The World Cup is the most prestigious competition in football.
It takes place every four years to senior international teams, with modern tournaments being made up of 32 teams from across the world, although this number is set to increase for the 2026 World Cup.
Traditionally, it takes place in the summer at the end of the majority of club seasons, although the 2022 edition was held in the winter months due to concerns over the summer temperature in chosen host nation Qatar.
The first edition took place in 1930, the brainchild of FIFA president Jules Rimet in order to have a football tournament which could compete with the Olympic Games.
It took place in Uruguay and featured 13 nations from across the globe, with the host nation winning by defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final.
For the following edition, a qualifying process was implemented and the honour of hosting was moved to Europe, with Italy both hosting and winning a tournament of increased numbers and popularity – 16 countries competing for glory.
Italy became the first nation to successfully defend the World Cup when they won again in 1938 in France before the competition took a 12-year hiatus as a result of World War II.
Following the war, the tournament returned to South America in 1950 and in the only edition to date which featured a league phase as opposed to a traditional final, Uruguay again came out on top with the biggest shock in what amounted to a de-facto final as they defeated hosts Brazil.
However, the Seleçao did triumph in 1958, inspired by teenage talent Pelé, for the first of five triumphs – which to this date are more than any other country.
Among the other nations to claim World Cup glory are England, France, Spain and Argentina.
Breaking with the traditional one host nation format, 2002 saw the introduction of a co-host edition in which Japan and South Korea welcomed the world’s best for a tournament which saw Brazil come out on top.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted across three nations (USA, Canada and Mexico) and will be the largest to date, with 48 teams from six confederations competing.