The FIFA World Cup is a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the senior men's national teams of FIFA member associations. First held in 1930, it has occurred every four years, excluding 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. Argentina is the current champion, having won their third title in 2022 against France.
In 1900, football was held as a demonstration sport with no medals awarded at the Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has retroactively upgraded their status to official events.
After FIFA was founded in 1904, it tried to arrange an international football tournament between nations outside the Olympic framework in Switzerland in 1906.
In 1904, football was held as a demonstration sport with no medals awarded at the Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has retroactively upgraded their status to official events.
Prior to the Lipton competition, from 1876 to 1904, games that were considered to be the "football world championship" were meetings between leading English and Scottish clubs.
In 1906, FIFA tried to arrange an international football tournament between nations outside the Olympic framework in Switzerland. The competition has been described as unsuccessful.
In 1906, the Intercalated Games were held and the International Olympic Committee has retroactively upgraded their status to official events.
In 1908, football became an official Olympic sport at the Summer Olympics in London. Great Britain won the gold medals.
In 1909, Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy tournament in Turin. The Lipton tournament was a championship between individual clubs from different nations, each of which represented an entire nation.
In 1911, West Auckland, an amateur side from County Durham, returned to successfully defend their title at the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy tournament.
In 1912, Great Britain (represented by the England national amateur football team) repeated their feat at the Summer Olympics in Stockholm winning the gold medals.
In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the Olympic tournament as a 'world football championship for amateurs' and took responsibility for managing the event.
In 1920, the world's first intercontinental football competition for nations took place at the Summer Olympics, contested by Egypt and 13 European teams, and won by Belgium.
In 1928, Uruguay won the Olympic football tournament for the second time, which was also the second open world championship.
On July 13, 1930, the first two FIFA World Cup matches took place simultaneously, with France and the United States winning their respective matches. The first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France.
From 1930 the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the World Cup winning team.
In 1930, The United States was a semi-finalist in the FIFA World Cup tournament.
In 1930, Uruguay won its first World Cup title as host nation.
In 1930, the inaugural FIFA World Cup took place. A total of 80 national teams have competed since the event's inception.
In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.
In 1932, football was dropped from the Summer Olympics due to disagreements between FIFA and the IOC over the status of amateur players.
Since the second World Cup in 1934, qualifying tournaments have been held to reduce the number of teams for the final tournament. These are held within the six FIFA continental zones.
In 1936, Olympic football returned at the Summer Olympics, but was now overshadowed by the more prestigious World Cup.
From the 1938 World Cup onwards, host nations receive automatic qualification to the final tournament.
In 1942, the FIFA World Cup, which Germany sought to host, was cancelled due to World War II.
In 1946, the FIFA World Cup, which Brazil sought to host, was cancelled due to World War II.
In 1946, the World Cup trophy was renamed the Jules Rimet Trophy after FIFA president Jules Rimet.
In 1950, Brazil finished as runners-up after losing the deciding match on home soil.
In 1954, Switzerland reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
In 1958, Sweden finished as runners-up in the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
In 1962, Chile finished in third place in the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
England won its only World Cup title in 1966 while playing as a host nation.
In 1966, North Korea was a quarter-finalist in the FIFA World Cup tournament.
After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed.
In 1970, Brazil's third World Cup victory entitled them to permanently keep the Jules Rimet Trophy.
In 1970, Mexico reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
Germany won their second World Cup title on home soil in 1974.
In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.
Since 1974, the bottom side of the FIFA World Cup Trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner.
Before the 1978 tournament, medals were only awarded to the eleven players on the pitch at the end of the final and the third-place match.
In 1978, Argentina won its first World Cup title as host nation.
In 1982, Spain reached the second round of the World Cup on home soil.
In 1982, the FIFA World Cup tournament was expanded to 24 teams.
Until 1982, the only teams from outside Europe and South America to advance out of the first round were: United States, semi-finalists in 1930; Cuba, quarter-finalists in 1938; North Korea, quarter-finalists in 1966; and Mexico, quarter-finalists in 1970.
In 1983, the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen in Brazil and never recovered.
In 1986, Mexico reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
In 1992, the first edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup took place.
In 1992, the men's football tournament at the Olympics became an under-23 tournament, allowing each team to have three over-age players.
In 1994, the quarter-finalists in the FIFA World Cup tournament were all from Europe or South America.
Since 1994, three points have been awarded for a win in the FIFA World Cup group stage, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
In 1998, France won their first World Cup title as host nation.
In 1998, the FIFA World Cup tournament was expanded to 32 teams.
In June 2015, Chuck Blazer admitted he and other FIFA executive committee members were bribed to promote the 1998 World Cup.
Since 1998, constraints have been applied to the FIFA World Cup draw to ensure that no group contains more than two European teams or more than one team from any other confederation.
Since 1998, the final tournament format involves 32 national teams competing over a month in the host nations, consisting of a group stage followed by a knockout stage.
In 2002, South Korea finished in fourth place in the FIFA World Cup tournament.
In 2002, South Korea finished in fourth place in the World Cup while co-hosting the tournament.
In 2002, two hundred teams entered the FIFA World Cup qualification rounds.
In the 2002 edition, fourth-place medals were awarded to hosts South Korea.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan, was the first one held in Asia, and the first tournament with multiple hosts.
Until 2002, the defending champions of the FIFA World Cup received automatic qualification for the next tournament.
For the 2006 World Cup the policy of continental rotation was introduced after the controversy surrounding Germany's victory over South Africa in the vote to host the tournament.
From the 2006 FIFA World Cup onward, defending champions were required to qualify for the tournament, ending the automatic qualification.
In 2006, 198 nations attempted to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
In 2006, the quarter-finalists in the FIFA World Cup tournament were all from Europe or South America.
Since 2006, winners of the FIFA World Cup competition are also awarded the right to wear the FIFA Champions Badge until the winner of the next competition is decided.
In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.
In 2007, the number of entrants for the FIFA Women's World Cup more than doubled compared to 1991, reaching 120 teams.
For the 2010 World Cup, the final tournament was rotated between confederations, allowing only countries from the chosen confederation (Africa in 2010) to bid to host the tournament.
For the 2010 World Cup, the winner of the Oceanian zone and the fifth-placed team from the Asian zone entered a play-off for a spot in the tournament.
In 2010, South Africa failed to advance beyond the first round of the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
In 2010, a record 204 countries entered qualification for the FIFA World Cup.
In 2010, the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup served as a dress rehearsal for the larger competition.
In June 2015, Chuck Blazer admitted he and other FIFA executive committee members were bribed to promote the 2010 World Cup.
South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in 2010.
For the 2014 World Cup, the final tournament was rotated between confederations, allowing only countries from the chosen confederation (South America in 2014) to bid to host the tournament.
In 2014, Costa Rica was a quarter-finalist in the FIFA World Cup tournament.
In 2014, the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup served as a dress rehearsal for the larger competition.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was hosted by Brazil, the first held in South America since Argentina 1978, and was the first occasion where consecutive World Cups were held outside Europe.
By May 2015, the FIFA games were under a dark cloud because of the 2015 FIFA corruption case, allegations and criminal charges of bribery, fraud and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights (rigged bids) for FIFA games.
In June 2015, Chuck Blazer admitted he and other FIFA executive committee members were bribed to promote the 1998 and 2010 World Cups, and Swiss authorities seized computer data from Sepp Blatter's offices.
In October 2015, Sepp Blatter and FIFA VP Michel Platini were suspended for 90 days amidst bribery allegations.
At the time of the May 2015 FIFA corruption announcements, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced he would relinquish his position in February 2016.
In October 2016, FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated his support for a 48-team FIFA World Cup in 2026.
On 10 January 2017, FIFA approved a new format for the World Cup featuring 48 teams, consisting of 16 groups of three teams each, with implementation scheduled for 2026.
In 2017, the last edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup was played.
In 2018, Russia reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
In 2018, the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup served as a dress rehearsal for the larger competition.
In 2018, the FIFA World Cup had an estimated viewership of 3.57 billion people globally.
In 2018, the quarter-finalists in the FIFA World Cup tournament were all from Europe or South America.
On 10 June 2015, FIFA postponed the bidding process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in light of the allegations surrounding bribery in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
The policy of continental rotation did not continue beyond 2014, so any country, except those belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments, can apply as hosts for World Cups starting from 2018.
In March 2019, FIFA confirmed that the FIFA Confederations Cup would no longer be active due to the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup.
In May 2021, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation proposed a biennial World Cup plan at the 71st FIFA Congress. The plan received support from Arsène Wenger and national federations in Africa and Asia, but faced opposition from UEFA and CONMEBOL. 166 of the 210 FIFA member associations supported the idea.
In 2021, the FIFA Club World Cup was expanded, leading to the discontinuation of the FIFA Confederations Cup.
As of 2022, the 22nd final FIFA World Cup tournament has been held since the event's inception in 1930.
In 2022, Qatar failed to advance beyond the first round of the World Cup while hosting the tournament.
In 2022, the FIFA World Cup had an estimated engagement of 5 billion people, with approximately 1.5 billion watching the final match.
On 10 June 2015, FIFA postponed the bidding process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in light of the allegations surrounding bribery in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
On 14 March 2023, FIFA approved a revised format of the 2026 World Cup, featuring 12 groups of four teams each, with the top 8 third-placed teams joining the group winners and runners-up in a new round of 32.
In March 2025, reports emerged that FIFA was considering a one-off expansion to 64 teams for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, coinciding with the centennial anniversary of the tournament.
By 2026, FIFA was to implement a new format for the World Cup featuring 48 teams.
In 2026, FIFA confirmed that the World Cup will have 48 finalist teams.
In 2026, the FIFA World Cup is scheduled to expand to include 48 teams, increasing the competition's scope and participation.
In 2026, the FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
On 10 June 2015, FIFA postponed the bidding process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in light of the allegations surrounding bribery in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was chosen to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time a World Cup has been shared by three host nations.
In March 2025, it was reported that FIFA was considering an one-off expansion to 64 teams for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the centennial anniversary of the FIFA World Cup.
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