World Cup, international soccer tournament held every four years, considered the most popular sporting event in the world and the pinnacle of international soccer competition. The World Cup is followed with passionate interest around the globe—the final game of the 1994 tournament was played to a television audience of more than 1 billion viewers. Founded in 1930 with just 13 teams, the tournament now attracts entries from more than 140 countries. These are all-star, professional teams composed of 22 players each. The teams must participate in elimination games within their own continents before qualifying to become one of the 32 nations participating in the final competition.

In 1904 representatives from seven European soccer associations (France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) organized a governing body for the sport, called the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). At that first meeting, FIFA planned to organize a world championship, but 26 years passed before conditions were suitable. Among other considerations, FIFA determined that the level of play was sufficient outside of Europe to support a world championship. In addition, professional leagues had evolved so that the Olympic Games, then restricted to amateur athletes, no longer represented the highest level of competition in the world.

In 1930 the first World Cup tournament was held in Uruguay. It was won by the host nation with a victory over Argentina in the final. Despite being shunned by the stronger European nations, the tournament was a financial success and excited international interest.

By this time, the major European countries had become interested - except for the British Isles. England, Scotland, and Wales, which field separate national soccer teams, were not members of FIFA and refused to take part in the World Cup. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's fascist regime gained popularity by organizing the 1934 tournament in Italy, which the host nation won. The World Cup proved so popular that 36 nations entered the 1938 tournament, and preliminary elimination games were played to decide the 16 finalists. France hosted the 1938 tournament, and Italy repeated as champion.

World War II (1939-1945) brought a halt to most international sporting activities, and the World Cup was not played again until 1950, in Brazil. England entered for the first time, but suffered the humiliation of losing 1 - 0 to the United States, and was eliminated in the first round. Uruguay again won the tournament, beating Brazil in the final. West Germany won the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, beating the heavily - favored Hungarians who, until the final game, had been undefeated in international competition for four years.

By 1958 the world had become aware of the Brazilian team's technical abilities. The Brazilians displayed an ease with the soccer ball that the Europeans could not match. Although Brazil had qualified for every World Cup thus far, the country had yet to win. The Brazilians finally lived up to their potential at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, when they dazzled the competition and won the championship. The team's star was an astonishing 17-year-old, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who was known worldwide by his nickname, Pelé. He went on to dominate world soccer for the next 12 years. Brazil won again at the 1962 tournament in Chile, even with an injured Pelé sitting on the sidelines for much of the event.

In 1966 the World Cup was played in the sport's birthplace, when England hosted the event. England won the tournament, beating West Germany in an overtime final. The World Cup moved to Mexico in 1970. This was an era in which soccer - particularly in Europe - became increasingly defense-oriented. The Italians had developed a system of play called catenaccio, which featured a packed defense and relied on sudden counterattacks to score goals. However, they were comprehensively outplayed in the final by the more offense-minded Brazilians, who were led by the 29-year-old Pelé. With that victory, Brazil became the first team to win the trophy three times.

The Dutch rose to prominence in the 1970s when they developed a style known as Total Soccer, in which every player was required to be capable of attacking or defending as the occasion demanded. Led by captain and star Johann Cruyff, the Dutch played West Germany, the tournament host, in the 1974 final. The Germans, led by the renowned Franz Beckenbauer, won the game and became the new world champions. The Dutch again reached the final in 1978, and again they lost to the host team, falling to Argentina in the overtime final.

By 1982 the World Cup had become so popular that the number of finalists was increased from 16 to 24. The tournament was played in Spain, and Italy defeated West Germany in the final game to win the championship.

In 1986 Mexico became the first country to stage the World Cup twice. Argentina won the championship, largely on the strength of a masterful performance from the team's captain, Diego Maradona. The first of Maradona's two goals in Argentina's win over England became infamous when television replays revealed that he had punched the ball in with his hand; he later attributed the goal to divine intervention, claiming that "the hand of God" had scored the goal. Four minutes later Maradona dribbled half the length of the field to score one of the greatest goals in World Cup history. In the final, Argentina defeated West Germany, coached by its former star player, Beckenbauer.

West Germany had its revenge at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final. The low-scoring final characterized a disappointing tournament that had produced an average of only 2.2 goals per game, the lowest number in World Cup history.

FIFA scheduled the 1994 World Cup in the United States, hoping to increase the popularity of soccer in the one major country where it did not enjoy leading status. It proved a highly successful event, featuring capacity crowds at nine stadiums. For the first time in history, the final went to a penalty-kick shoot-out, in which Brazil became the first four-time World Cup champion with a victory over Italy. The 1998 World Cup will be held in France. The 2002 World Cup was awarded jointly to Japan and South Korea, the first time the World Cup will ever have been shared by two nations.

Brazil Wins Third World Cup

The 1970 World Cup held in Mexico was one of the most thrilling in the event's 40-year history. The tournament was won by the Brazilians, though not without brilliant plays by the English, the Uruguayans, and the Italians.

Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) and fellow Brazilian stars Gerson (Gerson de Oliveira Nunes), Jairzinho (Jair Ventura Filho), and Tostao (Eduardo Goncalves de Andrade) performed with such seamless unity that many observers suspected they were communicating telepathically. The Brazilians steamrolled to the world title undefeated, vanquishing their six opponents by a combined score of 19-6.

In the club's first-round match against Czechoslovakia on June 3, Pelé uncorked a 60-yard shot that caught goalie Ivo Viktor completely off guard and skidded just inches wide of the mark. The "Black Pearl" found the net once later that night, but it was right winger Jairzinho who starred with two second-half goals. Brazil crushed the Czechs, 4-1.

Four days later, June 7, Brazil took on England, the defending Cup champion. The English team was attracting off-field controversy. Mexican officials, fearing the importation of hoof-and-mouth disease, destroyed the English team's private cache of bacon, sausages, and other perishable foodstuffs. Reportedly, English team members found the Mexican salchicha sausages too spicy for their liking. Meanwhile, locals were offended when they learned that the English had packed their own bottled water.

When the business finally turned to soccer, English goalie Gordon Banks authored the great performance. During the first half, Jairzinho cross-passed to Pelé, who headed the one-hopper toward the left side of the net. Banks, who was positioned near the opposite post, flung his body several yards to his left, stabbed one hand into the air, and batted the ball over the crossbar out of harm's way. Most likely, neither Pelé nor the 70,000 people in the stands had ever witnessed such a remarkable save.

Two Gordon Bankses, however, were needed to stop a scoring drive hatched in the 59th minute by the slick trio of Tostao, Jairzinho, and Pelé. Tostao, brilliantly dribbling downfield, evaded three defenders as he approached England's goal. "I didn't see Pelé while I was dribbling," Tostao told Sports Illustrated after the game, "but I knew where he would be because every time I go to my left he covers the center. I wasn't wrong." Without a peek, he tapped the ball to Pelé who was directly in front of the goal. Like a magician, Pelé feigned a shot that froze Banks in his tracks. Then O Rei Pelé—King Pelé—nudged the ball to Jairzinho, who sent a rocket past the diving Banks. "It's marvelous playing beside men like Pelé and Tostao," Jairzinho said later to a Sports Illustrated reporter. "They can be off for most of a game, then have an instant of genius—which is enough."

Brazil clung to a 1-0 victory, despite playing without Gerson, who was nursing a strained thigh. The loss was England's first in Cup competition since 1962. England's coach, Sir Alf Ramsey, was less than gracious in defeat. "The best team did not win today," he said, according to Sports Illustrated. "Brazil was a very good team in an even match. They took their one chance and we failed in ours."

Three days later, on June 10, Brazil edged Romania, 3-2, behind two goals by Pelé and one by Jairzinho. The victory put Brazil in the second round, something the team had failed to accomplish four years earlier in England. Thus, three quarterfinalists were vying to become the Cup's first three-time winner, including Italy (with wins in 1934 and 1938) and Uruguay (1930 and 1950).

Tostao's two goals keyed Brazil's 4-2 victory over Peru on June 14. Jairzinho and forward Roberto Rivelino each registered a goal. Teofilo "Nene" Cubillas, considered the finest player Peru had ever produced, scored one goal to bring his tournament total to five.

Playing their fifth consecutive game at Guadalajara's Jalisco Stadium, the Brazilians faced Uruguay in the semifinals on June 17. Uruguay struck first, capitalizing on a blunder by goalie Felix (Miéli Venerand Felix). Brazil equalized just before the half when midfielder Clodoaldo (Tavares Santana Clodoaldo) took a pass from Tostao and drove it home. It was all Brazil in the second half. Pelé constructed two late-game scores within 13 minutes, feeding Jairzinho and then Rivelino. The 3-2 victory avenged Brazil's loss to 10-to-1 underdog Uruguay in the 1950 finals, a match witnessed by 200,000 highly partisan fans at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Meanwhile, Italy reached the finals with a 4-3 win over West Germany in a thrilling game that featured five overtime goals.

Some 110,000 people jammed into Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 21 to watch Brazil and Italy play for the world championship of soccer. Nearly a billion people watched the game on television.

The Italians, quick and loose, looked sharp as the game unfolded. Brazil, with more of a wait-and-see offensive approach, seemed disorganized. Gerson, left relatively unguarded by the Italians due to his leg injury, gradually began to take control of midfield. Making matters easier for Gerson was Italian coach Ferruccio Valcareggi's decision, based on personal reasons, to bench star midfielder Gianni Rivera.

Gerson's playmaking shredded Italy's famed defense. In the 18th minute Rivelino delivered a pretty crossing pass that Pelé headed past goalie Enrico Albertosi for Brazil's 100th World Cup goal. The goal also made Pelé only the second player in Cup history to score at least one goal in two final matches; the first to do so was former teammate Vavá (Edwaldo Izídio Neto Vavá) in 1958 and 1962.

A rare defensive lapse by the Brazilians led to a game-tying goal by Roberto Boninsegna in the 37th minute. About eight minutes later, Pelé rifled a shot into Italy's net. It came moments after the halftime whistle.

Gerson, infamous for his chain-smoking and aversion to training, continued his stellar play in the second half. In the 65th minute the stocky midfielder began a crafty give-and-go play with Everaldo and Jairzinho that climaxed with Gerson spanking the ball past Albertosi. Five minutes later Gerson lofted a long pass to Pelé near the goal mouth. After another of his trademark fakes, Pelé dumped the ball to Jairzinho for an easy goal. It was his seventh in six games. With his team up 3-1, captain Carlos Alberto wanted a piece of the action. With four minutes remaining Alberto abandoned his customary defensive position, raced toward Italy's goal, took a quick pass from Pelé, and gunned it into the net. The Brazilians won the championship game, 4-1.

At the final whistle the crowd poured onto the field, hoisting and carrying any Brazilian player it could find. The police could only watch and pray that no one would get hurt.

* Brazil won the game 3-2 in a penalty-kick shoot-out.