World Cup Winners from 1930….

World Cup Winners from 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 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 

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 

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
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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