There are five stars above the emblem of the Brazilian national football team. This indicates that it is the Brazilians who are considered the most titled football power. This team has won the world championships five times - in 1952, 1958, 1970, 1994 and 2002. World football legend Pele holds the record for titles. He won three world championships with his national team.
Italy
In Europe, two football teams are called tetracampions, one of them is the national team of Italy. The Italians celebrated their triumphs at the world championships in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006. History preserves many names of great Italians who were honored to raise the coveted trophy over their heads. Some of them still delight the fans with their performances in the jersey of the national team (Buffon, Pirlo, Barzagli).
Germany (FRG)
The national team of Germany (FRG) is not inferior to the Italians in titles. At the moment, it is the Germans who are the reigning world champions. The national team, nicknamed the "German car", took the lead on the football fields in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014. The names of Gerd Müller, Lothar Matthäus and other great football players will forever remain in the history of world sports.
Argentina
A country like Argentina with its outstanding football talents simply could not remain without the title of world champion. Twice the Argentines, led by Mario Kempes and Diego Maradona, managed to win the world championships. Kempes starred at the 1978 home championship, and Diego led his national team to the title in Mexico in 1986.
Uruguay
The first world football champions were the Uruguayans. For the first time, the world football championship among national teams was held in this country (1930). For the second time, the Uruguayan national team won the 1950 championship in Brazil. In the final at the Maracanã stadium, in the presence of 200 thousand spectators, the Uruguayans beat the hosts of the championship.
England
The founders of football also did not remain without the title of the best football team in the world. At the home world championship in 1966, it was the hosts who became the champions of the championship.
France
The home tribunes also helped the French. Zinedine Zidane's squad triumphantly performed at the 1998 home world championship. In the final, the French defeated the main contenders for the gold of the Brazilians (who were the reigning champions at that time) with a score of 3: 0.
Spain
The tournament held in South Africa in 2010 is recognized as the most pragmatic world football championship in recent decades. In a competition scanty for bright matches and goals, the Spaniards took the lead. The very final of that championship fully reflects the specifics of the entire world championship. The Spanish national team only outplayed the Netherlands team in extra time with a score of 1: 0.
Everyone knows that the most popular sport on the planet is football. He gathers millions of fans in stadiums and on TV screens and makes them empathize with their favorite teams. Particular attention is paid to football during major tournaments. football (often called the FIFA World Cup or World Cup) is the most ambitious international competition in this sport. Countries from all continents of the planet are fighting for the right to receive the coveted trophy.
The tournament is attended by 32 states, which are selected over three years. The World Cup is held every four years. The German national football team is the reigning champion. The previous championship was held in Brazil. The next one will take place in 2018 in Russia.
So, having analyzed the main features of the World Cup, let's go directly to the main topic of the article, namely, consider who and when won this serious trophy.
Uruguay
Almost all world football champions have become prize-winners more than once. In 1930, the first world championship took place. At that time, the most powerful football country was Uruguay and was considered the clear favorite. The team took first place in the group, beating Romania and Peru. In the final, she was to meet with Argentina. All world football champions dream of holding similar events in their countries and fight for prizes with even greater zeal. The home championship for the national team was successful. Uruguay beat the rival with a score of 4: 2 and got the trophy.
All world football champions dream of defending their title at every world championship, but the Uruguayans could not do this. The next World Cup they won was in 1950 in Brazil. In the final stage of the tournament (by the way, once in history) four teams competed - Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden and Spain. Brazil, which was the favorite, lost to Uruguay and gave them first place.
Italy
All world football champions can envy the number of titles on the Italian national team. She was able to win the world championship four times. Italy was chosen as the venue for the tournament in 1934. Having defeated the USA, Spain, Austria and Czechoslovakia on its way, the host country was able to win its first trophy.
Italy is the 1938 FIFA World Champion. The World Cup was held in France. The most interesting match was the fight between the hosts and the Italians in the quarterfinals, where the latter won with a score of 3: 1. In the final, Italy defeated Hungary for the second consecutive world title.
The national team had to wait forty-two years for the next victory in the tournament. In 1982, the venue was Spain, which prepared seventeen stadiums, which was a record at that time. However, the full house was not going to the final match, but to the opening match, in which Argentina and Belgium participated. Italy, however, was able to reach the final, where it turned out to be stronger than the FRG.
In 2006, the national team managed to become a four-time world champion. The World Cup was held in Germany, which coped with this difficult task with distinction. In the final, France lost to Italy on penalties, thus losing the title.
FRG (Germany)
Germany, like Italy, managed to win the trophy four times. The national team has always shown good football, but the 1954 World Cup, held in Switzerland, was truly successful. The greatest attention of the spectators was attracted by the final match of the tournament, in which the Germans beat the Hungarians with a score of 3: 2.
The second FRG Cup has been waiting for twenty years. In 1974, West Germany was honored to host the World Cup. In the final match, the Germans beat the Dutch 2: 1.
The next three championships Germany played well, taking second place twice. In 1990, Italy took over the championship (for the second time). Most of the spectators came to the quarterfinal match, where the Germans managed to defeat the Dutch again. In the final, Germany managed to beat Argentina with a minimum score.
The last World Cup held in Brazil in 2014, the German national football team managed to win for the fourth time. This world championship has become one of the most spectacular in history. The host country did not manage to reach the final. It was just Germany that stopped it, defeating it with a score of 7: 1. The last fight took place against Argentina. In a bitter struggle, having scored only one goal, the Germans managed to take away their fourth world champion trophy.
Brazil
Brazil is the world champion in football, who was able to win this title more than all other countries, namely five times. The 1958 World Cup, held in Sweden, brought the team its first trophy. The most popular match was the Brazil-USSR match, in which they were the first to win. In the final, the Brazilians defeated the Swedes 5: 2.
The second title did not have to wait long. The very next World Cup, held in Chile, brought Brazil a new trophy. The national team managed to reach the final and beat Czechoslovakia, simultaneously beating the host of the World Cup.
Brazil won the third trophy in 1970, at the World Cup held in Mexico. In the final, she managed to beat Italy with a score of 4: 1 and get the golden goddess for eternal storage.
The national team managed to replenish the trophy box only after 24 years. This World Cup was held in the United States, where the popularization of football was required. The national team again met with Italy in the final and won in a penalty shootout.
Brazil secured its fifth championship title in 2002 at the world championships in Japan and South Korea. In the final, the Brazilians were opposed by the Germans, but lost with a score of 0: 2.
Argentina
The strongest South American team managed to win their first world title only in 1978. It was Argentina that became the host country of this World Cup. Even several new arenas were built for the grand event, and the national team eventually beat the Netherlands and won the coveted trophy.
The second title did not have to wait long. Argentina received the title of the strongest national team on the planet in 1986, at the World Cup in Mexico. In the final, Argentina managed to beat Germany.
England
The ancestor of football only once in history was able to win the World Cup. In 1966, England hosted the world championship and defeated Germany in the final. In the future, the team failed to achieve similar results again.
France
In 1998, the updated World Cup was hosted by France. Since then, 32 teams have taken part in the tournament. Having reached the final, the national team defeated Brazil, winning their first trophy.
Spain
This team is familiar to many. Despite their amazing performance, Spain is the world champion in football, who was able to take this trophy once. It happened in South Africa, where in the final the Spaniards beat the Dutch with a minimum score.
All World Cup Winners
Rivaldo and Ronaldo celebrate Brazil's fifth World Cup 2002 championship, photo: skysports.com
By 2019, 21 FIFA World Cups took place. Brazil has won the World Cup most often - 5 times. Germany with Italy in second place - 4 victories at the world championships. Argentina, France and Uruguay follow - 2 wins each. We will tell you about all the world champions: where and in what conditions the winner played, whom he beat on the way to the championship, and what interesting happened at each tournament.
1930 - Uruguay
Venue: Uruguay.
Uruguay national team at World Cup 1930 Prior to the first World Cup, international football competitions took place at the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee prohibited professionals from participating in the Olympics. FIFA wanted to admit professional footballers, so in 1928, at the FIFA Congress, it was decided to hold the first World Cup outside the Olympics.
In the first world championship, 13 teams played, which were divided into four groups. Each group winner advanced to the semifinals. Uruguay fell into the group with Peru and Romania. The first match took place at the Centenario stadium - the Uruguayans beat Peru 1: 0. And three days later they beat the Romanians 4: 0. In the semifinals, Yugoslavia scored an early goal against the Uruguayans, and one more goal at the end of the half, but it was mistakenly not counted. The referees' mistake did not affect the result: the match ended with the defeat of the Yugoslavs 6: 1.
Two months before the start of the World Cup, none of the European teams agreed to come. At that time, it was only possible to get from Europe to Uruguay by ship, it took a long time, and the clubs would have to release the players for two months. The Uruguayans even tried to invite the British, who were not members of FIFA, but they also refused. Only after the intervention of FIFA President Jules Rimet at the World Cup did the national teams of Belgium, France (not the main squad), Romania and Yugoslavia agree to go.
The final with the Argentines was fighting in every sense: the game ended with a score of 4: 2, and shots were heard in the stands after the first goal. The All World Championships book series claims that 1600 pistols were taken from Argentine fans at the entrance to the stadium. The Argentines themselves assured that all the weapons were confiscated at the border.
1934 - Italy
Location: Italy.
Italy celebrates its 1934 World Cup victory, photo: fifa.com 16 teams played in the championship. Italy itself was not given a separate quota, then the hosts of the tournament were not entitled to it. This was the only time the hosts qualified for a home World Cup via play-offs. At that time, Mussolini ruled in Italy: for the victory in the tournament, the government promised the players a prize of 20 thousand lire, for the defeat - a prison. The Italians were so eager to win that they brought in the oriundi - players of Italian origin from Latin America.
The tournament began immediately with the 1/8 finals - with the elimination games. In the playoff format, they wanted to hold the first World Cup, but for 13 teams this was impossible. 16 teams started from the playoffs, and in 1/8 Italy easily beat the USA 7-1. The quarterfinal match with the Spaniards ended 1: 1. According to the regulations of that time, if a playoff match ended in a draw, then it was replayed. The next day, Italy beat Spain 1-0. In the semifinals, the Italians defeated the legendary Austrian Wundertim 1: 0. Read about the Austrian national team of the 1930s. In the final in extra time, Italy beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 and won the World Cup for the first time.
Uruguay refused to participate in the World Cup due to the fact that a number of European teams ignored the 1930 World Cup (only Belgium, France, Romania and Yugoslavia arrived). This is the only time that the champion did not make it to the next World Cup and refused to defend the title.
1938 - Italy
Location: France.
Italy team celebrates 1938 World Cup victory Despite the decision to alternate the venue of the World Cup between Europe and South America, at the congress in Berlin it was decided to hold the championship in France, and not in Argentina. That resulted in the protest of the Argentines, who decided not to participate in the European World Cup for 20 years.
At that time, hostilities were already taking place in Europe: there was a civil war in Spain, Austria was annexed to Germany and its best football players were taken away.
Italy beat Norway in the 1/8 finals (2: 1) and France in the 1/4 (3: 1). In the semifinals, the Italians met with the Brazilians. The Brazilian national team was so confident in reaching the final that they bought plane tickets to Paris, the host city for the final. There was only one flight, and only one team could fly away, so the Italians offered to give the tickets to the winner, but the Brazilians did not agree. After a 2-1 victory, the Italian national team went to the final in Paris by train. In the final, Italy beat Hungary 4-2 to win the World Cup for the second consecutive time.
1950 - Uruguay
Venue: Brazil.
Alcides Gija scores the decisive goal in the 1950 World Cup final, photo: AP Championships in 1942 and 1946 were not held due to the Second World War. At the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, only 13 national teams played - this is the smallest number of teams in World Cup history, along with the first championship in 1930.
At the 1950 World Cup, they played the ball without lacing for the first time. It was replaced by a ball with an internal nipple.
Official balls of the 1938 World Cup and 1950 World Cup, photo: worldcupballs.info To win the World Cup, the Uruguayans did not have to win all matches, they only drew one. The point is that the winner was determined in the final group stage, and not in a separate match. The fate of the championship was decided by the match with Brazil. The Brazilians were looking forward to winning the World Cup: they prepared gold medals with the names of the players in advance and wrote a victory song in their honor. The evening newspaper from Rio de Janeiro, O Mundo, even before the final published a photo of the Brazilian national team with the caption "These are the world champions" on the front page, other newspapers published similar headlines, promising that the Brazilians would become champions.
Brazilian striker Zizinho said that even before the final, he signed more than 2,000 photographs with the caption: "Brazil is the world champion."
On June 16, 174 thousand spectators officially gathered at the Maracanã stadium, according to unofficial data, the stadium was overcrowded and 200 thousand fans actually watched the game. Brazil scored first early in the second half, and the stadium began to celebrate: Brazilians sang songs and blew up firecrackers. In the 66th minute, Uruguay equalized the score and Maracanã fell silent. “This silence horrified our players,” said the Brazilian coach Flavio Costa after the match. Uruguay took the lead in the 79th minute and won the final 2: 1. Victory Day over Brazil became a national holiday in Uruguay and has been celebrated annually since then.
The national teams of Mexico and Switzerland came to the World Cup with only one set of kits - red. It was impossible to play in the same uniform, so with the help of a coin they decided who would play in red. The Mexicans won, but lost their uniforms to the Swiss, while they themselves borrowed equipment from Cruzeiro and played in a striped white and blue uniform.
1954 - Germany
Venue: Switzerland.
Fritz Walter with the Jules Rimet trophy and Horst Eckel on the shoulders of German fans after winning the 1954 World Cup, photo: theguardian.com The FRG national team was in the same group with the favorites of the World Cup - the Hungarians. The Germans won the first match with Turkey (4: 1), but lost to Hungary (3: 8). After being defeated by the Hungarians, the FRG national team had to play an additional match with the Turkish team in order to advance to the playoffs.
A devastating second-round defeat to the Hungarians infuriated German fans. The fans began to write angry letters, which were brought to the base of the Federal Republic of Germany. Some of the letters, including a proposal to hang head coach Sepp Herberger, were read by the coach himself at a team meeting. After that, the FRG national team beat Turkey 7: 2.
In 1/4, the FRG national team beat Yugoslavia (2: 0), and in the semifinals - Austria (6: 1). The Germans won the final match against Hungary, conceding two quick goals by the eighth minute. By the 18th minute the score was already equal, and in the 84th minute Helmut Rahn scored the decisive goal (3: 2), and the FRG national team won the first world title.
1958 - Brazil
Location: Sweden.
Pele cries on Gilmar's shoulder after Brazil won the 1958 World Cup final, photo: fourfourtwo.com At the 1958 World Cup, 16 teams were divided into four groups. At the group stage, the Brazilians did not concede a single goal, defeating the Austrians 3: 0, playing a draw with the British 0: 0 and beating the USSR national team 2: 0. In the quarter-finals, the Brazilians beat Wales 1: 0. Then they defeated the French in the semifinals, and the Swedes in the final with the same score 5: 2. This final remains the most productive in history. The 1958 World Cup was the first for the 17-year-old Pele to score two goals in the final.
This was the first victory of the Brazilian national team at the World Cup. Brazil is the only non-European team to win the World Cup in Europe.
1962 - Brazil
Venue: Chile.
Brazilian captain Mauro holds the Jules Rimet trophy after winning the 1962 World Cup final, photo: Popperfoto / Getty Images The championship base of the Brazilians has remained since 1958 - 14 reigning champions came to the World Cup in Chile. Brazil was not lucky with the draw: Mexico, Spain and Czechoslovakia were in its group. The national team of Czechoslovakia at that time was the bronze medalist of the European Championship.
The Brazilians beat Mexico 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Czechoslovakia. The winner of the group was determined in the face-to-face confrontation between Brazil and Spain. The Spaniards scored first, but Amarildo's two goals put the Spaniards in fourth place in the standings and the Brazilians in the quarterfinals. The Brazilians beat the British in the quarter finals (3: 1), the Chileans - in the semifinals (4: 2) and Czechoslovakia - in the final (3: 1). Brazil became a two-time world champion, as did Uruguay and Italy.
In the match Brazil - Chile, Chilean Landu and Brazilian leader Garrinchu were sent off. After the game, Garrinchi's removal was canceled. The fact is that the Brazilian was hit on the legs by the Chilean Rojas throughout the match, as a result, Garrincha decided to respond to the punches and chased the offender, and when he caught up, he gave a light kick. When the distant Garrincha left the field, he was hit in the head by a bottle launched by fans from the stands.
1966 - England
Location: England.
England captain Bobby Moore celebrates victory with the 1966 World Cup trophy in hand, photo: AP Images The England national team at the home World Cup was represented by the golden generation: Bobby Charlton, Jeff Hirst, Bobby Moore, Gordon Banks. The British conceded the first goal only in the semifinals. In total, England conceded three goals for the championship. The British performed successfully, among other things, thanks to the unconventional formation of the "diamond" 4-1-2-1-2. In this scheme, there were no flank forwards, and the game was built through the center of the field. Although traditionally England have always had strong wingers. This English team was nicknamed “Wingless Miracle”.
In the group, England drew with Uruguay (0: 0), defeated Mexico (2: 0) and France (2: 0). England beat Argentina (1: 0) and Portugal (2: 1) in the playoffs. In the final, the main time of the match ended with a score of 2: 2. Hirst and Peters scored for the British, the Germans responded with goals from Haller and Weber. In extra time, two goals from Hirst brought the English the first and only world title for 2019 (4: 2).
The third goal of the British caused a lot of controversy, but the chief referee Gottfried Dienst and linesman Tofik Bahramov counted it. Whether there was a goal or not, they still argue.
Hirst's goal:
1970 - Brazil
Venue: Mexico.
Pele is worn after Brazil won the third World Cup, photo: AP Images For the first time, the World Cup was not held in Europe or South America. Brazil was lucky: Pele returned to the national team, who after the failure at the 1966 World Cup said that he would never go to the world championship again. In the group, the Brazilians beat all rivals: Czechoslovakia (4: 1), England (1: 0), Romania (3: 2). In the playoffs, the Brazilians continued to win confidently: Peru (4: 2), Uruguay (3: 1), and in the final they had to play with the Italians.
Both finalists were already two-time world champions, and the three-time champion was supposed to take the Jules Rimet Cup for eternal storage. Therefore, the motivation was special - not just to win the World Cup, but to become the most titled national team in the world and take the cup with you forever. The Italians held out at first - the teams went for a break with the score 1: 1. In the second half, three unanswered goals flew into the Italian goal, and the Brazilians became world champions for the third time. Pele scored 4 goals throughout the tournament: three goals in the group stage matches and one in the final.
The official championship ball was the Adidas Telstar. It was hand-sewn from 20 white hexagons and 12 black pentagons.
1974 - Germany
Location: Germany.
German captain Franz Beckenbauer holds the FIFA World Cup after a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, photo: AP Images The reigning European champions, the FRG national team, showed strong attacking football at the home World Cup. The main European stars played with the Germans: Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Uli Hoehness, Wolfgang Overat, Gerd Müller.
The format of the tournament was changed: instead of the playoffs, the teams held the second group stage of two groups. The winners of the second group stage advanced to the final, the second places played the match for the third place. In the first group stage, the FRG national team beat Chile (1: 0) and Australia (3: 0), but lost to the GDR (0: 1) and took second place in the group. Thanks to the loss of the GDR, the FRG national team played in a weaker group in the second stage: with Poland, Sweden and Yugoslavia. While the GDR national team played with the Netherlands, Argentina and the world champions Brazil.
The FRG national team won two matches in the second group stage, and the third game with Poland was essentially a semi-final. This match was delayed for half an hour due to heavy rain in Dusseldorf, the field looked like a swamp. In difficult conditions, the Germans were more fortunate: Gerd Müller scored the only goal in the 76th minute.
In the final, the FRG national team met with the Netherlands and conceded in the second minute, but bounced back and came out ahead in the first half. The decisive goal was scored by Müller (2: 1). The Germans were the first to win both the old and the new World Cup.
1978 - Argentina
Venue: Argentina.
Argentina national team celebrates home World Cup victory in Buenos Aires, photo: AP Images At the 1978 home world championship, Argentina played without 17-year-old Diego Maradona. The rivals of the Argentines in the group stage were Italy, France and Hungary. In the first two matches, the referees "helped" the Argentines. In the first game, two Hungarian players were sent off, after which Argentina snatched a victory in the end (2: 1). In the second match, the referee awarded a dubious penalty to the French national team, and the Argentines won again (2: 1). The third match did not decide anything, and the Argentines lost it to the Italians (0: 1).
In the second group stage, the Argentines met with Brazil, Poland and Peru. As in the last World Cup, the first place in this group led the team to the final, the second meant the match for bronze. Argentines beat Poland (2: 0) and drew with Brazil (0: 0). After two rounds, Argentina took the second place in the group, and Brazil - the first, ahead of the Argentines only by the difference between goals scored and conceded by 1 goal.
The Brazilians finished the match of the last round before the Argentines, won it (3: 1) and came out on top. To get ahead of the Brazilians and reach the final, the Argentines had to beat Peru with a difference of 4 or more goals.
Argentina beat Peru 6-0, which angered the Brazilians - they considered the match to be negotiated. In the final, Argentina beat the Netherlands (3: 1) in extra time. Mario Kempes scored two goals and also gave an assist to Bertoni. Kempes received the Golden Boot, and the Argentine national team - their first victory at the World Cup.
1982 - Italy
Location: Spain.
Italy captain and goalkeeper Dino Zoff with a trophy after defeating Germany, photo: AP Images For the first time, 24 teams played at the World Cup. The Italians got out of the first group round with great difficulty, having played all the matches in a draw: with Poland (0: 0), with Peru (1: 1) and with Cameroon (1: 1). Italy finished second only by scoring two goals and Cameroon just one. In the second group round, Italy faced reigning champions Argentina and the brilliant Brazilians, who won all matches in the group with an overall goal difference of 10-2. Italy beat Argentina with 21-year-old Maradona (2: 1). Paolo Rossi scored three goals against the Brazilian national team, while Italy won (3: 2) and advanced to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Rossi scored two unanswered goals to the Poles (2: 0), and in the final he invested one goal in the victory over the FRG national team (3: 1). Italy won the World Cup for the third time and caught up with Brazil in the number of cups.
Italian captain Dino Zoff is the first footballer in history to win the World Cup at the age of 40.
1986 - Argentina
Venue: Mexico.
Diego Maradona holds the FIFA World Cup after a 3-2 victory over West Germany, photo: AP Images Mexico is the first country to host the World Cup for the second time in history. It was the Maradona Championship: it was at the peak of its career, and even the coach of the national team Carlos Bilardo remained at the helm of the team at the World Cup thanks to the intervention of Diego. At this tournament, the format was changed: after the group stage, they played the playoffs from the 1/8 finals. In the group stage, Argentina beat South Korea 3-1, drew 1-1 with Italy and beat Bulgaria 2-0 to take first place in the group.
Maradona began to score goals at the World Cup from the 1/4 stage. Diego scored two goals for the English and brought victory to Argentina (2: 1). The first goal was scored by hand, but the referee did not notice it. But the second goal became the best goal of the 20th century: Maradona began the pass with the ball from his own half of the field, and on the way outplayed all the rivals and the goalkeeper of the British.
Maradona also scored two goals for the Belgians in the semifinals. The Argentines won the final against the FRG national team with a score of 3: 2, on 84 minutes the winning goal was scored by Burruchaga. Argentina became world champion for the second and last time.
1990 - Germany
Location: Italy.
German captain Lothar Matthäus holds the FIFA World Cup in 1990, photo: AP Images At this tournament, the FRG national team played as a separate team for the last time. In the fall of 1990, the FRG and the GDR merged, after which the only German national team appeared.
The Germans began the tournament by defeating their rivals in the group. Yugoslavia was beaten 4: 1, the United Arab Emirates - 5: 1, and only with Colombia they drew 1: 1. In 1/8 the Netherlands went home after the goals of Klinsmann and Breme (2: 1), in 1/4 the FRG national team beat Czechoslovakia 1: 0, scoring the only goal from the penalty spot. The semi-final with the British ended with a series of penalties, the Germans converted all four penalty kicks, the British did not score twice and let Germany through to the final.
In the final, as at the last World Cup, Germany and Argentina met. The FRG national team won the final thanks to a penalty kick realized in the 85th minute of the match. This is the first time in the World Cup that only one goal was scored in the final. The FRG national team became the world champion for the third time, and Beckenbauer was the second in history to win the World Cup both as a player and as a coach (the first is Brazilian Mario Zagalo).
1994 - Brazil
Location: USA.
Brazilian captain Dunga lifts the trophy at the Rose Bowl Stadium in the USA, photo: Getty Images The Brazilian national team at the three previous World Championships did not advance beyond the quarter finals. In the USA, the Brazilians beat Russia (2: 0), Cameroon (3: 0) and drew with Sweden (1: 1) in the group stage. In the round of 16, Brazil barely beat the United States thanks to a 1-0 goal from Bebeto. In the quarterfinals with the Netherlands, everything was decided by Branko's goal in the 81st minute (3: 2). In the semi-finals, Brazil played again with Sweden and won thanks to Romario's only goal in 81 minutes.
In the final, the Brazilians were opposed by Italy with Baggio and Baresi in the squad. For the first time in the finals of the World Cup, they shot a penalty shootout. The decisive miss was Roberto Baggio, and the Brazilians became world champions for the fourth time.
Baggio miss from the penalty spot:
1998 - France
Location: France.
The French celebrate their victory over the Brazilians in the 1998 World Cup final, photo: AP Images After the departure of the legendary generation with Jean Tigand, Jean-Pierre Papin and Michel Platini, the French began to decline, due to which they missed the final stages of two world championships. The French national team qualified for the home championship automatically.
The composition at the World Cup was fighting: Fabien Barthez, Laurent Blanc, Liliane Thuram, Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane and Emmanuel Petit. And also young Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Patrick Vieira.
The French national team scored a lot and almost never conceded. For the entire championship, the French conceded only two goals: one - in the group stage from the Danes from the penalty spot, and the second - in the semifinals from the Croatian national team. The French left the group from the first place, having won all three matches: with South Africa (3: 0), Saudi Arabia (4: 0) and Denmark (2: 1).
In the 1/8 finals, the French beat Paraguay only thanks to a golden goal in extra time. In the quarterfinals, the French national team passed Italy after a penalty shootout (Baggio scored, unlike the final of the 1994 World Cup, but Di Biagio did not score). And with the Croats in the semifinals, defender Thuram unexpectedly scored two goals (2: 1). These goals were the only ones in Thuram's career for the national team.
In the final, the fight did not work: the French crushed the Brazilians (3: 0). Zidane scored twice, and in the 93rd minute he put an end to Petit. This was the first French victory at the World Cup.
The Brazilians said that the night before the game, Ronaldo had an epileptic seizure. Despite the poor health, "Zubastik" entered the field, but could not help the national team.
2002 - Brazil
Venue: South Korea and Japan.
Brazil after defeating Germany 2-0 in Yokohama, photo: ANTONIO SCORZA / AFP / Getty Images At this World Cup, the Koreans reached the semifinals thanks to a number of controversial judging decisions, knocking out Italy and Spain in the playoffs. The Brazilians, after the failure at the 1998 World Cup, came for their fifth victory at the World Cup. Brazil won all three group matches, beating Turkey (2-1), China (4-0) and Costa Rica (5-2).
In the 1/8 finals, the Brazilians beat the Belgians 2-0 thanks to goals from Rivaldo and Ronaldo. In the quarter-finals, Brazil beat England 2-1, and the decisive goal was scored by 22-year-old Ronaldinho. In the semifinals, the Brazilians once again beat Turkey with Ronaldo's only goal.
In the final, Brazil beat Germany thanks to the same Ronaldo, who twice upset Oliver Kahn and gave Brazil the nickname "Pentacampeons".
The Pentacampeons are the nickname for the Brazilian national football team. The Brazilians won the World Cup five times, which is why they began to be called that. Penta - five, campeons - champions. Pentacampeons are five-time champions.
2006 - Italy
Location: Germany.
Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro with trophy after defeating France, photo: Getty Images The Italian national team came to the 2006 World Cup after a scandal in Serie A, when Juventus was sent to the lower league due to bribery of judges. Five players from the national team represented Juventus: Buffon, Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Camoranesi and Del Piero. At the World Cup, Italian coach Marcello Lippi managed to set up the team: despite the problems in Italy, the national team won the tournament. Italy conceded only two goals in the entire championship, repeating the French record in 1998. The Italians scored one goal for themselves in the match against the USA in the group stage, and conceded the second goal in the final from Zidane from the penalty spot.
The Italians advanced from the group, beating Ghana and the Czech Republic (2: 0 in both matches), as well as drawing with the USA (1: 1). In the 1/8 finals, Italy barely beat Guus Hiddink's Australia thanks to a penalty kick in the 95th minute. In 1/4, the Italians dealt with Ukraine without any problems (3: 0), but in the semifinals with the Germans it took extra time after 0: 0 in the main one and a half hour. In the 119th minute, Grosso scored, and two minutes later Del Piero put an end to it - Italy went to the final, where France and Zidane were waiting for her.
The final match of the World Cup was Zidane's last for the French national team. Zidane opened the scoring from the penalty spot, Materazzi equalized the score, and the main time of the match ended in this way - 1: 1. In the 110th minute, Materazzi provoked Zidane, the French butted the Italian in the chest, for which he received a red card. Already without Zidane, the French national team reached the penalty shootout, in which only Trezeguet did not score, hammering the ball into the crossbar. Italy won the fourth World Cup in history.
Penalty by David Trezeguet:
2010 - Spain
Location: South Africa.
Spaniards with a trophy on the plane on their way home from South Africa, photo: Getty Images The Spaniards came to the 2010 World Cup in the rank of European champions, but lost the first match of the group stage to Switzerland (0: 1). Then they beat Honduras thanks to two goals from David Villa (2: 0) and the Chilean national team (2: 1) - Villa again scored one goal, the second was scored by Iniesta.
The Spaniards went through the entire playoffs with a victorious score 1: 0, beating Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and the Netherlands in the final. For the entire championship, the Spanish national team conceded only two goals in the group stage: one each from Switzerland and Chile. In the final, the Spaniards scored only in extra time: in the 116th minute, Iniesta scored.
At the 2010 World Cup, the Italian team failed, which came to defend the title. The Italians set the country's anti-record by taking the last place in the group for the first time. Italy's rivals in the group stage were the national teams of Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand.
2014 - Germany
Venue: Brazil.
Germany's national team celebrates victory at the 2014 World Cup, photo: Getty Images The German national team began the World Cup with the defeat of Portugal (4: 0), after which they drew with Ghana (2: 2) and beat the USA (1: 0), which allowed them to leave the group from the first place. In the 1/8 finals, Germany barely beat Algeria in extra time (2: 1). In the quarter-finals, Germany beat France 1-0 thanks to a goal from Hummels.
The semi-final was a complete disaster for the Brazilian national team, which played without Neymar and Thiago Silva. Even in the first half, the Germans sent five unanswered goals to the Brazilians' goal, and in the second they added two more. The Brazilians responded to this with only one ball in the 90th minute. The victory of the Germans 7: 1 was the largest in the history of the World Cup playoffs.
In the final with Argentina, Goetze scored the first and only goal in the 113th minute. The German national team became the first European country to win the World Cup in America. It was also the first victory of a united Germany at the World Cup.
2018 - France
Location: Russia.
The French national team celebrates the victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, photo: fifa.com France had a hard start in the group stage, beating Australia 2-1 with penalties and an own goal. In the second match against Peru, the French won 1: 0, and the last group stage match with the Danes was one of the most boring in the championship, it ended with a score of 0: 0, which suited both teams.
The 2018 World Cup was the first to be held in Eastern Europe. It was also the first World Cup to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
In the 1/8 finals, France lost to Argentina in the course of the match 1: 2, but Pavar's gorgeous ball returned the French to the game, which ended in their favor (4: 3).
Benjamin Pavar's goal against Argentina:
In the quarter-finals, the French beat Uruguay (2: 0) thanks to goals from Varana and Griezmann. In the semifinals, France passed Belgium (1: 0). In the final, the French met with the Croatian national team. The match ended with a score of 4: 2, and the French became world champions for the second time.
At the 2018 World Cup, the teams set a new record for the number of penalties. The penalty spot rose from 18 to 29 for the entire championship. Such a leap was due to the VAR: the judges began to review the dynamic moments in the penalty area and more often awarded penalties.
All FIFA World Cup winners
February 29, 2020, in, a welterweight bout will take place between two professional American boxers: Jesse Vargas and Mikey Garcia.We tell where will it take place, what time will it start and where to watch boxing Garcia - Vargas February 29 (March 1) 2020.
The meeting of the fighters will be final during the boxing evening, which will be held at the "Ford Center" with a capacity of 12 thousand spectators, which is part of the Zvezda complex ( Ford Center at The Star) located in Frisco, Texas (USA).
What time will boxing Garcia - Vargas begin:
The nine-fight event is set to kick off at 6:00 pm ET on February 29, 2020, which corresponds to 02:00 am ET on March 1, 2020.
Most Anticipated Boxing the fight Garcia - Vargas will begin at approximately 7 am "Moscow time" on March 1, 2020 (Sunday morning), after the completion of 8 previous bouts.
By the way, in the second fight of the evening (out of nine) Uzbek boxer Israil Madrimov will compete against Charlie Navarro. Also, the tournament was originally planned to fight Russian Murat Gassiev against Jerry Forrest, which was later canceled.
Where to watch the fight Garcia - Vargas on February 29 (March 1) 2020:
Live meeting Garcia - Vargas will show "First channel... The beginning of the direct connection from the "Ford Center" - 06:55 Moscow time.And on the website of the "First" channel, the fight can be watched online and in recording.
Since ancient times, various beliefs and traditions have been associated with leap years. Today we will talk about what a woman can ask a man on a leap day on February 29, but he has no right to refuse.
There is an old European custom, according to which once every four years - February 29 - a woman can ask for a hand (propose to marry her) from a man, and not vice versa. AND at the same time, a man has no right to just refuse from this offer - he must either agree or "pay off" (pay a "fine" for refusal). In monetary terms, the "penalty" is equal to the cost of 12 pairs of gloves. It is believed that this is how many pairs of gloves a woman will need to hide the absence of a wedding ring until the next leap day.
This tradition originated in Ireland in the 4th century AD, when Saint Patrick, who spread Christianity in the country, allowed women to make marriage proposals to men once every four years. This was done in order to "balance" the roles of men and women in society, just as the leap day on February 29 balances the calendar.
In the Middle Ages, in a number of European countries, this rule was even approved at the legislative level. For example, in the 13th century in Scotland, when young knights died en masse in battles and many girls could not find a mate, a law was passed according to which a woman could propose to a man on February 29, and if he refused, he was obliged to pay a fine ... Similar laws were passed at different times in England, Denmark and other countries.
And even in Russia there was a similar tradition.... Only for "our" girls the opportunity to call a loved one into husbands worked for more than one day, but throughout the entire leap year. The leap year was called the "year of the bride", while matchmakers could not be sent to the girls, because they themselves chose their future husbands. Since then, in Russia, a leap year has been considered unsuccessful for a wedding, since men did not have the opportunity to choose their own bride.
The FIFA World Cup is an international sports tournament held under the auspices of FIFA, in which the best national teams on the planet compete. , and since then the competition has been held every 4 years (in 1942 and 1946 the tournament was not held due to the events of World War II).
The winner of the first World Cup was Uruguay, who beat Argentina 4-2 in the final game at Estadio Centenario. In total, 13 teams took part in the debut World Cup: 7 from South America, 4 from Europe and two from North and Central America. Since then, another 20 "world championships" have taken place.
Table of all world football champions by year
| Year | Tournament host | Winner | Check | Runners-up |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Uruguay | 4-2 | Argentina |
| 1934 | Italy | Italy | 2-1 (extra time) | Czechoslovakia |
| 1938 | France | Italy | 4-2 | Hungary |
| 1950 | Brazil | Uruguay | 2-1 | Brazil |
| 1954 | Switzerland | West Germany | 3-2 | Hungary |
| 1958 | Sweden | Brazil | 5-2 | Sweden |
| 1962 | Chile | Brazil | 3-1 | Czechoslovakia |
| 1966 | England | England | 4-2 (extra time) | West Germany |
| 1970 | Mexico | Brazil | 4-1 | Italy |
| 1974 | West Germany | West Germany | 2-1 | Netherlands |
| 1978 | Argentina | Argentina | 3-1 (extra time) | Netherlands |
| 1982 | Spain | Italy | 3-1 | West Germany |
| 1986 | Mexico | Argentina | 3-2 | West Germany |
| 1990 | Italy | West Germany | 1-0 | Argentina |
| 1994 | USA | Brazil | 0-0 (3-2 penalty shootout) | Italy |
| 1998 | France | France | 3-0 | Brazil |
| 2002 | Japan and South Korea | Brazil | 2-0 | Germany |
| 2006 | Germany | Italy | 1-1 (5-3 penalty shootout) | France |
| 2010 | South Africa | Spain | 1-0 (extra time) | Netherlands |
| 2014 | Brazil | Germany | 1-0 (extra time) | Argentina |
| 2018 | Russia | France | 4:2 | Croatia |
In the entire history, only 8 national teams have won the World Cup. The most titled country of the World Cup is Brazil, which won the world football championship 5 times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). The current world champion is the French national team, which in the final match of the 2018 World Cup defeated the Croats with a score of 4: 2.
Below is a table of winners by country:
Note: Germany became world champion three times as West Germany (1954, 1974 and 1990).
Some interesting facts about the FIFA World Cup
According to the current format, 32 national teams are participants in the final part of the World Cup. As mentioned above, 13 teams competed in the first World Cup. From 1934 to 1978 - 16. In 1982, the number of participants was increased to 24 teams.
The current operating format consists of 32 teams. It was first presented at the 1998 World Cup in France. In 2026, 48 teams will take part in the World Cup final.
The top scorer in the history of the World Championships is Germany's forward Miroslav Klose. On account of his 16 goals scored. In second place is the Brazilian Ronaldo with 15 goals. A full list of the best World Cup goalscorers can be viewed.
The record holder for the number of matches played at the World Cup is the German national team midfielder Lothar Matthäus (25 games). Matthäus is behind his compatriot Miroslav Klose (24 games). The Italian national team legend Paulo Maldini closes the top three (23 games).
