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{{About|the men's association football tournament|the women's tournament|FIFA Women's World Cup|the competition among club teams|FIFA Club World Cup|the video games|FIFA World Cup video games|the 2026 event|2026 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Infobox football tournament
| name                 = FIFA World Cup
| image                = FIFA World Cup wordmark (2023).svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| imagesize            = 250
| caption              = 
| organiser            = [[FIFA]]
| founded              = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1930}}
| region               = International
| number of teams      = {{Nowrap|48}}
| current champions    = {{Nowrap|{{fb|ARG}} (3rd title)}}
| most successful team = {{Nowrap|{{fb|BRA}} (5 titles)}}
| broadcasters         = 
| website              = {{URL|https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup|fifa.com/worldcup}}
| current              = [[2026 FIFA World Cup]]
| related comps        = [[FIFA Women's World Cup]]}}
{{Season sidebar
| image = [[File:ARG Line-up - ARG vs MEX for 2022 FIFA WC.jpg|250px]]
| caption = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], the current champions
| title = Tournaments
| list  = 
* [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]]
* [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]]
* [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]]
* [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]]
* [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]]
* [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]]
* [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]]
* [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]
* [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]]
* [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]]
* [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]
* [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]
* [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]
* [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]
* [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]
* [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]
* [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]
* [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]
* [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]
* [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]]
* [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]]
* [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]]
* ''[[2026 FIFA World Cup|2026]]''
* ''[[2030 FIFA World Cup|2030]]''
* ''[[2034 FIFA World Cup|2034]]''
}}

The '''FIFA World Cup''' is an international [[association football]] competition among the senior [[List of men's national association football teams|men's national teams]] of the members of the [[FIFA|Fédération Internationale de Football Association]] (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has been held every four years since the [[1930 FIFA World Cup|inaugural tournament in 1930]], with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to [[World War II]]. The reigning champions are [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], who won their third title at the [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 World Cup]] by defeating [[France national football team|France]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 March 2023 |title=Argentina Campeón Mundial: A 100 días de levantar la tercera – CONMEBOL |url=https://www.conmebol.com/noticias/argentina-campeon-mundial-a-100-dias-de-levantar-la-tercera/ |access-date=25 April 2024 |website=www.conmebol.com |language=es-ES}}</ref>

The contest starts with the [[FIFA World Cup qualifiers|qualification phase]], which takes place over the preceding three years to determine which teams qualify for the tournament phase. In the tournament phase, 32 teams compete for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over the course of about a month. The host nation(s) automatically qualify for the group stage of the tournament. The competition is scheduled to expand to 48 teams, starting with the [[2026 FIFA World Cup|2026 World Cup]].

As of the 2022 World Cup, 22 final tournaments have been held since the event's inception in 1930, and a total of 80 national teams have competed. [[FIFA World Cup Trophy|The trophy]] has been won by eight national teams. With five wins, [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]<!--For consistency, British English is used throughout the article, which treats teams as plural nouns, e.g., "Brazil are" instead of "Brazil is".-->  is the only team to have played in every tournament. The other World Cup winners are [[Germany national football team|Germany]] and [[Italy national football team|Italy]], with four titles each; Argentina, with three titles; France and inaugural winner [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]], each with two titles; and [[England national football team|England]] and [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]], with one title each.

The World Cup is globally regarded as the most prestigious association football competition, as well as the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world.<ref name="DobsonGoddard2006">Stephen Dobson and John Goddard, [{{GBurl|id=GxyG0XXdvR4C|p=407}} The Economics of Football], page 407, quote "The World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world: the estimated cumulative television audience for the 2006 World Cup in Germany was 26.2&nbsp;billion, an average of 409&nbsp;million viewers per match."</ref><ref>Glenn M. Wong, [{{GBurl|id=qEELS7T_Tm0C|p=144}} The Comprehensive Guide to Careers in Sports], page 144, quote "The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world. In 2006, more than 30&nbsp;billion viewers in 214 countries watched the World Cup on television, and more than 3.3&nbsp;million spectators attended the 64 matches of the tournament."</ref> The viewership of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018 World Cup]] was estimated to be 3.57&nbsp;billion, close to half of the global population,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/2589b77c20849beb/original/njqsntrvdvqv8ho1dag5-pdf.pdf |title=2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Global broadcast and audience summary |publisher=FIFA |access-date=20 December 2022 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711030019/https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/2589b77c20849beb/original/njqsntrvdvqv8ho1dag5-pdf.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Tom Dunmore, [{{GBurl|id=9j1wbp2t1usC|p=235}} Historical Dictionary of Soccer], page 235, quote "The World Cup is now the most-watched sporting event in the world on television, above even the Olympic Games."</ref> while the engagement with the 2022 World Cup was estimated to be 5&nbsp;billion, with about 1.5&nbsp;billion people watching [[2022 FIFA World Cup final|the final match]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/news/one-month-on-5-billion-engaged-with-the-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-tm |title=One Month On: 5 billion engaged with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 |publisher=FIFA |access-date=18 January 2023 |archive-date=18 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118183433/https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/news/one-month-on-5-billion-engaged-with-the-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-tm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Eighteen countries have hosted the World Cup, most recently [[Qatar]], who hosted the 2022 event. The 2026 tournament will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, which will give Mexico the distinction of being the first country to host games in three World Cups.

== History ==
{{Main|History of the FIFA World Cup}}

=== Previous international competitions ===
The world's first international football match was a challenge match played in [[Glasgow]] in 1872 between [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] and [[England national football team|England]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1872-00/1872-73/M0001Sco1872.html |title=England National Football Team Match No. 1 |publisher=England Football Online |access-date=19 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030314074901/http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1872-00/1872-73/M0001Sco1872.html |archive-date=14 March 2003 |url-status=live}}</ref> The first international tournament for nations, the inaugural [[British Home Championship]], took place in 1884 and included games between England, Scotland, [[Wales national football team|Wales]], and [[Ireland national football team (1882–1950)|Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://int.soccerway.com/news/2007/November/22/british-pm-backs-return-of-home-nations-championship |title=British PM backs return of Home Nations championship |publisher=Agence France-Presse |access-date=16 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619053845/http://int.soccerway.com/news/2007/November/22/british-pm-backs-return-of-home-nations-championship/ |archive-date=19 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> As football grew in popularity in other parts of the world at the start of the 20th century, it was held as a [[demonstration sport]] with no medals awarded at the [[Football at the 1900 Summer Olympics|1900]] and [[Football at the 1904 Summer Olympics|1904 Summer Olympics]]; however, the [[International Olympic Committee]] has retroactively upgraded their status to official events, as well as the [[Football at the 1906 Summer Olympics|1906 Intercalated Games]].<ref>{{cite web |first1=Søren |last1=Elbech |first2=Karel |last2=Stokkermans |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1906f.html |title=Intermediate Games of the IV. Olympiad |website=[[RSSSF]] |date=26 June 2008 |access-date=3 February 2023 |archive-date=11 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711203917/https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1906f.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

After [[FIFA]] was founded in 1904, it tried to arrange an international football tournament between nations outside the Olympic framework in Switzerland in 1906. These were very early days for international football, and the official history of FIFA describes the competition as having been unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/fifa-takes-shape.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329051342/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/fifa-takes-shape.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2013 |title=History of FIFA – FIFA takes shape |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 July 2014}}</ref>

[[File:London 1908 English Amateur Football National Team.jpg|thumb|Team of Great Britain that won the Olympic tournament in 1908]]
At the [[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908 Summer Olympics]] in [[London]], football became an official Olympic sport. Planned by [[the Football Association]] (the FA), England's football governing body, the event was for [[amateurism|amateur]] players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. Great Britain (represented by the [[England national amateur football team]]) won the [[gold medal]]s. They repeated the feat at the [[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Summer Olympics]] in [[Stockholm]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Butler |first=Bryon |author-link=Bryon Butler |title=The Official History of The Football Association |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=[[London]] |year=1991 |isbn=0-356-19145-1 |page=54}}</ref>

With the Olympic event continuing to be a contest between amateur teams only, [[Thomas Lipton|Sir Thomas Lipton]] organised the [[Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy]] tournament in [[Turin]] in 1909. The Lipton tournament was a championship between individual clubs (not national teams) from different nations, each of which represented an entire nation. The competition is sometimes described as ''The First World Cup'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/Public/news/thomaslipton.htm |title='The First World Cup'. The Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy |publisher=[[Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council]] |date=10 October 2003 |access-date=11 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031129221811/http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/Public/news/thomaslipton.htm |archive-date=29 November 2003}}</ref> and featured the most prestigious professional club sides from Italy, Germany and Switzerland, but the FA of England refused to be associated with the competition and declined the offer to send a professional team. Lipton invited [[West Auckland Town F.C.|West Auckland]], an amateur side from [[County Durham]], to represent England instead. West Auckland won the tournament and returned in 1911 to successfully defend their title.<ref>{{cite news |title=West Auckland's World Cup Rematch |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tees/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8173000/8173881.stm|access-date=1 October 2020 |agency=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002204445/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tees/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8173000/8173881.stm |archive-date=2 October 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Prior to the Lipton competition, from 1876 to 1904, games that were considered to be the "[[Football World Championship|football world championship]]" were meetings between leading English and Scottish clubs, such as the [[1895 World Championship (football)|1895 game]] between [[Sunderland A.F.C.]] and the [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.]], which Sunderland won.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/apr/25/even-when-sunderland-ruled-the-globe-club-world-cups-were-controversial |title=Sunderland's Victorian all-stars blazed trail for money's rule of football |work=The Guardian |author=Jonathan Wilson |date=25 April 2020|access-date=9 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425193627/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/apr/25/even-when-sunderland-ruled-the-globe-club-world-cups-were-controversial|archive-date=25 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Olympic tournament]] as a "world football championship for amateurs", and took responsibility for managing the event.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/more-associations-follow.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329051320/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/more-associations-follow.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2013 |title=History of FIFA – More associations follow |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 July 2014}}</ref> This paved the way for the world's first intercontinental football competition for nations, at the [[Football at the 1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Summer Olympics]], contested by [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]] and 13 European teams, and won by [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Reyes |first=Macario |date=18 October 1999 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1920f-det.html |title=VII. Olympiad Antwerp 1920 Football Tournament |publisher=rec.sport.soccer Statistics Foundation |access-date=10 June 2006 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922145329/https://www.rsssf.org/tableso/ol1920f-det.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] won the next two Olympic football tournaments in [[Football at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924]] and [[Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics|1928]]. Those were also the first two [[Open (sport)|open]] world championships, as 1924 was the start of FIFA's professional era, and is the reason why [[Four stars above Uruguay's football crest|Uruguay is allowed to wear 4 stars]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympic Football Tournament Paris 1924 |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/paris1924/match-center|access-date=1 October 2020 |agency=FIFA|archive-date=17 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717042750/https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/paris1924/match-center|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fourfourtwo.premiumtv.co.uk/page/BigRead/0,,11442~1034860,00.html |title=Uruguay 1930|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715011817/http://www.fourfourtwo.premiumtv.co.uk/page/BigRead/0%2C%2C11442~1034860%2C00.html|archive-date=15 July 2007 |magazine=Four Four Two|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== World Cups before World War II ===
[[File:Jules Rimet 1933.jpg|thumb|left|upright|FIFA president [[Jules Rimet]] convinced the [[FIFA#Six confederations and 211 national associations|confederations]] to promote an international football tournament]]
Due to the success of the Olympic football tournaments, FIFA, with [[List of Presidents of FIFA|President]] [[Jules Rimet]] as the driving force, again started looking at staging its own international tournament outside of the Olympics. On 28 May 1928, the FIFA Congress in [[Amsterdam]] decided to stage a world championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/first-fifa-world-cup.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329051339/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa/first-fifa-world-cup.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2013 |title=History of FIFA – The first FIFA World Cup |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 July 2014}}</ref> With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions and to celebrate their [[centenary]] of [[treaty of Montevideo (1828)|independence]] in 1930, FIFA named [[Uruguay]] as the host country of the [[1930 FIFA World Cup|inaugural World Cup tournament]].<ref name="WC origin">{{Cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_02e_fwc-origin_8816.pdf |title=FIFA World Cup Origin |website=FIFA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615195236/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_02e_fwc-origin_8816.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref>

The national associations of selected nations were invited to send a team, but the choice of Uruguay as a venue for the competition meant a long and costly trip across the Atlantic Ocean for European sides, especially in the midst of the [[Great Depression]]. As such, no European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition. Rimet eventually persuaded teams from [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]], [[France national football team|France]], [[Romania national football team|Romania]], and [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] to make the trip.<ref name="WC origin" /> In total, 13 nations took part: seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/uruguay1930/awards/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516082100/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/uruguay1930/awards/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 May 2018 |title=Final Tournament Standings |publisher=FIFA |work=1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay |access-date=14 June 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Estadio Centenario (vista aérea).jpg|thumb|[[Centenario Stadium|Estadio Centenario]], the location of the first World Cup final in 1930 in [[Montevideo]], Uruguay]]
The first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously on 13 July 1930, and were won by France and the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], who defeated [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] 4–1 and Belgium 3–0 respectively. The first goal in World Cup history was scored by [[Lucien Laurent]] of France.<ref>{{cite news |first=John F |last=Molinaro |title=The World Cup's 1st goal scorer |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/the-world-cup-s-1st-goal-scorer-1.825335 |access-date=12 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100933/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/the-world-cup-s-1st-goal-scorer-1.825335 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[1930 FIFA World Cup final|final]], [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] defeated [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] 4–2 in front of 93,000 spectators in [[Montevideo]], and became the first nation to win the World Cup.<ref name="origin">{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_02e_fwc-origin_8816.pdf |title=FIFA World Cup Origin |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=19 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614212717/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_02e_fwc-origin_8816.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2010}}</ref> After the creation of the World Cup, FIFA and the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]] disagreed over the status of amateur players; football was dropped from the [[1932 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="SR">{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1936/FTB/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417041849/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1936/FTB/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Football at the 1936 Berlin Summer Games |work=Sports Reference |access-date=7 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/mensolympic/athens2004/news/newsid=92851/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715174431/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/mensolympic/athens2004/news/newsid=92851/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 July 2014 |title=The Olympic Odyssey so far&nbsp;... (Part 1: 1908–1964) |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |date=9 June 2004 |access-date=12 July 2014}}</ref> After the IOC and FIFA worked out their differences, Olympic football returned at the [[Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Summer Olympics]], but was now overshadowed by the more prestigious World Cup.<ref name="SR" />

The issues facing the early World Cup tournaments were the difficulties of intercontinental travel and war. Few South American teams were willing to travel to Europe for the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]] and all North and South American nations except [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and [[Cuba national football team|Cuba]] boycotted the [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]] tournament. Brazil was the only South American team to compete in both. The 1942 and 1946 competitions, which [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] and [[Brazil]] sought to host,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cristal.com.pe/articulo/los-datos-mas-curiosos-de-la-fiesta-del-futbol-brasil-1950 |title=Los datos más curiosos de la Fiesta del Fútbol – Brasil 1950 |access-date=17 April 2012 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701133216/http://www.cristal.com.pe/articulo/los-datos-mas-curiosos-de-la-fiesta-del-futbol-brasil-1950 |archive-date=1 July 2012}}</ref> were cancelled due to [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Braswell |first=Sean |title=How Brazil Saved The World Cup In The Aftermatch Of World War II |publisher=NPR |date=11 June 2014 |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/06/11/320727176/how-brazil-saved-the-world-cup-in-the-aftermath-of-world-war-ii |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921132543/https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/06/11/320727176/how-brazil-saved-the-world-cup-in-the-aftermath-of-world-war-ii |archive-date=21 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== World Cups after World War II ===
[[File:Jogo no Estádio do Maracanã, antes da Copa do Mundo de 1950.tif|thumb|The opening game of the [[Maracanã Stadium]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, shortly before the [[1950 FIFA World Cup]]]]
The [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950 World Cup]], held in [[Brazil]], was the first to include British football associations. [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]], [[England national football team|England]], [[Wales national football team|Wales]], and [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] had withdrawn from FIFA in 1920, partly out of unwillingness to play against the countries they had been at war with, and partly as a protest against foreign influence on football.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0001/index.shtml |title=Scotland and the 1950 World Cup |publisher=BBC |access-date=13 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216135901/http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0001/index.shtml |archive-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The teams rejoined in 1946 following FIFA's invitation.{{sfn|Glanville|2005}} The tournament also saw the return of 1930 champions [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]], who had boycotted the previous two World Cups. Uruguay won the tournament again after defeating the host nation Brazil, in the match called "[[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Maracanazo]]" (Portuguese: ''Maracanaço'').<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/jonathan_wilson/07/04/uruguay.history/index.html |publisher=CNN |title=Uruguay's 1950 World Cup triumph a testament to the spirit of garra |date=4 July 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707110332/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/jonathan_wilson/07/04/uruguay.history/index.html | archive-date=7 July 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the tournaments between 1934 and [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], 16 teams competed in each tournament, except in 1938, when [[Austria national football team|Austria]] was [[Anschluss|absorbed]] into [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] after qualifying, leaving the tournament with 15 teams, and in 1950, when [[India men's national football team|India]], Scotland, and [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] withdrew, leaving the tournament with 13 teams.{{sfn|Glanville|2005|p=45}} Most of the participating nations were from Europe and South America, with a small minority from North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. These teams were usually defeated easily by the European and South American teams. Until 1982, the only teams from outside Europe and South America to advance out of the first round were: [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], semi-finalists in 1930; [[Cuba national football team|Cuba]], quarter-finalists in 1938; [[North Korea national football team|North Korea]], quarter-finalists in [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]; and [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]], quarter-finalists in [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]].

=== Expansion to 24 and 32 teams ===
[[File:FIFA World Cup 2010 Uruguay Ghana.jpg|thumb|Inside [[Soccer City]] in [[Johannesburg]], South Africa, during a match at the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]]]]
The tournament was expanded to 24 teams in [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]],{{sfn|Glanville|2005|p=238}} and then to 32 in [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]],{{sfn|Glanville|2005|p=359}} allowing more teams from Africa, Asia and North America to take part. Since then, teams from these regions have enjoyed more success, with several having reached the quarter-finals: [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]], quarter-finalists in [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]; [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]], quarter-finalists in [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]; [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]], finishing in fourth place in [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]; [[Senegal national football team|Senegal]], along with [[United States men's national soccer team|USA]], both quarter-finalists in 2002; [[Ghana national football team|Ghana]], quarter-finalists in 2010; [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]], quarter-finalists in 2014; and [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]], finishing in fourth place in 2022. European and South American teams continue to dominate, e.g., the quarter-finalists in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2018 were all from Europe or South America and so were the finalists of all tournaments so far.

Two hundred teams entered the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]] qualification rounds. 198 nations attempted to qualify for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]. A record 204 countries entered qualification for the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/southafrica2010/news/newsid=122766/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419065837/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/worldcup/southafrica2010/news/newsid=122766/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 April 2014 |title=Record number of 204 teams enter preliminary competition |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 July 2014}}</ref>

=== Expansion to 48 teams ===
In October 2013, Sepp Blatter spoke of guaranteeing the [[Caribbean Football Union]]'s region a position in the World Cup.<ref>{{cite web |last=Whittaker |first=James |title=Caribbean pro league can work |url=http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/10/23/Caribbean-pro-league-can-work/ |publisher=CompassCayman.com|access-date=28 October 2013 |location=Cayman Islands |date=23 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200646/http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/10/23/Caribbean-pro-league-can-work/|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the edition of 25 October 2013 of the ''FIFA Weekly'' Blatter wrote that: "From a purely sporting perspective, I would like to see globalisation finally taken seriously, and the African and Asian national associations accorded the status they deserve at the FIFA World Cup. It cannot be that the European and South American confederations lay claim to the majority of the berths at the World Cup."<ref>{{cite web |last=Blatter |first=Sepp |title=A level playing field for Africa! |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm//Document/AF-Magazine/FIFAWeekly/02/20/44/47/TheFIFAWeekly1_EN_Neutral.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204231/http://www.fifa.com/mm//Document/AF-Magazine/FIFAWeekly/02/20/44/47/TheFIFAWeekly1_EN_Neutral.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 October 2013 |publisher=FIFA Weekly|access-date=28 October 2013 |page=29 |date=25 October 2013}}</ref> Those two remarks suggested to commentators that Blatter could be putting himself forward for re-election to the FIFA Presidency.<ref>{{cite web |last=Morley |first=Gary |title=Sepp Blatter calls for more African nations at World Cup finals |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/25/sport/football/sepp-blatter-fifa-africa-football/index.html |publisher=CNN|access-date=28 October 2013 |date=25 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026184524/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/25/sport/football/sepp-blatter-fifa-africa-football/index.html|archive-date=26 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the magazine's publication, Blatter's would-be opponent for the FIFA Presidency, [[UEFA]] President [[Michel Platini]], responded that he intended to extend the World Cup to 40 national associations, increasing the number of participants by eight. Platini said that he would allocate an additional berth to UEFA, two each to the [[Asian Football Confederation]] and the [[Confederation of African Football]], two shared between [[CONCACAF]] and [[CONMEBOL]], and a guaranteed place for the [[Oceania Football Confederation]].<ref name="times-28-oct-2013">{{cite news |last=Dickinson |first=Matt |title=Michel Platini sets out his plan for the new world order |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/africa-travel/south-africa/michel-platini-sets-out-his-plan-for-the-new-world-order-jbqwlf3787t |newspaper=The Times|access-date=28 October 2013 |date=28 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028060920/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/international/article3906279.ece |archive-date=28 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Platini was clear about why he wanted to expand the World Cup. He said: "[The World Cup is] not based on the quality of the teams because you don't have the best 32 at the World Cup&nbsp;... but it's a good compromise.&nbsp;... It's a political matter so why not have more Africans? The competition is to bring all the people of all the world. If you don't give the possibility to participate, they don't improve."<ref name="times-28-oct-2013" />

In October 2016, FIFA president [[Gianni Infantino]] stated his support for a 48-team World Cup in 2026.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/03/world-cup-expand-48-teams-fifa-gianni-infantino-suggests World Cup could expand to 48 teams, Fifa's Gianni Infantino suggests] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004005336/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/oct/03/world-cup-expand-48-teams-fifa-gianni-infantino-suggests |date=4 October 2016 }} – The Guardian, 3 October 2016</ref> On 10 January 2017, FIFA confirmed the 2026 World Cup will have 48 finalist teams.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fifa-beschliesst-fussball-wm-mit-48-mannschaften-a-1129295.html |title=Ab 2026: 48 Teams – Fifa vergrößert die WM |newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=10 January 2017 |publisher=SPIEGEL ONLINE |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110124409/http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fifa-beschliesst-fussball-wm-mit-48-mannschaften-a-1129295.html |archive-date=10 January 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2015 FIFA corruption case ===
{{Main|2015 FIFA corruption case}}

By May 2015, the games were under a particularly dark cloud because of the 2015 FIFA corruption case, allegations and criminal charges of bribery, fraud and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights (rigged bids) for FIFA games,<ref>{{cite news |last=No byline |date=3 December 2015 |title=The FIFA Investigation, Explained |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/sports/soccer/fifa-investigation.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/sports/soccer/fifa-investigation.html |archive-date=2 January 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |newspaper=New York Times |location=New York, NY, USA |access-date=3 December 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> with FIFA officials accused of taking bribes totaling more than $150&nbsp;million over 24 years. In late May, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a 47-count indictment with charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy against 14 people. Arrests of over a dozen FIFA officials were made since that time, particularly on 29 May and 3 December.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/27/football/fifa-corruption-charges-justice-department/ |title=FIFA corruption probe targets 'World Cup of fraud,' IRS chief says |last1=McLaughlin |first1=Eliott C. |last2=Botelho |first2=Greg |date=28 May 2015 |website=CNN |publisher=Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. |access-date=3 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527160034/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/27/football/fifa-corruption-charges-justice-department/ |archive-date=27 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> By the end of May 2015, a total of nine FIFA officials and five executives of sports and broadcasting markets had already been charged on corruption. At the time, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced he would relinquish his position in February 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34991874 |title=Fifa crisis: US charges 16 more officials after earlier Zurich arrests |date=4 December 2015 |work=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203195200/https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34991874 |archive-date=3 December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 4 June 2015, [[Chuck Blazer]] while co-operating with the [[FBI]] and the Swiss authorities admitted that he and the other members of FIFA's then-executive committee were bribed in order to promote the 1998 and 2010 World Cups.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/sepp-blatter/11647665/Sepp-Blatter-FBI-investigation-live.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/sepp-blatter/11647665/Sepp-Blatter-FBI-investigation-live.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Blazer: Bribes accepted for 1998 and 2010 World Cups – Telegraph |date=3 June 2015 |work=Telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On 10 June 2015, Swiss authorities seized computer data from the offices of [[Sepp Blatter]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33088747 "Swiss police seize IT data from Fifa headquarters", ''The BBC'', 10 June 2015]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610194510/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33088747 |date=10 June 2015 }}. Retrieved 10 June 2015</ref> The same day, FIFA postponed the bidding process for the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]] in light of the [[Garcia Report|allegations surrounding bribery]] in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. Then-secretary general [[Jérôme Valcke]] stated, "Due to the situation, I think it's nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/33078284 |title=Fifa World Cup 2026 bidding process delayed |work=[[BBC Sport]] |date=10 June 2015 | access-date=10 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610144829/http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33078284 | archive-date=10 June 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> On 28 October 2015, Blatter and FIFA VP Michel Platini, a potential candidate for presidency, were suspended for 90 days; both maintained their innocence in statements made to the news media.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/blatter-platini-suspended-1.3262043 |title=Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini handed 90-day FIFA suspensions |last=Associated Press |date=8 October 2015 |website=CBC Sports |publisher=CBC/Radio Canada |access-date=3 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009040617/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/blatter-platini-suspended-1.3262043 |archive-date=9 October 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 3 December 2015 two FIFA vice-presidents were arrested on suspicion of bribery in the same Zurich hotel where seven FIFA officials had been arrested in May.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ruiz |first=Rebecca |date=3 December 2015 |title=FIFA Corruption: Top Officials Arrested at Zurich Hotel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/sports/fifa-scandal-arrests-in-switzerland.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/sports/fifa-scandal-arrests-in-switzerland.html |archive-date=2 January 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |newspaper=New York Times |location=New York, USA |access-date=3 December 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> An additional 16 indictments by the US Department of Justice were announced on the same day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34991874 |title=Fifa crisis: US charges 16 more officials after earlier Zurich arrests |last=no byline |date=3 December 2015 |website=BBC Sport |publisher=BBC |access-date=3 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203195200/https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34991874 |archive-date=3 December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Biennial World Cup proposition ===
A biennial World Cup plan was first proposed by the [[Saudi Arabian Football Federation]] at the 71st [[FIFA Congress]] on 21 May 2021 and prominently backed by former Arsenal manager [[Arsène Wenger]] and national federations in Africa and Asia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Africa backs two-yearly World Cup despite biennial Nations Cup |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/africa/57873547 |access-date=23 January 2023 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123014053/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/africa/57873547 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Continental confederations such as UEFA and CONMEBOL are not on board with the plan<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 September 2021 |title=EU opposes biennial World Cup |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-opposes-fifa-world-cup-two-year-plan/|access-date=27 October 2021 |website=POLITICO |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923175302/https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-opposes-fifa-world-cup-two-year-plan/|archive-date=23 September 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=10 September 2021 |title=South America comes out against idea of biennial World Cup |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/south-america-comes-out-against-idea-biennial-world-cup-2021-09-10/|access-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027031109/https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/south-america-comes-out-against-idea-biennial-world-cup-2021-09-10/|archive-date=27 October 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> but, in total, the idea is supported by 166 of the 210 member associations of FIFA.<ref>{{cite news |title=Four South Asian nations back FIFA's biennial World Cup push |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/four-south-asian-nations-back-fifas-biennial-world-cup-push-2021-09-06/ |access-date=23 January 2023 |work=Reuters |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123014049/https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/four-south-asian-nations-back-fifas-biennial-world-cup-push-2021-09-06/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Other FIFA tournaments ===
[[File:Round of 16 Canada vs Switzerland (18852958960).jpg|thumb|[[BC Place]] in [[Vancouver]] hosting a [[2015 FIFA Women's World Cup|2015 Women's World Cup]] match]]
An equivalent tournament for [[Women's association football|women's football]], the [[FIFA Women's World Cup]], was first held in [[FIFA Women's World Cup 1991|1991]] in [[China]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703220738/http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 July 2008 |title=FIFA Women's World Cup |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=22 December 2007}}</ref> The women's tournament is smaller in scale and profile than the men's, but is growing; the number of entrants for the 2007 tournament was 120, more than double that of 1991.<ref>[http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/2010/06/30/262694/we-are.htm "We Are the World ... Cup"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909005900/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/2010/06/30/262694/we-are.htm |date=9 September 2017}}. China Post. Retrieved 8 September 2017</ref>

Men's football has been included in every [[Summer Olympic Games]] except 1896 and 1932. Unlike many other sports, the men's [[Football at the Summer Olympics|football tournament at the Olympics]] is not a top-level tournament, and since 1992, an under-23 tournament with each team allowed three over-age players.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/regulations_olympics_beijing_2008_en_6198.pdf |title=Regulations Men's Olympic Football Tournament 2008 |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=22 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227032239/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/regulations_olympics_beijing_2008_en_6198.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2008}}</ref> Women's football made its [[Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|Olympic debut in 1996]].

The [[FIFA Confederations Cup]] was a tournament held one year before the World Cup at the World Cup host nation(s) as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming World Cup. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships, along with the FIFA World Cup champion and the host country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/confederationcup/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609165833/http://www.fifa.com/confederationcup/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 June 2007 |title=FIFA Confederations Cup |work=FIFA.com |access-date=22 December 2007 |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association}}</ref> The first edition took place in [[1992 FIFA Confederations Cup|1992]] and the last edition was played in [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup|2017]]. In March 2019, FIFA confirmed that the tournament would no longer be active owing to an expansion of the [[FIFA Club World Cup]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/who-we-are/news/fifa-council-votes-for-the-introduction-of-a-revamped-fifa-club-world-cup |title=FIFA Council votes for the introduction of a revamped FIFA Club World Cup |website=FIFA.com |date=15 March 2019 |access-date=17 June 2019 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716174909/https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/who-we-are/news/fifa-council-votes-for-the-introduction-of-a-revamped-fifa-club-world-cup |url-status=live}}</ref>

FIFA also organises international tournaments for youth football ([[FIFA U-20 World Cup]], [[FIFA U-17 World Cup]], [[FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup]], [[FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup]]), club football ([[FIFA Club World Cup]], [[FIFA Women's Club World Cup]] (starting in [[2028]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Timelines and formats of landmark FIFA women’s club competitions confirmed |url=https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/womens-champions-cup-club-world-cup-timelines-formats|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426230711/https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/womens-champions-cup-club-world-cup-timelines-formats|url-status=dead|date=5 March 2025|archive-date=26 April 2025|publisher=fifa.com|access-date=12 February 2026}}</ref>), [[FIFA Intercontinental Cup]], [[FIFA Women's Champions Cup]]), and football variants such as [[futsal]] ([[FIFA Futsal World Cup]], [[FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup]]) and [[beach soccer]] ([[FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup]]), the latter not having a women's version.

The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is held biannually, including the year before each Women's World Cup. Both tournaments were awarded in a single bidding process on three occasions, with the U-20 tournament serving as a dress rehearsal for the larger competition each time ([[2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup|2010]], [[2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup|2014]] and [[2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup|2018]]).<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/m/sports/soccer/fifau20/fifa-women-s-world-cup-next-up-for-canada-in-2015-1.2745557 "FIFA Women's World Cup next up for Canada in 2015"]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916193432/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifau20/fifa-women-s-world-cup-next-up-for-canada-in-2015-1.2745557 |date=16 September 2020 }}. CBC Sports. Retrieved 8 September 2017</ref>

== Trophy ==
{{Main|FIFA World Cup Trophy}}

{{multiple image
|align  =
|total_width = 270
|image1 = FIFA World Cup Trophy (Ank Kumar, Infosys Limited) 04.jpg
|caption1 = The current trophy, first awarded in 1974
|image2 =  Jules rimet trophy at preston museum.jpg
|caption2 = The Jules Rimet trophy, awarded from 1930 to 1970
}}
From 1930 to 1970, the ''[[Jules Rimet Trophy]]'' was awarded to the World Cup winning team. It was originally simply known as the ''World Cup'' or ''Coupe du Monde'', but in 1946 it was renamed after the FIFA president [[Jules Rimet]] who set up the first tournament. In [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]'s third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently. However, the trophy was stolen in 1983 and has never been recovered, apparently melted down by the thieves.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa-world-cup/jules-rimet-cup.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329051215/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa-world-cup/jules-rimet-cup.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2013 |title=Jules Rimet Cup |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 July 2014}}</ref>

After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The experts of FIFA, coming from seven countries, evaluated the 53 presented models, finally opting for the work of the Italian designer [[Silvio Gazzaniga]]. The new trophy is {{convert|36|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} high, made of solid 18 [[carat (purity)|carat]] (75%) gold and weighs {{Convert|6.175|kg|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Trophy">{{cite news |title=FIFA World Cup Trophy |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/marketing/brand/trophy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601013627/http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/marketing/brand/trophy.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 June 2015 |agency=FIFA.com |date=24 June 2018}}</ref>

The base contains two layers of semi-precious [[malachite]] while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]].<ref name="Trophy" /> The description of the trophy by Gazzaniga was: "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa-world-cup/trophy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329051244/http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/fifa-world-cup/trophy.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2013 |title=FIFA World Cup Trophy |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 July 2014}}</ref>

This new trophy is not awarded to the winning nation permanently. World Cup winners retain the trophy only until the post-match celebration is finished. They are awarded a gold-plated replica rather than the solid gold original immediately afterwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/marketingtv/marketing/fifaassets/trophy.html |title=FIFA Assets – Trophy |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=19 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104165903/http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/marketingtv/marketing/fifaassets/trophy.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=4 November 2007}}</ref>

All members (players, coaches, and managers) of the top three teams receive medals with an insignia of the World Cup Trophy; winners' (gold), runners-up (silver), and third-place (bronze). In the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 edition]], fourth-place medals were awarded to hosts [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]]. Before the 1978 tournament, medals were only awarded to the eleven players on the pitch at the end of the final and the match for third place. In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.<ref name="espnheroes">{{cite news |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=484715&cc=4716 |title=122 forgotten heroes get World Cup medals |work=ESPNSoccernet.com |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=25 November 2007 |access-date=10 December 2009 |archive-date=20 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020074058/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=484715&cc=4716 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8093891.stm |title=World Cup 1966 winners honoured |work=BBC Sport |date=10 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612032102/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8093891.stm |archive-date=12 June 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/11/greavsie-gets-66-medal-115875-21431367/ |title=Jimmy Greaves finally gets his 1966 World Cup medal |work=Mirror.co.uk |publisher=MGN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614074134/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/11/greavsie-gets-66-medal-115875-21431367/ |archive-date=14 June 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2006, winners of the competition are also awarded the right to wear the [[FIFA Champions Badge]], up until the time at which the winner of the next competition is decided.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/news/first-fifa-world-champions-badge-presented-italy-868119|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222150939/https://www.fifa.com/news/first-fifa-world-champions-badge-presented-italy-868119|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 December 2019 |title=First 'FIFA World Champions Badge' presented to Italy |website=[[FIFA]] |date=2 September 2008|access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref>

== Format ==
{{Update|date=May 2025|reason=Tournament format has been changed}}

=== Qualification ===
{{Main|FIFA World Cup qualifiers}}

Since the second World Cup in [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], qualifying tournaments have been held to thin the field for the final tournament.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminarydraw/news/newsid=576440.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118182153/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminarydraw/news/newsid=576440.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 November 2007 |title=FIFA World Cup qualifying: Treasure-trove of the weird and wonderful |work=FIFA |access-date=23 December 2007}}</ref> They are held within the six FIFA continental zones ([[Confederation of African Football|Africa]], [[Asian Football Confederation|Asia]], [[CONCACAF|North and Central America and Caribbean]], [[CONMEBOL|South America]], [[Oceania Football Confederation|Oceania]], and [[UEFA|Europe]]), overseen by their respective confederations. For each tournament, FIFA decides the number of places awarded to each of the continental zones beforehand, generally based on the relative strength of the confederations' teams.

The qualification process can start as early as almost three years before the final tournament and last over a two-year period. The formats of the qualification tournaments differ between confederations. Usually, one or two places are awarded to winners of intercontinental [[play-off]]s. For example, the winner of the Oceanian zone and the fifth-placed team from the Asian zone entered a play-off for a spot in the [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010 World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/print?id=468907&type=story&cc= |title=2010 World Cup Qualifying |work=ESPNSoccernet.com |publisher=ESPN |date=26 November 2009 |access-date=23 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216151218/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/print?id=468907&type=story&cc= |archive-date=16 December 2008}}</ref> From the [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938 World Cup]] onwards, host nations receive automatic qualification to the final tournament. This right was also granted to the defending champions between 1938 and 2002, but was withdrawn from the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] onward, requiring the champions to qualify, as previous defending champions had uncompetitive performances at subsequent editions of the FIFA World Cup. [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]], winners in [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]], were the first defending champions to play qualifying matches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mencompwc/51/97/75/fs-201_19a_fwc-prel-history.pdf |title=History of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition (by year) |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614212731/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mencompwc/51/97/75/fs-201_19a_fwc-prel-history.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2010}}</ref>

=== Final tournament ===
{{For|the various formats used in previous tournaments|History of the FIFA World Cup#Evolution of the format}}
The final tournament format since 1998 has had 32 national teams competing over the course of a month in the host nations. There are two stages: the group stage, followed by the knockout stage.<ref name="FIFAformat">{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_04e_fwc_formats_slots_8821.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227032244/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_04e_fwc_formats_slots_8821.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2008 |title=Formats of the FIFA World Cup final competitions 1930–2010 |work=FIFA.com |access-date=1 January 2008 |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association}}</ref>

In the group stage, teams compete within eight groups of four teams each. Eight teams are seeded, including the hosts, with the other seeded teams selected using a formula based on the [[FIFA World Rankings]] or performances in recent World Cups, and drawn to separate groups.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mencompwc/82/40/89/fs-201_12a_fwc-seededteams.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215190232/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mencompwc/82/40/89/fs-201_12a_fwc-seededteams.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 February 2010 |title=FIFA World Cup: seeded teams 1930–2010 |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |work=FIFA.com |access-date=12 May 2014}}</ref> The other teams are assigned to different "pots", usually based on geographical criteria, and teams in each pot are drawn at random to the eight groups. Since [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]], constraints have been applied to the draw to ensure that no group contains more than two European teams or more than one team from any other confederation.<ref>Previously, due to there being fewer finals places and a bigger ratio of European finalists, there had been several occasions where three European teams were in a single group, for example, 1986 (West Germany, Scotland, and Denmark), 1990 (Italy, Czechoslovakia, and Austria), and 1994 (Italy, Republic of Ireland, and Norway). ({{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_10e-fwcdraw-history_52560.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123034518/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mcwc/ip-201_10e-fwcdraw-history_52560.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 November 2009 |title=History of the World Cup Final Draw |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=12 May 2014}})</ref>

Each group plays a [[round-robin tournament]] in which each team is scheduled for three matches against other teams in the same group. This means that a total of six matches are played within a group. The last round of matches of each group is scheduled at the same time to preserve fairness among all four teams.<ref>This practice has been installed since the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]]. In some cases during previous tournaments, for example, Argentina 6–0 Peru in [[1978 FIFA World Cup|Argentina 1978]] and [[West Germany 1–0 Austria (1982 FIFA World Cup)|West Germany 1–0 Austria]] in [[1982 FIFA World Cup|Spain 1982]], teams that played the latter match were perceived to gain an unfair advantage by knowing the score of the earlier match, and subsequently [[Match fixing#Match fixing to a draw or a fixed score|obtaining a result that ensured advancement to the next stage]]. ({{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/1978-world-cup-a-first-title-for-argentina-1.816202 |title=1978 Argentina |publisher=CBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928003655/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/1978-world-cup-a-first-title-for-argentina-1.816202 |archive-date=28 September 2013 |url-status=live}}; {{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/1982-world-cup-rossi-to-the-resuce-for-italy-1.793678 |title=1982 Spain |publisher=CBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212035951/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/1982-world-cup-rossi-to-the-resuce-for-italy-1.793678 |archive-date=12 February 2015 |url-status=live}})</ref> The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage. Points are used to rank the teams within a group. Since [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]], [[Three points for a win|three points have been awarded for a win]], one for a draw and none for a loss (before, winners received two points).

Considering six matches in a group each with three possible outcomes (win, draw, loss), there are 729 (= 3<sup>6</sup>) possible final table outcomes for the 40 possible combinations of the four teams' points.<ref>{{Cite web |last=gadamico |date=25 July 2021 |title=Soccer and Statistics: Modeling the Group Stage |url=https://github.com/gadamico/soccer_and_statistics/blob/main/soccer_and_statistics.ipynb |access-date=2 March 2024 |website=github.com}}</ref> However, 14 of the 40 points combinations (or 207 of the 729 possible outcomes) lead to ties between the second and third places. In such case, the ranking among these teams is determined by:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/uefaorg/Regulations/01/87/54/21/1875421_DOWNLOAD.pdf |title=Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia |page=43 |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=24 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013234125/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/uefaorg/Regulations/01/87/54/21/1875421_DOWNLOAD.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
# Greatest combined goal difference in all group matches
# Greatest combined number of goals scored in all group matches
# If more than one team remain level after applying the above criteria, their ranking will be determined as follows:
## Greatest number of points in head-to-head matches among those teams
## Greatest goal difference in head-to-head matches among those teams
## Greatest number of goals scored in head-to-head matches among those teams
## Fair play points, defined by the number of yellow and red cards received in the group stage:
### Yellow card: minus 1 point
### Indirect red card (as a result of a second yellow card): minus 3 points
### Direct red card: minus 4 points
### Yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
# If any of the teams above remain level after applying the above criteria, their ranking will be determined by the drawing of lots

The knockout stage is a [[single-elimination tournament]] in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with [[extra time]] and [[penalty shootout (association football)|penalty shootouts]] used to decide the winner if necessary. It begins with the round of 16 (or the second round) in which the winner of each group plays against the runner-up of another group. This is followed by the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the [[match for third place]] (contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.<ref name="FIFAformat" />

On 10 January 2017, FIFA approved a new format, the 48-team World Cup (to accommodate more teams), which was to consist of 16 groups of three teams each, with two teams qualifying from each group, to form a round of 32 knockout stage, to be implemented by 2026.<ref>{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Turner |url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10723865/fifa-council-votes-in-favour-of-48-team-world-cup-from-2026 |title=FIFA approves 48-team World Cup |work=[[Sky Sports News]] |date=10 January 2017 |access-date=10 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111005600/http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10723865/fifa-council-votes-in-favour-of-48-team-world-cup-from-2026 |archive-date=11 January 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 14 March 2023, FIFA approved a revised format of the 2026 tournament, which features 12 groups of four teams each, with the top 8 third-placed teams joining the group winners and runners-up in a new round of 32.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ziegler |first=Martyn |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/7d38da2c-c24b-11ed-8e20-0f5794810aad |title=World Cup will be a week longer — but Fifa scraps three-team group plan |work=[[The Times]] |date=14 March 2023 |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314110957/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/7d38da2c-c24b-11ed-8e20-0f5794810aad |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Slater |first1=Matt |last2=Ornstein |first2=David |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4307230/2023/03/14/world-cup-2026-format-usa/ |title=World Cup 2026 format expands again with four-team groups and 104 matches |work=[[The Athletic]] |date=14 March 2023 |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314103434/https://theathletic.com/4307230/2023/03/14/world-cup-2026-format-usa/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2025, it was reported that FIFA was considering a one-off expansion to 64 teams for the [[2030 FIFA World Cup]], the centennial anniversary of the FIFA World Cup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/world/europe/fifa-world-cup-64-teams.html|title=FIFA to Consider Expanding World Cup to 64 Teams|first=Tariq|last=Panja|date=March 6, 2025|website=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

== Hosts ==
{{Main|List of FIFA World Cup hosts}}

=== Selection process ===
{{Choropleth map
| countries =
#006400: MX
#33CC33: US; BR; FR; IT; DE; ES
#99EE99: UY; CH; SE; CL; GB; AR; KR; JP; ZA; RU; QA; CA; PT; MA
#FFFF99: SA
#808080: CO
| view = World
| width = 300
| height = 225
| caption = Number of times each nation has hosted the FIFA World Cup {{legend|#006400|Hosted 3 times}}
{{legend|#33CC33|Hosted 2 times}}
{{legend|#99EE99|Hosted 1 time|outline=silver}}
{{legend|#FFFF99|Planned (2034)|outline=silver}}
{{legend|#808080|Cancelled}}
}}

Early World Cups were given to countries at meetings of FIFA's congress. The locations were controversial because South America and Europe were by far the two centres of strength in football and travel between them required three weeks by boat. The decision to hold the [[1930 FIFA World Cup|first World Cup]] in Uruguay, for example, led to only four European nations competing.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632201.stm |title=Uruguay 1930 |work=BBC Sport |date=11 April 2002 |access-date=13 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031122125127/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632201.stm |archive-date=22 November 2003 |url-status=live}}</ref> The next two World Cups were both held in Europe. The decision to hold the second of these in France was disputed, as the South American countries understood that the location would alternate between the two continents. Both Argentina and Uruguay thus boycotted the [[1938 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632206.stm |title=France 1938 |work=BBC Sport |date=17 April 2002 |access-date=13 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031122125158/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/history/newsid_1632000/1632206.stm |archive-date=22 November 2003 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the [[1958 FIFA World Cup]], to avoid future boycotts or controversy, FIFA began a pattern of alternating the hosts between the Americas and Europe, which continued until the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]]. The [[2002 FIFA World Cup]], hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan, was the first one held in Asia, and the first tournament with multiple hosts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/news/2002/06/03/au_asia_rb/ |title=Asia takes World Cup center stage |date=3 June 2002 |publisher=CNN |access-date=1 January 2008 |archive-date=1 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401144059/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/news/2002/06/03/au_asia_rb/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]. The [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] was hosted by Brazil, the first held in South America since [[1978 FIFA World Cup|Argentina 1978]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7068848.stm |title=Brazil will stage 2014 World Cup |date=10 October 2007 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=1 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031095538/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7068848.stm |archive-date=31 October 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> and was the first occasion where consecutive World Cups were held outside Europe.<ref>{{cite news |title=World Cup 2014: All you need to know about Brazil finals |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/24518819 |access-date=6 October 2020 |work=BBC Sport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712154826/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/24518819 |archive-date=12 July 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Russia 2018 World Cup.jpeg|thumb|Russian delegates celebrate being chosen as the host of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]]]
The host country is now chosen in a vote by FIFA's Council. This is done under an [[exhaustive ballot]] system. The national football association of a country desiring to host the event receives a "Hosting Agreement" from FIFA, which explains the steps and requirements that are expected from a strong bid. The bidding association also receives a form, the submission of which represents the official confirmation of the candidacy. After this, a FIFA designated group of inspectors visit the country to identify that the country meets the requirements needed to host the event and a report on the country is produced. The decision on who will host the World Cup is usually made six or seven years in advance of the tournament. There have been occasions where the hosts of multiple future tournaments were announced at the same time, as was the case for the [[2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids|2018 and 2022 World Cups]], which were awarded to [[Russia]] and [[Qatar]], with Qatar becoming the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/england-russia-win-2018-world-cup |title=England beaten as Russia win 2018 World Cup bid |date=2 December 2010 |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=8 September 2017 |first=Owen |last=Gibson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308044324/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/england-russia-win-2018-world-cup |archive-date=8 March 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/qatar-win-2022-world-cup-bid |title=Qatar win 2022 World Cup bid |date=2 December 2010 |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=8 September 2017 |first=Jamie |last=Jackson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005083825/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/02/qatar-win-2022-world-cup-bid |archive-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

For the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the final tournament was rotated between confederations, allowing only countries from the chosen confederation (Africa in 2010, South America in 2014) to bid to host the tournament. The rotation policy was introduced after the [[FIFA World Cup hosts#2006 FIFA World Cup|controversy]] surrounding Germany's victory over South Africa in the vote to host the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 tournament]]. However, the policy of continental rotation did not continue beyond 2014, so any country, except those belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments, can apply as hosts for World Cups starting from [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/organisation/media/newsid=625122/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324161949/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/organisation/media/newsid=625122/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 March 2013 |title=Rotation ends in 2018 |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |work=FIFA.com |date=29 October 2007 |access-date=30 March 2013}}</ref> This is partly to avoid a similar scenario to the bidding process for the 2014 tournament, where Brazil was the only official bidder.<ref>Collett, Mike (30 October 2007), [https://web.archive.org/web/20180704215911/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-world-brazil-idUKL3026608120071030 "Brazil officially named 2014 World Cup hosts"]. . Reuters. Retrieved 6 July 2018</ref>

The [[2026 FIFA World Cup]] was chosen to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time a World Cup has been shared by three host nations.<ref name="World Cup26">{{cite news |title=World Cup 2026: Canada, US & Mexico joint bid wins right to host tournament |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44464913 |access-date=13 June 2018 |agency=BBC Sport |date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613145402/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44464913 |archive-date=13 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 2026 tournament will be the biggest World Cup ever held, with 48 teams playing 104 matches. Sixty matches will take place in the US, including all matches from the quarter-finals onward, while Canada and Mexico will host 10 games each.<ref name="World Cup26" />

=== Summary by confederation ===

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
|-
! scope="row" | Confederation
! scope="col" style=width:4em:| Times hosted
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Hosts
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Upcoming hosts
|-
| [[UEFA]] <br> (Europe)
| style="text-align:center"| 11
| {{Nowrap|[[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], Italy}}; {{Nowrap|[[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], France}}; {{Nowrap|[[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], Switzerland}}; {{Nowrap|[[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]], Sweden}}; {{Nowrap|[[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]], England}}; {{Nowrap|[[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], West Germany}}; {{Nowrap|[[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], Spain}}; {{Nowrap|[[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], Italy}}; {{Nowrap|[[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]], France}}; {{Nowrap|[[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]], Germany}}; {{Nowrap|[[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]], Russia}}
| {{Nowrap|[[2030 FIFA World Cup|2030]], Spain & Portugal}}
|-
| [[CONMEBOL]] <br> (South America)
| style="text-align:center"| 5
| {{Nowrap|[[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], Uruguay}}; {{Nowrap|[[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]], Brazil}}; {{Nowrap|[[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]], Chile}}; {{Nowrap|[[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], Argentina}}; {{Nowrap|[[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]], Brazil}}
| 
|-
| [[CONCACAF]] <br> {{Nowrap|(North and Central America <br> and Caribbean)}}
| style="text-align:center"| 3
| {{Nowrap|[[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], Mexico}}; {{Nowrap|[[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], Mexico}}; {{Nowrap|[[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]], United States}}
| {{Nowrap|[[2026 FIFA World Cup|2026]], Canada, Mexico & United States}}
|-
| [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]] <br> (Asia)
| style="text-align:center"| 2
| {{Nowrap|[[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]], South Korea & Japan}}; {{Nowrap|[[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]], Qatar}}
| {{Nowrap|[[2034 FIFA World Cup|2034]], Saudi Arabia}}
|-
| [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]] <br> (Africa)
| style="text-align:center"| 1
| {{Nowrap|[[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]], South Africa}}
| {{Nowrap|[[2030 FIFA World Cup|2030]], Morocco}}
|-
| [[Oceania Football Confederation|OFC]] <br> (Oceania)
| style="text-align:center"| 0
| none
| 
|}

=== Performances ===
{{See also|National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup#Hosts|l1=Results of host nations in the FIFA World Cup}}

Six of the eight champions have won one of their titles while playing in their own homeland, the exceptions being [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]], who finished as runners-up after losing the [[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|deciding match]] on home soil in 1950 and lost their [[Brazil v Germany (2014 FIFA World Cup)|semi-final]] against Germany in 2014, and [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]], which reached the second round on home soil in 1982. [[England national football team|England]] (1966) won its only title while playing as a host nation. [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] (1930), [[Italy national football team|Italy]] (1934), [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] (1978), and [[France national football team|France]] (1998) won their first titles as host nations but have gone on to win again, while [[Germany national football team|Germany]] (1974) won their second title on home soil.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8684839.stm "World Cup 1974 – West Germany win on home soil"]. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8684839.stm]. BBC. Retrieved 2 December 2017</ref><ref name=host />

Other nations have also been successful when hosting the tournament. [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] (quarter-finals 1954), [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] (runners-up in 1958), [[Chile national football team|Chile]] (third place in 1962), [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]] (fourth place in 2002), [[Russia national football team|Russia]] (quarter-finals 2018), and [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] (quarter-finals in 1970 and 1986) all have their best results when serving as hosts.<ref name=host>{{cite web |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13956/11392096/world-cup-home-advantage-how-the-hosts-have-fared-and-why-there-is-hope-for-russia |title=World Cup home advantage: How the hosts have fared and why there is hope for Russia |author=Smith, Peter |publisher=Sky Sports|access-date=20 December 2022|archive-date=20 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220145414/https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13956/11392096/world-cup-home-advantage-how-the-hosts-have-fared-and-why-there-is-hope-for-russia|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44591345 |title=World Cup 2018: Russia reach quarter-finals after 4-3 penalty shootout win over Spain |publisher=BBC Sport |date=1 July 2018 |author=Bevan, Chris|access-date=20 December 2022|archive-date=22 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622203909/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44591345|url-status=live}}</ref> So far, [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]] (2010) and [[Qatar national football team|Qatar]] (2022) failed to advance beyond the first round.<ref>Bevan, Chris. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_34/default.stm "France 1–2 South Africa"]. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_34/default.stm]. BBC. Retrieved 2 December 2017</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/qatar-world-cup-worst-record-host-nation/darxjzu4goctrbquje8vfbyo |title=Qatar's World Cup flop: The Maroon finish with worst record for a host nation in FIFA history |publisher=Sporting News |author=Brischetto, Patrick |date=30 November 2022|access-date=20 December 2022|archive-date=17 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217073029/https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/qatar-world-cup-worst-record-host-nation/darxjzu4goctrbquje8vfbyo|url-status=live}}</ref>

No host nation has ever entered a FIFA World Cup as defending champions. As of 2026, the closest this came to happen was Germany in 2006, after losing 2–0 to Brazil in the 2002 final.

{{clear}}

== Broadcasting and promotion ==

[[File:Coca cola world cup 2002.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Coca-Cola]] bottle promoting the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan]]]]

The World Cup was first televised in [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]] and {{as of|2006|lc=y}} is the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world. The cumulative viewership of all matches of the 2006 World Cup was estimated to be 26.29&nbsp;billion.<ref name=DobsonGoddard2006 /> 715.1&nbsp;million individuals watched the final match of the tournament, almost a ninth of the entire population of the planet. The [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]] draw, which decided the distribution of teams into groups, was watched by 300&nbsp;million viewers.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC Sport]] |url=http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200512/s1528128.htm |title=Socceroos face major challenge: Hiddink |date=10 December 2005 |access-date=13 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430001531/http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200512/s1528128.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=30 April 2006}}</ref> The World Cup attracts major sponsors such as [[Coca-Cola]], [[McDonald's]] and [[Adidas]]. For these companies and many more, being a sponsor strongly impacts their global brands. Host countries typically experience a multimillion-dollar revenue increase from the month-long event.

The governing body of the sport, [[FIFA]], generated $4.8&nbsp;billion in revenue from the [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014 tournament]],<ref>{{cite news |title=FIFA Financial Report 2014: Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2015/m=3/news=fifa-financial-report-2014-frequently-asked-questions-2568090.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512093326/http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2015/m=3/news=fifa-financial-report-2014-frequently-asked-questions-2568090.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 May 2015 |agency=FIFA.com |date=9 December 2017}}</ref> and $6.1&nbsp;billion from the [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018 tournament]].<ref>{{cite news |title=FIFA Set to Make $6.1 billion From 2018 World Cup |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/sports/fifa-revenue.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/sports/fifa-revenue.html |archive-date=2 January 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=13 June 2018 |last1=Panja |first1=Tariq}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File:FIFA - world cup ballen.JPG|thumb|left|Manufactured by [[Adidas]] since the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970 World Cup]], official match balls displayed at [[FIFA headquarters]] in [[Zurich|Zürich]]]]

Each FIFA World Cup since [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]] has its own [[mascot]] or logo. ''World Cup Willie'', the mascot for the 1966 competition, was the first [[FIFA World Cup mascots|World Cup mascot]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/marketingtv/marketing/fifaassets/mascots.html |title=FIFA Assets – Mascots |work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |access-date=19 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104232128/http://fifa.com/aboutfifa/marketingtv/marketing/fifaassets/mascots.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=4 November 2007}}</ref> World Cups feature [[List of FIFA World Cup official match balls|official match balls]] specially designed for each tournament. After [[Slazenger]] produced the ball for the 1966 World Cup, Adidas became the official supplier to FIFA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://footballs.fifa.com/Football-Facts/FIFA-World-Cup-Footballs |title=The Footballs during the FIFA World Cup |work=Football Facts |publisher=[[FIFA]]|access-date=6 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128080230/http://footballs.fifa.com/Football-Facts/FIFA-World-Cup-Footballs|archive-date=28 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Each World Cup also has an [[List of FIFA World Cup anthems and songs|official song]], which have been performed by artists ranging from [[Shakira]] to [[Will Smith]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Sara D |last=Anderson |date=27 April 2010 |title=Shakira Records Official Song for 2010 FIFA World Cup |url=http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/04/27/shakira-records-offical-song-2010-fifa-world-cup/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100429210729/http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/04/27/shakira-records-offical-song-2010-fifa-world-cup/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=29 April 2010 |publisher=Aolradioblog |access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/2018-fifa-world-cup-russiatm-official-song-live-it-up-to-be-performed-by-all-sta |title=2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Official Song 'Live It Up' to be performed by all-star line-up |date=23 May 2018 |publisher=FIFA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529044910/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/2018-fifa-world-cup-russiatm-official-song-live-it-up-to-be-performed-by-all-sta |archive-date=29 May 2018}}</ref> Other songs, such as "[[Nessun dorma]]", performed by [[The Three Tenors]] at four World Cup concerts, have also become identified with the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |title=A riot of colour, emotion and memories: the World Cup stands alone in the field of sport |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/world-cup-russia-2018-preview-lionel-messi-ronaldo-italia-90-98-england-brazil-germany-france-a8392211.html |access-date=26 August 2018 |work=The Independent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820181206/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/world-cup-russia-2018-preview-lionel-messi-ronaldo-italia-90-98-england-brazil-germany-france-a8392211.html |archive-date=20 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Forming a partnership with FIFA in 1970, [[Panini Group|Panini]] published its first [[sticker album]] for the 1970 World Cup.<ref name="Brand" /> Since then, collecting and trading stickers and [[Association football trading card|cards]] has become part of the World Cup experience, especially for the younger generation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Panini World Cup sticker book |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/29/cost-to-fill-panini-world-cup-sticker-book-is-734-says-maths-prof |access-date=8 September 2018 |work=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330002756/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/29/cost-to-fill-panini-world-cup-sticker-book-is-734-says-maths-prof |archive-date=30 March 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> FIFA has licensed World Cup [[FIFA World Cup video games|video games]] since [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], sponsored by [[Electronic Arts]].<ref name="Brand">{{cite news |title=Brand collaborations |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/marketing/licensing/brand-collaborations.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508222147/http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/marketing/licensing/brand-collaborations.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 May 2015 |access-date=8 September 2018 |agency=FIFA.com}}</ref>{{clear}}

== Results ==
{{See also|List of FIFA World Cup finals}}
{{World Cup Champions}}
In all, 80 nations have [[National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup|played in at least one World Cup]].{{refn|name=successor|group=n|FIFA considers that the national team of [[Russia national football team|Russia]] succeeds the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]], the national team of [[Serbia national football team|Serbia]] succeeds the [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]]/[[Serbia and Montenegro national football team|Serbia and Montenegro]], and the national teams of the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia national football team|Slovakia]] succeed the [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russian Football Union |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations/origin1904-p.cxm.fifa.com/en/about-fifa/associations/RUS |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=www.fifa.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FIFA |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations/origin1904-p.cxm.fifa.com/en/about-fifa/associations/SRB |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=www.fifa.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FIFA |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations/origin1904-p.cxm.fifa.com/en/about-fifa/associations/CZE |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=www.fifa.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FIFA |url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/associations/origin1904-p.cxm.fifa.com/en/about-fifa/associations/SVK |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=www.fifa.com |language=en}}</ref>}} Of these, eight national teams have won the World Cup,<ref>{{cite web |last=Venkat |first=Rahul |title=FIFA World Cup winners: Why Brazilians are unique and Germany, Italy relentless – full roll of honour |publisher=Olympics.com |date=19 December 2022 |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-winners-list-champions-record|access-date=4 February 2024}}</ref> and they have added [[Star (football badge)|stars to their badges]], with each star representing a World Cup victory. Uruguay, however, chose to display [[Four stars above Uruguay's football crest|four stars on their badge]], representing their two gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics, which are recognized by FIFA as World Championships, and their two World Cup titles in 1930 and 1950.

With five titles, <!--For consistency, British English is used throughout the article, which treats teams as plural nouns, e.g., "Brazil are" instead of "Brazil is".-->Brazil are the most successful World Cup team and also the only nation to have [[National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup#Finals records by team|played in every World Cup]] (22) to date.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/associations/association=bra/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070603155214/http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=bra/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 June 2007 |title=Brazil |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |work=FIFA.com |access-date=12 May 2014}}</ref> Brazil were also the first team to win the World Cup for the third (1970), fourth (1994) and fifth (2002) time. Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) are the only nations to have won consecutive titles. West Germany (1982–1990) and Brazil (1994–2002) are the only nations to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals. Germany has made the most top-four finishes (13), medals (12), as well as the most finals (8).

[[File:World cup countries best results.png|thumb|upright=3|center|Map of countries' best results]]

=== Teams reaching the top four ===
{{See also|FIFA World Cup records and statistics|National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Teams reaching the top four
|-
! Team !! Titles !! Runners-up !! Third place !! Fourth place !! data-sort-type="number"|Top 4 <br />total
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|BRA}}
|style="background:gold"|'''5''' ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]], [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]], [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]])
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|2 ({{Nowrap|[[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]] [[#*|*]]}}, [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]])
|style="background:#cc9966"|2 ([[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|2 ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], {{Nowrap|[[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]] [[#*|*]]}})
|align=center| 11
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|GER}}<sup>[[#1|1]]</sup>
|style="background:gold"|4 ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], {{Nowrap|[[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]] [[#*|*]]}}, [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]])
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|'''4''' ([[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]])
|style="background:#cc9966"|'''4''' ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], {{Nowrap|[[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] [[#*|*]]}}, [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]])
|align=center| 13
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|ITA}}
|style="background:gold"|4 ({{Nowrap|[[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]] [[#*|*]]}}, [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]])
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|2 ([[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]])
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ({{Nowrap|[[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] [[#*|*]]}})
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]])
|align=center| 8
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|ARG}}
|style="background:gold"|3 ({{Nowrap|[[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]] [[#*|*]]}}, [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]])
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|3 ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]])
|
|
|align=center| 6
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|FRA}}
|style="background:gold"|2 ({{Nowrap|[[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]] [[#*|*]]}}, [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]])
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|2 ([[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]], [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]])
|style="background:#cc9966"|2 ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]])
|align=center| 7
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|URU}}
|style="background:gold"|2 ({{Nowrap|[[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] [[#*|*]]}}, [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]])
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|'''3''' ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]])
|align=center| 5
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|ENG}}
|style="background:gold"|1 ({{Nowrap|[[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]] [[#*|*]]}})
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|2 ([[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]])
|align=center| 3
|-
|style="background:gold"|{{fb|ESP}}
|style="background:gold"|1 ([[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]])
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]])
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|{{fb|NED}}
|
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|3 ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]])
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ([[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]])
|align=center| 5
|-
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|{{fb|HUN}}
|
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|2 ([[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]])
|
|
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|{{Flag icon|Czech Republic}} [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]]<sup>[[#2|2]]</sup>
|
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|2 ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]])
|
|
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|{{fb|SWE}}
|
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|1 ({{Nowrap|[[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]] [[#*|*]]}})
|style="background:#cc9966"|2 ([[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]])
|align=center| 4
|-
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|{{fb|CRO}}
|
|style="background:#C0C0C0"|1 ([[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]])
|style="background:#cc9966"|2 ([[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]], [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]])
|
|align=center| 3
|-
|style="background:#cc9966"|{{fb|POL}}
|
|
|style="background:#cc9966"|2 ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]])
|
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#cc9966"|{{fb|AUT}}
|
|
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]])
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#cc9966"|{{fb|POR}}
|
|
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ([[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]])
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#cc9966"|{{fb|BEL}}
|
|
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ([[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]])
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]])
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#cc9966"|{{fb|USA}}
|
|
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]])
|
|align=center| 1
|-
|style="background:#cc9966"|{{fb|CHI}}
|
|
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ({{Nowrap|[[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]] [[#*|*]]}})
|
|align=center| 1
|-
|style="background:#cc9966"|{{fb|TUR}}
|
|
|style="background:#cc9966"|1 ([[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]])
|
|align=center| 1
|-
|style="background:#9acdff"|{{fb|SRB}}<sup>[[#3|3]]</sup>
|
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|2 ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]])
|align=center| 2
|-
|style="background:#9acdff"|{{fb|RUS}}<sup>[[#4|4]]</sup>
|
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]])
|align=center| 1
|-
|style="background:#9acdff"|{{fb|BUL}}
|
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]])
|align=center| 1
|-
|style="background:#9acdff"|{{fb|KOR}}
|
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ({{Nowrap|[[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]] [[#*|*]]}})
|align=center| 1
|-
|style="background:#9acdff"|{{fb|MAR}}
|
|
|
|style="background:#9acdff"|1 ([[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]])
|align=center| 1
|}
:<div id="*"><nowiki>*</nowiki> ''hosts''</div>
:<div id="1"><sup>1</sup> ''includes results representing [[Germany national football team#Three German national teams (1945–1990)|West Germany]] (1954–1990)''</div>
: <div id="2"><sup>2</sup> ''includes results representing [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] (1934–1990)''</div>
: <div id="3"><sup>3</sup> ''includes results representing [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] (1930–1990) and [[Serbia and Montenegro national football team|FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro]] (1998–2006)''</div>
: <div id="4"><sup>4</sup> ''includes results representing the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]] (1958–1990)''</div>

=== Best performances by confederations ===
{{See also|National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup#Results by confederation|l1=FIFA World Cup results by confederation}}
[[File:Seoul Plaza 2002 FIFA World Cup.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.09|South Koreans watching their nation on the big screens in [[Seoul Plaza]] during the 2002 World Cup when they became the first Asian country to reach the semi-finals]]
To date, the final of the World Cup has only been contested by teams from the [[UEFA]] (Europe) and [[CONMEBOL]] (South America) confederations. European nations have won twelve titles, while South American nations have won ten. Only three teams from outside these two continents have ever reached the semi-finals of the competition: [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] ([[CONCACAF|North, Central America and Caribbean]]) in 1930; [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]] ([[Asian Football Confederation|Asia]]) in 2002; and [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]] ([[Confederation of African Football|Africa]]) in 2022. Only one [[Oceania Football Confederation|Oceanian]] qualifier, [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]] in 2006, has advanced to the second round, a feat they later reaccomplished in 2022.{{refn|group=n|Australia's qualification in 2006 was through the Oceanian zone as they were a member of the [[Oceania Football Confederation|OFC]] member during qualifying. However, on 1 January 2006, they left the Oceania Football Confederation and joined the [[Asian Football Confederation]]. In 2022, they again reached the second round, albeit representing Asia.}}

[[Brazil national football team|Brazil]], [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]] and [[Germany national football team|Germany]] are the only teams to win a World Cup hosted outside their continental confederation; Brazil came out victorious in [[UEFA|Europe]] ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]]), [[CONCACAF|North America]] ([[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]] and [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) and [[Asian Football Confederation|Asia]] ([[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]). Argentina won a World Cup in North America in [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]] and in Asia in [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022]]. Spain won in [[Confederation of African Football|Africa]] in [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]]. In [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]], Germany became the first and so far the only European team to win in the Americas. Only on five occasions have consecutive World Cups been won by teams from the same continent; the longest streak of tournaments won by a single confederation is four, with the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]], [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]], [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]], and [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018]] tournaments all won by UEFA teams (Italy, Spain, Germany, and France, respectively).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Total times teams qualified by confederation
|-
! scope="row" | Confederation
! scope="col" |[[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]]
! scope="col" |[[Confederation of African Football|CAF]]
! scope="col" |[[CONCACAF]]
! scope="col" |[[CONMEBOL]]
! scope="col" |[[Oceania Football Confederation|OFC]]
! scope="col" |[[UEFA]]
! scope="col" | Total
|-
| Teams  || 43 || 49 || 46 || 89 || 4 || 258 || 489
|-
| Top 16 || 9 || 11 || 15 || 37 || 1 || 99 || 172
|-
| Top 8  || 2 || 4 || 5 || 36 || 0 || 105 || 152
|-
| Top 4  || 1 || 1 || 1 || 23 || 0 || 62 || 88
|-
| Top 2  || 0 || 0 || 0 || 15 || 0 || 29 || 44
|-
| style="background: #9acdff" | 4th || 1 || 1 || 0 || 5 || 0 || 15 || 22
|-
| style="background: #cc9966" | 3rd || 0 || 0 || 1 || 3 || 0 || 18 || 22
|-
| style="background: #C0C0C0" | 2nd || 0 || 0 || 0 || 5 || 0 || 17 || 22
|- style="border-top:3px solid green"
| style="background: gold" | 1st || 0 || 0 || 0 || 10 || 0 || 12 || 22
|}

== Records and statistics ==
{{Main|FIFA World Cup records and statistics|National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup}}
{{See also|List of players who have appeared in the most FIFA World Cups|List of FIFA World Cup winning players|List of FIFA World Cup winning managers}}
[[File:Lionel-Messi-Argentina-2022-FIFA-World-Cup (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Argentina's [[Lionel Messi]] has played a record 26 World Cup matches across a joint-record five tournaments.]]
[[File:Cristiano Ronaldo 20120609.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cristiano Ronaldo]] is the first and only player to score in five tournaments.]]
Six players share the record for [[List of players who have appeared in multiple FIFA World Cups|playing in the most World Cups]]; [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]]'s [[Antonio Carbajal]] (1950–1966), [[Rafael Márquez]] (2002–2018), and [[Andrés Guardado]] (2006–2022); [[Germany national football team|Germany]]'s [[Lothar Matthäus]] (1982–1998); [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]]'s [[Lionel Messi]] (2006–2022); and [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]]'s [[Cristiano Ronaldo]] (2006–2022) all played in five tournaments, with Ronaldo also being the first and only player to score in five tournaments.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EFD8103AF933A25752C1A96F958260 |title=Matthaus Is the Latest MetroStars Savior |work=[[The New York Times]] |last=Yannis |first=Alex |date=10 November 1999 |access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217020729/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00EFD8103AF933A25752C1A96F958260 |archive-date=17 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Church |first1=Ben |title=Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to let light dim on his career as he makes history at Qatar 2022 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/24/football/portugal-ghana-cristiano-ronaldo-spt-intl/index.html |work=CNN |date=24 November 2022 |access-date=25 November 2022 |archive-date=25 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125202102/https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/24/football/portugal-ghana-cristiano-ronaldo-spt-intl/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Messi has played the most World Cup matches overall, with 26 appearances.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/lionel-messi-breaks-world-cup-185359648.html |title=Lionel Messi breaks World Cup appearances record en route to glory in Qatar |publisher=Yahoo |access-date=18 December 2022 |archive-date=18 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218202156/https://sports.yahoo.com/lionel-messi-breaks-world-cup-185359648.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]'s [[Djalma Santos]] (1954–1962), West Germany's [[Franz Beckenbauer]] (1966–1974), and Germany's [[Philipp Lahm]] (2006–2014) are the only players to be named to three World Cup [[FIFA World Cup awards#All-Star Team|All-Star Teams]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Downie |first1=Andrew |title=Brazil's twice World Cup winner Djalma Santos dies at 84 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-brazil-djalmasantos-idUSBRE96N0ZO20130724|access-date=12 July 2014 |work=Reuters |date=24 July 2013|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924183309/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/24/us-soccer-brazil-djalmasantos-idUSBRE96N0ZO20130724|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Miroslav Klose]] of Germany (2002–2014) is the all-time top scorer at the World Cup with 16 goals. He broke [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] of Brazil's record of 15 goals (1998–2006) during the [[Brazil v Germany (2014 FIFA World Cup)|2014 semi-final match against Brazil]]. West Germany's [[Gerd Müller]] (1970–1974) is third, with 14 goals.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/brazil/5112982.stm |title=Ronaldo's riposte |work=BBC Sport |date=27 June 2006 |last=Chowdhury |first=Saj |access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060706072508/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/brazil/5112982.stm |archive-date=6 July 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> The fourth-placed goalscorer, [[France national football team|France]]'s [[Just Fontaine]], holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup; all his 13 goals were scored in the 1958 tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/team_pages/france/newsid_1752000/1752740.stm |title=Goal machine was Just superb |work=BBC Sport |date=4 April 2002 |access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020804032601/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/team_pages/france/newsid_1752000/1752740.stm |archive-date=4 August 2002 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Pelé à la Coupe du monde de football 1970, 'Mexico 70 - World Cup Story', Panini figurina n°38.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pelé]] is the only person to win the World Cup three times as a player.]]
In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.<ref name="espnheroes" /> This made Brazil's [[Pelé]] the only player to have won three World Cup winners' medals (1958, 1962, and 1970, although he did not play in the 1962 final due to injury),<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Pele |title=Pele, King of Futbol |publisher=ESPN |last=Kirby |first=Gentry |date=5 July 2006 |access-date=23 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216151353/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Pele |archive-date=16 December 2008}}</ref> with [[List of players who have won multiple FIFA World Cups|20 other players who have won two winners' medals]]. Seven players have collected all three types of World Cup medals (winners', runners-up, and third-place); five players were from West Germany's squad of 1966–1974: Franz Beckenbauer, [[Jürgen Grabowski]], [[Horst-Dieter Höttges]], [[Sepp Maier]], and [[Wolfgang Overath]] (1966–1974), Italy's [[Franco Baresi]] (1982, 1990, 1994) and the most recent has been [[Miroslav Klose]] of Germany (2002–2014) with four consecutive medals.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brazil, Germany & Every World Cup Winner from 1930 to 2014 |url=http://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/brazil-germany-every-world-cup-winner-from-1930-to-2014/1elichzqoj1py1xvzpnd3ykw7m |work=Goal |date=13 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319121604/http://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/brazil-germany-every-world-cup-winner-from-1930-to-2014/1elichzqoj1py1xvzpnd3ykw7m|archive-date=19 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Brazil's [[Mário Zagallo]], West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer and France's [[Didier Deschamps]] are the only people to date to win the World Cup as both player and head coach. Zagallo won in 1958 and 1962 as a player and in 1970 as head coach.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Rob |date=11 March 1998 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1998/03/11/soccer.t_7.php |title=No Alternative to Victory for National Coach : 150 Million Brazilians Keep Heat on Zagalo |work=International Herald Tribune |access-date=31 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226063509/http://www.iht.com/articles/1998/03/11/soccer.t_7.php <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 26 February 2008}}</ref> Beckenbauer won in 1974 as captain and in 1990 as head coach,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/archive/worldcup/editorial/legends_beckenbauer.html |title=World Cup Legends – Franz Beckenbauer |website=ESPNSoccernet.com |publisher=ESPN |last=Brewin |first=John |date=21 December 2001 |access-date=31 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119134454/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/archive/worldcup/editorial/legends_beckenbauer.html |archive-date=19 November 2009}}</ref> and Deschamps repeated the feat in 2018, after having won in 1998 as captain.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/world-cup-final-2018-france-croatia-didier-deschamps-redeemed-victory-results/rvpat6ngduek1pt9nmat3cspn |title=World Cup 2018: Didier Deschamps redeemed as France win final for the ages |author=Wright, Joe |newspaper=[[Sporting News]] |date=15 July 2018|access-date=15 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722022543/https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/world-cup-final-2018-france-croatia-didier-deschamps-redeemed-victory-results/rvpat6ngduek1pt9nmat3cspn|archive-date=22 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Italy national football team|Italy]]'s [[Vittorio Pozzo]] is the only head coach to ever win two World Cups (1934 and 1938).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/1938-world-cup-italy-repeats-as-champions-1.853724 |title=1938 World Cup: Italy repeats as champions |publisher=CBC |date=21 November 2009|access-date=12 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519223256/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/1938-world-cup-italy-repeats-as-champions-1.853724 |archive-date=19 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> All World Cup-winning head coaches were natives of the country they coached to victory.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Curse of the Foreign-Born Coach |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704366504575278893868082062 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=13 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725200956/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704366504575278893868082062|archive-date=25 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Among the national teams, Brazil has played the most World Cup matches (114), Germany appeared in the most finals (8), semi-finals (13), and quarter-finals (16), while Brazil has appeared in the most World Cups (22), has the most wins (76) and has scored the most goals (237).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co139/records-all-time-table/ |title=World Football – All time table |publisher=World Football |access-date=13 July 2014 |archive-date=9 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609165606/https://www.worldfootball.net/alltime_table/wm/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Brazil pass Germany as all-time top scorers at the World Cup |url=http://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-world-cup/story/3554257/brazil-pass-germany-as-all-time-top-scorers-at-the-world-cup |access-date=10 July 2018 |agency=ESPN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702192255/http://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-world-cup/story/3554257/brazil-pass-germany-as-all-time-top-scorers-at-the-world-cup |archive-date=2 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The two teams have played each other twice in the World Cup, in the [[2002 FIFA World Cup Final|2002 final]] and in the [[Brazil v Germany (2014 FIFA World Cup)|2014 semi-final]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Five Aside: Germany – Brazil preview |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37398297/brazil-neymar-play-world-cup-semifinal-match-vs-germany |publisher=ESPN|access-date=13 May 2018 |date=7 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514141642/http://www.espn.com/soccer/blog/name/77/post/1936258/headline|archive-date=14 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Top goalscorers ===
{{Main|List of FIFA World Cup top goalscorers}}

;Individual
{{small|Players in '''bold''' are still active.}}
[[File:Miroslav Klose Portrait.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Miroslav Klose]] scored a record 16 goals across four World Cups.]]
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Rank
!Player
!Goals
!Matches
!Goals per game
|-
|1
|align=left|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Miroslav Klose]]
|16
|24
|{{Decimals|16/24|2}}
|-
|2
|align=left|{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]
|15
|19
|{{Decimals|16/19|2}}
|-
|3
|align=left|{{fbicon|FRG}} [[Gerd Müller]]
|14
|13
|{{Decimals|14/13|2}}
|-
|rowspan=2|4
|align=left|{{fbicon|FRA}} [[Just Fontaine]]
|13
|6
|{{Decimals|13/6|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|ARG}} '''[[Lionel Messi]]'''
|13
|26
|{{Decimals|13/26|2}}
|-
|rowspan=2|6
|align=left|{{fbicon|FRA}} '''[[Kylian Mbappé]]'''
|12
|14
|{{Decimals|12/14|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Pelé]]
|12
|14
|{{Decimals|12/14|2}}
|-
|rowspan=2|8
|align=left|{{fbicon|HUN|1949}} [[Sándor Kocsis]]
|11
|5
|{{Decimals|11/5|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Jürgen Klinsmann]]
|11
|17
|{{Decimals|11/17|2}}
|-
|rowspan=6|10
|align=left|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Helmut Rahn]]
|10
|10
|{{Decimals|10/10|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Gabriel Batistuta]]
|10
|12
|{{Decimals|10/12|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Gary Lineker]]
|10
|12
|{{Decimals|10/12|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|PER}} [[Teófilo Cubillas]]
|10
|13
|{{Decimals|10/13|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Thomas Müller]]
|10
|19
|{{Decimals|10/19|2}}
|-
|align=left|{{fbicon|POL}} [[Grzegorz Lato]]
|10
|20
|{{Decimals|10/20|2}}
|-
|}
;Country
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Rank
!National team
!Goals scored
|-
| 1 || align="left"|{{fb|Brazil}} || 237
|-
| 2 || align="left"|{{fb|Germany}} || 232
|-
| 3 || align="left"|{{fb|Argentina}} || 152
|-
| 4 || align="left"|{{fb|France}} || 136
|-
| 5 || align="left"|{{fb|Italy}} || 128
|-
| 6 || align="left"|{{fb|Spain}} || 108
|-
| 7 || align="left"|{{fb|England}} || 104
|-
| 8 || align="left"|{{fb|Netherlands}} || 96
|-
| 9 || align="left"|{{fb|Uruguay}} || 89
|-
| 10 || align="left"|{{fb|Hungary}} || 87
|}

== Awards ==
{{Main|FIFA World Cup awards}}

At the end of each World Cup, awards are presented to the players and teams for accomplishments other than their final team positions in the tournament.
*There are five post-tournament awards from the FIFA Technical Study Group:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/awards/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628013902/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/awards/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 June 2010 |title=2010 FIFA World Cup: Awards |publisher=FIFA.com|access-date=20 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=2018 FIFA World Cup Technical Report |url=https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/649e84967b086928/original/evdvpfdkueqrdlbbrrus-pdf.pdf |access-date=13 November 2022 |publisher=FIFA.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808062317/https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/649e84967b086928/original/evdvpfdkueqrdlbbrrus-pdf.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Argentina celebrando copa (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Diego Maradona]] (holding the World Cup) received the Golden Ball for best player at the 1986 World Cup.]]
**the '''Golden Ball''' (named for its sponsor "[[Adidas]] Golden Ball") for best player, first awarded in [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]];
**the '''Golden Boot''' (named for its sponsor "Adidas Golden Boot", formerly known as the "adidas Golden Shoe" from 1982 to 2006) for top goalscorer, first awarded in 1982;
**the '''Golden Glove''' (named for its sponsor "Adidas Golden Glove", formerly known as the "[[Lev Yashin]] Award" from 1994 to 2006) for best goalkeeper, first awarded in [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]];
**the '''FIFA Young Player Award''' (formerly known as the "Best Young Player Award" from 2006 to 2010) for best player under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year, first awarded in [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]];
**the '''FIFA Fair Play Trophy''' for the team that advanced to the second round with the best record of fair play, first awarded in [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]].
*There is currently one award voted on by fans during the tournament:
**the '''Player of the Match''' (currently commercially termed "[[Budweiser]] Player of the Match", formerly known as the "Man of the Match" from 2002 to 2018) for outstanding performance during each match of the tournament, first awarded in [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]].
*There are two awards voted on by fans after the conclusion of the tournament:
**the '''Goal of the Tournament''' (currently commercially termed "[[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]] Goal of the Tournament") for the fans' best goal scored during the tournament, first awarded in [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]];
**the '''Most Entertaining Team''' during the World Cup final tournament, as determined by a poll of the general public.
*One other award was given between 1994 and 2006:<ref>{{cite web |work=USA Today |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2010-07-21-3892418419_x.htm |title=FIFA eliminates official World Cup All-Star team |date=21 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721001113/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2010-07-21-3892418419_x.htm|archive-date=21 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
**an '''All-Star Team''' comprising the best players of the tournament chosen by the FIFA Technical Study Group. From 2010 onwards, all Dream Teams or Statistical Teams are unofficial, as reported by FIFA itself.

{| class="wikitable"
!World Cup
!Golden Ball
!Golden Boot
!Goals
!Golden Glove
!Clean sheets
!FIFA Young Player Award
!FIFA Fair Play Trophy
|-
|{{flagicon|Uruguay}} [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930 Uruguay]]
|rowspan="11" align=center|''Not Awarded''
|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Guillermo Stábile]]
|align=center|8
|rowspan="14" align=center|''Not Awarded''
|rowspan="14" align=center|''N/A''
|rowspan="5" align=center|''Not Awarded''
|rowspan="8" align=center|''Not Awarded''
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy|1861}} [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 Italy]]
|{{fbicon|TCH}} [[Oldřich Nejedlý]]
|align=center| 5
|-
|{{flagicon|France|1794}} [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938 France]]
|{{fbicon|BRA|1889}} [[Leônidas (footballer, born 1913)|Leônidas]]
|align=center|7
|-
|{{flagicon|Brazil|1889}} [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950 Brazil]]
|{{fbicon|BRA|1889}} [[Ademir Marques de Menezes|Ademir]]
|align=center|9
|-
|{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954 Switzerland]]
|{{fbicon|HUN|1949}} [[Sándor Kocsis]]
|align=center|11
|-
|{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 Sweden]]
|{{fbicon|FRA}} [[Just Fontaine]]
|align=center|13
|{{fbicon|BRA|1889}} [[Pelé]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Chile}} [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962 Chile]]
|{{fbicon|HUN}} [[Flórián Albert]]<br />{{fbicon|BRA|1960}} [[Garrincha]]<br />{{fbicon|BRA|1960}} [[Vavá]]<br />{{fbicon|URS|1955}} [[Valentin Kozmich Ivanov|Valentin Ivanov]]<br />{{fbicon|YUG}} [[Dražan Jerković]]<br />{{fbicon|CHI}} [[Leonel Sánchez]]
|align=center|4
|{{fbicon|HUN}} [[Flórián Albert]]
|-
|{{flagicon|England}} [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966 England]]
|{{fbicon|POR}} [[Eusébio]]
|align=center|9
|{{fbicon|FRG}} [[Franz Beckenbauer]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970 Mexico]]
|{{fbicon|FRG}} [[Gerd Müller]]
|align=center|10
|{{fbicon|PER|state}} [[Teófilo Cubillas]]
|{{fb|PER|state}}
|-
|{{Nowrap|{{flagicon|West Germany}}}} [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974 West Germany]]
|{{fbicon|POL|1928}} [[Grzegorz Lato]]
|align=center|7
|{{fbicon|POL|1928}} [[Władysław Żmuda (born 1954)|Władysław Żmuda]]
|{{fb|FRG}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978 Argentina]]
|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Mario Kempes]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|ITA|1946}} [[Antonio Cabrini]]
|{{fb|ARG}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Spain}} [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982 Spain]]
|{{fbicon|ITA|1946}} [[Paolo Rossi]]
|{{fbicon|ITA}} [[Paolo Rossi]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Manuel Amoros]]
|{{fb|BRA|1968}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986 Mexico]]
|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Diego Maradona]]
|{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Gary Lineker]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Enzo Scifo]]
|{{fb|BRA|1968}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Italy|1946}} [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990 Italy]]
|{{fbicon|ITA|1946}} [[Salvatore Schillaci]]
|{{fbicon|ITA}} [[Salvatore Schillaci]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|YUG}} [[Robert Prosinečki]]
|{{fb|ENG}}
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994 United States]]
|{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Romário]]
|{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Oleg Salenko]]<br />{{fbicon|BUL}} [[Hristo Stoichkov]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Michel Preud'homme]]
|align=center|2
|{{fbicon|NED}} [[Marc Overmars]]
|{{fb|BRA}}
|-
|{{flagicon|France|1974}} [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 France]]
|{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]
|{{flagicon|CRO}} [[Davor Šuker]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Fabien Barthez]]
|align=center|5
|{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Michael Owen]]
|{{fb|ENG}}<br />{{fb|FRA}}
|-
|{{flagicon|South Korea|1997}}{{flagicon|Japan}} [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 South Korea/Japan]]
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Oliver Kahn]]
|{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]
|align=center|8
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Oliver Kahn]]
|align=center|5
|{{fbicon|USA}} [[Landon Donovan]]
|{{fb|BEL}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Germany}} [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 Germany]]
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Zinedine Zidane]]
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Miroslav Klose]]
|align=center|5
|{{fbicon|ITA|2003}} [[Gianluigi Buffon]]
|align=center|5
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Lukas Podolski]]
|{{fb|BRA}}<br />{{fb|ESP}}
|-
|{{flagicon|South Africa}} [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010 South Africa]]
|{{fbicon|URU}} [[Diego Forlán]]
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Thomas Müller]]
|align=center|5
|{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Iker Casillas]]
|align=center|5
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Thomas Müller]]
|{{fb|ESP}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014 Brazil]]
|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Lionel Messi]]
|{{fbicon|COL}} [[James Rodríguez]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Manuel Neuer]]
|align=center|4
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Paul Pogba]]
|{{fb|COL}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Russia}} [[2018 FIFA World Cup|2018 Russia]]
|{{fbicon|CRO}} [[Luka Modrić]]
|{{fbicon|ENG}} [[Harry Kane]]
|align=center|6
|{{fbicon|BEL}} [[Thibaut Courtois]]
|align=center|3
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Kylian Mbappé]]
|{{fb|ESP}}
|-
|{{flagicon|Qatar}} [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 Qatar]]
|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Lionel Messi]]
|{{fbicon|FRA}} [[Kylian Mbappé]]
|align=center|8
|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Emiliano Martínez]]
|align=center|3
|{{fbicon|ARG}} [[Enzo Fernández]]
|{{fb|ENG}}
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of FIFA World Cup finals]]
* [[FIFA World Cup records and statistics]]
* [[FIFA World Cup awards]]
* [[FIFA U-20 World Cup]]
* [[FIFA U-17 World Cup]]
* [[FIFA Club World Cup]]
* [[FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup]]
* [[FIFA Futsal World Cup]]
* [[FIFA Confederations Cup]]
* [[List of association football competitions]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=n}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Glanville |first=Brian |year=2005 |title=The Story of the World Cup |publisher=Faber |isbn=0-571-22944-1}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/worldcup.html World Cup overview] at the [[RSSSF]]

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{{FIFA World Cup}}
{{Navboxes
|titlestyle = background:#ccccff
|list = 
{{FIFA World Cup winners}}
{{FIFA World Cup winning managers}}
{{FIFA World Cup top scorers}}
{{FIFA World Cup Golden Ball}}
{{FIFA World Cup Golden Glove}}
{{FIFA World Cup official match balls}}
{{FIFA World Cup video games}}
{{FIFA World Cup Best Young Player}}
{{Countries at the FIFA World Cup}}
{{FIFA World Cup music}}
{{FIFA World Cup bids}}
}}
{{FIFA navbox}}
{{World football championships}}
{{International football}}
{{National football teams}}
{{Main world cups}}
{{Main world championships}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:FIFA World Cup| ]]
[[Category:World championships in association football| ]]
[[Category:FIFA competitions for men's national teams|World Cup]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1930]]
[[Category:Quadrennial sporting events]]
[[Category:June in sports]]
[[Category:July in sports]]