Every tournament from 1930 to 2022 — the finals, the hosts and the leading scorers.
Twenty-two tournaments in ninety-two years, with a twelve-year gap in the middle where two of them should have been. The World Cup is the most written-about event in the sport and, oddly, one of the easiest to know shallowly — most people can name the winners and almost nobody can name the Golden Boot winners, the host cities, or which nations withdrew before a ball was kicked.
The early tournaments in particular are barely recognisable as the same competition. The first had no qualifying, thirteen entrants and a final watched by a crowd that walked to the ground. Several European nations refused to travel to Uruguay in 1930; four years later the holders refused to travel to Italy. The format has changed at nearly every expansion, and the number of teams has more than tripled.
Finals, hosts, venues and Golden Boots are all below, each traced to its source.
Play the the world cup quizEvery answer below is quoted from the page it came from. Where a claim could not be confirmed against a source, it was left out rather than guessed at.
Uruguay and Argentina argued over whose ball would be used in the first World Cup final. What compromise did FIFA impose?
Argentina's ball was used in the first half, Uruguay's in the second
FIFA intervened with a compromise, that Argentina would provide the ball for the first half, and Uruguay for the second. source
Who finished as top scorer of the 1934 World Cup, and with how many goals?
Oldřich Nejedlý of Czechoslovakia, with five goals
With five goals, Oldřich Nejedlý was the top scorer in the tournament. source
At which ground was the 1938 World Cup final between Italy and Hungary played?
Stade Olympique de Colombes in Colombes
The final match took place at the Stade Olympique de Colombes in Colombes. source
The 1950 tournament had no scheduled one-off final. How was the champion determined?
The winners of the final round-robin group were declared World Cup winners
The winners of the final round were declared winners of the World Cup. source
Who refereed the 1954 World Cup final between West Germany and Hungary?
William Ling of England
the English referee William Ling source
Whom did France beat in the 1958 third-place match, and by what score?
West Germany, by six goals to three
The match for third place saw Fontaine score four more goals as France defeated West Germany 6–3. source
Which Chilean ground staged the 1962 World Cup final between Brazil and Czechoslovakia?
Estadio Nacional in Santiago
The match was held at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, and was contested by Czechoslovakia and Brazil. source
What was the attendance at Wembley for the 1966 World Cup final?
96,924
In addition to an attendance of 96,924 at the stadium, the British television audience peaked at 32.3 million viewers, making it the United Kingdom's most-watched television event ever. source
Who was top scorer at the 1970 World Cup, and with how many goals?
Gerd Müller of West Germany, with 10 goals
With 10 goals, Gerd Müller was the top scorer in the tournament. source
Who finished as top scorer of the 1974 World Cup, and with how many goals?
Grzegorz Lato of Poland, with seven goals
With seven goals, Grzegorz Lato of Poland was the top scorer in the tournament. source
Which Netherlands substitute scored the equaliser in the 1978 World Cup final?
Dick Nanninga, from a cross by René van de Kerkhof
The Dutch eventually equalised the score when van de Kerkhof's cross found substitute Dick Nanninga, who kicked the ball into the goal. source
Which Italy player missed a penalty in the 1982 World Cup final against West Germany?
Antonio Cabrini, who shot low and wide to the right
Antonio Cabrini fired a penalty low and wide to the right of goal source
How many spectators attended the 1986 World Cup final at the Estadio Azteca?
114,600
had an attendance of 114,600 source
Which player became the first ever to be sent off in a World Cup final, in Rome in 1990?
Pedro Monzón of Argentina, for a foul on Jürgen Klinsmann
Pedro Monzón had the distinction of being the first player to be sent off at a FIFA World Cup final, after being shown a straight red card for a reckless studs up challenge on Jürgen Klinsmann source
Who received the Golden Boot at the 1994 World Cup, and with how many goals?
Hristo Stoichkov and Oleg Salenko, with six goals each
Hristo Stoichkov and Oleg Salenko received the Golden Boot for scoring six goals. source
Marcel Desailly was sent off in the 1998 final; how much of the match did France play with ten men?
The last 20 minutes
Belqola showed him a second yellow card, which reduced France to 10 men for the last 20 minutes. source
Who won the Golden Shoe at the 2002 World Cup, and with how many goals?
Ronaldo of Brazil, with eight goals
Ronaldo won the Golden Shoe after scoring eight goals. source
What was the penalty shoot-out score in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin?
Italy won 5–3 after a 1–1 draw
Italy won the World Cup after beating France 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw at the conclusion of extra time source
How many yellow cards were shown in the 2010 World Cup final, and how were they split?
Fourteen — nine to the Netherlands and five to Spain
With fourteen during the match – nine to the Netherlands and five to Spain source
Whose cross did Mario Götze convert for the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final?
André Schürrle's cross from the left
Mario Götze, who had come on as a substitute shortly before the end of normal time, received Schürrle's cross from the left on his chest before volleying a left-footed shot into the net source
Who refereed the 2018 World Cup final between France and Croatia?
Néstor Pitana of Argentina
was refereed by Néstor Pitana from Argentina source
How many spectators attended the 2022 World Cup final at Lusail Stadium?
88,966
The final took place in front of 88,966 spectators source