Soccer and the FIFA World Cup

By: Señora Kerr, 2007

 History of Soccer

• Soccer is a sport that many cultures have

played throughout history.
• Different forms of soccer have been played
around the globe for centuries.
Early forms of Soccer
• The earliest form of soccer can
be traced back to the 2nd and
3rd centuries B.C. in China.
• Another form of soccer also
came from Japan.
• The Greeks and Romans also
played forms of soccer.
 Soccer’s Voyage to England

• Historians propose that the

Romans took a form of soccer
with them to England.
• In England, through many years,
soccer transformed into the game
we know today.
• It slowly began to spread in
popularity all throughout Europe
and into South America.
The Creation Process…

• Different organizations were made to hold

national and international soccer
tournaments.
• Of these organizations, the FIFA was formed
and began recruiting more and more
countries to be part of their association.
• Without a doubt, the FIFA became the most
successful soccer association, and still is to
this day!
 FIFA…
• FIFA…..What does it mean?
• Fédération Internationale de Football
Association - French
• International Federation of Association
Football - English
 FIFA…a little more

• FIFA…What is it?
• FIFA is an international association of soccer
that currently oversees many international
soccer tournaments, most notably, the World
Cup.
• FIFA is currently the largest sport governing
body association and the second largest
international organization in the world.
International Soccer begins…

• Before the formation of the FIFA, the first ever

international soccer match was played in England and
Scotland in 1872. Soccer, at that time was a ‘stage
sport’ and was not normally seen outside of Great
Britian. As soccer began to spread in popularity, an
organization called FIFA began in 1904. This
association was comprised of 7 European countries.
 Off to a slow start…
• At first, FIFA was very unsuccessful at advancing
the popularity of soccer internationally. People did
not take soccer seriously because it was not
viewed as a competitive sport, like the many
others. It actually took them 26 years to come up
with a plan for their first international tournament,
which we know now as the World Cup.
Soccer at the Olympics
• Before the World Cup competition was created,
soccer was held as a demonstration sport at the
Olympics in 1900, 1904 and the Summer Olympics
in 1906. In 1908, soccer finally became an official
competition at the Olympics. It was considered by
the majority a ‘show’ instead of a real sport.
England won the soccer event in both 1908 and
1912.
 Unpopular with the Gringos…

• In the early 1900s, soccer was becoming a

little more popular around the world, except
in the United States. Because of the
unpopularity of soccer in the U.S.A., the
decision was made to eliminate soccer from
the 1932 Olympics.
• Because of this decision, FIFA decided it
was time to make a move. The organization
then made a decision that would change the
future of soccer worldwide.
 Decisions, Decisions
• It was 1930 when FIFA decided to try
and change the role soccer played on
the world. From the very beginning of
the association, the president of FIFA
at the time, Jules Rimet, wanted
soccer to be more than just a fun
sport viewed at the Olympics. He
wanted the world to view soccer as a
competitive sport, full of excitement
and pleasure.
• The members of the FIFA organized
an international soccer competition
called the World Cup that would hold
it’s first competition in Uruguay.
 World Cup
• From the very first
competition in
Uruguay, the
World Cup has
grown in popularity
and prestige.
Today, the World
Cup holds the
entire world under
it’s ‘spell.’
 FIFA
• The FIFA World Cup consists of men’s
national soccer teams belonging to the FIFA
organization.
World Cup Championships

• The championship
has been held every
4 years since the first
tournament in 1930
excluding the years
1942 and 1946, due
to World War II.
 Talk about Popular…

• No other sporting event

captures the world’s attention
like the World Cup.
• The World Cup Finals, is the
most widely-viewed sporting
event in the world, with an
estimated 1.1 billion people
watching the tournament in
2002.
 World Cup in France

• In France’s 1998
tournament, 37 billion
viewers watched and
2.7 million flocked to
watch the 64 matches
held there.
 The Process…

• The manner in which FIFA determines which

national teams will compete in the
tournament is quite complicated.
• Only 32 national teams compete in the World
Cup tournament.
• To determine the participating teams, there
are qualifying rounds that each nation must
compete in. The qualification process takes
about 3 years and they normally begin soon
after the Finals have taken place.
 The Process…

• The whole competition takes approximately

a month from start to finish and takes place
in the host nation or nations.
 Victorious Brazil

• There have been 18

tournaments in all and
only 7 nations have
won the title!
• Brazil has the most
successful World Cup
team, having 5 wins
under their belt!
 Cup Holders…

• The current cup holders,

Italy, have won the
competition 4 times and
Germany has won it 3
times.
• Uruguay has won one title
and Argentina, two titles.
• England and France both
have one title.
 U.S.A.
• Guess what? The United States has never
won! Poor Gringos!
 2006 World Cup
• The most recent World Cup
Finals were held from June
9th and July 9th in 2006. The
host nation was Germany,
and as mentioned earlier,
Italy won the title. They
competed against France in
the Finals. The competition
was won by a penalty
shootout 5-3 after the match
finished with a score of 1-1.
 World Cup-2010

• The next World Cup will be held in South

Africa in 2010.
World Cup for Women!!

• Since 1991, FIFA has

organized a World Cup
for women, known as
the FIFA Women’s
World Cup. They also
play every 4 years and
the process of
qualification is much
the same as the men’s.
 FIFA today…
• After all these years,
and many changes the
FIFA has seen, the
main focus of the FIFA
World Cup remains the
same…the glistening
golden trophy, which is
the embodiment of
every footballer’s
dream.