FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is an international football contest for the national teams of countries that are members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

The tournament is sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but is usually just referred to as the World Cup. The championship is played every four years and has been contested ever since 1930 with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. The World Cup Finals is the most widely watched sporting event in the world and in 2006 it is estimated over 715 million people watched the final live.

The tournament is played in two parts:

  • qualification phase
  • Final phase that is known as the World Cup Finals

Qualification is spread out over the three years leading up to a World Cup event and determines which teams will play in the Finals. Under the current format 32 teams eventually qualify for the Finals that are played over a month in the host nation.

The Finals are also divided into two stages:

  • group stage
  • nockout stage.

During the group stage teams are divided into eight groups of four teams each. Eight teams are seeded according to their FIFA World Rankings and performance in previous World Cups and then drawn to separate groups. The remaining teams are drawn randomly and allocated to each group, however the draws are based on geographical region as well to prevent a situation in which more than two European teams are playing in the same group.

The Play:

Each team then plays the other members in the group and the last round of matches are played simultaneously for fairness. Teams are ranked within the groups according to the points they have earned from their games. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat. If two teams are tied on points their positions are decided by goal difference, goals scored, and if necessary head-to-head results. In the unlikely event that the teams are still even then lots are drawn.

Advancing:

The top two teams from each group advance to the next stage that is a knockout round.

In the knockout stage teams eliminate each other by winning matches with extra time and penalty shootouts ensuring each match ends with a clear winner.

The rounds proceed to quarterfinals, semi-finals, a third place match, and the Cup Final itself. The winning team receives the FIFA World Cup Trophy that is 36cm high and made out of solid 18 carat gold. World Cup winners keep the cup only until the next tournament after which they return the original and receive a gold-plated replica as a memento.

Past Winners:

In the eighteen events held since 1930 only seven nations have won the title. Brazil is the most prolific World Cup winner with five titles, Italy has won it four times, and Germany three titles. The other Cup winners are Uruguay, Argentina, England, and France.

The current World Cup titleholders are Italy who beat France in Germany in 2006. The next World Cup Finals are due in South Africa in 2010.

Bet on World Cup Finals and qualifiers with the World Cup football betting section of Footballbetting.net