2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan
 
 2002 FIFA World Cup"
 Final Competition
 Preliminaries
 Regulations
 Laws of the Game
 "A" Matches
 History: 1930-1998
 FIFA World Cup Finals
 Qualifying
 Formats
 All-time Participation
 FIFA World Cup Stats
 All-time Superlatives
 
Formats of the FIFA World Cup
final competitions 1930 - 2002

 Uruguay 1930
  • 13 Finalists
      Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Uruguay, USA, Yugoslavia
  • 13 Newcomers
      Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Uruguay, USA, Yugoslavia

    Format

    1. 13 teams (no preliminary competition, teams entered by invitation)
    2. Three pools of three teams, one pool of four teams (winner of each pool progressed to the semi-final knock-out stage)
    3. Semi-finals
    4. Final

 Italy 1934
  • 16 Finalists
      Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA
  • 11 Newcomers
      Austria, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

    Format

    1. 16 teams qualifying by preliminary competition (host also had to qualify!)
    2. First round (knock-out stage), eight teams proceed to second round (in case of a draw the game was replayed)
    3. Second round (knock-out stage), four teams proceed to semi-finals (in case of a draw the game was replayed)
    4. Semi-finals
    5. Third-place game
    6. Final

 France 1938
  • 15 Finalists
      Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dutch East Indies, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland
  • 4 Newcomers
      Cuba, Dutch East Indies, Norway, Poland

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualifying by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified - only 15 finally entered, giving Sweden a bye to the second round
    3. First round (knock-out stage), eight teams proceeded to second round (in case of a draw the game was replayed)
    4. Second round (knock-out stage), four teams proceeded to semi-finals (in case of a draw the game was replayed)
    5. Semi-finals
    6. Third-place game
    7. Final

 Brazil 1950
  • 13 Finalists
      Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, England, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, USA, Yugoslavia
      - Scotland, Turkey and India qualified but declined to participate in the final competition.
  • 1 Newcomer
      England

    Format

    1. 11 teams qualifying by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Two pools of four teams, one pool of three teams, one pool of two teams
    4. Winner of each pool progressed to final pool where all the teams played each other once
    5. First of the pool was the World Cup winner

 Switzerland 1954
  • 16 finalists
      Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Scotland, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, West Germany, Yugoslavia
  • 3 Newcomers
      Scotland, South Korea, Turkey

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualifying by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Four first round pools, (with two seeded teams per pool) winner and second placed team of each pool progressed to the quarter finals
    4. Quarter-finals (knock-out stage)
    5. Semi-finals
    6. Final

 Sweden 1958
  • 16 Finalists
      Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Hungary, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, Scotland, Sweden, Wales, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia
  • 3 Newcomers
      Northern Ireland, USSR, Wales

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Four first round pools, winner and second place of each pool progressed to the quarter finals (in a case of equal points a play-off game was played to decide)
    4. Quarter finals (knock-out stage)
    5. Semi-finals
    6. Third-place game
    7. Final

 Chile 1962
  • 16 Finalists
      Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, England, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia
  • 2 Newcomers
      Bulgaria, Colombia

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Four groups of four teams (first two teams progressed to quarterfinals - separated for the first time by goal-average)
    4. Quarter-finals (knock-out stage)
    5. Semi-finals
    6. Third-place game
    7. Final

 England 1966
  • 16 Finalists
      Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, England, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany
  • 2 Newcomers
      North Korea, Portugal

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Four groups of four teams (first two teams progressed to quarterfinals- separated by goal-average)
    4. Quarter finals (knock-out stage)
    5. Semi-finals
    6. Third-place game
    7. Final

 Mexico 1970
  • 16 Finalists
      Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, EI Salvador, England, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Romania, Sweden, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany
  • 3 Newcomers
      EI Salvador, Israel, Morocco

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Four groups of four teams (first two teams progressed to quarterfinals- separated by goal-average)
    4. Quarter finals (knock-out stage)
    5. Semi-finals
    6. Third-place game
    7. Final

 Germany 1974
  • 16 Finalists
      Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, EI Salvador, England, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Romania, Sweden, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany
  • 16 Finalists
      Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, East Germany, Haiti, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Scotland, Sweden, Uruguay, West Germany, Yugoslavia, Zaire
  • 4 Newcomers
      Australia, East Germany, Haiti, Zaire

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Four groups of four teams (first two teams progressed into two quarter-final groups - separated by goal-difference)
    4. Two quarter-final groups (with the winners becoming the finalists and the runners-up meeting in a third-place game)
    5. Third-place game
    6. Final

 Argentina 1978
  • 16 Finalists
      Argentina, Austria, Brazil, France, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, West Germany
  • 2 Newcomers
      Iran, Tunisia

    Format

    1. 14 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Four groups of four teams (first two teams progressed into two quarter-final groups - separated by goal-difference)
    4. Two quarter-final groups (with the winners becoming the finalists and the runners-up meeting in a third-place game)
    5. Third-place game
    6. Final

 Spain 1982
  • 24 Finalists
      Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Czechoslovakia, EI Salvador, England, France, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Kuwait, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Spain, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia
  • 5 Newcomers
      Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kuwait, New Zealand

    Format

    1. 22 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Six groups of four (top two teams progressing in to four further groups of three)
    4. Four groups of three (group winners progressing to a semi-final knock-out stage)
    5. Semi-finals
    6. Third-place game
    7. Final

 Mexico 1986
  • 24 Finalists
      Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Uruguay, USSR, West Germany
  • 3 Newcomers
      Canada, Denmark, Iraq

    Format

    1. 22 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Six groups of four teams (top two in each group qualified for the knock-out stage in the second round, together with the four best third-placed teams, the final matches in each group were played simultaneously)
    4. Second round (knock-out stage, winners proceeding to quarter-finals - in a case of a draw after extra time penalty shoot-outs were used to decide)
    5. Quarter-finals (knock-out stage)
    6. Semi-finals
    7. Third-place game
    8. Final

 Italy 1990
  • 24 Finalists
      Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, England, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, United States, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia.
  • 3 Newcomers
      Costa Rica, Ireland, United Arab Emirates.

    Format

    1. 22 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Six groups of four teams (top two in each group qualified for the knock-out stage in the second round, together with the four best third-placed teams, the final matches in each group were played simultaneously)
    4. Second round (knock-out stage, winners proceeding to quarter-finals - in a case of a draw after extra time penalty shoot-outs were used to decide)
    5. Quarter-finals (knock-out stage)
    6. Semi-finals
    7. Third-place game
    8. Final

 United States 1994
  • 24 Finalists
      Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States
  • 3 Newcomers
      Greece, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia

    Format

    1. 22 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Six groups of four teams (top two in each group qualified for the knock-out stage in the second round, together with the four best third-placed teams, the final matches in each group were played simultaneously)
    4. Second round (knock-out stage, winners proceeding to quarter-finals - in a case of a draw after extra time penalty shoot-outs were used to decide)
    5. Quarter-finals (knock-out stage)
    6. Semi-finals
    7. Third-place game
    8. Final

 France 1998
  • 32 Finalists
      Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tunisia, United States, Yugoslavia
  • 4 Newcomers
      Croatia, Jamaica, Japan, South Africa

    Format

    1. 30 teams qualified by preliminary competition
    2. Host and World Cup holders automatically qualified
    3. Eight groups of four teams (top two in each group qualified for the knock-out stage in the second round)
    4. Second round (knock-out stage, winners proceeding to quarter-finals - in a case of a draw after extra time penalty shoot-outs were used to decide)
    5. Quarter-finals (knock-out stage)
    6. Semi-finals
    7. Third-place game
    8. Final

 Korea/Japan 2002
  • 32 Finalists
      Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, China PR, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Ireland Republic, Italy, Japan, Korea Republic, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Uruguay

  • Newcomers
      China PR, Ecuador, Senegal, Slovenia

    Format

    1. 29 teams will qualify by preliminary competition
    2. Hosts and World Cup holders automatically qualify
    3. Eight groups of four teams (top two in each group advance to the knock-out stage in the second round)
    4. Second round (knock-out stage, winners proceeding to quarter-finals - in a case of a draw after extra time penalty shoot-outs are used to decide)
    5. Quarter-finals (knock-out stage)
    6. Semi-finals
    7. Third-place game
    8. Final
2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan