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What is the World Cup?
The World Cup in football (soccer) is a quadrennial tournament of 32 national teams that is organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football...
Why is the World Cup every four years?
The World Cup happens every four years in order to have enough time for the qualification tournaments and playoffs among national teams to take pla...
How does qualifying for the World Cup work?
Qualifying for the World Cup is a long process during the years between each quadrennial tournament; each of the Fédération Internationale de Footb...
Where does World Cup prize money come from?
World Cup prize money comes from the earnings of the nonprofit Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). FIFA’s revenue is generate...
Who is the World Cup’s top scorer?
The World Cup all-time top scorer as of 2018 is Miroslav Klose of the German national football (soccer) team. He scored a total of 16 goals across...
When was FIFA founded?
After FIFA was founded in 1904 , it tried to arrange an international football tournament between nations outside the Olympic framework in Switzerland in 1906. These were very early days for international football, and the official history of FIFA describes the competition as having been a failure.
What is the FIFA World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ), the sport's global governing body.
How much does a FIFA World Cup trophy weigh?
The new trophy is 36 cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18 carat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb). The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974. The description of the trophy by Gazzaniga was: "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."
What continents are FIFA qualifiers in?
They are held within the six FIFA continental zones ( Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, and Europe ), overseen by their respective confederations. For each tournament, FIFA decides the number of places awarded to each of the continental zones beforehand, generally based on the relative strength of the confederations' teams.
How many teams were there in the 2010 FIFA World Cup?
The tournament was expanded to 24 teams in 1982, and then to 32 in 1998, also allowing more teams from Africa, Asia and North America to take part.
Why were FIFA vice presidents arrested?
On 3 December 2015 two FIFA vice-presidents were arrested on suspicion of bribery in the same Zurich hotel where seven FIFA officials had been arrested in May. An additional 16 indictments by the US Department of Justice were announced on the same day.
How many countries participated in the World Cup?
Rimet eventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In total, 13 nations took part: seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America.
When was the first FIFA World Cup?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. See all videos for this article. The first competition for the cup was organized in 1930 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and was won by Uruguay. Held every four years since that time, except during World War II, ...
What is the World Cup?
Full Article. World Cup, formally FIFA World Cup, in football (soccer), quadrennial tournament that determines the sport’s world champion. It is likely the most popular sporting event in the world, drawing billions of television viewers every tournament.
How many confederations are there in the World Cup?
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 teams that represent each confederation’s region.
How many teams are there in the World Cup?
The World Cup in football (soccer) is a quadrennial tournament of 32 national teams that is organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). It determines the sport’s men’s world champion.
What was the trophy cup awarded in 1930?
The trophy cup awarded from 1930 to 1970 was the Jules Rimet Trophy, named for the Frenchman who proposed the tournament. This cup was permanently awarded in 1970 to then three-time winner Brazil (1958, 1962, and 1970), and a new trophy called the FIFA World Cup was put up for competition. Many other sports have organized “World Cup” competitions.
Where does the money for the World Cup come from?
World Cup prize money comes from the earnings of the nonprofit Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). FIFA’s revenue is generated by high bids for television, marketing, and licensing rights for major football events that FIFA organizes.
Why do we have to watch the World Cup every four years?
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.
Who was the first FIFA president to organize the World Cup?
After football (soccer, to Americans) was dropped from the program for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, FIFA President Jules Rimet helped to organize an international tournament in 1930.
Who won the first World Cup?
In the first round, France’s Lucien Laurent scored the first-ever World Cup goal. In its second game, France lost to Argentina 1-0 amid controversy over the referees ending the game six minutes early. Once the problem was discovered, the referees had to bring the Argentine players back onto the field to play the final minutes. After beating Belgium, the United States beat Paraguay to set up a semi-final match with Argentina, which they lost 6-1. Still, the semi-final placement was the best U.S. World Cup finish to date.
Why did the European football team not make an appearance at the first World Cup?
Due to depression in Europe, many European players, afraid their day jobs would not exist when they returned, were either unable or unwilling to attend the tournament. As a result, some of the most accomplished European teams, including three-time Olympic gold medalist England and football enthusiasts Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland did not make an appearance at the first World Cup. However, when Uruguay agreed to help pay traveling expenses, Rimet was able to convince Belgium, France, Romania and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In Romania, King Carol selected the team members himself, gave them a three-month vacation from their jobs and guaranteed the players would be employed when they returned.
When did the World Cup start?
On July 13, 1930, France defeats Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeats Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches, played simultaneously in host city Montevideo, Uruguay. The World Cup has since become the world’s most watched sporting event.
Which country hosted the first World Cup?
Much to the dismay of European footballers, Uruguay, winner of back-to-back gold medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, was chosen to host the inaugural World Cup.
How many spectators watched the first World Cup final?
In the first World Cup final, held on July 30, 1930, 93,000 spectators looked on as Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in a rematch of the 1928 Olympic gold medal game.
When was soccer invented?
That would mean the origins of the sport of soccer was invented by the Han Dynasty during the imperial dynasty of China over 2,200 years ago. Historians have claimed that the sport was played even before then as far back as 5,000 years ago. But based on historical evidence, it is the Han Dynasty. However, modern soccer is a different story.
When was the football invented?
If it’s the former, it was invented by the Football Association — a group of 11 London schools and clubs who met in 1863 to standardize the game. If it’s the latter, based on historical evidence, it was China’s Han Dynasty during the period of 206 B.C. to 220 A.D.
How many people play soccer?
Just about every country plays it with over 250 million players worldwide. Nielson’s World Football Report learned that more than four out of 10 people around the world consider themselves soccer fans. Events such as the FIFA World Cup regularly draw billions of fans in viewership.
When was soccer first played?
However, modern soccer is a different story. The sport that is watched and played today that is loved by everyone was formalized in the United Kingdom in 1863. In October of that year, the Football Association was formed with the merging of 11 London schools and clubs.
When did cuju start?
However, according to FIFA, the game of Cuju (also Tsu-Chu which translates to “kicking the ball”) originating from China during the period of the Han Dynasty which ruled from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D. is the earliest form of the sport for which there is evidence.
When was soccer invented?
Soccer in Ancient Times. Some suggest that the history of soccer dates back as far as 2500 B.C. During this time, the Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese all appear to have partaken in games involving a ball and feet. Most of these games included the use of hands, feet, and even sticks to control a ball.
Where did the word "soccer" come from?
The word soccer was derived from an abbreviation from the word association. The -er suffix was popular slang at the Rugby School and Oxford University and used for all sorts of nouns the young men shortened. The association came from the formation of the Football Association (FA) on October 26, 1863.
What is the Chinese game of cuju?
The Chinese game of Tsu-Chu or Cuju is recognized as an ancient form of football. Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons. Tsu'Chu involved kicking a small leather ball into a net strung between two bamboo poles. The use of hands was not permitted, but a player could use his feet and other parts of his body. The main difference between Tsu'Chu and soccer ...
What was the modern shape of soccer?
Within the private school system "football" was a game in which the hands were used during periods of play and grappling allowed, but otherwise, the modern shape of soccer was being formed. Two barless goals were placed at each end, goalkeepers and tactics were introduced, and high tackles outlawed.
What is the meaning of the game of association football?
The most relevant of these ancient games to our modern day "Association Football" is the Chinese game of Tsu'Chu ( Tsu-Chu or Cuju, meaning "kicking the ball"). Records of the game began during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) and it may have been a training exercise for soldiers. The Chinese game of Tsu-Chu or Cuju is recognized as an ancient ...
When was the first soccer league formed?
The association came from the formation of the Football Association (FA) on October 26, 1863. During this meeting, the FA attempted to bring together the different codes and systems used across Britain to form one accepted set of soccer rules.
When did France start football?
It was not until 1903 that France formed their league, even though they had adopted the British sport long before. The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) was formed in Paris in 1904 with seven members. This included Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
When was the first World Cup?
The first official World Cup was played in Uruguay 1930, and since when the tournament has been held every fourth year (with exceptions for interruption due to the Second World War). There were, however, unofficial pre-FIFA World Cups already in the late 1800s, in a time when only few national teams existed.
Where was the World Cup played in 1938?
The FIFA World Cup 1938 was played in France 4-19 June, with 16 nations.
How much money did the 2018 FIFA World Cup win?
The prize money for the tournament has increased massively during the years. The total prize money for the FIFA World Cup 2018 was $791 million (the winners received $35 million), which can be compared to $20 million for the FIFA World Cup 1982.
How many nations were in the 1966 World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup 1966 was played in England 11-30 July, with 16 nations.
How many countries participated in the 1958 World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup 1958 was played in Sweden 8-29 June, with 16 nations.
How many people watched the 2022 World Cup?
No other sport event can compete in significance: the latest FIFA World Cup reached over three billion television viewers worldwide and one billion watched the final. A guide with dates, groups, fixtures, cities and venues. Plus other key facts about the 2022 tournament.
What is the best award in the World Cup?
In connection to the World Cup, several awards are given to some players. The most known is The Golden Ball that is awarded to the best player in a FIFA World Cup. Candidates are decided by FIFA which media representatives votes on. Besides the Golden Ball there are also the Silver Ball and the Bronze Ball together with the Golden Boot (top goalscorer) and the Golden Glove (best goalkeeper).
