Football World Cup
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The '''Football World Cup''' (official name: '''FIFA World Cup''') is the most important competition in international Football (soccer)|football (soccer). Organised by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body, the World Cup finals tournament is the most widely-viewed and followed sporting event in the world exceeding even the Olympic Games.
The finals are held every four years, but the World Cup competition itself takes place over a three-year period. Teams representing 197 (for the 2006 competition) national football associations compete in regional qualifying tournaments for a place in the finals. The finals tournament now involves 32 national teams (increased in 1998 from the previous 24) competing over a 4-week period in a previously nominated host nation. A recent innovation has allowed more than one country to act as joint hosts. In the past, the host country and current world champions automatically qualified for the next World Cup, but from 2006 on only the hosts will get an automatic berth.
In all 207 teams have competed to qualify to the World Cup, but only eleven have made it to the final match, and of those eleven only seven teams have actually won. As a consequence of this exclusiveness, the World Cup inspires a great deal of enthusiasm and national pride amongst the tournament's fans.
Six of the seven teams that have won a world championship did it at least once while playing in their own homeland, and nations actively lobby to be selected as World Cup hosts. The only previous winner not
to have won on home ground is the otherwise extremely successful Brazil national football team|Brazil, who famously lost the deciding match when they hosted the Football World Cup 1950|1950 tournament. Even traditionally "weaker" nations have been successful during their spell as hosts, most recently South Korea national football team|South Korea, who made it to the semifinals while hosting the Football World Cup 2002|2002 World Cup. Both England national football team|England () and France national football team|France () won their only World Cups whilst playing as host nations.
The next football World Cup will be held in Germany in Football World Cup 2006|2006.
History
The World Cup was not the first international football competition. Amateur football became a part of the official Olympic programme for the first time in 1908 Summer Olympics|1908 (See: Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics).
In Turin in 1909, in what is sometimes described as ''The First World Cup'', Sir Thomas Lipton organised a football tournament to contest the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy. Italy, Germany and Switzerland sent their most prestigious professional club sides to the competition but The Football Association of England refused to be associated with it and declined the offer to send a team. Not wishing to have Britain unrepresented in the competition, Lipton invited West Auckland FC, an amateur side from the north-east of England and mostly made up of coal miners, to take part. West Auckland won the tournament and returned to Italy in 1911 to defend their title. In the second competition West Auckland beat Juventus 6-1 in the final and were awarded the trophy outright. In the Olympic games of 1924 Summer Olympics|1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics|1928, Uruguay won the football gold medal, in what was considered a proto-world cup. Unofficially, FIFA recognized Uruguay as World Champion. These victories led the FIFA to choose Uruguay as the home of the first FIFA sanctioned World Cup.
In 1927, the 1932 Summer Olympics were awarded to Los Angeles in the United States where the popularity of American football far surpassed that of the international game of association football (by then becoming known as ''soccer'' in the US). The general lack of interest from the Americans and a disagreement between FIFA and the IOC over the status of amateur players led to football being dropped from the official Olympic programme for the 1932 games.
As a consequence, Jules Rimet, who had become president of FIFA in 1921, set about organising the Football World Cup 1930|inaugural World Cup tournament, to take place in Uruguay in 1930. 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 for European sides and up until two months before the start of the competition no team from that continent had promised to send a team. Rimet eventually persuaded teams representing Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In total, thirteen nations took part - seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America. The first ever goal was scored by Lucien Laurent who scored for France against Mexico (match ended 4-1 for France). Uruguay national football team|Uruguay beat Argentina national football team|Argentina 4-2 in front of crowd of 93,000 in Montevideo to become the first nation to win the Jules Rimet trophy|the World Cup trophy. In 1946 the World Cup trophy was renamed the ''Jules Rimet trophy'' in his honour.
In Football World Cup 1970|1970, Brazil national football team|Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the original trophy and a new trophy was then designed. Argentina, Germany national football team|Germany (both times as West Germany) and Brazil have all won the second trophy twice, but the current trophy will not be retired until the name plaque has been entirely filled with the names of winning nations (this will not happen until 2038).
Brazil, by a clear margin, is the most successful World Cup team overall, having won the tournament five times in total and finished as runners-up twice. Brazil is also the only nation to have participated in every World Cup so far. Germany, three-time winners (as West Germany) and four-time runners-up (three times as West Germany), are next, while Italy have also won three trophies and two-time runners-up. Argentina and Uruguay are both two-time World Champions. England national football team|England () and France national football team|France () have both won the title once. The two countries with the most appearances in the World Cup final match are Germany and Brazil each with 7 appearances in the final match (Brazil won 5 while Germany won 3).
To date, the final of the World Cup has only been contested by European and/or South American teams. The greatest success of a North American team was reaching the semi-finals, achieved by the United States men's national soccer team|USA at the .
The first Asian teams to make it to the semi-finals was at the , when South Korea national football team|South Korea and Turkey national football team|Turkey both did this (Turkey is however a member of the UEFA, and thus sometimes considered a European country when it comes to football).
Two African teams have reached the quarter-finals: Cameroon national football team|Cameroon at the and Senegal national football team|Senegal in 2002.
The only visits of teams from Oceania in the tournament ended in the first round: Australia national football team|Australia at the and New Zealand national soccer team|New Zealand in the but Australia has now qualified for the 2006 Cup after winning through a play-off with the 5th placed South American side, Uruguay, in November 2005.
The next World Cup finals will be held in Germany, in Football World Cup 2006|2006. As indicated below, the Football World Cup 2010|2010 World Cup will be held in South Africa. The Football World Cup 2014|2014 World Cup, which FIFA has earmarked for South America, is expected to be held in Brazil as CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, has already backed it as their choice. For the Football World Cup 2018|2018 finals, Netherlands and Belgium have expressed interest in holding the finals jointly, and England have also expressed a possibility of bidding for the prestigious event.
Début of National Teams
Each successive World Cup has welcomed at least one team qualifying for the first time as detailed below. Brazil holds the honour of being present at each of the World Cups, and in 2005 became the first ever reigning champions to go through qualifying for the World Cup.
1930 - (#5|1)
1934 - (#6|2) (#8|4)
1938 -
1950 -
1954 - (#8|4)
1958 - (#7|3)
1962 -
1966 -
1970 -
1974 - (#8|4)
1978 -
1982 -
1986 -
1990 -
1994 - (#8|4) (#7|3)
1998 - (#5|1) (#5|1)
2002 - (#5|1)
2006 - (#6|2) (#7|3)
'''4''' The first appereance of Germany was in 1934. After 1945, Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany. The 1994 World Cup was the first time a Unified Germany competed in the World Cup since before World War II. Officially, FIFA attributes the three World Cup victories of West Germany to Germany (body ''Deutscher Fußball Bund'').
You can have access to a http://worldcuphistory.free.fr/trophyroom.htmaccording to their performance during the 17 World Cups.
World Cup Awards
At the end of each World Cup final tournament, several awards are attributed to the players and teams which have distinguished from the rest, in different aspects of the game.
There are currently six awards:
the '''Golden Boot''' for top goal scorer;
the '''Golden Ball''' for best player;
the '''Yashin Award''' for best goalkeeper;
the '''FIFA Fair Play Award''' for the team with the best record of fair play;
the '''Most Entertaining Team''' award.
the '''Gillete Best Young Player''' award.
Golden Boot - Top Goalscorers
The '''World Cup Golden Boot|Golden Boot''' (or ''Golden Shoe'') is awarded to the top goalscorer of the World Cup final tournament. The award was introduced at the Football World Cup 1982|1982 World Cup for the first time.
Adidas Golden Ball
The '''Golden Ball''' is an award attributed to the most outstanding player of the World Cup final tournament. FIFA announces a shortlist of ten nominees which is then voted by media representatives. The most voted player is elected to win the '''Golden Ball''', the second most voted player wins the '''Silver Ball''' and the third most voted player wins the '''Bronze Ball'''. Its awarding is shrouded by allegations of being influenced by diplomacy: the three awards have always been won by players from three different nations.
Yashin Award
The '''Yashin Award''' is attributed to the best goalkeeper of the World Cup final tournament. The award is named in honour of the late and legendary Russian goalkeeper, Lev Yashin.
FIFA Fair Play Award
The '''FIFA Fair Play Award''' is given to the team with the best record of fair play during the World Cup final tournament. Only teams that qualified for the second round are considered.
Most Entertaining Team
The '''Most Entertaining Team''' award is attributed to the team that has entertained the public the most, during the World Cup final tournament. It is always decided through public participation in a poll.
Gillete Best Young Player Award
The '''Gillete Best Young Player''' award is attributed to the best player in the tournament under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year for each World Cup. For the this means that the player has to have born on or after 01 January 1985. It will be awarded for the first time at the in Germany. The election will take place on the FIFA's official world cup site.
Overall Top Goalscorers
'''14 Goals'''
Gerd Müller
'''13 Goals'''
Just Fontaine
'''12 Goals'''
Pelé
Ronaldo
'''11 Goals'''
Jürgen Klinsmann
Sándor Kocsis
'''10 Goals'''
Gabriel Batistuta
Teófilo Cubillas
Gary Lineker
Grzegorz Lato
Helmut Rahn
'''9 Goals'''
Ademir (#4|4)
Roberto Baggio
Eusébio
Jairzinho
Paolo Rossi
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Uwe Seeler
Vavá
Christian Vieri
'''8 Goals'''
Leônidas da Silva|Leônidas
Diego Maradona
Omar Oscar Míguez
Guillermo Stábile
Rivaldo
Rudi Völler
4 There was controversy regarding how many goals Brazilian Ademir Menezes scored in 1950, because of incomplete data concerning the Final Round game Brazil vs. Spain (6:1). The first goal had been credited as an own goal by Spanish defender Parra, and the 5:0 goal had been credited to Jair. However, recently FIFA credited Ademir with both these goals; thus he's the 1950 World Cup top scorer with 9 goals.
Fastest Goals
See also
Football World Cup Trophy|World Cup Trophy
World Cup Teams
FIFA Women's World Cup
Homeless World Cup
World Cup Golden Boot
List of sporting events
FIFA World Cup mascot
Football World Cup video games
External links
http://www.fifa.com/en/index.html
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/
http://www.fifa.com/infoplus/IP-201_02E_WC-origin.pdf
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/pwc/index.html http://www.world-cup-schedule.com http://www.worldcup-history.com
http://www.planetworldcup.com
http://www.2006-world-cup-draw.com
http://www.worldcuplatest.com
http://odds.bestbetting.co.uk/football/world-cup/winner
http://www.world-cup-countries.com
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