#WORLD CUP SOCCER HISTORY# 
-------------------------- 

The concept of a World Cup Soccer Championship was conceived 
by two Frenchmen, Jules Rimet, the president of FIFA, and Henri
Delaunay, its General Secretary. 

Following the 1928 Olympics, it was decided that the World Cup
Finals would be staged every four years between the Olympics.
The choice of venues roated between Europe and South America.
The 2002 tournament will be the first held outside those
continents in Japan/South Korea. The original FIFA Trophy
was named the Jules Rimet Cup, after its president. There have
been 16 World Cup Tournaments played between 1930-1998. 

1930 Uruguay 
Champion -- Uruguay 
------------------- 
The inaugural World Cup Tournament was held in Uruguay and
featured 13 nations, including seven from South America.
European nations objected heavily after being overlooked 
as hosts and did not enter any of its main powers. The two
semifinal matches featured Argentina against the United States
and Uruguay against Yugoslavia. Argentina and Uruguay humiliated
their opponents, winning by identical scores of 6-1 and setting
up a South American final. At the Centenario Stadium in
Montevideo, Uruguay took the lead after 10 minutes on a goal 
by Pablo Dorado before Peucelle and Guillermo Stabile gave
Argentina a 2-1 lead going into intermission. In the second
half, Uruguay dazzled the 80,000 spectators with goals from
Pedro Cea, Santos Iriarte and Manco Castroto to defeat
Argentina, 4-2, and win the first-ever World Cup. Guillermo
Stabile of Argentina was the tournament's leading scorer with
eight goals. 

1934 Italy 
Champion -- Italy 
----------------- 
In its second edition, the World Cup had become a worldwide
event. Thirty-two of FIFA's 50 affiliated member nations took
part in the qualification rounds, with 16 gaining berths to the
Finals.  In the semis, Italy defeated Austria's famed
"Wunderteam", 1-0, and Czechoslovakia downed Germany, 3-1. In
the Finals in Rome, Laslo Puc gave the Czechs an early one goal
lead but Raimondo Orsi scored with eight minutes left to send
the match into overtime. Angelo Schiavo's goal nine minutes into
overtime gave Italy and Europe its first World Cup title. 
Czechoslovakia's Oldrich Nejedly was the tournament's leading
scorer with five goals and Schiavo was second with four. 

1938 France 
Champion -- Italy 
----------------- 
For the first time ever, the host nation France and defending
champion Italy were automatic entrants into the Finals. Italy
went into the tournament as the heavy favorite after winning
both the World and Olympic championships.  At the Prince's Park
Stadium in Paris, Italy got two goals each from Gino Colaussi
and Silvio Piola to record a 4-2 triumph over Hungary in the
Finals and retain the World Cup. Italy's head coach, Vittorio
Pozzo, is revered as a master innovator of tactics and his team
is lauded for its unselfish play. The tournament's leading
scorer was Leonidas da Silva of Brazil, who had seven goals. 

1950 Brazil 
Champion -- Uruguay 
------------------- 
After a 12-year interruption following World War II, the Finals
went back to South America. Brazil was awarded the reopening of
the competition and built a new 200,000-seat stadium in Rio de
Janiero called Maracana. Brazil entered the tournament as the
heavy favorite.  For the first time ever, the four British
Federations participated in the qualifiers, with England being
the lone representative to advance to the Finals.  The greatest
upset in international soccer history took place in the opening
round.  The United States, on a goal by Larry Gaetjens, scored a
shocking 1-0 victory over England.  Brazil, which played
magnificently throughout the opening round, went into the Final
needing only a draw in the round robin tournament to win the
title.  However, Uruguay, playing a European brand of soccer,
got second half goals from Juan Jose Schiaffino and Alcide
Ghiggia to defeat their South American rivals, 2-1, and reclaim
the World Cup title.  Ademir of Brazil was the leading scorer
with nine goals.  Brazil's head coach, Flavio Costa, had to be
hidden by police to avoid the fans' vengeance. 

1954 Switzerland 
Champion -- West Germany
------------------------ 
The fifth edition of FIFA's World Cup witnessed the beginning of
live television broadcasting of matches.  FIFA had now reached a
membership of 80 affiliated nations of which 36 participated in
the preliminary rounds. Hungary's "Magnificent Magyars" were
considered the finest team of its time. However, it was West
Germany, rebounding from a stinging 8-3 opening round loss to
Hungary, which would emerge as World Cup champion. Ferenc Puskas
and Zoltan Csibor gave Hungary an early two goal lead before Max
Morlock and Helmut Rahn produced goals in an eight-minute span
to tie the score at 2-2.  With five minutes remaining, Rahn
scored the winner, giving West Germany a 3-2 victory and its
first World Cup title.  Hungarian soccer has still not never
recovered from the devastating defeat.  Sandor Kocsis of Hungary
had 11 goals to lead all players.  His mark is the second best
of all-time. 

1958 Sweden 
Champion -- Brazil 
------------------ 
A new era began in World Cup soccer as 17-year-old Edson Arantes
de Nascimento, who played under the name Pele, burst onto the
world scene to lead Brazil to its first World Cup triumph. In
the Final, Brazil defeated host nation Sweden, 5-2, with Pele
and Vava scoring two goals apiece.  Brazil, led by the trio of
Pele, Didi and Garricha, is generally considered as the greatest
team ever to take part in World Cup competition. Just Fontaine
of France was the tournament's leading scorer with 13 goals, a
record that still stands. Pele had six goals. 

1962 Chile 
Champion -- Brazil 
------------------ 
After a 12-year abscence, the World Cup returned to South
America with Chile as the host.  In a World Cup Tournament which
saw tight defensive play, Brazil went on to win its second
straight title.  Pele was injured in the opening round against
Mexico and had to sit out the Final against Czechoslovakia.
Josef Masopust gave Czechoslovakia an early lead but goals by
Amarildo, Zito and Vava lifted the superb Brazilians to a 3-1
victory and their second straight World Cup crown.  Brazil
joined Italy as the only two nations to repeat as champions. 
Garricha and Vava were among five other players to score four
goals apiece. 

1966 England 
Champion -- England 
------------------- 
In the Final, England scored a hard-fought 4-2 overtime victory
over West Germany at Wembley Stadium, with Geoff Hurst scoring
the first-ever World Cup Final hat trick.  However, the dramatic
match was marred by controversy.  With the score tied at 2-2 in
overtime, Hurst blasted a shot against the underside of the
crossbar sending the ball bouncing along the goalline. Germany's
defense cleared the ball away for a corner kick.  The referee
after consulting with the linesman, ruled it a goal, giving
England its first and only World Cup Trophy. Years later, the
German weekly Kicker recontructed the sequence with photographs
showing that the shot in dispute should not have been ruled a
goal.  Portugal and West Germany presented to the world two of
the greatest players ever to appear in the Finals. The brilliant
Eusebio scored nine goals as the tournament's leading scorer,
helping Portugal to a third place finish.  West Germany showed
off its young genius, Franz Beckenbauer. 

1970 Mexico 
Champion -- Brazil 
------------------ 
Considered by many to be the greatest World Cup competition
ever, the Final was a classic matchup of South America's Brazil
against Europe's Italy.  Brazil cruised into the Finals going
5-0-0.  Italy defeated West Germany, 4-3, in overtime in the
semifinals.  In the epic Final, Brazil won, 4-1.  Pele, Gerson
and Jairzinho scored but it was Carlos Alberto's magnificent
goal from the top of the box that sealed it for Brazil.  Brazil
had become the first three-time World Cup champion and retired
the Jules Rimet Cup.  It would be Pele's last international
match and he became the only player to be crowned three-time
champion. Gerd Muller, "Der Bomber" of West Germany, led all
scorers with nine goals. 

1974 West Germany 
Champion -- West Germany
------------------------ 
The 1974 World Cup saw FIFA elect its new president,
Brazilian-born Joao Havelange. Two of the most talented teams
ever assembled reached the Finals. Holland was led by the top
performer of the 1970s, Johan Cruyff, and West Germany had its
elegant sweeper, Franz Beckenbauer. Holland and West Germany met
in the Final at the Munich Olympic Stadium. After an exchange of
penalty kick goals by Johan Neeskens of Holland and Paul
Breitner of West Germany, Gerd Muller struck with two minutes
remaining in the half from short range to give West Germany a
2-1 triumph and its second World Cup Title.  Poland's Grzegorz
Lato was the leading scorer with seven goals. 

1978 Argentina 
Champion -- Argentina 
--------------------- 
Once again, Holland would reach the Final and would fall short
of becoming World Cup champion.  After 90 minutes of play, the
teams were tied at 1-1.  In overtime, Mario Kempes scored his
second goal of the game, to put Argentina ahead.  Daniel Bertoni
sealed the victory with six minutes left as he scored to give
Argentina a 3-1 win and its first-ever World Cup.  Kempes had
six goals in the competition to become the first player to be a
world champion and the top scorer in the same tournament. 

1982 Spain 
Champion -- Italy 
----------------- 
The Finals had now modified to a foramt of 24 teams.  A single
name graced the world in 1982, Paolo Rossi. In the 1978 Finals,
the Argentine press dubbed him "Pablito Mundial" for his fine
all-around play.  In Spain, he was known as the Golden Boy.
Rossi led Italy to its third World Cup title by scoring three
goals in a dramatic 3-2 second round victory over heavily
favored Brazil. In the semis, Italy defeated Poland, 2-0, with
both goals coming from Rossi.  In the Final in fron of 90,000
spectators in the stands of the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid,
Italy defeated West Germany, 3-1.  Rossi, Marco Tardelli and
Alessandro Altobelli scored second half goals.  At 40 years of
age, Italy's Dino Zoff became the oldest player to win the World
Cup.  Rossi led all scorers with six goals for the tournament.
Italy joined Brazil as the only three-time champions.  The Final
was watched on television by 2.5 billion fans. 

1986 Mexico 
Champion -- Argentina 
--------------------- 
Superstar Diego Maradona led Argentina to its second World Cup
title with a dramatic 3-2 win over West Germany.  With West
Germany trailing, 2-0, Karl Heinz Rummenigge and Rudi Voeller
scored in an eight-minute span to tie the game.  However, with
six minutes left, Jose Burruchaga received a brilliant pass from
Maradona and scored Argentina's winning goal for a 3-2 win. 
Maradona was crowned world champion in the same Aztec Stadium
where Pele played his last international match.  The tournament
was remembered for Argentina's 2-1 victory over England in the
second round.  Maradona scored both goals and the first one went
down in history as the "Hand of God" goal. Maradona, looking to
reach up to a cross in the box, jumped past England's goalkeeper
Peter Shilton and punched in the match's first goal with his
left hand.  Gary Lineker of England was the top scorer with six
goals. 

1990 Italy 
Champion -- Germany 
------------------- 
A penalty kick goal by Andreas Brehme produced the only score
and was the margin of victory for Germany.  The Germans won
their third World Cup Championship and set a record for being 
a finalist six times.  Argentina played without four of its 
key players who accumulated red cards in the semifinals against 
Italy.  The United States made its first appearance in the Finals 
since 1950 and lost all three of its first round matches.  The 
52 games set an all-time attendance record of 2,510,686 spectators.
Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci became the hero of the tournament, 
scoring six goals in leading Italy to a third place finish. 

1994 USA 
Champion -- Brazil
------------------
Brazil became the first four-time champion in World Cup history,
defeating Italy in the first-ever World Cup final decided by
penalty kicks.  After a scoreless tie in regulation and
overtime, Brazil won on penalty kicks, 3-2, as Roberto Baggio
sent Italy's final shot over the crossbar.  Brazilian striker
Romario earned the "Golden Ball Award" as the tournament's Most
Valuable Player and Russia's Oleg Salenko and Bulgaria's Hristo
Stoichkov shared scoring honors with six goals each.  Salenko
set a single-game World Cup record with five goals in an
opening-round win over Cameroon.  Bulgaria knocked off Argentina
and Germany before losing to Sweden in the third-place game. 
The United States upset Colombia in the opening round and
advanced to the second round for the first time in 44 years
before losing to Brazil, 1-0.  Colombian defender Andres
Escobar, whose "own goal" contributed to his country's loss to
the United States and early dismisal, was later murdered in
Medellin, Colombia.  Argentine superstar Diego Maradona returned
to international play and was expelled from the World Cup after
two games for testing positive for banned substances.  The
52-game attendance of 3,567,415 shattered the all-time record
set just four years earlier in Italy. 

1998 France 
Champion -- France
------------------
Two first-half goals by midfield maestro Zinedine Zidane and a 
late Emmanuel Petit marker gave France a resounding 3-0 victory
over four-time champion Brazil at the state-of-the-art Stade de
France stadium in Paris.  Zidane was by far the best player in
the tournament as France went 7-0 to win its first World Cup
trophy.  France was the first host to win the World Cup on home
soil since Argentina 20 years earlier in 1978.  It was the eighth
final contested between European and South American nations.  
Brazil played in five, winning four.  The final did not start
without some controversy when Brazilian striker Ronaldo was 
initially not on the starting lineup but was put on prior to 
the match.  He was not a factor in the game.

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