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If you are a football fan - here's a brush-up of your memory...And if not have a look at biggest SHOW on earth happening for 81 years !!! since 1930.....
World Cup 1930
Winners Uruguay
Teams 13
Teams in qualifiers N/A
Notable absentees Of the major European countries, only France took part
Surprises USA, who finished third
Golden Boot Guillermo Stabile (Argentina) - 8
Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (3.89 per match); Argentina (18) scored the most
Format One groups of four and three groups of three in the qualifying stage, with the top from each group going into the semi-finals
Number of matches 18
Winners Italy
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 32
Notable absentees Holders Uruguay, England
Surprises Egypt
Golden Boot Oldrich Nejedly (Czechoslovakia) - 5
Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (4.12 per match); Italy (12) scored the most
Format straight knockout, replays for drawn matches
Number of matches 17
World Cup 1938
Winners Italy
Teams 15
Teams in qualifiers 37
Notable absentees Argentina, England, Spain, Uruguay
Surprises Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), Cuba
Golden Boot Leônidas (Brazil) - 7
Stats A total of 84 goals were scored (4.67 per match); Hungary (15) scored the most
Format Straight knockout, replays for drawn matches
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Teams 13
Teams in qualifiers 34
Notable absentees France, Germany, Hungary
Surprises Bolivia
Golden Boot Ademir (Brazil) - 9
Stats A total of 88 goals were scored (4.00 per match); Brazil (22) scored the most
Format Four Group, with the winners of each progressing to a four-team round-robin final group. Withdrawals mean
Number of matches 22
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 45
Notable absentees Spain
Surprises Korean Republic
Golden Boot Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11
Stats A total of 140 goals were scored (5.38 per match); Hungary (27) scored the most Format Four Group of four with two seede and two unseeded teams in each group. However, the teams played just tow matches per group rather than the usual three, with the seede sides facing unseeded sides. Where teams ended up tied for the second qualifying position by points, they required a play-off. The two teams finishing at the top of their group went through to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 26
Winners Brazil
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 45
Notable absentees Italy, Uruguay
Surprises Wales, Northern Ireland
Golden Boot Just Fontaine (France) - 13
Stats A total of 126 goals were scored (3.60 per match); France (23) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 35
Winners Brazil
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 56
Notable absentees Sweden
Surprises Colombia
Golden Boot Garrincha, Vava (Brazil), Leonal Sanchez (Chile), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia), Florian Albert (Hungary), Valentin Ivanov (USSR) - 4
Stats A total of 89 goals were scored (2.78 per match); Brazil (14) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 32
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World Cup 1966
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 70
Notable absentees None
Surprises North Korea
Golden Boot Eusébio (Portugal) - 9
Stats A total of 89 goals were scored (2.78 per match); Portugal (17) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 32
World Cup 1970
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 75
Number of matches 32
Notable absentees Argentina, France, Portugal, Spain
Surprises Morocco, the first African qualifiers since World War II
Golden Boot Gerd Muller (Germany) - 10
World Cup 1974
Winners West germany
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 99
Notable absentees England, France, Hungary, Spain, USSR
Surprises Australia, Haiti and Zaire
Golden Boot Grzegorz Lato (Poland) - 7
Stats A total of 97 goals were scored (2.55 per match); Poland (16) scored the most
Format Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group going into a second round of two four-team groups and the winners facing each other in the final.
Number of matches 38
Winners Argentina
Teams 16
Teams in qualifiers 107
Notable absentees England, Czechoslovakia, USSR
Surprises Iran, Tunisia
Golden Boot Mario Kempes (Argentina) - 6
Stats A total of 102 goals were scored (2.68 per match); Argentina and Netherland (15) scored the most
Format Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group into a second round of two groups of four, the top side in each progressing into the final.
Number of matches 38
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World Cup 1982
Winners Italy
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 109
Notable absentees Netherland, Mexico
Surprises Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras,Kuwait, New Zealand
Golden Boot Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 6
Stats A total of 146 goals were scored (2.81 per match); France (16) scored the most
Format six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the second round, where they split into four groups of three. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals
Number of matches 52
World Cup 1978
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 121
Notable absentees Netherlands
Surprises Canada, Iraq
Golden Boot Gary Lineker (England) - 6
Stats A total of 132 goals were scored (2.54 per match); Argentina (14) scored the most
Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16, plus four best third-place finishers
Number of matches 52
Winners West Germany
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 116
Notable absentees Denmark, France, Portugal
Surprises Costa Rica, republic of Ireland, UAE
Golden Boot Salvator Schillaci (Italy) - 6
Stats A total of 115 goals were scored (2.21 per match), which was the lowest goals-per-match ratio in World Cup history; West Germany (15) scored the most
Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16, plus four best third-place finishers
Number of matches 52
World Cup 1994
Winners Brazil
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 147
Surprises Greece, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia
Golden Boot Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Oleg Salenko (Russia) - 6
Number of matches 52
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World Cup 1998
Teams 32
Teams in qualifiers 174
Notable absentees Russia
Surprises Jamaica, Japan, South Africa
Golden Boot Davor Suker (Croatia) - 6
Stats A total of 171 goals were scored (2.67 per match); France (15) scored the most
Format Eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16
Number of matches 64
Winners Brazil
Teams 32
Teams in qualifiers 199
Notable absentees Netherlands
Surprises Senegal, South Korea, Turkey
Golden Boot Ronaldo (Brazil) - 8
Number of matches 64
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World Cup 2006
Winners Italy
Teams 32
Teams in qualifiers 198
Notable Absentees Cameroon, Nigeria
Surprises Angola, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago
Golden Boot Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 5
Number of matches 64
Winners Spain
Teams 32
Golden Boot Thomas Mueller (Germany) - 5
Format Eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16
Number of matches 64
