History of the World Cup
Jules Rimet was the third president of the international soccer governing body FIFA in the ’20s. He wanted his sport to have a global competition like the Olympics.
FIFA chose Uruguay as the host of the first World Cup in 1930, because the country was celebrating its 100th year of independence and had won gold in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. Uruguay cashed in on this momentum by beating neighboring Argentina in the finals.
Italy won the next two World Cups, at home in 1934 and in France in 1938. World War II put the competition on hold for the next 12 years.
Uruguay returned to the top of the soccer world by winning the World Cup in 1950, and West Germany captured its first title in 1954.
Brazil won back-to-back World Cup titles, beating Sweden in 1958 and Czechoslovakia in 1962. Pele scored five goals in the final two games of the 1958 Cup. He was injured in the first game in 1962, but his teammates still rallied to victory.
England hosted the Cup in 1966 and won it with a 4-2 victory over West Germany. Brazil became the first three-time champion with a 4-1 win over Italy in 1970.
West Germany appeared in the finals of four of the next five World Cups. The Germans won in 1974 and 1990. They lost to Italy in 1982 and Argentina in 1986. Argentina hosted and won the 1978 competition with a 3-1 victory over The Netherlands.
The United States hosted the Cup for the first time in 1994. The Americans advanced to the round of 16, where they lost 1-0 to Brazil. The final match took place at the Rose Bowl between Brazil and Italy. After battling to a scoreless draw, the Brazilians won a penalty shootout 3-2 to claim their fourth World Cup.
France hosted the Cup in 1998. It was a magical time as 2.7 million fans watched the largest Cup tournament ever, with 32 teams competing. The French won all of their matches, including a 3-0 win in the finals over Brazil.
Every World Cup had taken place in Europe or the Americas until 2002, when Korea and Japan co-hosted the event. Brazil captured the title with a 2-0 win over Germany, the host of the 2006 World Cup.
