Some of these goals have changed football history as we know it. The FIFA World Cup is considered as an elite tournament in the footballing world. The biggest football event in the world, all the teams perform here to their fullest to bring honours to their respective countries. World Cup all time top scorers – FIFA World Cup is an international football competition contested by national team of the member of the FIFA. World Cup is the biggest and most pretigious football tournament or event sporting event. Brazil is the country with the most World Cup titles (5 trophies), while Germany is the current champions holder, having won 2014 World Cup.
There is nothing in football that can compare with the World Cup. Even though the UEFA Champions League may produce games of the same quality, it can't overreach the status earned from the long tradition and the fact that one team represent a whole country. No other sport event can compete in significance: the latest FIFA World Cup reached over three billion television viewers worldwide and one billion watched the final.
Contents
Background
Before the World Cup was inaugurated, the football tournament arranged as part of the Summer Olympics was given the most prestige. But in the 1920s, the game was facing a transition to professionalism that wasn't consistent with the Olympic spirit. Therefore, the government body, FIFA, made plans to organize a World Cup. The decision of arranging the first edition was officially declared on May 26, 1928.
All World Cup tournaments
The first official World Cup was played in Uruguay 1930, and since when the tournament has been held every fourth year (with exceptions for interruption due to the Second World War). There were, however, unofficial pre-FIFA World Cups already in the late 1800s, in a time when only few national teams existed. Another unofficial 'world cup' arranged before 1930 was Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy held in 1909 and 1911. Besides that, the Summer Olympic football competitions would be a mark of which the best national teams were before 1930. The Olympic tournaments consisted, however, only of amateur teams – the World Cup became the 'real deal'.
1930: Urugay
The FIFA World Cup 1930 was played in Uruguay 3 July-30 July, with 13 nations.
1934: Italy
The FIFA World Cup 1934 was played in Italy 27 May-10 June, with 16 nations.
1938: France
The FIFA World Cup 1938 was played in France 4-19 June, with 16 nations.
1950: Brazil
The FIFA World Cup 1950 was played in Brazil 24 June-16 July, with 15 nations.
1954: Switzerland
The FIFA World Cup 1954 was played in Switzerland 16 June-4 July, with 16 nations.
1958: Sweden
The FIFA World Cup 1958 was played in Sweden 8-29 June, with 16 nations.
1962: Chile
The FIFA World Cup 1962 was played in Chile 30 May-17 June, with 16 nations.
1966: England
The FIFA World Cup 1966 was played in England 11-30 July, with 16 nations.
1970: Mexico
The FIFA World Cup 1970 was played in Mexico 31 May-21 June, with 16 nations.
1974: West Germany
The FIFA World Cup 1974 was played in West Germany 13 June-7 July, with 16 nations.
1978: Argentina
The FIFA World Cup 1978 was played in Argentina 1-25 June, with 16 nations.
1982: Spain
The FIFA World Cup 1982 was played in Spain 13 June-11 July, with 24 nations.
1986: Mexico
The FIFA World Cup 1986 was played in Mexico 31 May-29 June, with 24 nations.
1990: Italy
The FIFA World Cup 1990 was played in Italy 8 June-8 July, with 24 nations.
1994: United States
The FIFA World Cup 1994 was played in United States 17 June-17 July, with 24 nations.
1998: France
The FIFA World Cup 1998 was played in France 10 June-12 July, with 32 nations.
2002: Korea/Japan
The FIFA World Cup 2002 was played in Korea/Japan 31 May-30 June, with 32 nations.
2006: Germany
The FIFA World Cup 2006 was played in Germany 9 June-9 July, with 32 nations.
2010: South Africa
The FIFA World Cup 2010 was played in South Africa 11 June-11 July, with 32 nations.
2014: Brazil
The FIFA World Cup 2014 was played in Brazil 12 June-13 July, with 32 nations.
2018: Russia
The FIFA World Cup 2018 was played in Russia 14 June-15 July, with 32 nations.
Teams with most titles and finals
Statistics of all national teams that have won or played a final together with numbers of participation in World Cup, concerning the period 1930-2018.
| Team | Titles | Finals | Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 5 | 7 | 21 |
| Germany | 4 | 8 | 19 |
| Italy | 4 | 6 | 18 |
| Argentina | 2 | 5 | 17 |
| France | 2 | 3 | 15 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| England | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Spain | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Hungary | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Czechoslovakia | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Croatia | 0 | 1 | 5 |
World Cup finals
All finals including winners of World Cup tournaments 1930-2018.
| Year | Home team* | Away team* | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | Argentina | 4-2 |
| 1934 | Italy | Czechoslovakia | 2-1 (a.e.t) |
| 1938 | Hungary | Italy | 2-4 |
| 1950† | Uruguay | Brazil | 2-1 |
| 1954 | West Germany | Hungary | 3-2 |
| 1958 | Brazil | Sweden | 5-2 |
| 1962 | Brazil | Czechoslovakia | 3-1 |
| 1966 | England | West Germany | 4-2 (a.e.t.) |
| 1970 | Brazil | Italy | 4-1 |
| 1974 | Netherlands | West Germany | 1-2 |
| 1978 | Netherlands | Argentina | 1-3 (a.e.t.) |
| 1982 | Italy | West Germany | 3-1 |
| 1986 | Argentina | West Germany | 3-2 |
| 1990 | West Germany | Argentina | 1-0 |
| 1994 | Brazil | Italy | 3-2 (pen.) |
| 1998 | Brazil | France | 0-3 |
| 2002 | Germany | Brazil | 0-2 |
| 2006 | Italy | France | 6-4 (pen.) |
| 2010 | Netherlands | Spain | 0-1 (a.e.t.) |
| 2014 | Germany | Argentina | 1-0 (a.e.t.) |
| 2018 | France | Croatia | 4-2 |
* The home and away team are only technical.
† No final was played since the tournament was decided by a group phase in which the listed match was the most decisive.
a.e.t. stands for after extra time.
pen. stands for penalties, meaning the match was decided after extra time and the result includes the penalty shootout.
The home advantage
One noticeable aspect in the World Cup history is that the home team has been over performing. On six occasions have the home team won the competition. Besides, many teams that normally doesn’t compete with the greatest teams have gone far in the tournament then playing on home ground. For example, Sweden in 1958, reaching the final, and South Korea in 2006, reaching the semi-finals.
Top goalscorers
These players have made most goals in a single World Cup.
| Player | Goals | Team | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just Fontaine | 13 | France | 1958 |
| Sándor Kocsis | 11 | Hungary | 1954 |
| Gerd Müller | 10 | West Germany | 1970 |
| Eusébio | 9 | Portugal | 1966 |
| Guillermo Stábile | 8 | Argentina | 1930 |
| Ademir | 8 | Brazil | 1950 |
| Ronaldo | 8 | Brazil | 2002 |
| Leônidas | 7 | Brazil | 1938 |
| Jairzinho | 7 | Brazil | 1958 |
| Grzegorz Lato | 7 | Poland | 1974 |
There are many players that have done six goals in one World Cup and these are: Erich Probst (1954), Josef Hügi (1954), Max Morlock (1954), Pelé (1958), Helmut Rahn (1958), Helmut Haller (1966), Mario Kempes (1978), Paolo Rossi (1982), Gary Lineker (1986), Salvatore Schillaci (1990), Hristo Stoichkov (1994), Oleg Salenko (1994), Davor Šuker (1998), James Rodríguez (2014) and Harry Kane (2018).
The five players that have made most goals overall are Ronaldo (18 goals in 4 tournaments), Miroslav Klose (16 goals in 4 tournaments), Gerd Müller (14 goals in 2 tournaments), Just Fontaine (13 goals in 1 tournament) and Péle (12 goals in 4 tournaments).
World Cup awards
In connection to the World Cup, several awards are given to some players. The most known is The Golden Ball that is awarded to the best player in a FIFA World Cup. Candidates are decided by FIFA which media representatives votes on. Besides the Golden Ball there are also the Silver Ball and the Bronze Ball together with the Golden Boot (top goalscorer) and the Golden Glove (best goalkeeper).
World Cup by continents
A performance comparison by continents (World Cup tournaments 1930-2018).
| Continent | Titles | To reach final | To reach semi-finals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 12 | 28 | 52 |
| South America | 9 | 14 | 22 |
| Asia | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Central and North America | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oceania | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Numbers of participants and games
Table 5 shows the numbers of participating team in per World Cup tournament. The numbers in the second column concern the final stage and the third column all teams that took part in the qualification. In addition, the numbers of games played (qualification games excluded) is shown in the fourth column.
| Year | Teams (finals) | Teams (qualification) | Games (finals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 13 | no qualification | 18 |
| 1934 | 16 | 32 | 17 |
| 1938 | 16* | 37 | 18 |
| 1950 | 15† | 36 | 22 |
| 1954 | 16 | 37 | 26 |
| 1958 | 16 | 55 | 35 |
| 1962 | 16 | 56 | 32 |
| 1966 | 16 | 74 | 32 |
| 1970 | 16 | 75 | 32 |
| 1974 | 16 | 99 | 38 |
| 1978 | 16 | 107 | 38 |
| 1982 | 24 | 109 | 52 |
| 1986 | 24 | 121 | 52 |
| 1990 | 24 | 116 | 52 |
| 1994 | 24 | 147 | 52 |
| 1998 | 32 | 174 | 64 |
| 2002 | 32 | 199 | 64 |
| 2006 | 32 | 197 | 64 |
| 2010 | 32 | 204 | 64 |
| 2014 | 32 | 203 | 64 |
| 2018 | 32 | 210 | 64 |
† France and India withdraw after qualification.
Prize money
Most Goals In Fifa World Cup History Game
The prize money for the tournament has increased massively during the years. The total prize money for the FIFA World Cup 2018 was $791 million (the winners received $35 million), which can be compared to $20 million for the FIFA World Cup 1982.
References:http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=12/news=2014-fifa-world-cuptm-reached-3-2-billion-viewers-one-billion-watched--2745519.html
http://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/statistics-and-records/worldcup/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/328497/fifa-world-cup-prize-money/
★ Uruguay is the first nation to win World Cup, 1930.
★ Lucien Laurent of France scored the first goal in World Cuphistory.
★ Most goals in a tournament by one team by Hungary, with 27goals in 1954 World Cup Match.
★ Most goals scored in a tournament is 171 goals in 1998World Cup Match.
★ With 67 win, Brazil win most matches in World Cup.
★ With 24 losses, Mexico lost most matches in World Cup.
★ Brazil wins World Cup for 5 times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994,2002), most by any team.
★ Germany and Brazil finishes most times in top two places inFIFA World Cup, 7 each.
★ Brazil has the record of Most World Cup appearances, 19times. They have played every tournament till now frombeginning.
★ Most matches played by Lothar Matthäus , Germany with 25matches.
★ Most matches played by Germany, 99 matches.
★ Italy has most draws with 21 matches.
★ Most goals scored by Brazil 210.
★ Most goals conceded by Germany with 117 till now in WorldCup.
★ Brazil, In 2002 World Cup win 7 matches, most by any teamin a single World Cup tournament.
★ In 1954 World Cup Hungary scored 27 goals, most goal scoredby a team in a single World Cup tournament.
★ Norman Whiteside, Northern Ireland is the youngest playerto appeared in World Cup at the age of 17 years and 41 days.
★ Roger Milla from Cameroon is the oldest player to play inWorld Cup at the age of 42 years and 39 days.
★ Most consecutive wins by Brazil with 11 win from 2002 to2006.
★ Most consecutive losses by Mexico with 9 matches 1930 to1958.
★ Most tournaments played by Antonio Carbajal, Mexico andLothar Matthäus, Germany. Both have played 5 World Cuptournaments.
★ Ronaldo, Brazil (1998–2006) scored most goals in World Cupwith 15 goals.
★ Just Fontaine, France scored 13 goals in 1958 World Cup,most goals scored in a tournament.
★ Cafu from Brazil played most matches won, 16.
★ Diego Maradona, Argentina( 1986–1994), has the record ofMost appearances as captain with 16 matches.
★ Peter Shilton from England is the oldest captain in WorldCup at the age of 40 years and 292 days.
★ Most goals scored in a match by Oleg Salenko(Russia vs.Cameroon, 1994) with 5 goals.
★ Most goals scored in one Final by Geoff Hurst (England vs.West Germany, 1966) with 3 goals.
★ Most hat-tricks by Sándor Kocsis (Hungary), Just Fontaine(France), Gerd Müller (West Germany) and Gabriel Batistuta(Argentina) each 2 times.
★ Youngest hat-trick scorer is Pele, Brazil at 17 years and244 days.
★ Fastest goal in a Fifa World Cup by Hakan Şükür (Turkey vs.Korea Republic, 2002) in 10.89 seconds.
★ Most goals scored in a final; by one team is Brazil in 1958World Cup Match with 5 goals.
★ Most times hosted by Mexico, Italy, France, Germany 1974and Brazil each 2 times.
★ Most Attendance in World Cup final match is 114,600,Argentina v West Germany, 1986, Mexico World Cup 1986.
| Year | Host | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | Uruguay | Argentina |
| 1934 | Italy | Italy | Czechoslovakia |
| 1938 | France | Italy | Hungary |
| 1950 | Brazil | Uruguay | Brazil |
| 1954 | Switzerland | West Germany | Hungary |
| 1958 | Sweden | Brazil | Sweden |
| 1962 | Chile | Brazil | Czechoslovakia |
| 1966 | England | England | West Germany |
| 1970 | Mexico | Brazil | Italy |
| 1974 | West Germany | West Germany | Netherlands |
| 1978 | Argentina | Argentina | Netherlands |
| 1982 | Spain | Italy | West Germany |
| 1986 | Mexico | Argentina | West Germany |
| 1990 | Italy | West Germany | Argentina |
| 1994 | United States | Brazil | Italy |
| 1998 | France | France | Brazil |
| 2002 | S Korea & Japan | Brazil | Germany |
| 2006 | Germany | Italy | France |
| 2010 | South Africa | Spain | Netherlands |
| 2014 | Brazil | Germany | Argentina |
| 2018 | Russia | France | Croatia |
Most Goals In Fifa World Cup History Record
Most Fifa World Cup Appearances
Most Goals In Fifa World Cup History List