World Cup | History & Winners

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</div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction & Top Questions </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/World-Cup-football/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/World-Cup-football">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/World-Cup-football/images-videos">Images, Videos & Interactives</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/143472-050-6ECD0DB0/Carlos-Alberto-Torres-holds-Jules-Rimet-trophy-Brazil-1970.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/148338" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/143472-004-42CDBEC6/Carlos-Alberto-Torres-holds-Jules-Rimet-trophy-Brazil-1970.jpg" alt="Carlos Alberto Torres" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/139485-050-BCF84C18/FIFA-World-Cup-trophy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/142389" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/139485-004-C44C8CB8/FIFA-World-Cup-trophy.jpg" alt="FIFA World Cup trophy" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/did-you-know-FIFA-World-Cup-soccer/255381" data-href="/media/1/648277/255381" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/222731-138-456CD724/did-you-know-FIFA-World-Cup-soccer.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="The history behind the FIFA World Cup" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/118102-050-00E5387C/Uruguay-scores-goal-against-Argentina-1930-World-Cup-final-soccer.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/113624" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/118102-004-80C0502E/Uruguay-scores-goal-against-Argentina-1930-World-Cup-final-soccer.jpg" alt="1930 World Cup" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/running-bar-chart-total-mens-World-Cup-titles-1930-2022-by-country/271882" data-href="/media/1/648277/271882" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/70/237170-138-C687E1CE/running-bar-chart-total-mens-World-Cup-titles-1930-2022-by-country.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Explore which countries won the most men's World Cup titles over time" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> <a href="" data-href="/media/1/648277/277174" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/237486-049-B9A0B6C1/mens-world-cup-titles-1930-2022-by-country.jpg" alt="Men's World Cup titles by country" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/94/9294-050-1051EAE5/Diego-Maradona-defender-Argentina-South-Korean-football-1986.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/7525" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/94/9294-004-B88987C0/Diego-Maradona-defender-Argentina-South-Korean-football-1986.jpg" alt="Diego Maradona" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/94/222394-050-D8838C2C/Romario-of-Brazil-holds-the-trophy-after-World-Cup-final-against-Italy-at-Rose-Bowl-Los-Angeles-July-17-1994.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/254115" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/94/222394-004-378D4D74/Romario-of-Brazil-holds-the-trophy-after-World-Cup-final-against-Italy-at-Rose-Bowl-Los-Angeles-July-17-1994.jpg" alt="Romário: 1994 World Cup" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/139486-050-ED5968E0/England-Wayne-Rooney-World-Cup-Portugal-quarterfinal-2006.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/142385" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/139486-004-5A1EA504/England-Wayne-Rooney-World-Cup-Portugal-quarterfinal-2006.jpg" alt="Wayne Rooney" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/128778-050-3BEDC27B/Zinedine-Zidane-ball-final-World-Cup-Italy-2006.jpg" 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-23T00:00:00CST" >Feb 23, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/World-Cup-football/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Formally: </dt> <dd>FIFA World Cup</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/money/Sepp-Blatter" topicid="2028934">Sepp Blatter</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Zinedine-Zidane" topicid="657074">Zinedine Zidane</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Birgit-Prinz" topicid="1375256">Birgit Prinz</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/sports/football-soccer" topicid="550852">football</a></dd> <dd><a href="/sports/Jules-Rimet-Trophy" topicid="307750">Jules Rimet Trophy</a></dd> <dd><a href="/sports/world-championship-sports" topicid="685571">world championship</a></dd> <dd><a href="/sports/FIFA-World-Cup-Trophy" topicid="2086176">FIFA World Cup Trophy</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Notable Honorees: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Jurgen-Klinsmann" topicid="1830089">Jürgen Klinsmann</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Romario" topicid="508797">Romário</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Diego-Maradona" topicid="686139">Diego Maradona</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Thierry-Henry" topicid="1010515">Thierry Henry</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/World-Cup-football"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What is the World Cup?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The World Cup in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/sports\/football-soccer\">football<\/a> (soccer) is a quadrennial tournament of 32 men\u2019s national teams that is organized by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Federation-Internationale-de-Football-Association\">F\u00E9d\u00E9ration Internationale de Football Association<\/a> (FIFA). It determines the sport\u2019s men\u2019s world champion. It is likely the most popular sporting event in the world, drawing billions of television viewers every tournament. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Why is the World Cup every four years?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The World Cup happens every four years in order to have enough time for the qualification tournaments and playoffs among national teams to take place. Additionally, four years provides the host country adequate time to plan the logistics of the tournament and how to best accommodate an influx of millions of fans. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How does qualifying for the World Cup work?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Qualifying for the World Cup is a long process during the years between each quadrennial tournament. Each of the F\u00E9d\u00E9ration Internationale de Football Association\u2019s six confederations determines its own qualification system, which produces the men\u2019s teams that represent each confederation\u2019s region. The six confederations are Africa; Asia; Europe; North America, Central America, and the Caribbean; Oceania; and South America. " } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Where does World Cup prize money come from?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "World Cup prize money comes from the earnings of the nonprofit F\u00E9d\u00E9ration Internationale de Football Association. FIFA\u2019s revenue is generated by high bids for television, marketing, and licensing rights for major football events that FIFA organizes. FIFA does not incur expenses for the construction of World Cup infrastructure, as those fall on the host country." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Who is the World Cup\u2019s top scorer?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The men\u2019s World Cup all-time top scorer is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Miroslav-Klose\">Miroslav Klose<\/a> of the German national football (soccer) team. He scored a total of 16 goals across four World Cup tournaments, from 2002 through 2014. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Marta\">Marta<\/a>, playing for the Brazilian women\u2019s national team, scored her 17th World Cup goal during the 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/sports\/Womens-World-Cup\">Women\u2019s World Cup<\/a>, becoming the top scorer across the men\u2019s and women\u2019s tournaments. She played in five World Cups, from 2003 through 2019." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What is the World Cup?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The World Cup in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/football-soccer" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">football</a> (soccer) is a quadrennial tournament of 32 men’s national teams that is organized by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Federation-Internationale-de-Football-Association" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Fédération Internationale de Football Association</a> (FIFA). It determines the sport’s men’s world champion. It is likely the most popular sporting event in the world, drawing billions of television viewers every tournament. </p></div></div> </div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Why is the World Cup every four years?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The World Cup happens every four years in order to have enough time for the qualification tournaments and playoffs among national teams to take place. Additionally, four years provides the host country adequate time to plan the logistics of the tournament and how to best accommodate an influx of millions of fans. </p></div></div> </div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How does qualifying for the World Cup work?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Qualifying for the World Cup is a long process during the years between each quadrennial tournament. Each of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s six confederations determines its own qualification system, which produces the men’s teams that represent each confederation’s region. The six confederations are Africa; Asia; Europe; North America, Central America, and the Caribbean; Oceania; and South America. </p></div></div> </div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="4"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Where does World Cup prize money come from?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>World Cup prize money comes from the earnings of the nonprofit Fédération Internationale de Football Association. FIFA’s revenue is generated by high bids for television, marketing, and licensing rights for major football events that FIFA organizes. FIFA does not incur expenses for the construction of World Cup infrastructure, as those fall on the host country.</p></div></div> </div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="5"> <h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Who is the World Cup’s top scorer?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The men’s World Cup all-time top scorer is <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miroslav-Klose" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Miroslav Klose</a> of the German national football (soccer) team. He scored a total of 16 goals across four World Cup tournaments, from 2002 through 2014. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marta" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Marta</a>, playing for the Brazilian women’s national team, scored her 17th World Cup goal during the 2019 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Womens-World-Cup" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Women’s World Cup</a>, becoming the top scorer across the men’s and women’s tournaments. She played in five World Cups, from 2003 through 2019.</p></div></div> </div><button class="show-more-button js-toggle-top-questions btn btn-unstyled font-14 d-flex pr-10 rounded-sm"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></button></div></div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/648277/4cc67b16138374fe0cd3ecca05f32e24" rel="nofollow">From 0 to 100 wins in 278 ski races: Mikaela Shiffrin’s 10 most notable World Cup victories</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 23, 2025, 11:17 AM ET (AP) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/648277/c62216811d63a6461902f0fb8bdfd6a0" rel="nofollow">Mikaela Shiffrin gets historic 100th World Cup race win and ties record for most podiums</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 23, 2025, 11:10 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/648277/6493a5f473beb12f96b9055c2d3ff587" rel="nofollow">Shiffrin finishes outside top 30 in first run of World Cup giant slalom won by Brignone</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 22, 2025, 9:27 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/648277/adae1249cdd517a1fb331f2e856d9509" rel="nofollow">Italian skier Brignone wins, Shiffrin takes 'big step' as 25th in her first GS race after injury</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 21, 2025, 9:27 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/648277/184c72358cca4d4f94497c4e14333986" rel="nofollow">Ex-Spain soccer boss Rubiales found guilty of sexual assault and fined for World Cup kiss</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 20, 2025, 11:51 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="142389" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/139485-050-BCF84C18/FIFA-World-Cup-trophy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/648277/142389"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/139485-050-BCF84C18/FIFA-World-Cup-trophy.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/139485-050-BCF84C18/FIFA-World-Cup-trophy.jpg?w=300" alt="FIFA World Cup trophy" data-width="871" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/85/139485-050-BCF84C18/FIFA-World-Cup-trophy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/142389">FIFA World Cup trophy</a><span>The FIFA World Cup trophy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref259715"></span>World Cup</strong>, in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/football-soccer" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">football</a> (soccer), quadrennial tournament of men’s national teams that determines the sport’s world champion. It is likely the most popular sporting event in the world, drawing billions of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/television-technology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">television</a> viewers every tournament. Countries <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="worldwide" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/worldwide" data-type="EB">worldwide</a> compete vigorously, many years in advance, to host the lucrative event, and accusations of bribery connected to the awarding of hosting rights have long shadowed the tournament. In fact, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/2015-FIFA-corruption-scandal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">2015 FIFA corruption scandal</a> implicated more than two dozen <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/FIFA-game-series" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">FIFA</a> officials and their associates in a 24-year self-enrichment scheme that reached the highest levels of FIFA management. The equivalent tournament for women’s national <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/football-the-games" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">football</a> teams is the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Womens-World-Cup" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Women’s World Cup</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="255381" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="video" video-id="222731"><a data-id="222731" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/did-you-know-FIFA-World-Cup-soccer/-255381"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/222731-138-456CD724/did-you-know-FIFA-World-Cup-soccer.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="The history behind the FIFA World Cup" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/DcVKSNfw.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/31/222731-138-456CD724/did-you-know-FIFA-World-Cup-soccer.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/0u3VrOzn.vtt", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/UexIIH4q.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 3</div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="222731">The history behind the FIFA World Cup</span><span>Watch this video to learn more about the history of the FIFA World Cup.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/sports/World-Cup-football/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="113624" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/118102-050-00E5387C/Uruguay-scores-goal-against-Argentina-1930-World-Cup-final-soccer.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/648277/113624"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/118102-050-00E5387C/Uruguay-scores-goal-against-Argentina-1930-World-Cup-final-soccer.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/118102-050-00E5387C/Uruguay-scores-goal-against-Argentina-1930-World-Cup-final-soccer.jpg?w=300" alt="1930 World Cup" data-width="1600" data-height="944" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 3</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/02/118102-050-00E5387C/Uruguay-scores-goal-against-Argentina-1930-World-Cup-final-soccer.jpg" data-href="/media/1/648277/113624">1930 World Cup</a><span>Uruguay scoring its first goal in the World Cup final against Argentina, in Montevideo, Uruguay, July 30, 1930.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="271882" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="video" video-id="237170"><a data-id="237170" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/running-bar-chart-total-mens-World-Cup-titles-1930-2022-by-country/-271882"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/70/237170-138-C687E1CE/running-bar-chart-total-mens-World-Cup-titles-1930-2022-by-country.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Explore which countries won the most men's World Cup titles over time" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/yyB1us3P.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/70/237170-138-C687E1CE/running-bar-chart-total-mens-World-Cup-titles-1930-2022-by-country.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/None", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/V8yGDQgG.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">3 of 3</div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="237170">Explore which countries won the most men's World Cup titles over time</span><span>Learn more about which countries have won the most men's World Cup titles since 1930.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/sports/World-Cup-football/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The first competition for the cup was organized in 1930 by the <span id="ref1239499"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Federation-Internationale-de-Football-Association" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Fédération Internationale de Football Association</a> (FIFA) and was won by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Uruguay" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Uruguay</a>. Held every four years since that time, except during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>, the competition consists of international sectional tournaments leading to a final elimination event made up of 32 national teams. Unlike <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Olympic-Games" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Olympic</a> football, World Cup teams are not limited to players of a certain age or <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="amateur" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/amateur" data-type="EB">amateur</a> status, so the competition serves more nearly as a contest between the world’s best players. Referees are selected from lists that are submitted by all the national associations.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The trophy cup awarded from 1930 to 1970 was the <span id="ref259716"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Jules-Rimet-Trophy" class="md-crosslink ">Jules Rimet Trophy</a>, named for the Frenchman who proposed the tournament. This cup was permanently awarded in 1970 to then three-time winner <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Brazil" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Brazil</a> (1958, 1962, and 1970), and a new trophy called the <span id="ref1239498"></span>FIFA World Cup was put up for competition. Many other sports have organized “World Cup” competitions.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/great-moments-in-sports-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/74/234474-131-7CBD1A96/Serena-Williams-womens-single-trophy-Australian-Open-Januray-28-2017.jpg" alt="Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (tennis, sports)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Great Moments in Sports Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <div class="mb-20"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="277174" data-asm-type="infogram"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="infogram"><script id="infogram_0__/p35oJObroX5shdprpFOS" src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?Itp" type="text/javascript" title="Men's World Cup titles by country"></script></div></figure></div></div> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><span id="ref3983"></span> For a list of World Cup champions, <em>see</em> table.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="md-drag md-table-wrapper"><table><caption>FIFA World Cup—men</caption><thead><tr><th scope="col">year</th> <th colspan="4" scope="col">result</th> </tr></thead><tfoot><tr><td colspan="5">*Won after extra time (AET). </td></tr><tr><td colspan="5">**Won on penalty kicks. </td></tr></tfoot><tbody><tr><td scope="row">1930 </td><td>Uruguay </td><td>4 </td><td>Argentina </td><td>2 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1934 </td><td>Italy* </td><td>2 </td><td>Czechoslovakia </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1938 </td><td>Italy </td><td>4 </td><td>Hungary </td><td>2 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1950 </td><td>Uruguay </td><td>2 </td><td>Brazil </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1954 </td><td>West Germany </td><td>3 </td><td>Hungary </td><td>2 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1958 </td><td>Brazil </td><td>5 </td><td>Sweden </td><td>2 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1962 </td><td>Brazil </td><td>3 </td><td>Czechoslovakia </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1966 </td><td>England* </td><td>4 </td><td>West Germany </td><td>2 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1970 </td><td>Brazil </td><td>4 </td><td>Italy </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1974 </td><td>West Germany </td><td>2 </td><td>Netherlands </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1978 </td><td>Argentina* </td><td>3 </td><td>Netherlands </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1982 </td><td>Italy </td><td>3 </td><td>West Germany </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1986 </td><td>Argentina </td><td>3 </td><td>West Germany </td><td>2 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1990 </td><td>West Germany </td><td>1 </td><td>Argentina </td><td>0 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1994 </td><td>Brazil** </td><td>0 </td><td>Italy </td><td>0 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">1998 </td><td>France </td><td>3 </td><td>Brazil </td><td>0 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">2002 </td><td>Brazil </td><td>2 </td><td>Germany </td><td>0 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">2006 </td><td>Italy** </td><td>1 </td><td>France </td><td>1 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">2010 </td><td>Spain* </td><td>1 </td><td>Netherlands </td><td>0 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">2014 </td><td>Germany* </td><td>1 </td><td>Argentina </td><td>0 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">2018 </td><td>France </td><td>4 </td><td>Croatia </td><td>2 </td></tr><tr><td scope="row">2022 </td><td>Argentina** </td><td>3 </td><td>France </td><td>3 </td></tr></tbody></table></div> </section> <span class="md-signature font-12"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature font-12">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Amy-Tikkanen/6393">Amy Tikkanen</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; 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