World Cup is a tournament held every four years to determine the world’s soccer champion. Tournaments are held for both men’s and women’s teams. Each team consists of players who represent their country. The tournaments are supervised by the governing body of international soccer, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Soccer is called football in much of the world. The official name of the tournament is the FIFA World Cup. The first men’s FIFA World Cup was held in 1930. The first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in 1991.
Men’s World Cup.
In the men’s FIFA World Cup, qualification tournaments begin three years before the final competition. The qualification tournaments are organized in six geographical zones. These six zones are (1) Africa, (2) Asia, (3) Europe, (4) North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, (5) Oceania, and (6) South America. The number of teams that qualify for the tournament finals is set to increase from 32 to 48 beginning with the next men’s World Cup, in 2026.
The 48 teams that qualify will be placed into 12 groups, with each group having four teams. Each team will play the other three teams in its group. These matches will be played at various locations throughout the host country or countries. The two teams with the best records in each of the 12 groups and the eight third-place teams with the best record will advance to the knockout stage. The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament—that is, a team is eliminated after losing one game. As the competition progresses, teams are eliminated until two teams qualify for the final match. The televised men’s final is the most popular single sports event in the world.
Uruguay won the first men’s FIFA World Cup in 1930. The World Cup was not held in 1942 or 1946 because of World War II (1939-1945). Brazil has won the World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), more than any other country. Canada, Mexico, and the United States are scheduled to host the 2026 World Cup.
Women’s World Cup.
In the FIFA Women’s World Cup, qualification tournaments begin two years before the final competition. The qualification tournaments are organized in the same six geographical zones that are used for the men’s tournaments. A total of 32 teams qualify for the finals. Each host country receives an automatic berth. 
The 32 teams that qualify are placed into eight groups, with each group having four teams. Each team plays the other three teams in its group. These matches are played at various locations throughout the host country or countries. The two teams with the best records in each of the eight groups advance to the knockout stage. The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament. As the competition progresses, teams are eliminated until two teams qualify for the final match.
The United States won the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. The United States has won the Women’s World Cup four times (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019), more than any other country. The next Women’s World Cup is scheduled for 2027.
Other World Cups.
There are also World Cup competitions in a number of other sports, including cricket, rugby football, and skiing. For information on the World Cup in skiing, see Skiing (Skiing as a sport).
