The football world cup is the most prestigious competition in international association football and is contested by the senior men’s national teams of members of FIFA.
Concept of Football WorldCup-
Football WorldCup (FIFA World Cup for short) is a competition organized by FIFA, the worldwide governing body of association football. It was first held in 1930. The current winner is Germany which won the 2014 Football World Cup after defeating Argentina 4-1 in the final match at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia on 15 July 2014
The Football World Cup is held every four years and usually takes place simultaneously with the Summer Olympic Games.
History of Football WorldCup-
The first official football World Cup was held in 1930 and was organized by FIFA, the worldwide governing body of association football. It is succeeded by field of 8 World Cup competitions held since 1934. The FIFA World Cup was first held in 1930 as a tournament for the champion countries only but now it is an open tournament for all qualified teams. 16 teams participate in each edition of the world cup and its format is the same as most other international tournaments. Each team plays with their opponents once to eliminate them from competition.
Here are some interesting facts about this hugely popular event:
1. The Football World Cup consists of 32 matches over 32 days – so those who have a nation’s hopes pinned on just one player have to be prepared for disappointment!
2. There are 31 members of FIFA and 200+ competing nations – that’s a lot of countries!
3. The World Cup really began in 1930 when Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 to win the first ever trophy.
4. The official ball is produced by Adidas and has a cat’s face on it!
5. The tournament starts with one group of 16 teams and ends with a final between the winner and runner up from each group – so it’s quite an arduous task!
6. The first World Cup was hosted by Uruguay in 1930 – but it wasn’t until Brazil won the trophy in England in 1966 that football became a truly global phenomenon.
7. Brazil have won the World Cup the most times of any country with 7 and they’ve done it 5 times consecutively between 1970 and 1994.
8. It’s estimated that there are 11 billion people playing football in some form or other worldwide!
9. Around 60% of all people playing football worldwide live in Latin America.
10. Argentina came second with 4 world cups (1978, 1982, 1986 and 1990 ), Holland came third with 3 world cups (1974, 1978 and 1982).
11. Germany have only won the World Cup once – in 2014!
12. The most successful nation at World Cup tournaments is Brazil with 17 titles – they also hold the record of being the last team to beat England in a major tournament when they beat them 3-2 after extra time in the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup.
Where does World Cup prize money come from?
Prize money comes from different sources. The amount of prize money is fixed before any tournament. The prize money has increased considerably as the number of participants has risen.
In 2006 FIFA distributed $US 388 million in prize money from the World Cup which was more than triple the $US 107 million it gave out in 2002
From FIFA’s website, “All amounts stated below are tax free and paid in U.S. dollars.
Who is the World Cup’s top scorer?
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is the highest goalscorer in World Cup history with six goals. Ronaldo, who scored five goals in 2002, is second on the list. The three players ahead of him all hold multiple records for their respective countries.
The top scorer from 1982 to 2006 By nation (as of June 6, 2006):
1.Mario Kempes (Argentina)7
2.Cristiano Ronaldo (Brazil)5
3.Claudio Suarez (Uruguay)4
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