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General knowledge · Sport

The FIFA World Cup

First held 1930

Sport — football

International football's quadrennial championship, first staged in Uruguay in 1930 at the instigation of FIFA's French president Jules Rimet, after whom the original trophy was named. It has been held every four years since, except in 1942 and 1946, and is the most watched sporting event on earth. The 2026 edition, shared by the United States, Canada and Mexico, was the first with 48 teams.

How to spot them

  • ▸Held every four years; first staged in Uruguay, 1930
  • ▸The Jules Rimet trophy, won outright by Brazil in 1970 and stolen in 1983
  • ▸Golden Boot, Golden Ball, the Adidas match ball with a name
  • ▸Brazil's five titles; the 48-team expansion and three host nations in 2026

Key facts

The original trophy was named after the French FIFA president who launched the tournament (1930)

The Jules Rimet trophy, a Nike (Victory) figure by Abel Lafleur, won outright by Brazil in 1970 and stolen from Rio in 1983, never recovered

First staged in Uruguay in 1930, and won by the hosts (1930)

Thirteen teams, all invited; Uruguay beat Argentina 4–2 in Montevideo

A trophy stolen in London in 1966 was found under a hedge by a dog called Pickles (1966)

Taken from a Westminster exhibition and recovered a week later in Beulah Hill, south London

Expanded to 48 teams in 2026 and shared between three host countries (2026)

The United States, Canada and Mexico; twelve groups of four

Miroslav Klose is its all-time leading scorer, with sixteen goals

Across four tournaments, 2002–2014; he passed Ronaldo's fifteen in the 7–1 semi-final of 2014

Just Fontaine scored thirteen goals in a single edition in 1958 (1958)

For France in Sweden, a record that still stands

Spain beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the 2026 final at the New York New Jersey Stadium (2026)

Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute for Spain's second title, after 2010

Quick-fire facts

  • •The tournament has been held every four years since 1930, apart from 1942 and 1946, cancelled by the Second World War
  • •Brazil have won it a record five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) and are the only country to have played in every finals tournament
  • •The current trophy, designed by Silvio Gazzaniga, has been used since 1974; winners now keep a gold-plated replica
  • •Uruguay's 1930 win came in the Estadio Centenario, built for the tournament and for the country's independence centenary
  • •Geoff Hurst is the only man to score a hat-trick in a men's World Cup final, for England in 1966
  • •The 1950 tournament had no final: Uruguay won the deciding group match against Brazil in the Maracanã, the 'Maracanazo'
  • •Hakan Şükür scored after 10.8 seconds for Turkey against South Korea in 2002, the fastest goal in the tournament's history
  • •The 2022 final between Argentina and France finished 3–3 and was decided on penalties, with Kylian Mbappé scoring a hat-trick in defeat
  • •The Golden Boot goes to the top scorer and the Golden Ball to the best player; the Women's World Cup, a separate competition, began in 1991

Drill it — 10 cards

1 / 10new card

Sources