FIFA World Cup History
Korea/Japan 2002
 Year: 2002
Participants: 32
Countries: Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Tunisia, China PR, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Costa Rica, Mexico, United States.
Championship: Brazil 2 , Germany 0
Top goal scorer: Ronaldo, Brazil (7)
MVP: Oliver Kahn, Germany.
The first round of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™ reflected a changing football world as upsets and surprises thrilled right from the start. In the end however, it was two familiar faces, Germany and Brazil, who played for the world championship, and it was the South Americans who won their unprecedented fifth FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo, who suffered a famously poor final four years earlier, was the hero for the Seleçao, scoring both in the 2-0 victory. He ended up with eight goals in the tournament – the most in a FIFA World Cup since Gerd Müller scored ten times at Mexico ‘70.
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France 1998
 Year: 1998
Participants: 32
Countries: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile,
Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Jamaica,
Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Romania,
Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tunisia, United
States, Yugoslavia
Championship: France 3, Brazil 0
Top goal scorer: Davor Suker, Croatia (6)
MVP: Ronaldo, Brazil.
For the first time in 20 years, a host country was able to hoist the World
Cup Trophy at the end of the tournament.
That distinction would go to France, who surprised many people not only by
beating heavy-favorite Brazil but by dominating the defending champion in a
3-0 win. French star Zinedine Zidane, who earlier in the tournament was
suspended for two matches, came through in the end, scoring twice against
Brazil.
France '98 was expanded to 32 teams, from 24, a fitting farewell to outgoing
FIFA president Joao Havelange, who left his mark by increasing the game's
world appeal. Despite the bigger field, there were relatively few upsets,
although World Cup rookie Croatia surprised everyone by reaching the
semifinals.
Croatia, a nation that didn't even exist in Italia '90, upset Germany 3-0 in
the quarterfinals and beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the third-place game.
Croatian Davor Suker led all scorers in the tournament with six goals.
The Brazilians, winners in 1994, couldn't win their fifth World Cup title
but advanced to the championship match despite having lost star scorer
Romario -- the Golden Ball (outstanding player) winner in '94 -- to injury
before the tournament. Another Brazilian star, the 21-year-old Ronaldo --
who was on the roster but did not play in '94 -- suffered convulsions and
had to be rushed to a hospital hours before the championship. He did not
have a good game against France, but the two-time FIFA player of the year
scored four goals and had three assists in the tournament and won the '98
Golden Ball award.
Another young star made his mark in '98, 18-year-old English phenom Michael
Owen. Owen scored one of the best goals of the World Cup, in a thrilling
loss to Argentina in the Round of 16, and could be one of the stars to
watch.
As for the United States? Nobody expected the U.S. team to win France '98,
but probably no one expected them to finish dead last, either. With losses
to Germany, Iran and Yugoslavia in pool play, the Americans failed to build
upon their success in '94, and coach Steve Sampson resigned shortly after
the loss to Yugoslavia.
Attacking soccer helped increase the average number of goals per game to
2.63, compared with 2.47 in '94 and well up from the 2.28 average of the
defense-dominated 1990 tournament in Italy.
There were a couple of ugly incidents outside the games early in the
tournament. Before their team's first match against Tunisia, English fans
rampaged through Marseille for three nights, fighting rival fans and police.
And, before the Germany-Yugoslavia match, Lens was invaded by neo-Nazi
groups; a 44-year-old police officer was beaten into a coma by a German
wielding an iron bar.
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United States 1994
 Year: 1996
Participants: 24
Countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon,
Colombia, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco,
Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, USA,
Sweden, Switzerland
Championship: Brazil 1, Italy 0 (3-2 on penalty kicks)
Top goal scorer: Oleg Salenko, Russia and Hristo Stoitchkov, Bulgaria (6)
MVP: Romario, Brazil.
Soccer in the United States? Doesn't sound like a perfect match, but in
1994, the world's biggest soccer event invaded America for the first time.
One of FIFA's goals under president Joao Havelange was to expand the world
scope of the sport. Bringing the World Cup to the United States naturally
followed that policy, in hopes that interest in the game would finally catch
on in the world's greatest economic power. Another factor that didn't hurt
America's cause was the results from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. More
than 100,000 jammed in the Rose Bowl to watch a third-place game between
Yugoslavia and Italy. If fans would come out for that . . .
Italy's pony-tailed Roberto Baggio had the World Cup as his stage in 1994. A
year earlier, he had been named FIFA player of the year, and now he was
expected to lead this Italian team to greatness. Italy struggled in the
first round -- as it did in 1982, when it won its third World Cup -- but
Baggio came alive in the elimination rounds.
Baggio scored two goals to help Italy avoid an upset against Nigeria in the
round of 16, scored in the game-winner in the 88th minute against Spain in
the quarterfinals, and scored twice more in the semis against Bulgaria. . .
.
But if the 1994 tournament was the rise of Baggio, it was the fall of Diego
Maradona. The Argentine star had been recalled to the national team to
rescue it in the qualifying stages, and he showed some of his old brilliance
in the first round.
But after Argentina's second game, Maradona tested positive for a banned
substance. He was banned from the rest of the tournament, ending a great
World Cup legacy, and Argentina promptly lost its next two games. . . .
One of the great surprises of the tournament was the play of the U.S. team,
which advanced to the second round before losing to Brazil. In pool play,
the U.S. had shocked Colombia, one of the favorites to win the tournament.
But sadly, euphoria for the U.S. meant tragedy in Colombia. Andres Escobar,
who had scored an "own-goal" in the U.S. game, was shot in Colombia in a
dispute that may have been related to his mistake. . . .
The championship featured Brazil and Italy, two nations chasing a record
fourth world championship. Brazil had one of its most powerful teams ever,
and its "beautiful game" was led by superstars Romario and Bebeto. But the
Brazilian attack was countered by a strong Italian defense, and the game
ended 0-0 and had to be decided by penalty kicks.
The game came down to Baggio, who needed to convert his penalty kick to keep
Italy alive. It sailed high, and Brazil had its "tetra" -- the fourth title.
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Italy 1990
 Year: 1990
Participants: 24
Countries: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, England, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Romania,
Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, United
States, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia
Championship: West Germany 1, Argentina 0
Top goal scorer: Salvatore "Toto" Schilacci, Italy (6)
MVP: Salvatore "Toto" Schilacci, Italy
For anyone who likes to point out that there's no scoring in soccer, look no
further than the 1990 World Cup. Win at all costs was replaced by a new
philosophy: Try not to lose at all costs, and take your chances on penalty
kicks. As a result, a meager 2.21 goals per game were scored -- the
lowest-scoring Cup ever.
Defending champion Argentina got the first dose of what the brutal defensive
play was all about when it was shocked by Cameroon 1-0 in the opening match
in Milan. Cameroon turned out to be the Cinderella story of the tournament,
winning its group and advancing to the quarterfinals before losing to
England. Roger Milla, who was coaxed out of retirement before the tournament
began, became the oldest player to score in the World Cup at age 38.
You want action? There wasn't much -- both semifinals were tied at 1 and had
to be decided on penalty kicks. Argentina got past Italy, and West Germany
-- in its last Cup before unifying with East Germany -- beat England.
The championship game put the rest of the tournament in a nice nutshell.
There were two ejections -- the first time a red card had been given in a
final -- Argentina had exactly one shot, and West Germany won 1-0 on a
penalty kick in the 84th minute.
Despite the less-than-spectacular win, the World Cup victory put Germany in
an elite group, joining Italy and Brazil as the only countries to win three
World Cup titles.
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Mexico 1986
 Year:1986
Participants: 24
Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark,
England, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Northern Ireland,
Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Uruguay, USSR,
West Germany
Championship: Argentina 3, Germany 2
Top goal scorer: Gary Lineker, England (6)
MVP: Diego Maradona, Argentina
The 1986 World Cup will be remembered for two things: Mexico becoming the
host after Colombia couldn't fulfill its obligation, and Argentina's Diego
Maradona putting on a performance so dominating observers said it rivaled
the great Pele.
FIFA decided to give the 13th World Cup to Mexico despite serious efforts by
the United States, Canada and a possible Holland-Belgium combination. But,
in the end, Mexico would be the site, becoming the first country to host the
event twice. . . .
The tournament was a testament to the game of soccer. All of the usual
suspects -- Italy, Brazil, Argentina, France and West Germany -- showed the
billions of people worldwide who watched on television what excitement is
all about.
One of the many bright spots of the tournament was the quarterfinal match
between Brazil and France. Played before 50,000 spectators, France defeated
the previously unbeaten Brazil team 4-3 in penalty shots after the game had
ended 1-1. . . .
One of the most dubious goals in World Cup history also came in the
quarterfinals, in a game between England and Argentina. Maradona and English
goalkeeper Peter Shilton arrived at the ball at the same time in the air,
and Maradona punched the ball in the net with his hand. Later, Maradona
would say "the hand of God" helped him score the goal.
But Maradona also scored one of the greatest goals in World Cup history in
the same game. Taking the ball on Argentina's side of the field, he wove in
and out of the English defense before putting a delicately placed shot past
Shilton in the corner of the net. . . .
In the semifinals, Maradona again showed why he was so dominating. Playing
before more than 110,000 spectators at Azteca Stadium, Maradona netted two
goals in the second half to get Argentina past Belgium 2-0.
In the other semifinal, West Germany defeated a worn out France team 2-0 and
was on target to win its third World Cup. . . .
The finals alone were viewed by more than 2 billion people worldwide on
television. At the 22-minute mark of the first half, Argentina took a 1-0
lead and would carry that into halftime.
Argentina scored 10 minutes into the second half for a 2-0 lead and just had
to hang on for the win. But Germany wouldn't die. Two quick goals had the
score knotted, and people were bracing for overtime.
But, like he was many times before in the tournament, Maradona was the
difference. He took advantage of a West Germany mistake and fed a perfect
pass to a streaking Jorge Burruchaga, giving Argentina a 3-2 win and the
World Cup.
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Spain 1982
 Year: 1982
Participants: 24
Countries: Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile,
Czechoslovakia, El Salvador, England, France, Honduras, Hungary, Italy,
Kuwait, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Spain, USSR,
West Germany, Yugoslavia
Championship: Italy 3, West Germany 1
Top goal scorer: Paolo Rossi, Italy (6)
MVP: Paolo Rossi, Italy
The 1982 tournament brought change to the World Cup. FIFA president Joao
Havelange, who was elected with strong support by Third World countries in
1974, expanded the field from 16 to 24 teams. The concept for the expansion
was to open up the tournament to lesser soccer countries such as Cameroon,
which was impressive in the opening round, and Algeria, which stunned West
Germany 2-1 in Group 2. . . .
In the 25th minute of the championship game between Italy and West Germany,
Italian Antonio Cabrini became the first player to miss a penalty kick in a
World Cup final. . . .
Italians Paolo Rossi, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli all scored in
the second half of the title match to make up for Cabrini's error, leading
the Italy to a 3-1 victory at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Paul Breitner, the only player to score in the title game for West Germany,
became only the third player to score in two finals. Brazil's Vava and Pele
also had accomplished the feat. . . .
Rossi clearly was Italy's hero in 1982, scoring a hat trick in a 3-2 win
over Brazil, two goals in a 2-0 win over Poland and the vital first goal in
the final. But Rossi nearly missed out on the World Cup altogether. Caught
up in a bribery scandal, he was banned for three years in 1980 but
continually protested his innocence until he was cleared to play. . . .
The World Cup championship was Italy's third, giving Europe nations a 6-6
tie with South America nations in the tournament. (Brazil had three, Uruguay
two, Argentina one; Italy's 3 were added to two from West Germany and one
from England.)
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Argentina 1978
 Year 1978
Participants: 16
Countries: Austria, Argentina, Brazil, France, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Mexico,
Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, West Germany
Championship: Argentina 3, Netherlands 1 (overtime)
Top goal scorer: Mario Kempes, Argentina (6)
The soccer-crazy country of Argentina was rewarded as its national team beat
the Netherlands in a heated 3-1 battle in the final in Buenos Aires. The
Dutch were helpless against the stellar play of goaltender Ubaldo Fillol and
hurt by referee Sergio Gonella, who often seemed like an extra attacker for
Argentina with his blatant calls. In fact, controversial officiating plagued
much of this World Cup, and there was much scuttlebutt that there was no way
Argentina would have won this Cup in any other country.
The deck seemed to be stacked against Brazil, which was in a second-round
group with Argentina, which beat Peru 6-0 in one of the most controversial
games in Cup history. Argentina needed to win by at least four goals to
advance, and it won by six against Quiroga, Peru's Argentine goaltender. It
seemed to many that Peru simply had given the home team the necessary margin
of victory. Also, Argentina stayed at one venue for the entire Cup, while
every other team had to travel.
The Cup was played two years after the military coup that ousted former
Argentine president Isabel Peron, but concerns about terrorism turned to
relief when the Cup ended without incident.
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Germany 1974
 Year: 1974
Participants: 16
Countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, East Germany,
Haiti, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Scotland, Sweden, Uruguay, West Germany,
Yugoslavia, Zaire
Championship: West Germany 2, Netherlands 1
Top goal scorer: Grzegorz Lato, Poland (7)
In 1974, teams met in Germany to compete for a new trophy: the FIFA World
Cup. Also new were the tight security measures at the tournament, brought
into effect because of the assassination of Jewish athletes at the Munich
Olympics two years earlier.
The opening ceremonies were held on June 13. Pele was on hand, even though
he had decided not to play in what would have been his fifth World Cup. The
action kicked off with defending champion Brazil playing Yugoslavia to a 0-0
tie -- hardly an exciting opener. . . .
This tournament became known as the "World Cup of Quality," with three
outstanding teams in Holland, Poland and West Germany. . . .
One of the biggest showdowns of the tournament was the Brazil-Holland game
played on July 3. Brazil, missing its potent offense of years past, fell to
the speedy Dutch team 2-0.
In the championship game, Holland scored on a penalty kick before West
Germany even touched the ball, but the Germans came back for a 2-1 victory
in front of 79,000 fans in Munich. . . .
In a futile effort to boost his country's performance, Zaire's President
Motubo awarded each of his players with a car, a trip for two to anywhere in
the world and a house just for qualifying. Perhaps he should have held out a
little longer: When Zaire got to Germany, it lost to Scotland 2-0, Brazil
3-0 and was trounced by Yugoslavia 9-0.
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Mexico 1970
 Year: 1970
Participants: 16
Countries: Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, El Salvador, England,
Israel, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Romania, Sweden, Uruguay, USSR, West
Germany
Championship: Brazil 4, Italy 1
Top goal scorer: Gerd Muller, West Germany (10)
Talk about great farewells: Mexico in 1970 was the stage for the final
performance of Pele, the world's greatest player.
Following the disappointment of 1966, when Brazil didn't even make it out of
the first round, Pele had vowed he would not play in the World Cup again.
The football world was blessed by his change of heart. In a tournament that
would be his final showcase, Pele was magnificent as Brazil rolled to the
finals against Italy. And the finals would be the blaze of glory he richly
deserved.
The tournament was played in less-than-ideal conditions in Mexico, given the
heat, playing conditions and political problems. But the tournament was a
great success, making up for the poor play and bad officiating of 1966. The
games were contested from May 31 to June 21 in Mexico City, Puebla, Toluca,
Guadalajara and Leon.
Brazil was the Cup favorite, but it faced questions about its defense. Italy
had the frontline talent to challenge Brazil's rear guard. But its tactics
left many observers confused, and several coaching decisions were the
subject of controversy for years to come.
Into the breach stepped Pele, with his skill, audacity and effectiveness at
their zenith. He scored 18 minutes into the championship match on a soaring
header, a breath-taking play on a high, unexceptional cross.
Brazil proceeded to give away the advantage seven minutes before halftime on
a terrible back-heeled ball that led to an Italian break. Boninsegna blew
past Brazilian goaltender Felix and popped the ball into an empty net.
Pele rallied his side at halftime, resulting in Gerson's low, left-footed
shot from outside the penalty box that found the net. Five minutes later,
Pele's skillful touch to Jairzinho produced a 3-1 lead and the end for
Italy. Pele also had a hand in the match's final tally, slipping Jairzinho's
pass to his right to Carlos Alberto for a thunderous shot.
The 4-1 final and the joyous celebration that followed were fitting
farewells to Pele and the Jules Rimet Trophy. Pele, a 17-year-old hero in
Sweden in 1958, made up for his injury-plagued disappointments in 1962 and
1966 and carried Samba Soccer to the summit. The Rimet, symbol of soccer
supremacy, was retired to Brazil with the side's third World Cup title.
But for the world's soccer faithful, Mexico 1970 was the Pele showcase. On a team of virtuoso players, Pele would forever be remembered as the star of stars.
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England 1966
 Year: 1966
Participants: 16
Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, England, France, Hungary,
Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USSR,
West Germany
Championship: England 4, West Germany 2 (overtime)
Top goal scorer: Eusebio, Portugal (9)
In the eyes of English coach Alf Ramsey, his team already had beaten Germany
once on the day of the 1966 World Cup final. What could be so hard about
doing it again?
But England needed the benefit of the doubt on one of the most controversial
goals in international soccer history to beat West Germany in overtime 4-2.
The Germans tied the game with 15 seconds left in regulation, prompting
Ramsey's challenge to his team.
Eleven minutes into the extra period, Geoff Hurst's shot hit the crossbar
and bounced down, apparently over the goal line. The Germans protested to no
avail as linesman Tofik Bakhramov ruled in favor of the host nation in a
goal still talked about today.
Later in overtime, Hurst added an insurance goal in the final minute and
became the only player to score three goals in a championship game.
After the win, Ramsey was knighted for his team's success. . . .
Also in the 1966 tournament, North Korea had its two shining moments in
international soccer history.
In a first-round game, the North Koreans played keepaway from the heavily
favored Italians before Pak Doo-Ik scored the only goal of the game in the
41st minute. In one of the greatest upsets ever, North Korea sent Italy home
early, where the Italian players were pelted with rotten tomatoes at the
airport.
In the quarterfinals, North Korea gave heavily favored Portugal all it could
handle and opened a 3-0 lead in the first half. But the great Eusebio
responded by scoring four goals -- two on penalty kicks -- as the Portuguese
won 5-3.
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Chile 1962
 Year: 1962
Participants: 16
Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Czechoslovakia,
England, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USSR, West
Germany, Yugoslavia
Championship: Brazil 3, Czechoslovakia 1
Top goal scorer: Drazen Jerkovic, Yugoslavia (5)
Chile was somewhat of a surprise host for the event, since the country
recently had been devastated by an earthquake. But in the words of the
president of the Chilean Football Federation, Carlos Dittborn, "We must have
the World Cup because we have nothing." The World Cup was theirs.
Unfortunately, Dittborn died a month before the tournament began.
Brazil was the defending champion and the favorite again. The team had nine
players, including 21-year-old wonder Pele, returning from the 1958
championship team. . . .
A record 56 countries signed up to compete for the World Cup. The games were
quite violent, and after the first games, the disciplinary committee rounded
up the referees in an emergency meeting in hopes of cleaning things up.
One example of the unsportsmanlike play was the Italian team, which began to
badmouth Chile and send scouts to other teams' training camps. Italy-Chile
was quite a matchup: physical play, fists and spit flying, a nose broken and
two ejections. In the end, Italy lost and was eliminated. . . .
England, known before the tournament as a high-scoring team with several
superstars (defenseman Bobby Moore, all-time goal leader Bobby Charlton,
great finisher Jimmy Greaves), struggled defensively but advanced to the
quarterfinals against Brazil. . . .
The unthinkable occurred for Brazil against Czechoslovakia. Pele pulled a
muscle, but had to continue to play because substitutions weren't allowed
yet. Brazil struggled to a scoreless tie in that game. In its next game,
Brazil was without Pele and found itself trailing 1-0 to Spain. However,
Pele's replacement, Amarildo, scored twice to lift the team into the second
round. . . .
In quarterfinal action, host Chile upset the Soviet Union 2-1, and the fans
began to believe the home team could go all the way. Talk about
superstition, the Chilean team ate spaghetti to get past Italy, Swiss cheese
to beat Switzerland and drank vodka before eliminating Russia.
In other quarterfinal action, Yugoslavia beat Germany, the Czechs surprised
Hungary and Brazil eliminated England. . . .
The superstitious Chile team drank coffee, but it didn't help against Brazil
in the semifinals. Chile lost 4-2. In the finals, Brazil won their second
consecutive World Cup championship with a 3-1 win over the Czechs, who had
again upset Yugoslavia. . . .
Brazil established itself as the best in the world once again. Even without
Pele, who didn't play a game after he was injured against the Czechs in
their first meeting, Brazil shined. They got huge lifts from Amarildo and
Garrincha, who played with a 104-degree fever in the final game. . . .
Overall, this World Cup was criticized for low-scoring games and too much violence.
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Sweden 1958
 Year: 1958
Participants: 16
Countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, England, France,
Hungary, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, Scotland, Sweden, USSR, West
Germany, Wales, Yugoslavia
Championship: Brazil 5, Sweden 2
Top goal scorer: Just Fontaine, France (13)
The 1958 World Cup was the first for Brazil's Pele, who was just 17 years
old at the time. Pele would play in three more World Cups, but it was his
performance here that would put him on the path to becoming an international
sports star. Pele didn't play in the first two games, but would still finish
with six goals and lead Brazil to the championship.
In the quarterfinals against the Welsh, Pele scored what he would later call
"the most important goal of my career" in a 1-0 victory for Brazil.
Against France in the semifinals, Pele scored three times within a 20-minute
span of the second half and turned a 2-1 lead for Brazil into a 5-2 victory.
This World Cup is noteworthy for the emergence of the 4-2-4, courtesy of
Brazil. . . .
This was the first time all four United Kingdom teams -- England, Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland -- all qualified for the World Cup. This World
Cup also marked the debut of the Soviet Union. . . .
Just Fontaine had a remarkable World Cup for France. He scored four goals in
a 6-3 triumph over West Germany in a consolation match and finished the
tournament with 13 goals -- a record that still stands today.
Sweden was chosen to host the World Cup because of its neutrality. This was
the largest World Cup ever, with 53 countries participating and all the
continents represented. Only Cyprus, Turkey and Venezuela did not
participate. . . .
Argentina was ousted 6-1 by Czechoslovakia, and was greeted by an angry mob
when they returned home.
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Switzerland 1954
 Year:1954
Participants: 16
Countries: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Brazil, England, France,
Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Scotland, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay,
West Germany, Yugoslavia
Championship: West Germany 3, Hungary 2
Top goal scorer: Sandor Kocsis, Hungary (11)
The fifth World Cup is memorable for a number of reasons. It was the
highest-scoring Cup ever, as 16 teams scored a total of 140 goals in 26
games, for an average of 5.38 per match. The 1954 final also featured one of
the greatest comebacks of all time, as surprising West Germany shut down the
Hungarian machine.
The finals were held in Switzerland, a country that had remained neutral
during World War II and thus had not been as adversely affected by the
conflict. A record number of countries -- 38 -- registered with FIFA. Egypt,
Japan, Korea and China were the newcomers, while Argentina and the Soviet
Union chose not to participate.
The 1954 World Cup was criticized because the organizing committee elected
to go with two top seeds in each group for the first pool round, which meant
the top teams did not face each other until the quarterfinals. Another
drawback was that 26 games had to be played in 19 days. The system was never
used again.
Despite all the challenges, the Hungarians -- winners of the gold medal at
the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and undefeated in 28 consecutive
international matches -- were heavily favored. Hungary opened play by
routing South Korea 9-0, setting up a match with West Germany. German coach
Sepp Herberger realized a loss to Hungary in the opener meant his team would
avoid facing powerful Brazil in the quarterfinals. So, after a 4-1 win over
Turkey, Herberger toyed with his lineup, hoping to save his best players for
later, and Germany lost 8-3. He went back to his regulars in the rematch
with Turkey, and the West Germans prevailed again, 7-2.
The quarterfinal games saw some of the highest scores and roughest games in
Cup history. Austria and Switzerland produced 12 goals -- a Cup record -- as
the Austrians held on for a 7-5 win. Hungary's 4-2 victory over Brazil
become known as the battle of Berne. A very physical contest, the game saw
Brazilian Nilton Santos and Hungary's Jozsef Bozsik disqualified for
fighting. The battle between the two teams even continued after the final
whistle had been called. Some accounts had the Brazilians attacking the
Hungarians in the tunnel.
Germany took care of Austria 6-1 in one semifinal, while Hungary rallied to
beat Uruguay in extra time, 4-2, in the other -- setting up a rematch of the
first-round game. This time, however, the West Germans went with their best
lineup.
Hungary's Frenec Puskas, injured in the opener, returned for the final and
led his team to a 2-0 lead in the opening eight minutes. Max Morlock's goal
cut the lead in half in the 10th minute and Helmut Rahn tied it in the 18th
minute.
The game remained deadlocked until the 84th, when Rahn struck again. Hungary
appeared to tie it again on a Puskas goal with two minutes remaining, but
linesman Mervyn Griffiths of Wales ruled it was offside. Germany prevailed
3-2, claiming the World Cup championship and handing the Hungarians their
first loss since 1950.
Two years after the World Cup, the Hungarian Revolution broke out and all
the country's great players left to play elsewhere.
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Brasil 1950
 Year:1950
Participants: 13
Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, England, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Yugoslavia
Championship: Uruguay 2, Brazil 1
Top goal scorer: Ademir de Menezes, Brazil (9)
Because of World War II, the World Cup was canceled in 1942 and 1946 causing
a 12-year layoff for the event. The 1950 Cup was held in Brazil, which built
the largest stadium in the world for the event. Several countries gave
excuses -- most of which were absurd -- for not participating. This caused
scheduling woes, as some countries pulled out right before the tournament
started. Brazil decided to keep the original draw, so two groups had four
teams, one group had three teams and one group had just two teams.
Brazil advanced from Group 1 behind the strong play of Ademir, who would go
on to lead the tournament in scoring. To advance, Brazil defeated Mexico
(4-0) and Yugoslavia (2-0) and tied Switzerland (2-2). Out of Group 2, Spain
advanced by beating the United States (3-1), Chile (2-0) and England (1-0).
Sweden defeated Italy (3-2) and tied Paraguay (2-2) to advance from the
three-team Group 3. Group 4 only had two teams, so Uruguay had an easy time
advancing as it routed Bolivia (8-0).
There wasn't a traditional championship game as Brazil, Spain, Sweden and
Uruguay played in a six-game, pool-type format. In the final game, Brazil
only had to tie to win the World Cup, and the team thought it would be a
lock against Uruguay. In a huge upset, though, Uruguay won 2-1 before a
crowd of almost 200,000 to capture the World Cup. Ironically, Uruguay was
one of the countries that wanted to drop out of the tournament, but was
talked into participating.
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France 1938
 Year:1938
Participants: 15
Countries: Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dutch East Indies
(Netherlands Antilles), France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland
Championship: Italy 4, Hungary 2
Top goal scorer: Leonidas da Silva, Brazil (8)
The threat of war hung over Europe and the World Cup in 1938, as eight of 35
countries withdrew from the qualifying rounds. It was up to the remaining
nations to try and unseat the dominant Italian team.
Just as Germany was the focus of worldwide attention, its soccer team was
the focus of first-round play. Since Austria had recently been annexed by
Germany, the top Austrian players were given the choice of playing for the
German national team or not playing at all.
Six of the top Austrian players chose to join the Germans, but star player
Mathias "the paper man" Sindelar became a national hero when he refused. But
Sindelar's story quickly turned tragic. Saddened by the death of his wife
and the annexation of his country, he committed suicide shortly after the
World Cup.
Despite the influx of Austrian talent, the Germans couldn't get past the
Swiss in the first round. The two teams played to a scoreless tie on June 4,
and the game was replayed five days later. Though Germany surged to a 2-0
lead in the first half, the Swiss came back with four unanswered goals in
the second to shock the Germans.
All eyes shifted to Italy for a match with host nation France in the
quarterfinals. The teams were tied 1-1 after a half, and it seemed as though
the French had a golden opportunity to upset a clearly-fatigued Italian
team. But Italy surged ahead to win the game 3-1 before 58,455
mostly-disappointed spectators.
Italy's next opponent, Brazil, proved to be even more tired than it was. The
Italians won the game 2-1, and would face Hungary in the finals. It wasn't
even close. Despite the support of the French fans, the Hungarians were
behind 3-1 at the half. They drew to within a goal in the second half, but
Italy scored again 10 minutes from time to seal their second World Cup.
How massive could their dynasty have become? We'll never know, as World War
II interrupted World Cup play for 12 years. But the 1930s belonged to Italy.
In addition to World Cups in 1934 and 1938, the Italians also won the
Olympic title in 1936.
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Italy 1934
 Year:1934
Participants: 16
Countries: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt,
France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, United States
Championship: Italy 2, Czechoslovakia 1
Top goal scorer: Oldrich Nejedly, Czechoslovakia, Angelo Schiavio, Italy and
Edmund Conen, Germany (4)
Two Years before Adolph Hitler had his Olympic glory in Berlin, Benito
Mussolini had the world stage to tout his Fascist propaganda.
And just like the first World Cup, the home team won. Following Uruguay's
lead four years before, Italy was victorious in '34, much to the delight of
Mussolini.
With Uruguay a no-show -- the only champion that didn't attempt to defend
its crown -- this World Cup mostly was a European affair. The United States,
Egypt, Brazil and Argentina were the only party crashers.
The Americans didn't last long, though. Italy, with four Argentine stars,
whipped the Americans 7-1 in the first round. It was to be the Italians'
only easy game.
The day after struggling to a 1-1 tie with Spain, the Italians beat the
Spaniards in the replay, 1-0, on Giuseppe Meazza's goal. In the semifinals,
Italy avenged a 4-2 loss to Austria four months earlier; the Italians won
1-0 on Enrique Guaita's goal in the a rain storm in Milan.
In the final against Czechoslovakia, both teams went scoreless for the first
70 minutes. Antonin Puc gave the Czechs a 1-0 lead with a tough-angle goal
on a rebound of his own corner kick. Italy tied it with 10 minutes left on
Raimundo Orsi's running right-footer.
Five minutes into the first extra period, Angelo Schiavio -- who scored
three goals in the first-round win over the U.S. -- drove a shot just under
the crossbar to give the Italians the victory.
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Uruguay 1930
 Year: 1966
Participants: 16
Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, England, France, Hungary,
Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USSR,
West Germany
Championship: England 4, West Germany 2 (overtime)
Top goal scorer: Eusebio, Portugal (9)
In the eyes of English coach Alf Ramsey, his team already had beaten Germany
once on the day of the 1966 World Cup final. What could be so hard about
doing it again?
But England needed the benefit of the doubt on one of the most controversial
goals in international soccer history to beat West Germany in overtime 4-2.
The Germans tied the game with 15 seconds left in regulation, prompting
Ramsey's challenge to his team.
Eleven minutes into the extra period, Geoff Hurst's shot hit the crossbar
and bounced down, apparently over the goal line. The Germans protested to no
avail as linesman Tofik Bakhramov ruled in favor of the host nation in a
goal still talked about today.
Later in overtime, Hurst added an insurance goal in the final minute and
became the only player to score three goals in a championship game.
After the win, Ramsey was knighted for his team's success. . . .
Also in the 1966 tournament, North Korea had its two shining moments in
international soccer history.
In a first-round game, the North Koreans played keepaway from the heavily
favored Italians before Pak Doo-Ik scored the only goal of the game in the
41st minute. In one of the greatest upsets ever, North Korea sent Italy home
early, where the Italian players were pelted with rotten tomatoes at the
airport.
In the quarterfinals, North Korea gave heavily favored Portugal all it could
handle and opened a 3-0 lead in the first half. But the great Eusebio
responded by scoring four goals -- two on penalty kicks -- as the Portuguese
won 5-3. 1930
Participants: 13
Countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, United States, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia.
Championship: Uruguay 4, Argentina 2
Top goal scorer: Guillermo Stabile, Argentina (8 goals)
Uruguay, which had won the 1924 and '28 Olympic soccer titles, was awarded
the site of the first World Cup in honor of the country's 100th birthday in
1930. The fact that Uruguay was willing to pay travel expenses for all
countries didn't hurt its cause, either. Still, only four European teams
were willing to make the trip. . . .
The tournament kicked off July 13, when France beat Mexico 4-1 in Pocito
before 1,000 fans. The championship game between Uruguay and Argentina in
Centenario Stadium drew slightly more interest, attracting 93,000 fans. . .
.
Hey, who knew the United States could play soccer? In 1930 they could,
thanks to the help of several naturalized immigrants. The U.S. team won two
games in 1930; it took another 64 years to bring its victory total to four.
. . .
And yes, the first World Cup even had its moments of mayhem. On July 15,
fans stormed the field after a referee accidentally ended a game between
France and Argentina six minutes early. (The end of the game was eventually
played after the people were cleared from the field, with Argentina winning,
1-0.) Before the championship game, Uruguay and Argentina argued over what
type of ball would be used, so a different one was used in each half. And in
Buenos Aires, angry Argentines threw bricks at the Uruguayan embassy after
their team lost.
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