The History of World Cup Football

The FIFA World Cup (often called the Football WorldTrophy tournament in Turin in 1909. The competition
Cup or simply the World Cup) is the most importantis often described as The First World Cup,and
competition in international football (soccer), and thefeatured the most prestigious professional club sides
world's most representative team sport event.from Italy, Germany and Switzerland. The first
Organised by Federation Internationale de Footballtournament was won by West Auckland, an amateur
Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body, theside from north-east England that was invited after
World Cup is contested by the men's national footballthe Football Association refused to be associated
teams of FIFA member nations. The championshipwith the competition. West Auckland returned in 1911
has been awarded every four years since the firstto successfully defend their title, and were given the
tournament in 1930 (except in 1942 and 1946 due totrophy to keep forever, as per the rules of the
World War II), however it is more of an ongoingcompetition.In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the
event as the qualifying rounds of the competitionOlympic tournament as a "world football championship
take place over the three years preceding the finalfor amateurs", and took responsibility for organising
rounds.The final tournament phase (often called thethe event. This led the way for the world's first
"Finals") involves 32 national teams competing over aintercontinental football competition, at the 1924
four-week period in a previously nominated hostSummer Olympics. Uruguay won the
nation, with these games making it the mosttournament,before winning the gold medal again in
widely-viewed sporting event in the world.[1] In the1928, with another South American team, Argentina,
17 tournaments held, only seven nations have evertaking silver. In 1928 FIFA made the decision to stage
won the World Cup Finals. Brazil are the currenttheir own international tournament. With Uruguay
holders, as well as the most successful World Cupnow two-time official football world champions and
team, having won the tournament five times, whiledue to celebrate their centenary of independence in
Germany and Italy follow with three titles each. The1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country.The
next football World Cup Finals will be held in1932 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, did not
Germany.The first international football match wasplan to include football as part of the programme due
played in 1872 between England and Scotland,to the low popularity of football in the United States.
although at this stage the sport was rarely playedFIFA and the IOC also disagreed over the status of
outside Great Britain. As football began to increase inamateur players, and so football was dropped from
popularity, it was held as a demonstration sport (withthe Games.FIFA president Jules Rimet thus set about
no medals awarded) at the 1900, 1904 and 1906organising the inaugural World Cup tournament to be
Summer Olympics before football became an officialheld in Uruguay in 1930. The national associations of
competition at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Organisedselected nations were invited to send a team, but
by England's Football Association, the event was forthe choice of Uruguay as a venue for the
amateur players only and was regarded suspiciouslycompetition meant a long and costly trip across the
as a show rather than a competition. The EnglandAtlantic Ocean for European sides. Indeed, no
national amateur football team won the event in bothEuropean country pledged to send a team until two
1908 and 1912.With the Olympic event continuing tomonths before the start of the competition.Rimet
be contested only between amateur teams, Sireventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France,
Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas LiptonRomania, and Yugoslavia to make the trip.