Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. This article was most recently revised and updated by, World Cup - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), World Cup - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The Lipton tournament was a championship between individual clubs (not national teams) from different nations, each one of which represented an entire nation. Since 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.[58].

[48], Currently, 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). The first international tournament, the inaugural British Home Championship, took place in 1884.

They are awarded a gold-plated replica rather than the solid gold original immediately afterwards. Usually, one or two places are awarded to winners of intercontinental play-offs. 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. Until 1982, the only teams from outside Europe and South America to advance out of the first round were: USA, semi-finalists in 1930; Cuba, quarter-finalists in 1938; North Korea, quarter-finalists in 1966; and Mexico, quarter-finalists in 1970. It determines the sport’s men’s world champion. [12] With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions and to celebrate their centenary of independence in 1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country of the inaugural World Cup tournament. The cumulative viewership of all matches of the 2006 World Cup was estimated to be 26.29 billion with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the final match, a ninth of the entire population of the planet.[1][2][3][4]. All rights reserved. Go to World Cup 2018. Unlike Olympic football, World Cup teams are not limited to players of a certain age or amateur status, so the competition serves more nearly as a contest between the world’s best players. So far, South Africa (2010) has been the only host nation to fail to advance beyond the first round.[72]. [31], 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. FIFA’s revenue is generated by high bids for television, marketing, and licensing rights for major football events that FIFA organizes.