The twenty second version of football’s biggest tournament will happen within the winter of 2022 as Qatar prepares to be a part of an extended checklist of host nations in staging the World Cup.
Excitement is starting to unfold throughout the globe as 32 finalists put together to open campaigns that may see them endeavour to write collective names into the historical past books.
With the groups now known and the tournament itself simply seven months away, GOAL takes a have a look at the historical past of the World Cup in addition to a few of the file holders.
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What is the World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup is a global soccer tournament that includes senior nationwide groups from across the globe. It was first launched in 1930 and takes place each 4 years.
Teams beneath FIFA’s umbrella are eligible to compete they usually should qualify for the ultimate stage of the tournament, with qualification rounds divided in accordance to confederational affiliation.
Aside from 1942 and 1946, when it was disrupted by the Second World War, the World Cup has run repeatedly since its inception.
You can try our guide to the upcoming 2022 tournament here.
How many groups compete within the World Cup?
The present format of the World Cup sees 32 finalists participate within the competitors however that was not at all times the case and, certainly, won’t at all times be.
Just 13 groups competed within the first World Cup and that quantity was raised to 16 from 1934 to 1978 (with some exceptions).
In 1982, the World Cup expanded to embody eight extra groups, bringing the full variety of individuals to 24.
The format we’re aware of at present – 32 groups – was first launched within the 1998 World Cup in France.
That is about to change, nevertheless, with FIFA confirming that the 2026 World Cup will characteristic 48 finalists – a outstanding enhance of 16 groups.
Who gained the primary World Cup?
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The first World Cup in 1930 was hosted and gained by Uruguay.
It was markedly completely different to the tournament that we all know at present in that it was an invitational and featured simply 13 groups, seven of which got here from South America.
Four groups from Europe participated, with Mexico and the United States finishing the line-up.
The last, which was held at Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario, was an all-South American affair as hosts Uruguay took on Argentina.
Uruguay gained the inaugural World Cup thanks to a 4-2 victory in entrance of over 68,000 followers.
Who has gained essentially the most World Cups?
Only eight nations have gained the World Cup since its basis in 1930 and Brazil are essentially the most profitable, having been topped champions on 5 events.
The nation that spawned skills resembling Pele, Ronaldo and Romario gained the World Cup for the primary time in 1958 earlier than additionally popping out on top in 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
Italy and Germany have every gained the World Cup 4 instances (although Germany gained it thrice as West Germany), whereas Argentina, Uruguay and present holders France have all gained it twice.
England and Spain have gained the World Cup on one event.
The tournament has been held 21 instances since 1930 and the complete breakdown of winners may be discovered under.
Note: There have been no World Cups in 1942 or 1946 due to the outbreak of World War II.
World Cup winners breakdown:
* Three of Germany’s World Cup triumphs got here as West Germany (1954, 1974 and 1990)
Who is the World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer?
The all-time top scorer within the historical past of the World Cup is Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 objectives for Germany over the course of 4 tournaments.
Former Brazil star Ronaldo follows with 15 objectives in three tournaments, whereas Gerd Muller scored 14 in simply two tournaments.
Comparatively, Germany and Bayern Munich ahead Thomas Muller has featured at three World Cups, scoring at solely two of these, however has registered 10 objectives, making him the one lively participant with such a tally.
An inventory of each participant with 10 or extra World Cup objectives may be seen under.
Note: Players in daring are nonetheless lively worldwide gamers.
Who has essentially the most World Cup appearances?
Germany midfielder Lothar Matthaus holds the file for many World Cup appearances having performed in 25 video games over a outstanding 5 tournaments (spanning 20 years).
Matthaus is intently adopted by his compatriot Miroslav Klose, with Italy legend Paolo Maldini rounding out the top three.
Diego Maradona performed in 4 World Cups and made 21 appearances, whereas Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning captain Cafu and Germany’s 2014 chief Philipp Lahm every performed 20 instances.
A full checklist of each participant who performed 20 or extra World Cup video games may be seen under.
World Cup trophy
The winners of the World Cup are awarded the unmistakable gold FIFA World Cup trophy. Introduced on the 1974 World Cup, it was designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga and is manufactured from 18-karat gold with a malachite base.
Describing his creation, Gazzaniga stated: “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.”
The trophy is 36.8 centimetres tall (14.5 inches) and weighs 6.175 kilograms (13.61 kilos).
What is the Jules Rimet trophy?
As talked about, the present World Cup trophy was first launched in 1974 and a special prize was awarded to the tournament victors prior to that.
From 1930 to 1970, the trophy given to the World Cup winners was the Jules Rimet Cup and it was fairly completely different to Gazzaniga’s subsequent design.
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French sculptor Abel Lafleur was commissioned by FIFA to design the trophy and he produced a well-known product that turned the symbol of the early World Cups.
The trophy, which was named ‘Victory’, featured the Greek goddess for victory, Nike, holding an octagonal cup above her head.
It was made out of gold-plated sterling silver and featured a marble base (which was changed by lapis lazuli in 1954).
‘Victory’ was renamed the Jules Rimet Cup in 1946 in honour of former FIFA president Jules Rimet, who performed a key function within the institution of the tournament.
In preserving with unique World Cup guidelines, Brazil have been allowed to maintain the trophy once they gained the tournament for the third time in 1970. However, it was stolen in 1983 and has by no means been discovered since.
