For several years, countries have been able to mobilise themselves every after four years in honor of the FIFA World Cup tournament.
The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious soccer competition in the world. Played every four years, the World Cup hosts the top 32 national teams in a monthlong tournament. The host country is selected by FIFA’s Council. The FIFA World Cup 2022, currently took place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18, and happened to be the first winter World Cup ever. It was planned this way so that players could escape the scorching high temperatures in Qatar throughout the summer. The FIFA World Cup is also the first to be contested in the middle of the club football season.
FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), the worldwide governing organization of football, was established in 1904 and organized the competition. The 1920 Olympics in Antwerp featured a football competition that was recognized as an intercontinental competition.The first-ever FIFA World Cup was held in 1930 as a result of this. Because of their 100 years of independence celebration and Olympic gold medals from 1924 and 1928, Uruguay was the gracious host nation. The inaugural FIFA World Cup winners, Uruguay, went on to win the trophy at home after defeating Argentina 4-2 in the championship game.
Moreover, Italy became the first country to successfully defend its championship by winning the following two FIFA World Cups in 1934 and 1938. Uruguay won their second title in 1950 and West Germany won its first FIFA World Cup championship in 1954. Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup five times, making them the most successful team. They are also the only nation to have qualified for each of the FIFA World Cup’s 21 iterations.
In 1966, England went on to claim their first and lone FIFA World Cup trophy. Geoff Hurst of England is the only player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup final as his three goals helped England defeat West Germany 4-2 on a Sunday.
Futhermore, In 1970, Pele and Brazil won their third championship. Pele has won the most World Cups of any player, with three titles. In 2002, Brazil won its final World Cup trophy. Argentina won its second championship in 1986 after first winning it in 1978, propelled by the talent of the late Diego Maradona.In 2022, Argentina won the FIFA World Cup against France with leonel Messi as captain of the team, giving them a total of 3 World Cup trophies.
In 1998, a new champion of the FIFA World Cup emerged when Didier Deschamps’ France defeated Brazil in the championship game to claim their first home victory afterward, France won her second trophy against Croatia in Russia 2018. The only person to win the title both as a player and manager is Didier Deschamps, who managed the French squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup. With 16 goals from 2002 to 2014, German striker Miroslav Klose holds the record for most goals scored in a FIFA World Cup.
By NJU APONGSE ATEH
Journalism III
