THE Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) hosts the World Cup every four years.
It is an international soccer tournament contested by senior men’s national teams from various countries. It is one of the most popular international sporting competitions, with an estimated 1.5 billion fans tuning in to watch the 2022 final.
Fans travel from all over the world to follow their favourite teams as they compete against some of the most talented players in soccer.
The World Cup is made up of teams from six different continental zones – Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania, and South America.
How did the World Cup start?
The first World Cup took place back in 1930 and was proposed by Jules Rimet, who wanted to create an international competition between men’s football. The tournament consisted of thirteen invited teams and took place in Uruguay, which also won the tournament.
Why is the World Cup every four years?
The four-year gap between each World Cup tournament allows time for the qualification fixtures to be played. While many of us would love to see the World Cup happen every year, I’m sure we can all agree it’s too big an event and too special to be rushed!
The World Cup has been played every four years since its inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of World War II.
How many World Cups have there been?
There have been a total of 22 World Cups: the first was in 1930 and the most recent ongoing this year.
Who won the World Cup (in 2022)?
Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup Final to claim their third World Cup title. The match was tied 3-3 after extra time and went to a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Argentina came out ahead 4-2.
What country has won the most World Cups?
Brazil has won the most World Cups with five. Italy and Germany are close behind with four each.
How does qualifying for the World Cup work?
The World Cup Qualification process is a complicated operation that takes place over a few years and differs for each confederation.
To give a very simplified explanation, teams within each confederation play each other (some confederations divide their teams into World Cup qualifying groups) over a number of rounds before moving on to a playoff to determine who qualifies for the World Cup.
