History of the World Cup

The Early Years
The 1934 World Cup took place in Italy, and was actually the very first World Cup to feature a qualification stage, only 16 teams qualified for the competition, and this process was repeated right up until the 1982 finals, where the number increased to 32. Uruguay, who had won the trophy in 1930, were still upset about the poor European showing at their hosted finals, and therefore boycotted Italy 1934. Bolivia and Paraguay were absent, which meant that powerhouses Argentina and Brazil were allowed to progress directly to the finals without having to play a single game!

The competition made history as the first African team to compete were included, Egypt, however, they lost to the very strong Hungary in the first round. Not surprisingly, Italy won the competition fairly comfortably, but a scandal hit the football world afterwards. The hosts were said to have won the competition unfairly, and biased officiating took place in the eyes of many. Benito Mussolini was said to have influenced the choice of referees for his country’s matches. In 1938, the tournament was held in Europe, much to the dismay of teams from South America – Uruguay and Argentina boycotted. Only 15 nations competed due to Austria’s involvement in the Anschluss in April 1983, and England declining the free space. France ended up hosting the competition, however it was Italy who retained their title, defeating Hungary in the final. Again, the World Cup made history, as Polish striker Ernest Willimowski became the first place to score four goals in the competition during his team’s 6-5 defeat to Brazil. He record was later equalled by other players, however was only bettered in the 1994 World Cup, some 56 years later.

Everyone will be looking to Spain as favourites, they are the current European champions and have class players such as Torres, Villa and Iniesta. England have the potential to perform well but always seem to snap under the pressure of the big tournaments, despite an impressive qualifying campaign. Or will the trophy finally be going back to South America? Argentina and Brazil always pose a threat and possess some of the greatest players in the world - but can they overcome the might of the Europeans?
Penalty Shootout Games

Totesport online betting odds

Soccer Facts News Clashes in Egypt continue after soccer riot (0:40) - Washington Post Clashes in Egypt continue after soccer riot (0:40) Washington Post Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker. Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area. This commenter is a Washington Post editor, ... and more » Read more... The 10 Super Bowl Commercials That Won in Social Media - AdAge.com PRWeek The 10 Super Bowl Commercials That Won in Social Media AdAge.com Bluefin Labs Data Pits a Metrosexual British Soccer Star Against Clint Eastwood. And the Winner Is ... Earlier this morning we published a post titled "Five Amazing Facts About Social Media and the Super Bowl," featuring data generated by our editorial ... The 10 Super Bowl Commercials That Blew up the Biggest in Social MediaCreativity all 53 news articles » Read more... US Youth Soccer debuts Player Development Model - National Soccer Wire (press release) US Youth Soccer debuts Player Development Model National Soccer Wire (press release) “It will provide not only direction for age appropriate training and matches, but will also give the facts behind the developmental format. I'm confident the Player Development Model will prove to be useful to soccer clubs of every size and level of ... and more » Read more... Clash at Egyptian soccer match leaves scores dead - Washington Post Globe and Mail Clash at Egyptian soccer match leaves scores dead Washington Post At least 74 people were killed and hundreds of others injured after clashes erupted at a soccer match in Port Said, Egypt. The brother of one of the soccer fans killed in clashes at an Egyptian soccer match reads the Koran next to his brother's body at ... Egyptian Soccer Riots Ignite Tahir SquareYahoo! Contributors Network Bleacher Bits: Fans should be accountable for bad behaviorCorning Observer Charlie Adam, Bob Bradley, Artists and Journalists Saddened by Egyptian Soccer ...NESN.com all 6,098 news articles » Read more... Andre Reed's Hall of Fame chances dwindling - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Andre Reed's Hall of Fame chances dwindling Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Cold, Hard Football Facts supplies the best reasons I've seen to understand why Las Vegas over/under for today's game is a fat 54.5 points: Brady and Eli Manning (Giants) combined for 9818 yards passing this regular season. The second-highest total ... and more » Read more...