Basics: How the FIFA Works
This section is for people unfamiliar with the World Cup. (Hello, Americans!) This is basically the championship held every four years by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Football Associations). 32 teams compete in it after three years of practice and qualifying competitions. The roster of teams is not always the same. Since 1930, there have been some teams that have, in former years, not even qualified, but have gone on to do rather well later on. The competing bodies are national teams, at present.
In the Beginning
Where exactly to start the history of this competition is a matter of debate. One might start with the football competitions managed by FIFA for the Olympics. The first, in 1920, saw Belgium take the top position, succeeded in the next two Summer Olympics by Uruguay.
FIFA held a World Cup of its very own (not a part of the Olympics) in 1930. This was won by Uruguay. Meanwhile, football still featured in the Olympics, but was briefly dropped in the 1932 games. Football was back on the Olympic Games roster in 1936, but at this time, they had been eclipsed by their FIFA counterpart.
The Boys are Back
The 1950 FIFA World Cup saw the return of several critical teams. For one, the British teams had not been part of FIFA since 1920, since they did not want to give former combatant nations that it had formerly battled in the Great War the “honor” of competing with British footballers. Uruguay, the very first FIFA World Cup champion, had also been absent for a while (due to deliberate boycott, not disqualification). This country was to have a triumphant return, winning its second victory in that year.
The More the Merrier
The first major expansion can be said to have taken place in 1982, when room was made for 24 qualified teams to the official tournament. The roster was expanded again in 1998, allowing the present number of 32 teams to compete. As a result, the teams in the World Cup are geographically more diverse, with teams from Asia and Africa doing increasingly well, even though teams from South America and Europe continue to have a monopoly on the top spot. Over 200 teams are now vying for spots in the official competition.
As for the ladies, the very first FIFA Women’s World Cup took place in 1991 in China. At the moment, it does not have as many teams attempting to qualify for a spot as the men’s tournament does, but its profile is becoming higher.
We Are the Champions
It appears that the championship is concentrated among only a few nations. Brazil, not surprisingly has the most victories. Italy and Germany each have three victories, followed by Uruguay and Argentina, each with a pair of wins. Last but not least, the French and the English (not British) teams have each won once. Note that the English and Scottish teams are often rivals, so one cannot say that there is one British team for FIFA.
Having a Ball?
The type of ball used for this World Cup is called the Jabulani (IsiZulu for “bringing joy to all”) and was designed by Adidas. However, far from being excited about the ball, various players have said that the new design makes them nervous, because this ball does not behave like the usual soccer ball, and therefore might cause havoc with strategies and even split-second planning.