Italy, one f the unsuccessful applicants for the honor of staging the 1930 tournament, was chosen as host by the FIFA for the second FIFA World CupT.
Italy's triumph left both Argentina and Brazil disenchanted after travelling 8,000 miles (13,000 km) for just one game each in the first round. Italy beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 after extra time in the final after trailing 1-0 until eight minutes from time.

The third FIFA World CupT was played in France as the war clouds gathered throughout Europe and politics kept away a number of top nations. Austria qualified, but withdrew -- though some of their players appeared in the colours of Germany and Spain was ravaged by
civil war. Argentina and Uruguay also stayed away.

Throughout the Second World War the Italian Vice-President of FIFA, Dr. Ottorino Barassi, hid the FIFA World CupT trophy in a shoe-box under his bed and thus saved it from falling into the hands of occupying troops.
The qualifying competition turned into something of a farce with teams qualifying then withdrawing - and teams already eliminated being offered places. India withdrew because FIFA would not let them play in bare feet. So only 13 teams participated in the final tournament.

Four years after the frenzy of the Maracana stadium, the Jules Rimet trophy returned to Europe to a calmer atmosphere in Switzerland. The field of play, however, produced breathtaking entertainment. This fifth FIFA World CupT was unforgettable
for its sensational high-scoring games, and a surprise win for the German Federal Republic.

After Switzerland, Sweden was named host country for the 1958 FIFA World CupT - a Cup which, on 16 October 1956, lost its founding father, when Jules Rimet died in Paris at the age of 83.
Brazil, inspired by a 17-year-old youngster called Pelé, won the trophy for the first time. Pelé scored against Wales, hit a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over France in the semi-finals and struck two more in the final, a 5-2 triumph over the hosts.

Another Brazilian triumph, but Pelé played in only the opening game against Mexico before being injured. Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final in Santiago with goals from Amarildo, Zito and Vava. The tournament also staged one of
the most notorious matches in FIFA World CupT history - the Battle of Santiago between Italy and Chile, in which two Italians were sent off and one had his nose broken by a solid left-hook from a Chilean player.

Since its launch in 1930, the FIFA World CupT had grown in stature to become clearly the world's senior international football tournament.
After the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen while on display in London, the hosts triumphed again when it was recovered by a dog called Pickles under a bush in a suburban front garden in south London a few days later.

The ninth FIFA World CupT also became a major TV spectacle and to fit in with television company requests, some matches kicked off at 12 noon. This was an unpopular decision with many players and managers because of the intense heat in
Mexico at that time of day.

Another host triumph as the West Germans took the new FIFA World CupT for the first time with a quite exceptional display of the hard-running, interchanging style in a tournament remembered for the arrival of "total football".
The Netherlands, with Johan Cruyff outstanding, beat Argentina 4-0 and Brazil 2-0 to announce their arrival, but could not overcome West Germany in the final and went down 2-1, Gerd Müller, "Der Bomber', typically scoring the winner.

Having reached the final in 1930, Argentina had to wait a while before winning the FIFA World CupT, which they eventually did on own soil in 1978. The great support for the home team helped carry them to victory over the
Netherlands in the final, Cruyff having turned his back as he refused to
travel to Argentina because of the political situation.

Italy survived the opening round on goal difference and then went on to win the trophy for a third time after a creative Brazilian team had bowed out to them in an astonishing match in the second phase.
Zico, Socrates, Falcao and Eder could not stop attacking and Brazil paid for it when they lost 3-2 to a Paolo Rossi hat-trick. Italy went on to the final and beat West Germany 3-1. Rossi finished top scorer with six goals.

The 13th FIFA World CupT was awarded to Mexico, who thus became the first country to host the competition on two occasions. However, the Mexicans were selected only as replacement hosts after the original choice, Colombia,
announced in 1983 that it could no longer afford to stage football's
greatest tournament. Terrible earthquakes were the prelude to the tournament, but the stadiums were not affected and it was decided to go ahead with the preparations

the 14th FIFA World Cup returned to Europe: to Italy .Germany take their place in history After Mexico in 1986, , footballing nation where no expense was to be spared in making the FIFA World Cup a roaring success. Ten of the twelve FIFA World Cup stadiums were given a complete facelift
and the other two (in Turin and Bari), were built from scratch especially for the event.

147 countries - a new record - entered for the FIFA World Cup 94 qualifiers. Among them was South Africa, back after a lengthy exclusion. Many big guns, however, were not to make it to the finals: England, Denmark, the 1992 European champions, Portugal, Poland, and once again France, knocked
out by a Bulgarian goal in the last second of their last qualifying game. Also excluded was Yugoslavia, where civil war raged with Bosnia. 24 counties competed in the finals of the 15th FIFA World Cup.

The 16th FIFA World CupT was the largest ever, contested by 32 teams with 64 matches played. The eight groups of four teams were spread out throughout France in the ten new or refurbished stadia, with the opening game and the final held in the splendid new Stade de France just north of Paris.
32 countries meant 30 qualifying spots, providing more opportunities for teams from Africa and Asia. The four-team groups also reflected the geographical spread, with all but one of the pools comprising two Europeans, one from the Americas and one from Africa or Asia.

Putting both South Korea and Japan in charge of the XVII World Cup was a controversial decision. The two countries were surprised and disappointed, as each of them wanted the tournament for themselves. The Japanese offered modern sports and recreation facilities, and South Korea's advantage was its sports achievements (participation in 4 World Cups, etc.). Eventually, FIFA decided, that the competition should be organized by the two countries together: half of the games (including the 3. place game) will be played in South Korea, and the other half (including the final) in Japan.