The Soccer World Cup tournament was the brainchild of two Frenchmen, Henri Delauney and Jules Rimet - after whom the first trophy was named.

The first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930 attracted 13 nations. The 2002 tournament has attracted 196 entries. Uruguay, the hosts, won the very first Cup after beating Argentina in the final, 4-2. This was the beginning of the World Cup which was to be held every 4 years.

The next two tournaments were held in Europe (Italy - 1934 and France - 1938). Because of the Second World War, the following World Cup only took place in 1950 in Brazil, where the hosts lost to Paraguay 2-1. Please refer to table below for all the winners.