FIFA WORLD CUP 2002 KOREA JAPAN

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FIFA WORLD CUP 2002 KOREA JAPAN

World Cup, international football tournament held every four years, considered the most popular sporting event in the world and the pinnacle of international football competition. The World Cup is followed with passionate interest around the globe—the 1998 tournament was played to an estimated cumulative television audience of more than 37 billion viewers. Founded in 1930 with just 13 teams, the tournament now attracts entries from over 140 countries. The teams must participate in elimination games within their own continent before qualifying to become one of the 32 nations participating in the final tournament.

In 1904 representatives from seven European football associations (Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) organized a governing body for the sport, called the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). At that first meeting, FIFA planned to organize a world championship, but 26 years passed before conditions were suitable. Among other considerations, FIFA determined that the level of play was sufficient outside of Europe to support a world championship. In addition, professional leagues had evolved so that the Olympic Games, then restricted to amateur athletes, no longer represented the highest level of competition in the world.

In 1930 the first World Cup tournament was held in Uruguay. It was won by the host nation with a victory over Argentina in the final. Despite being largely shunned by the stronger European nations, the tournament was a financial success and excited international interest.

By this time, the major European countries had become interested—except for the United Kingdom. England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, which field separate national teams, were not members of FIFA and refused to take part in the World Cup. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's fascist regime gained popularity by organizing the 1934 tournament in Italy, which Italy won. The World Cup proved so popular that 36 nations entered the 1938 tournament, and preliminary elimination games were played to decide the 16 finalists. France hosted the 1938 tournament, and Italy again won.

World War II brought a halt to most international sporting activities, and the World Cup was not played again until 1950, in Brazil. England entered for the first time, but suffered the humiliation of losing 1-0 to the United States, and was eliminated in the first round. Uruguay again won the tournament, beating Brazil in the final. West Germany won the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, beating the heavily favoured Hungarians who, until the final game, had been undefeated in international competition for four years.

By 1958 the world had become aware of the Brazilian team's technical abilities. The Brazilians displayed an ease with the ball that the Europeans could not match. Although Brazil had qualified for every World Cup thus far, the country had yet to win. The Brazilians finally lived up to their potential at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, when they dazzled the competition and won the championship. The team's star was an astonishing 17-year-old, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who was known worldwide by his nickname, Pelé. He went on to dominate world football for the next 12 years. Brazil won again at the 1962 tournament in Chile, even with an injured Pelé sitting on the sidelines for much of the event.

In 1966 the World Cup was played in the sport's birthplace, when England hosted the event. England won the tournament, beating West Germany after extra time. The World Cup moved to Mexico in 1970. This was an era in which football—particularly in Europe—became increasingly defensive. The Italians had developed a system of play called catenaccio, which featured a packed defence and relied on sudden counter-attacks to score goals. However, they were comprehensively outplayed in the final by the more attack-minded Brazilians, who were led by the 29-year-old Pelé. With that victory, Brazil became the first team to win the trophy three times and were awarded the trophy outright.

The Dutch rose to prominence in the 1970s when they developed a style known as “total football”, in which every player was required to be capable of attacking or defending as the occasion demanded. Led by their captain and star Johann Cruyff, the Dutch played West Germany, the tournament host, in the 1974 final. The Germans, led by the renowned Franz Beckenbauer, won the game and became the new world champions. The Dutch again reached the final in 1978, and again they lost to the host team, falling to Argentina in extra time.

In 1982 the number of finalists was increased from 16 to 24 to allow more supposedly weaker nations to take part. The tournament was played in Spain, and Italy defeated West Germany in the final game to win the championship.

In 1986 Mexico became the first country to stage the World Cup twice. Argentina won the championship, largely on the strength of a masterful performance from the team's captain, Diego Maradona. The first of Maradona's two goals in Argentina's win over England became infamous when television replays revealed that he had punched the ball in with his hand; he later attributed the goal to divine intervention, claiming that “the hand of God” had scored the goal. Four minutes later Maradona dribbled half the length of the field to score one of the greatest goals in World Cup history. In the final, Argentina defeated West Germany, coached by its former star player, Beckenbauer.

West Germany had its revenge at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final. The low-scoring final characterized a disappointing tournament that had produced an average of only 2.2 goals per game, the lowest number in World Cup history.

FIFA held the 1994 World Cup in the United States, hoping to increase the popularity of football in the one major country where it did not enjoy leading status. It was a very successful event, featuring capacity crowds at nine stadiums. FIFA had introduced new laws to protect attacking players and keep the game flowing, and there were many highly entertaining games. Although all but one of the quarter-finalists were European (Brazil was the exception), the tournament showed that standards were rising worldwide: Nigeria and Saudi Arabia defeated supposedly stronger opposition and the US team created the upset of the championship when they defeated Colombia who were one of the favourites (a tragic consequence was the murder of the Colombian defender Andres Escobar on his return home). For the first time in history the final went to a penalty shoot-out, in which Brazil became the first team to win the World Cup four times, with a victory over Italy. The 1998 World Cup, in France, was expanded to include 32 teams in the finals. Increasingly strict rules encouraged more unbroken play but resulted in a record number of sendings-off. The competition was won by the host team, France, who, in beating Brazil 3-0 in the final, became the first team to score a goal in open play in a World Cup final since 1986 and the first new winners of the tournament since Argentina in 1974.