World Cup History – History Of The World’s Greatest Sporting Event

The World Cup – and World Cup betting - history is a long story that has been going on since 1930, and outside of a 12-year break between 1938 and 1950 due to World War II, it has gone on every four years without fail. Here is a look at the World Cup history and traditions.

First World Cup

World Cup history begins with then-FIFA president Jules Rimet, who wanted to create an event separate from the Olympics. Thirteen teams participated in the first World Cup in Uruguay:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

The group winners were then in the semifinals, where Argentina slaughtered the Americans 6-1, while Uruguay romped over Yugoslavia by the same score. The hosts went on to claim the first title in World Cup history by beating their fellow South Americans by a score of 4-2. The United States claimed third place due to having a better overall record than the Yugoslavians.

Trophy

The trophy awarded to the captain of the winning team was called the World Cup from 1930 to 1946, when it was renamed after the man who kicked off World Cup history, Jules Rimet. This was the name until 1970, when Brazil were able to keep the trophy after winning the tournament for the third time (the trophy was subsequently stolen). The new design is simply called the FIFA World Cup Trophy, and it was first given to West Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer when they won on home soil in 1974.

Format

The qualification process has gotten distinctly more complicated in the modern era. There are six “continents” in FIFA:

Qualification lasts about two years, until the field is whittled down to 32 teams. The host team gained automatic qualification until 2006, meaning Brazil, the 2002 champions, had to qualify to get in. The group stages consist of four teams in one group, and each team will play everyone once. The top two teams progress to the round of 16, and group winners are drawn against second-seeded teams. From there, it goes in bracket form, similar to the NCAA Tournament.

Hosts

The first host in World Cup history was Uruguay in 1930, and this was due to withdrawals from Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. The next World Cup was held in Italy, as the only other country, Sweden, again withdrew from the vote. There was to be an understanding that the next World Cup would be held in South America, but when France was awarded the next World Cup in 1938, Argentina and Uruguay boycotted. The teams were angry because the decision to alternate was to make it fair for both continents who had to make the three-week boat ride across the Atlantic. After the World Cup resumed post-World War II, the event alternated between Europe and North and South America. In 2002, Japan and South Korea’s joint bid meant that for the first time in World Cup history, the tournament would be held in Asia. Now, in 2010, World Cup history is being made again as South Africa is the first African country to host this event. Italy (1934, 1990), Germany (1974 in West Germany, 2006), and Mexico (1970, 1986) are the only countries in World Cup history to host the event twice.

Awards

Golden Ball: Awarded to the best player in the World Cup. There are also the Silver and Bronze balls for the second and third-best players. Seven Brazilians have won the Golden Ball, the most for any country, and no player has won the award twice.

Golden Boot: Awarded to the top scorer in the World Cup. Like the Golden Ball, there are also Silver and Bronze boots. Again, the Brazilians lead the way with five Golden Boot winners, although two of them, Garrincha and Vava, shared the award with four other players at Chile 1962.

Yashin Award: Awarded to the best goalkeeper in the World Cup. This award is named after Lev Yashin, arguably the best keeper in the history of the game. Uruguay leads the way with three winners, while Italy, Germany, England, Argentina and the former Czechoslovakia. Best Young Player: Beginning in 1958, this was awarded to the best player under 21 in the World Cup. Germany leads the way with two winners in World Cup history.

FIFA Fair Play Trophy: Beginning in 1970, this was awarded to the team who exhibits the most sportsmanship during the World Cup. Brazil has won this award four times.

Most Entertaining Team: This award began in 1994, and it’s voted on by the fans. Brazil (1994), France (1998), South Korea (2002) and Portugal (2006) have won this award.

All-Star Team: Awarded to the best 23 players in the World Cup. There are only two players in three different All-Star teams: West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer (1966, 1970, 1974) and Djalma Santos of Brazil (1954, 1958, 1962). The most players from one country in an All-Star team was Uruguay in 1930, when they had seven players, and there was only 11 spots.

Records

Appearances – Brazil (19)
Wins – Brazil (5)
Final Appearances – Brazil, Germany (7)
Matches Played – Brazil, Germany (92)
All-time Wins – Brazil (64)
Losses – Mexico (22)
Goals Scored – Brazil (201)
Goals Allowed – Germany (112)

Individual Records

Tournaments – Antonio Carbajal, Mexico; Lothar Matthaus, Germany (5)
Wins – Cafu, Brazil (16)
Matches – Lothar Matthaus, Germany (25)
Goals - Ronaldo, Brazil (15)
Goals In One Match – Oleg Salenko, Russia (5, 1994)
Goals In One Final – Geoff Hurst, England (3, 1966)
Clean Sheets – Peter Shilton, England; Fabien Barthez, France (10)

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