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    1930

    • The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
    • The idea had been thought up by the French in FIFA, led by Jules Rimet. Henri Delauney's European Championship, which he considered a logical first step, had to wait until 1960.
    • Uruguay were Olympic Champions twice in succession and were desperate to prove that they were world beaters. They were awarded hosting rights after paying all expenses of all teams.
    • The first match was France 4-1 Mexico.
    • The first final was between Uruguay and Argentina, and a dispute was raised about the ball. Eventually, the first half was played with an Argentinian ball and the second half with a Uruguayan ball. The hosts trailed 2-1 at half time and won 4-2.
    • Only 13 teams entered, with only 4 from Europe. Rimet pestered France to attend, and Romania appeared with the blessing of, and managed by, their King!

    1934

    • 1934 was the first World Cup to be held in more than one city, in Italy.
    • There was no group stage for the first time, but there was a qualifying tournament.
    • All eight quarter-finalists were from Europe
    • Italy and Spain played out the first World Cup draw in the quarter-finals in Florence, with the hosts winning in a replay the next day.
    • The final went to extra-time for the first time, with Italy beating Czechoslovakia 2-1.
    • After Uruguay's withdrawal, this was the only World Cup where the holders did not compete.

    Throughout the 1930s, the British nations withdrew from FIFA, and had a rather condesending attitude to the rest of the World.

    Charles Sutcliffe, the F.A. "the national associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have quite enough to do in their own International Championship which seems to me a far better World Championship than the one to be staged in Rome"

    1938

    World War II

    • The trophy was kept in a shoebox for the duration of the war.
    • Germany or Brazil would have hosted the Cup.
    • The War gave the British nations a chance to return to the FIFA-fold, and they'd enter in 1950.

    1950

    • No European nation wanted to divert resources from other fronts, hence Brazil was the only bidder.
    • After withdrawals, and subsequent withdrawals of the replacements of the withdrawals, only 13 teams entered.
    • Since two of the withdrawing teams (Scotland & Turkey) were drawn in Group 4, Uruguay had only one game vs Bolivia. They won 8-0.
    • The tournament included the biggest shock in World Cup history, as the part-timers of the USA defeated giants England.
    • The tournament ended in a final group stage rather than a final. with Brazil, Sweden, Spain and Uruguay playing-off.
    • The last game of the final group stage acted as the final, however.
    • Uruguay beat hot favourites Brazil in Rio in a game that traumatized Brazilian football so much that the team did not play for two years and changed their kit.

    1954

    • The 1954 World Cup was held in six Swiss stadia.
    • Bizarrely, the seeds in each group were not required to play each other, and neither were the non-seeds.
    • The tournament had the highest goals-per-game ratio of any World Cup
    • Extra-time was played in group games, but the two games involved finished in draws aet too.
    • Uruguay lost their first ever World Cup game 2-4 to Hungary in the semis
    • The quarter-final in Lausanne (Austria 7-5 Switzerland) is the highest scoring game ever at the World Cup finals.
    • There was a massive shock in the final for the second successive tournament with the Magical Magyars losing 3-2 to underdog West Germany. See also: German Peculiarities, "Das Wunder von Bern".

    1958

    • The 1958 World Cup was held in twelve venues in Sweden.
    • The groups were drawn on a geographical basis; with pots of "Western Europe", "Eastern Europe", "Great Britain" and "The Americas"
    • All four British nations qualified for the only time.
    • The match between Hungary and Mexico in Sandviken became the northern-most World Cup match in history. (60 degrees North)
    • The first 0-0 in World Cup history was between Brazil and England in Gothenburg.
    • Just Fontaine scored a record 13 goals in his only World Cup.
    • Pele played a key role in the final, scoring 2 as Brazil (in blue) beat the hosts 5-2. Just 17 at the time, he's the youngest player to win the tournament.

    1962

    • The 1962 World Cup was held in Chile in only 4 stadia - in Santiago, Rancagua, Arica and Vina del Mar
    • Only Santiago held more than 10,000 people, and England vs Bulgaria was held in front of only 5700, and the Yugoslavia vs Czechoslovakia semi was held in front of 5890 spectators in Vina del Mar.
    • Marcos Coll of Colombia scored the only goal direct from a corner kick in World Cup history, in their 4-4 draw with the USSR.
    • Despite the absence of Pele with injury, Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final.

    1966

    • Before the tournament, the trophy was stolen. It was recovered from under a bush by Pickles the dog.
    • The tournament was held in 8 stadia in England, none of which had been renovated or newly built.
    • White City was used for France vs Uruguay, because Wembley refused to cancel its Friday night greyhound racing!
    • North Korea became the first Asian quarter-finalists beating Italy in the group stage. They lost 5-3 to Portugal (from 3-0 up).
    • The first tournament to have a mascot (the lion Willie).
    • England won the World Cup 4-2 aet in the final against West Germany, the final goal spawning this famous quote:

    Kenneth Wolstenhome: Here comes Hurst. There's - some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over! It is now - it's four!

    1970

    • The 1970 World Cup was held in 5 Mexican stadia.
    • The Mexicans opened the World Cup for a 3rd time (against the U.S.S.R). Including 2010, they've never won at an opening game.
    • For the opening ceremony, the Russians sent out their reserves to stand for 30 minutes in the Mexican heat, to protect the first XI
    • Substitutes were allowed for the first time, with Anatoliy Puzach on at half-time in the opener for Viktor Serebryanikov.
    • Yellow and red cards were used to indicate cautions and expulsions in an international language for the first time.
    • Gerd Müller scored consecutive hattricks, and ten goals, for West Germany.
    • Brazil defeated Italy 4-1 in the final, with Jairzinho scoring in all 6 games.
    • The rules said the Jules Rimet Trophy would be permanently given to the first team to win three times. Both teams on the final qualified - but if the game finished tied, even after extra time, it would be solved in a coin toss!

    1974

    • The first tournament to use the FIFA World Cup Trophy. The final was the only occasion the new trophy and the Jules Rimet cup[1] were seen together.
    • The tournament was held in 9 stadia in West Germany - one of them in West Berlin, a city geographically in East Germany.
    • The second round was changed - the first and second placed teams in the group stage were sorted into two groups of four teams. The first of those groups qualified for the final, and the runner-ups, to the third place match.
    • It was the only World Cup disputed by East Germany - and they were in the same group as West Germany, winning their confront 1-0. Which means that after The Great Politics Mess-Up, they have no chance ever to clear this.
    • Again West Germany defeated the perceived favorite in the finals, 2-1 over the Netherlands (nicknamed "Clockwork Orange", who employed the Total Football technique first used by its coach in Ajax F.C., where all players but the goalkeeper change positions).

    1978

    • The tournament was held in 6 stadia in 5 Argentinian cities.
    • The distances travelled by teams varied drastically - hosts Argentina, with most of its games in Buenos Aires, travelled 618 kilometers (384 miles); 3rd place Brazil, with games in Mar del Plata, Mendonza, Rosario and Buenos Aires, 4659 (2894 mi).
    • For the second round, the group format was kept - and Group B aroused controversy: Argentina entered the final match with Peru knowing they needed a 3-0 win to reach the final; they won 6-0. Rumors of bribing to throw the game arised, but were never confirmed.
    • Tunisia became the first African team to win a match with a 2-0 over Mexico.
    • Argentina and the Netherlands reached the second final of each team. The hosts won 3-1 after extra time.

    1982

    • The tournament was held in 17 stadia in 12 Spanish cities.
    • The number of teams were expanded from 16 to 24. The format was six groups of 4, followed by four groups of 3 consisting of first and second placed teams; the winners of the Round 2 groups qualified for the semifinals.
    • El Salvador lost 10-1 to Hungary, the biggest defeat in World Cup history. The country is officially the worst team ever in the tournament - qualified for two World Cups, lost all games (3 in 1970 and 3 in 1982), scored 1 goal and suffered 22.
    • The semifinal West Germany - France was the first match decided on penalty shootouts (Germany won).
    • Italy had three draws in Round 1, and qualified for Round 2 due to having one goal more than Cameroon. They proceeded to win all the remaining games, including a 3-1 final with West Germany.
    • Italian goalkeeper and captain Dino Zoff is the oldest player to win the World Cup, at the age of 40.

    1986

    • Colombia was scheduled to host, but gave up in 1985 due to an economic crisis. Mexico eventually picked up the duties, and became the first country to host two World Cups.
    • Eleven stadia were used in the cup, including the five from 1970.
    • The second round was changed to regular knockout round, disputed by the top two teams and the four best third place finishers from the six groups.
    • In the quarterfinals with England, Argentinian captain Diego Maradona scored both goals, one infamous (The Hand of God, punching the ball) and one famous (The Goal of the Century, passing up 6 English players before kicking).
    • Uruguayan player José Batista was expelled after just 55 seconds in his game with Scotland.
    • Argentina won its second title over Germany, 3-2, but Maradona didn't score in the final.

    1990

    • Italy became the second country to host two World Cups, with twelve venues. Just one of the 1934 cities did not host a game - but only four of the stadia were the same as in the last Cup in Italy.
    • The tournament had the lowest goals-per-game ratio of any World Cup, leading to some rule changes.
    • Cameroon became the first African team to reach the quarterfinals.
    • Both semifinals ended in penalty shootouts.
    • Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga remained a record 518 minutes without conceding a goal - the only two he suffered were from Argentina in the semifinal, and England in the third place match.
    • West Germany reached a third straight final, again against Argentina - but this time won, 1-0.
    • Franz Beckenbauer, captain of the German team in 1974 and coach of the winning team in 1990, became the second person to win a World Cup as player and manager (after Zagallo, who played for Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and coached the 1970 team; Zagallo was also assistant in the 1994 team).

    1994

    • The tournament was held in the United States, in nine venues which usually held NFL or NCAA games. Despite America's apathy towards soccer, the tournament holds the record for highest overall and average attendance and did help boost the sport's popularity there.
    • The first World Cup in which three points were given to a win in the group round (the previous ones gave 2).
    • The first indoor World Cup games were played at the Pontiac Silverdome, in Michigan.
    • Two players were "punished" for their team's performance: Cameroonian goalkeeper Bell had his house torched, and Colombian defender Escobar, who scored an own goal in the defeat to the USA, was shot dead after returning home. The brother of one of Escobar's teammates was killed before that game to provide incentive.
    • Russia 6-1 Cameroon had two records: oldest player to score a goal (Roger Milla of Cameroon was 42) and most goals by a player (5 by Russian striker Oleg Salenko).
    • Oleg Salenko became the only player to reach top scorer (tied with Hristo Stoichkov of Bulgaria, 6 goals) after falling in Round 1.
    • The United States became the first host to get eliminated before the quarterfinals - on the 4th of July, even!
      • However, it was the eventual champion (see below) which eliminated the U.S.
    • Like 1970, Brazil and Italy reached the final, with the winner to become the first team to reach a fourth title. In the first final decided in penalty shootouts, Brazil won.

    1998

    • The number of teams rose from 24 to 32, which remains to date. The format allowed for knockout rounds without third-placed teams.
    • France hosted the tournament again, with ten venues (four were used in 1938).
    • The tournament holds the record for overall goals.
    • Argentinian striker Gabriel Batistuta became the first player to score hattricks in two World Cups.
    • The first tournament in which a coach was fired mid-tournament: Saudi Arabia dismissed Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after their 4-0 defeat to France.
    • It was the first tournament to use the Golden Goal rule, with France 1-0 Paraguay being the first match to employ it.
    • In the same day of the final, Brazilian striker Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit. The incident affected the team enough for them to lose the game 3-0 to France (which had a great team, but the score shows the adversary was hardly trying).

    2002

    • South Korea and Japan decided to share their host bids, and were eventually chosen. The shared duties led to a record 20 stadia (10 in each country)
    • With two defeats, one draw, and no goals scored, France had the worst performance ever by a defending champion.
    • Both hosts had their best performances to date - Japan was 9th, falling in the round of 16 (a feat they repeated in 2010), and South Korea was fourth, after questionable wins over Italy and Spain.
    • South Korean forward Ahn Jung-Hwan played for Italian team Perugia. After Ahn scored the Golden Goal which eliminated the Azzurri, the team president fired him.
    • Serbian coach Bora Milutinovic managed China, reaching five consecutive Cups with different teams (Mexico '86, Costa Rica '90, USA '94 and Nigeria '98). It was the first time his team did not qualify for Round 2.
    • Turkey captain Hakan Sukur scored the fastest goal ever at the third place match with South Korea, at 11 seconds.
    • Brazil entered discredited, but won its fifth title with the distinction of winning all seven games.
    • Related to Brazil's performance, Ronaldo saw many months without play after the '98 final due to knee problems (one particularly traumatic). He shut up critics by scoring 8 goals, including both in the 2-0 final with Germany.

    2006

    • Germany hosted its second World Cup after a controversial election over South Africa (see Comically Small Bribe). Twelve stadia were used, six of which saw 1974 games (Munich and Gelsenkirchen were venues in both, but with different stadia) and one being in the former East Germany (Leipzig).
    • A Croatian player was accidentally shown three yellow cards before being expelled during a game of the group stage.
    • Switzerland became the first team to be eliminated with zero goals conceded, after losing to Ukraine in the penalty shoot-outs during the Round of 16.
    • Portugal 1-0 Netherlands in the Round of 16 became known as the "Battle of Nuremberg", holding the records for most cards at a single game (16 yellow and 4 red cards - 2 for each team).
    • Ronaldo reached his 15th goal in a World Cup and became the highest scorer overall in World Cup history.
    • During the semifinal with Germany, Italy opened the score at the 19th minute of overtime, and two minutes later scored the latest goal ever.
    • In the final, Zinedine Zidane of France opened the score, and Marco Materazzi of Italy tied. During overtime, both players had a discussion that led to Zidane headbutting Materazzi in the chest, leading Zidane to be expelled in his final professional match. During the penalty kick-offs, Italy won 5-3.

    2010

    • After the confusion in the previous host decision, FIFA decided to start a continental rotation, with 2010 being in Africa - as expected, South Africa won. 10 stadia in 9 cities were used.
    • The games were marked by the vuvuzela, a really loud and annoying horn which the African audience played non-stop.
    • For the first time the host nation did not qualify for Round 2.
    • Carlos Alberto Parreira became the first coach to reach six World Cups - with five different teams like Bora Milutinovic, as he coached his native Brazil twice, the title of 1994 and later in 2006 (the others were Kuwait in 1982, UAE in 1990, Saudi Arabia in 1998, and South Africa in 2010). South Africa's win over France was his first not coaching Brazil.
    • Both finalists of 2006 fell in Round 1 - France tied one game and lost the other two, and Italy tied two games and lost the last one (though they had a chance to tie with Slovakia in the final minutes).
    • Switzerland kept their "no goals taken" streak up until the second half of their game with Chile.
    • Spain won their first World Cup in a really violent game with the Netherlands, which became the first team to reach three finals and lose them all. Spain was also the first team to win after losing the first game (0-1 to Switzerland).

    2014

    • Brazil will host the Cup again in 2014. The country is currently going through many problems - such as overpricing and delays - involving the construction/reforms of stadia and related infrastructure (just for starters, São Paulo's best stadium was rejected by the organizing comittee and the one that will be used is only 30% ready as of April 2012, and most airports are considered insufficient for the traffic spike that will occur), and many Brazilians are doubtful on how soon things will be done.
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    1. ↑ which was stolen in 1983 and probably melted by the thieves
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