The FIFA World Cup is the main international association football competition and its history dates back to the early 20th century. It’s one of the most watched sports event in all the World and attracts people from all over the world to the hosting countries.
But how did the FIFA World Cup start?
The idea for a global football tournament was proposed by Jules Rimet, the president of FIFA from 1921 to 1954, in the early 20th century.
FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) was founded in Paris in 1904. The first football associations to join were France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. As football began to increase in popularity, there was an attempt by FIFA to organize an international football tournament between nations outside of the Olympics. In 1906, a competition took place in Switzerland but the official history of FIFA considered it was a failure.
As the Olympic football competition was only played by amateur teams, competitions involving professional teams started to appear outside the Olympics. There were two tournaments held in Turin: The Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva in 1908 and the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1909. Both tournaments were contested between individual clubs representing an entire nation. Sir Lipton considered his tournament to be The First World Cup, at the expense of its less well-known Italian predecessor. But, as they were played by individual clubs, neither was considered as The World Cup by FIFA.
In 1914, FIFA and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) agreed and FIFA recognize the Olympic tournament as a world football championship for amateurs, taking responsibility for organizing the events off 1920, 1924 and 1928. As the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, USA, would not include football, FIFA made the decision to organize their own international tournament.
It was then decided that Uruguay would host the first World Cup. The reasons to choose Uruguay were that they had just won the last two Olympic tournaments (1924 and 1928) and they were celebrating its centenary of Independence.
The Jules Rimet Trophy: Glory and Theft
The trophy designed for the first World Cup was named Victory. It was was made of gold plated sterling silver and a lapis lazuli base. It depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, weighted 3.8 kg and was 35 cm high. There were plates around its base, where the name of the winners were engraved.
In 1946, the World Cup Trophy was renamed the Jules Rimet Trophy in honor of him bringing the idea of FIFA to life.
From 1930 to 1970, the nations that won the World Cup would hold the Trophy in their countries until the next competition. There was also a rule that allowed countries who won the World Cup three times to keep the original trophy in perpetuity. Brazil, having won in 1958, 1962 and 1970 was then awarded the Jules Rimet Trophy. Unfortunately, in 1983, the trophy was stolen. Four people were arrested and convicted, but only the base of the trophy was found. It’s believed that it was melted and sold.
But it was not the first time the trophy was stolen. In 1966, 4 months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the trophy was at a public exhibition at Westmister Central Hall and was stolen. It was found seven days later in South London by a black and white mongrel dog named Pickles. One man was arrested and convicted for the theft.
Another interesting fact of the trophy is the beginning of a tradition regarding it. As Brazilian captain Bellini received the trophy, he heard the photographer’s request to get a better view. He then lifted it up in the air and every cup winning captain ever since has repeated the gesture.
Winners of the Jules Rimet Trophy
- Brazil – 1958, 1962, 1970
- Uruguay – 1930, 1950
- Italy – 1934, 1938
- West Germany – 1954
- England – 1966
FIFA World Cup Trophy
To substitute the Jules Rimet Trophy, that now belonged to Brazil, a 18 karat gold piece was introduced. Fifty three sculptors from seven countries sent submissions and the winner was a design created by Silvio Gazzaniga, an Italian artist. It was made by the Bertoni in Italy and depicts two persons holding up the Earth. It has malachite bands on its base, weighs 6.175 kg and is 36.8 cm high.
The first time it was used was in 1974, with Germany becoming the first nation to hold it.
The trophy used to be kept by the winning team until the final draw of the next tournament. But, instead, they receive a replica. Likewise, three time winners keep the replica forever. The first nation to win three times after the new trophy started to be used was Germany, who won in 1974, 1990 and 2014. Argentina became the second after winning in 1978, 1986 and 2022.
The names of the winners are engraved at the base of the trophy. Since the base has space only for new engravings until 2038, its believed that a new trophy will be made.
Winners of the FIFA World Cup Trophy
- West Germany / Germany – 1974, 1990, 2014
- Argentina – 1978, 1986, 2022
- Italy – 1982, 2006
- Brazil – 1994, 2002
- France – 1998, 2018
- Spain – 2010
World War II
The 1942 and 1946 tournaments were canceled due to World War II. For the 1942 tournament, Brazil, Argentina and Germany had officially bid. But, with the war, the tournament was canceled before the selection. And, with the war going on, there wasn’t even a thought of planning a tournament in 1946.
List of the champions
Brazil – 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Italy – 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006
West Germany / Germany – 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014
Argentina – 1978, 1986, 2022
Uruguay – 1930, 1950
France – 1998, 2018
England – 1966
Spain – 2010
Legacy
The World Cup is today one of the most watched sports events in the World. Qualifications start 2 years before the World Cup with around 200 nations competing for a place in the final tournament. The qualifications are organized by the six FIFA confederations: UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CONCACAF (North and Central Americas), AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa) and OFC (Oceania).
FIFA World Cup hosts
Interesting facts and statistics from the FIFA World Cup
- Most titles:
Nation: Brazil – 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Player: Pelé (Brazil) – 3 (1958, 1962, 1970) - Most final appearances:
Nation: Germany – 8 (1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002, 2014)
Player: Cafu (Brazil) – 3 (1994, 1998, 2002) - Most consecutive titles:
Nation: Italy – 2 (1934, 1938), Brazil – 2 (1958, 1962)
Players:
Giovanni Ferrari, Guido Masetti, Giuseppe Meazza, Eraldo Monzeglio (Italy – 1934, 1938)
Pelé, Bellini, Castilho, Didi, Djalma Santos, Garrincha, Gilmar, Mauro, Nilton Santos, Pepe, Vavá, Zagallo, Zito, Zózimo (Brasil – 1958, 1962) - Most appearances at the World Cup
Brazil – it’s the only nation to participate in all FIFA World Cups - Most goals
Nation: Brazil – 237 goals
Player: Miroslav Klose – 16 goals - Most goals in one edition
Nation: Hungary – 27 goals (1954)
Player: Just Fontaine, France – 13 goals (1958) - Most goals scored by a team in a match
Hungary – 10 goals ( Hungary 10-1 El Salvador – 1982) - Most goals scored by a player in a match
Oleg Salenko (Russia) – 5 goals - Italy was the first team to win 2 titles
- Brasil was the first team to win 3, 4 and 5 titles
- England didn’t enter the first 3 World Cups due to a dispute with FIFA. The British nations withdrew from FIFA in 1928, 2 years before the first World Cup.
- The largest attendance was at the 1950 Final.173850 fans packed Maracanã Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, when they saw Brazil loose the title to Uruguay
- One of the biggest upsets in the World Cup History was the victory of the United States over England in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in the 1950 World Cup.
- Teams that won outside their own continent:
Brazil: 1958 (Sweden), 1970 (Mexico), 1994 (United States), 2002 (Japan/South Korea)
Argentina: 1986 (Mexico), 2022 (Qatar)
Spain: 2010 (South Africa)
Germany: 2014 (Brazil) - Teams that won when hosting the world cup:
Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978), France (1998)