Cups
The 1934 World Cup was hosted by Italy. It was boycotted by Uruguay because they were less than pleased by the attendence of Europeans to the World Cup in 1930. Italy won the World Cup. It was also the first one to include a team from Africa (Egypt). The 1938 World Cup was hosted by France. Since it was hosted in Europe two times in a row, Uruguay and Argentina decided to boycott the Cup. In the end, Italy won and retained their title. This was the first time the host country lost the World Cup -
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The World Cup During the Years During and Following WWII
Germany applied to be the host country in 1936; when the war started, FIFA decided to cancel the tournament. A host country was never selected. In 1946, FIFA had yet to make plans for the Cup because WWII was in progress. FIFA planned the next tournament to take place in 1949, but no country offered to host it. -
The 1950s World Cup
After a long hiatus, the World Cup resumed in 1950 which was hostd by Brazil. Some notable information is: This was the first World Cup England participated in. Uruguay returned after boycotting the previous two tournaments (they later won the tournament). Italy still participated even though many members of the national team were killed in a plane crash. And the final was watched by over 200,000 spectators, which broke the record for number of spectators at a sporting event.. -
The 1958 World Cup
This tournament was hosted by Sweden and was won by Brazil. This was the first time a country from a different continent won the World Cup. The Soviet Union decided to participate after declining to play in the last two. French player, Just Fontaine, scored 13 goals in the tournament. He still holds this record today. -
The 1962 World Cup - An Earthquake Strikes
Eight days prior to the World Cup starting, a 9.5 earthquake (largest on record) strikes in the host country of Chili. Some of the stadiums had to be rebuilt and other games were moved to different venues. Brazil won the Cup. -
1970 World Cup - Brazil Wins a Third Tournament
Hosted by Mexico, the World Cup was won for a third time by Brazil (which was the first time this had happened). Because of this, Brazil was awarded the Jules Rimet Trophy. -
1982 World Cup - Expansion
Spain was the host of this tournament, and this time, 24 countries participated. FIFA had not had an expansion in the number of teams allowed to play since 1934. Italy was this tournament's champions. -
The 1990 World Cup
This tournament was held in Italy, and was won by West Germany. In the Brazil vs Chile game, a firework landed close to the Chilean goalkeeper. He was allegedly injured by this. They were one goal down, and they refused to continue. It turns out that the goalkeeper faked the injury by cutting his face with a razor blade. He was banned from the World Cup for 12 years and Chile was disqualified from continuing the tournament. -
The 1998 World Cup
FIFA expanded the tournament to include 32 countries. France was the host country and they were also the champions. -
The 2010 World Cup
South Africa hosted this year, marking the first time the World Cup was hosted in Africa. Spain were the Champions. -
The 2014 World Cup
In this most recent World Cup, Brazil hosted while Germany dominated by winning 6 games (undefeated). One notable event was Germany beat the host country of Brazil 7-1. Germany defeated Argentina in the final 1-0 in overtime.