World Cup Football - 81 Years Of Memories.

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 !!! World Cup 1930   [caption id="attachment_764" align="alignleft" width="570" caption="1930 Winners- -Uruguay "][/caption]   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 Stábile (Argentina) - 8 Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (3.89 per match); Argentina (18) scored the most Format One group 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 World Cup 1934 [caption id="attachment_766" align="alignleft" width="570" caption="1934 Winners Italy"][/caption] Winners Italy Teams 16 Teams in qualifiers 32 Notable absentees Holders Uruguay, England Surprises Egypt Golden Boot Oldrich Nejedlý (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 Number of matches 18 World Cup 1950 Winners Uruguay 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 groups, with the winners of each progressing to a four-team round-robin final group. Withdrawals meant there were two groups of four, one of three and one of two Number of matches 22 World Cup History World Cup 1954 Winners West Germany Teams 16 Teams in qualifiers 45 Notable absentees Spain Surprises Korean Republic Golden Boot Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11 Stats A total of 140 goals were scored (5.38 per match); Hungary (27) scored the most Format Four groups of four with two seeded and two unseeded teams in each group. However, the teams played just two matches per group rather than the usual three, with the seeded 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 World Cup 1958 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 World Cup 1962 Winners Brazil Teams 16 Teams in qualifiers 56 Notable absentees Sweden Surprises Colombia Golden Boot Garrincha, Vavá (Brazil), Leonel Sánchez (Chile), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia) , Flórián 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 World Cup 1966 Winners England 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 Winners Brazil Teams16 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 World Cup 1978 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 Netherlands (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 World Cup 1982 Winners Italy Teams 24 Teams in qualifiers 109 Notable absentees Netherlands, 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 1986 November 10, 2009By John Brewin and Martin Williamson Winners Argentina 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 World Cup 1990 Winners West Germany Teams 24 Teams in qualifiers 116 Notable absentees Denmark, France, Portugal Surprises Costa Rica, Republic of Ireland, UAE Golden Boot Salvatore 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 Notable absentees England, France Surprises Greece, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia Golden Boot Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Oleg Salenko (Russia) - 6 Stats A total of 141 goals were scored (2.71 per match); Sweden (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 3rd place finishers Number of matches 52   World Cup 1998 November 10, 2009By John Brewin and Martin Williamson   Winners France 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   World Cup 2002 Winners Brazil Teams 32 Teams in qualifiers 199 Notable absentees Netherlands Surprises Senegal, South Korea, Turkey Golden Boot Ronaldo (Brazil) - 8 Stats A total of 161 goals were scored (2.52 per match); Brazil (18) 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   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 Stats A total of 147 goals were scored (2.30 per match); Germany (14) 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