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Here's a look at the World Cup soccer tournaments. The World Cup is organized by FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Men's and women's tournaments are held every four years.
July 20-August 20, 2023 – The Women's World Cup takes place in Australia and New Zealand. Spain beats England 1-0 and wins its first Women's World Cup.
November 20 to December 18, 2022 – The men's World Cup takes place in Qatar. Argentina beats France in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw to win its third World Cup.
June 7 to July 7, 2019 – The Women's World Cup takes place in France. The United States defeats the Netherlands 2-0 to become the only country to win four Women's World Cup championships.
June 14 to July 15, 2018 – The men's World Cup takes place in Russia. France defeats Croatia 4-2 in the championship match to win its second World Cup.
The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the most outstanding player in each World Cup final phase, as decided by the FIFA Technical Study.
Men's winner 2022: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Female winner 2023: Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
The Golden Boot award is awarded to the top scorer in each World Cup final.
Men's winner 2022: Kylian Mbappé (France)
Women's winner 2023: Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)
The Golden Glove award is presented to the most outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament.
Men's winner 2022: Emiliano Martínez (Argentina)
2023 Women's Winner: Mary Earps (England)
The Young Player award is presented to the player aged 21 or younger recognized for having had the greatest impact on the World Cup.
Men's winner 2022: Enzo Fernández (Argentina)
Female winner 2023: Salma Paralluelo (Spain)
Teams with the most World Cup titles:
Men: Brazil has won five times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
Women: The United States has won four times: 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019.
Soccer uniforms are usually designed in the country's national colors. While some countries use the colors of their flags, others use colors that have historical, political or geographical meaning.
Thirty-two teams are currently participating in the World Cup. In 2026, 48 teams will participate.
A phase called “Preliminary Competition” takes place in the three years before each World Cup, where national teams must compete in qualification matches to be eligible for one of the 31 available places. The host nation automatically qualifies to participate.
In the group stage, teams are divided into eight groups of four teams each at the start of the tournament. After playing round-robin matches, the top two teams in each group advance to the second-round group of 16 teams, which play in successive knockout rounds to reach the final tournament.
Nearly 1.5 billion people around the world watched the 2022 World Cup final.
World ranking by country
World Cup 2022 Statistics
Currently, thirty-two teams participate in the Women's World Cup.
In the preliminary round, national teams compete in qualifying matches to qualify for one of the 32 available places. The host nation automatically qualifies to participate.
In the group stage, teams are divided into eight groups of four teams each at the start of the tournament. After playing round-robin matches, the top two teams in each group advance to the second-round group of 16 teams, which play in successive knockout rounds to reach the final.
1.12 billion people around the world watched the 2019 World Cup.
The final match of the 2015 World Cup was the most-watched soccer event in American television history (men's or women's), with approximately 26.7 million viewers.
World ranking by country
The 2019 World Cup in figures
July 13-30, 1930 – Uruguay hosts the first World Cup (men's). Thirteen teams compete and Uruguay wins the tournament, defeating Argentina. Team USA is in third place.
1942 and 1946 – The men's tournament is not held due to World War II. Play resumed in 1950.
November 16 to 30, 1991 – China hosts the first Women's World Cup, initially known as the FIFA Women's World Football Championship after the M&M's Cup. Team USA defeats Norway in the final match.
May 26, 2003 – Due to a SARS outbreak, FIFA announces that it will move the women's tournament from China to the United States.
December 2, 2010 – The winning bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals (men's) are announced. Russia is named host of the 2018 tournament and Qatar is selected for 2022, beating the United States, Japan and Australia.
2013 – As Brazil prepares for the 2014 World Cup, at least five workers die in construction accidents in 2013. Thousands of protesters clash with police in early summer and unrest continues throughout the year leading up to the tournament.
January 10, 2017 – The FIFA Council agrees to expand the men's World Cup tournament, increasing the number of teams from 32 to 48. The new format will begin in 2026.
June 13, 2018 – The joint bid between Canada, Mexico and the United States wins the right to host the 2026 World Cup. It will be the first time that the World Cup will be shared by three host countries.
March 14, 2019 – The results of a feasibility study show the potential of expanding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to increase the current format from 32 to 48 teams. World soccer's governing body has already agreed that the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will feature 48 teams. The final decision will be made in June.
May 22, 2019 – The FIFA Council announces that the number of teams for the 2022 World Cup will remain at 32.
July 31, 2019 – The FIFA Council announces that the number of teams for the 2023 Women's World Cup will increase from 24 to 32.
April 9, 2020 – FIFA announces that the men's FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking remains static as the 2022 qualifiers are postponed while the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
June 25, 2020 – FIFA announces that Australia and New Zealand will co-host the 2023 Women's World Cup, the first to be held in the southern hemisphere.
June 16, 2022 – FIFA announces the host cities for the 2026 World Cup. The matches will take place in 11 cities in the United States, as well as in three venues in Mexico and two in Canada: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles , Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. It is the first time that matches will be played in three countries. On February 4, 2024, it is announced that the final game will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
August 11, 2022 – The 2022 tournament will begin on November 20, one day earlier than planned, following a unanimous decision by the FIFA Council. This will allow Qatar, the host country, to play the first match when they face Ecuador.
