The number of World Cups held so far

Since the inception in 1930 of what has gone on to become the most watched sporting event in the world there have been 18 football World Cups, the last one having been held in Germany in 2006. Considered by many to be the most exciting event on earth, the FIFA World Cup has been contested every four years, the exceptions being the war-ridden years of 1942 and 1946.

The first World Cup

The honour of being inaugural host nation went to Uruguay, partly in recognition of the strong soccer-loving culture in the South American country and partly as a way to celebrate the country’s first 100 years of independence.  The decision was not without consequences though as European teams threatened to boycott the tournament because of the costly boat trip across the Atlantic that would be necessitated. Belgium, France, Yugoslavia and Romania were eventually persuaded to attend.

Winning nations 1930 to 2006

• So far seven nations have won the title in the 18 tournaments that have been held.
• The only team to have played in every tournament is Brazil. As five-time winners, they will host the World Cup in 2014.
• Italy, the 2006 champions, have won four titles. They also became the first team to successfully defend their crowns by winning in 1934 and then again in 1938.
• Germany feature next as three-time champions.
• Uruguay and Argentina have won two titles each.
• England and France have each won the Word Cup once.

Number of teams

Thirteen teams competed in the inaugural World Cup. This was expanded to 16 in 1934, 24 in 1982 and 32 in 1988.

Media coverage of the championship

The soccer spectacular was first televised in 1954. In 1970, it was broadcast in colour for the first time. It is now the most-watched sporting event ­– and arguably the most watched event of any kind – with the 2006 final attracting a viewership of 715,1 million people.