Details about the FIFA world cup

FIFA world cup is one of the few sporting events in the world to have a global following. It’s watched by billions of people across the globe. The most popular game in this tournament is soccer and it has become a part of many countries’ cultures.

It is usually played every four years, with 32 teams competing to be crowned world champions. The first FIFA world cup was organized back in 1930 when only 13 teams were playing. Since then there have been 20 more tournaments and this year’s edition will be the 21st one since 1930.

About the FIFA world cup

First international soccer tournament

The FIFA world cup was first held in Uruguay in 1930. The competition was then moved to Brazil, Sweden, and Belgium between 1950-1962 before it came back to the South American country.

Brazil became the host nation for five consecutive tournaments until 1970. Brazil won three titles in this time as well as the last one which took place in 1994. It was then that its current hosts, South Africa, took over hosting duties.

The most-watched world cup ever

The 2006 FIFA World Cup had an audience of almost 3 billion people which is more than any other sporting event so far. The second most-watched tournament was the 2014 World Cup which had an estimated audience of 2 billion people. The viewership of the FIFA world cup keeps increasing year after year.

FIFA champions

Since the first FIFA world cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, there have been many different champions. The first champions were the home team from Uruguay with Italy, Germany, and Brazil winning three times after them. In the following years, other countries started emerging as powerhouses in soccer with Argentina and England winning twice each. Spain won it for the first time after defeating the Netherlands in 2010’s final. Brazil is one of the most successful teams with 5 tournament wins and it’s on track to be an overall champion if we consider how many times they have made it to the finals (8). France is the current champion.

FIFA cup history

Since the first FIFA world cup in Uruguay in 1930, there have been 20 different tournaments and a world champion at the end of each one. The competitions have evolved over time with changes to the rules and regulations, with some of the earlier versions ending up getting changed by FIFA.

There are some things that haven’t changed much since the beginning of the FIFA world cup. The shape of its trophy has not changed at all apart from a slight modification that took place in 1974. There were two other finals that took place before this trophy was introduced but they weren’t considered official since Uruguay and Argentina were declared joint winners by FIFA.

Teams in the FIFA cup

There are 32 teams that have the chance to play in the FIFA world cup. The 32 teams that have been invited to take part in the competition are split into four groups of eight teams where each team plays against each other within each group.

The top four finishers from within each group will qualify for the knockout phase of the competition which takes place in a single-elimination format. The last two teams will go home with a 4th place finish or if they get eliminated earlier, a 3rd place finish. All games of this tournament are played at the host nation’s stadium and it is usual for tickets to be sold out well before the tournament begins.

The final game is usually played at the end of the tournament in a stadium that holds at least 80,000 people. This is to accommodate the huge crowds that have come to watch the final game of the tournament.

Effect of World war

Due to world war 2, the FIFA world cup had to be canceled in 1942 and 1946. The first tournament was held in Uruguay in 1930 but the next one was held in Italy, four years later. Since then, the competitions have taken place every four years with some exceptions.

In 1978 and 1982, the tournaments were played once more after a period of 2 years since they were originally scheduled. It is believed that those two tournaments were played because of political reasons and not due to any logical or natural cause. These are only a few changes that have taken place over time. Some others include rule changes and extra time being added to each game’s duration depending on how much time has been taken per game so far.

Past record of cup

Top goalscorers

Most goals scored by the Country