Shakira, Bono, R. Kelly, Russell Brand Score With World Cup Anthems

Skakira's official FIFA World Cup song 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' has much company among 2010 soccer anthems.

By Gil Kaufman


It's hard enough to get Americans pumped up to watch a bunch of other country's teams play soccer, but one thing we can all agree on is that the crazy-quilt Pangaea of World Cup anthems is an amazing spectacle to behold. From Shakira's Official FIFA World Cup song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" to Russell Brand and Robbie Williams' remake of England's unofficial soccer song, "Three Lions," there are a head-spinning array of choices when it comes to soccer soundtracks for the planet's biggest sporting event.

Colombian hip-swiveler Shakira teamed up with South Africa's Freshlyground for the tournament's official song. The propulsive Afro-techno "Waka Waka" has the perfect mix of inspirational lyrics — "The pressure's on, you feel it/ It's time for Africa, your time to shine" — and a raise-the-roof vibe that you can picture pumping out of stereos from Johannesburg to Pittsburgh.

No slouch in the inspiration department, Mr. "I Believe I Can Fly" himself, R. Kelly, also cooked up an official FIFA World Cup anthem with a little ditty he calls "Sign of a Victory." The collabo with the Soweto Spiritual Singers choir — who will perform the song with Kelly at Friday's opening ceremonies — bubbles along on a syncopated, African percussion beat while Kelly sings, "I can feel the spirit of the nation/ And I can feel my wings riding the wind." The choir backs him up with an uplifting, wordless chant under the chorus "That's the sign of a victory." He also manages to incorporate the phrases, "let the games begin," "we can achieve anything, including the impossible," "raise the flag" and "scream like you want to win."

Somalian/Canadian rapper K'Naan also went the inspirational route with his official Coca-Cola anthem, "Wavin' Flag," which has the rising-up-from-oppression vibe of a classic Bob Marley tune. With assists from Will.I.Am and David Guetta, the soaring tune camouflages a song about poverty and oppression in a heart-stirring call to arms to let your banner fly.

Pepsi wasn't about to get aced out of this action, so it recruited Akon and Keri Hilson to make a video with soccer stars Lionel Messi of Argentina and Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba called "Oh Africa," as part of the celebration of the continent's first hosting duty for the global event. It also has the obligatory South African township jive stomp, and like the other songs, is as much about Africa's spot in the sun as it is about sports.

And because there's probably some rule about Bono having to participate in any globally unifying event, the U2 singer hooked up with Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo and John Legend for a thumping, Afro-pop cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up."

Another cover that was recorded as an unofficial English World Cup anthem is a banging remake of Tears for Fears' "Shout" called "Shout for England," laid down by U.K. rapper Dizzee Rascal and actor James Corden at the behest of former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. It has a thundering chorus that adds a thick acid-house beat to the original tune as Rascal spits lyrics to inspire England's soccer stars to victory.

For no apparent reason, New York's We Are Scientists have also offered up a song for England's club, the appropriately named, "Goal! England," a slice of T. Rex-inspired garage rock thunder that features the unforgettable lines, "Kicking the kicking the kicking the kicking the ball/ Kicking it into the goal/ Go, go, go, go go ... England!"

Then there is the official FIFA Mascot song from Cuban-American rapper Pitbull, who hooked up with South African group TKZee and England's Dario G to let the dogs out for the high NRG club banger "Game On." Taking things a little less seriously is U.K. legend Robbie Williams, who formed "The Squad" with comedians Russell Brand, Daniel Baddiel and Frank Skinner to record a remake of England's unofficial soccer song, "Three Lions." The mash of opera, a soaring choir singing, "It's coming home/ Football's coming home," a bouncy, Madness-like ska pop vibe and self-deprecating soccer-centric lyrics about England's chances of regaining football glory make for a lovably comic mess.

Among the other acts on the FIFA-sanctioned soundtrack to the international soccer showdown, Listen Up!: The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album, are: Nneka ("Viva Africa"), Matisyahu featuring Nameless ("One Day"), Wyclef Jean, J Pre, Jazmine Sullivan and B. Howard ("Ke Nako"), and late South African opera singer Siphiwo Ntshebe (known as the "black Pavarotti") featuring former South African president Nelson Mandela ("Hope").

And of course, if none of these tunes provide the right kick, there's always the unofficial World Cup Song contest, with nearly 400 entries. The top five is currently dominated by England, with Christian singer Gerry Asmus' "It's Our Game," a flowery pop piffle about King George and English pride, holding down the top spot at press time.

Spain name final 23 man World Cup 2010 squad

Spain have announced their final 23 man squad although they still have until June 1st to officially submit this to FIFA, so it is possible to change, although these are the players Vicente del Bosque wants to take to South Africa.

There is a place for Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas but not for Euro 2008 winner Marcos Senna who has struggled with injuries all season.

The big surprise, for me anyway, is that Spain have also named named three uncapped players in Barcelona's Victor Valdes and Pedro, and Javi Martinez of Athletic Bilbao. This is a big tournament and not one to be taking chances, he must have a lot of confidence in these players.

Spain 23 man World Cup 2010 squad

Goalkeepers:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Manuel 'Pepe' Reina (Liverpool), Victor Valdes (Barcelona).

Defenders:
Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).

Midfielders:
Xabier Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javier Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), David Silva (Valencia), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona).

Strikers:
Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia), Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Valencia).

FIFA World Cup 2010 full fixtures,dates and times

Friday, 11 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
South Africa v Mexico, Gp A, 15:00
Uruguay v France, Gp A, 19:30

Saturday, 12 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Argentina v Nigeria, Gp B, 12:30
England v USA, Gp C, 19:30
South Korea v Greece, Gp B, 15:00

Sunday, 13 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Algeria v Slovenia, Gp C, 12:30
Germany v Australia, Gp D, 15:00
Serbia v Ghana, Gp D, 19:30

Monday, 14 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Italy v Paraguay, Gp F, 19:30
Japan v Cameroon, Gp E, 15:00
Netherlands v Denmark, Gp E, 12:30

Tuesday, 15 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Brazil v Korea DPR, Gp G, 19:30
Ivory Coast v Portugal, Gp G, 15:00
New Zealand v Slovakia, Gp F, 12:30

Wednesday, 16 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Honduras v Chile, Gp H, 12:30
South Africa v Uruguay, Gp A, 19:30
Spain v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00

Thursday, 17 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Argentina v South Korea, Gp B, 19:30
France v Mexico, Gp A, 12:30
Greece v Nigeria, Gp B, 15:00

Friday, 18 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
England v Algeria, Gp C, 19:30
Germany v Serbia, Gp D, 12:30
Slovenia v USA, Gp C, 15:00

Saturday, 19 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Cameroon v Denmark, Gp E, 19:30
Ghana v Australia, Gp D, 12:30
Netherlands v Japan, Gp E, 15:00

Sunday, 20 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Brazil v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 19:30
Italy v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00
Paraguay v Slovakia, Gp F, 12:30

Monday, 21 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Chile v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00
Portugal v Korea DPR, Gp G, 12:30
Spain v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

Tuesday, 22 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
France v South Africa, Gp A, 15:00
Greece v Argentina, Gp B, 19:30
Mexico v Uruguay, Gp A, 15:00
Nigeria v South Korea, Gp B, 19:30

Wednesday, 23 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Australia v Serbia, Gp D, 19:30
Ghana v Germany, Gp D, 19:30
Slovenia v England, Gp C, 15:00
USA v Algeria, Gp C, 15:00

Thursday, 24 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Cameroon v Netherlands, Gp E, 19:30
Denmark v Japan, Gp E, 19:30
Paraguay v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00
Slovakia v Italy, Gp F, 15:00

Friday, 25 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Chile v Spain, Gp H, 19:30
Korea DPR v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 15:00
Portugal v Brazil, Gp G, 15:00
Switzerland v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

Saturday, 26 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Winner Gp A v Runner-up Gp B, 16R, 15:00
Winner Gp C v Runner-up Gp D, 16R, 19:30

Sunday, 27 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Winner Gp B v Runner-up Gp A, 16R, 19:30
Winner Gp D v Runner-up Gp C, 16R, 15:00

Monday, 28 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Winner Gp E v Runner-up Gp F, 16R, 15:00
Winner Gp G v Winner Gp H, 16R, 19:30

Tuesday, 29 June
2010 FIFA World Cup
Winner Gp F v Runner-up Gp E, 16R, 15:00
Winner Gp H v Runner-up Gp G, 16R, 19:30

Friday, 2 July
2010 FIFA World Cup
Wnr Gp A/R-Up Gp B v Wnr Gp C/R-Up Gp D, QF, 19:30
Wnr Gp E/R-Up Gp F v Wnr Gp G/R-Up Gp H, QF, 15:00

Saturday, 3 July
2010 FIFA World Cup
Wnr Gp A/R-Up Gp B v Wnr Gp D/R-Up Gp C, QF, 15:00
Wnr Gp F/R-Up Gp E v Wnr Gp H/R-Up Gp G, QF, 19:30

Tuesday, 6 July
2010 FIFA World Cup
Winner Q/F 1 v Winner Q/F 3, SF, 19:30

Wednesday, 7 July
2010 FIFA World Cup
Winner Q/F 2 v Winner Q/F 4, SF, 19:30

Saturday, 10 July
2010 FIFA World Cup
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2, F, 19:30


Sunday, 11 July
2010 FIFA World Cup
Winners SF1 v Winners SF2, F, 19:30

Maps of World Cup 2010 Venues

Disclaimer : All efforts have been made to make this image accurate. However Compare Infobase Limited,its directors and employees do not own any responsibility for the correctness or authenticity of the same.

The 19th FIFA World Cup is going to commence from 11th of June and final match will be played on 11th of July.First time any African country i.e. South Africa will host the FIFA World Cup 2010 in the cities Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Orkney, Rustenburg, and Nelspruit.

However, qualification process had been commenced in August 2007 and completed in November 2009. The total country qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2010 is 32.

History of 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

Innovations
• For the first time, the holders (Brazil) did not gain automatic entry to the tournament
• Fan zones, showing matches on giant screens in open urban areas, were introduced and subsidised by sponsors. An estimated 750,000 fans packed the zone at the Brandenburg Gate for Germany's second-round match against Sweden

Controversies
• FIFA ordered a replay after Uzbekistan beat Bahrain 1-0 in the first leg of an Asia play-off, citing a "refereeing error" - the goal had come from a illegally-taken penalty. Bahrain eventually won the two-legged contest
• In the group match between Croatia and Australia, English referee Graham Poll mistakenly issued three yellow cards to Croatian Josip Simunic before sending him off
• FIFA forced spectators to remove Leeuwenhosen - orange-colored, lion-tailed overalls distributed by a Dutch brewery - ahead of a Netherlands match because the brewery concerned was not an official tournament sponsor. As a result, some fans watched the game in their underwear

Trivia
• The final attracted an estimated audience of 715.1 million people
• There were a record-breaking 326 yellow cards and 28 red cards issued, with Russian referee Valentin Ivanov handing out 16 yellows and four reds in the game between Portugal and Netherlands
• To banish evil spirits, a priest from Ecuador visited all the World Cup stadia ahead of the tournament
• Switzerland became the first team to be knocked out after not conceding a goal in the first two rounds - they lost on penalties to Ukraine in the second round

Germany's bid to win their chance to welcome the world to their own Weltmeisterschaft was fraught with pragmatic intrigue. Before a remarkable U-turn from FIFA delegates that is still wrapped in bribery allegations saw Nelson Mandela and co forced to wait another four years, South Africa was fully expected to be the destination of the 2006 finals.

Controversy set aside, until the football began at least, the Germans set their much-mooted organisational abilities into action and delivered a World Cup blessed with hi-tech stadia, superb transport links and a population that proved most welcoming. 'Der Kaiser', Franz Beckenbauer, presided as figurehead in the same fashion in which he had captained and coached his country to World Cup glory and was an almost ever-present figure in the stands during the first finals staged in reunified Germany.

A break from tradition saw the hosts rather than holders get the show underway and they did so in a style not often associated with German football. A 4-2 win over Costa Rica was a feast of flowing fare, its best moment the opening goal, a cut-in and smash from full-back Philipp Lahm that revealed Jürgen Klinsmann, in his first senior coaching assignment, had retained the attacking instincts of his playing career.

The hosts progressed with maximum points from their group, such success unexpected by a pessimistic pre-tournament public. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cavorting after a late winner in a 1-0 defeat of Poland confirmed a feel-good factor. Germany were joined in first-round perfection by a free-scoring Spain team wondering if this was finally the time to deliver as well Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo starring, and Brazil, huge favourites, who breezed through a group containing Croatia, Japan and Australia but were still underwhelming.

Australia were in their first finals since 1974 and thus determined to enjoy themselves. Guus Hiddink's late tactical switch delivered a win over the Japanese before a decider with the Croats ended in chaotic farce when referee Graham Poll gave three yellow cards to Josip Simunic, Australian-born but playing for Croatia, before finally sending him off three minutes after he should have done. Harry Kewell's equaliser to make it 2-2 saw Croatia join Poll in playing no further part in the tournament.

Early on, Argentina had shone in particular, punishing Serbia & Montenegro 6-0 in Gelsenkirchen, the goals including a wonderful 24-pass move finished by Esteban Cambiasso. Ivory Coast, in their first finals, were unfortunate to come up against the Argentineans and the Dutch but exited with their heads held high after creditable showings against both.

Africa did have a second-round qualifier in Ghana, who beat the fancied Czechs and a USA team failing to match the showing of four years previously, to qualify behind the Italians, who had drawn with the Americans in a match that saw the Europeans end the game a man down and their opponents with just nine men.

Togo were nowhere near good enough to progress but provided many a column-inch in a dispute over pay that saw them threaten to strike. Meanwhile, German coach Otto Pfister supplied sartorial charm with an open-necked shirt and large gleaming medallion. The slow-starting French were particularly glad of a Togolese presence as they required a 2-0 win over them to qualify behind a well-drilled Swiss team. The Swiss would perish at the next hurdle, to Ukraine on penalties after a 0-0 draw, thus suffering the bizarre honour of being the first team to exit a World Cup without conceding a goal.

English hopes were at their usual fever pitch ahead of the tournament but the build-up had been ruined by Wayne Rooney's broken foot and the saga that surrounded it. Sven-Göran Eriksson's laissez-faire attitude had seen him welcome wives and girlfriends to England's HQ in Baden-Baden, giving the world the now over-used acronym 'WAGs', a catch-all phrase for a set of cossetted hangers-on whose drunken antics and power-shopping took headlines away from the players, which, considering performances, may have been for the best. England stumbled past Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago before a 2-2 draw with Sweden saw Michael Owen lost to a cruciate ligament injury.

The Swedes provided second-round opponents for the hosts and fell prey to a quickfire Lukas Podoski double before Henrik Larsson's penalty miss closed off a Swedish way back into the game. A thriller in Leipzig saw a Maxi Rodriguez volley take Argentina past the Mexicans in extra-time. England joined them in the last eight via another unconvincing win, Ecuador the rather passive victims this time.

Portugal and Netherlands fought out an ill-tempered affair featuring no less than four sendings off. In the final few minutes, dismissed Barcelona club-mates Deco and Giovanni van Bronckhorst sat arm-in-arm from the vantage point of a stadium step as a Maniche goal secured another meeting between Portugal and England.

Two favourites in Brazil and France began to look as if they were in gear. Ghana were dispatched with ease by Brazil and Ronaldo became the finals' all-time leading goalscorer, surpassing Gerd Müller, with Brazil's opener - his 15th on the greatest of stages. Spain again flattered to deceive in taking the lead against the French before Franck Ribéry, Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane, who suddenly looked back to his untouchable best, all scored.

A burst of French form followed in the quarter-finals where Brazil's previously vaunted quartet of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano proved their lack of cohesion as an attacking unit as France dominated proceedings. Thierry Henry scored the sole goal from a Zidane assist to end the hopes of the holders, for whom Ronaldinho especially had disappointed.

France's next opponents would be the Portuguese, who won a dour encounter on penalties with the English that will be remembered for the actions of two Manchester United players. A still half-fit Rooney exploded, after being bereft of support in a lone attacking role, and targeted Ricardo Carvalho, the Chelsea player involved in the tackle that had broken his foot in the first place. When Cristiano Ronaldo urged the Argentine referee to send off his club-mate, there followed a flashpoint between the pair that dominated UK headlines for weeks, tabloid ire further augmented by a wink from Ronaldo towards the Portuguese bench. It didn't help that a grinning and clearly highly confident Ronaldo stepped up to convert the decisive spot-kick. England departed, unlamented by only their die-hards, with only Owen Hargreaves in any way enhancing his reputation. Eriksson was soon gone.

So too were Argentina, suffering another premature knockout-stage exit. They had led Germany in Berlin through a Roberto Ayala goal before coach José Pekerman committed the error of taking off playmaker Juan Román Riquelme to rest him for the next round. Miroslav Klose equalised to push matters into extra-time and penalties, where the Germans inevitably won out, this time by virtue of some handy written notes on each penalty taker that goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was seen revising before each Argentina attempt.

The host nation was by now rapt by a belief of ultimate victory with the chant "Berlin, Berlin, wir fahren nach Berlin (we're going to Berlin)" now sung in full voice. Waiting for them in Dortmund were an Italian team hitting form after an easy 3-0 win over Ukraine in Hamburg. The semi-final that followed was a classic that seemed destined for another penalty shoot-out win for the Germans. Suddenly the Italians, who had edged the balance of play, scored in the 119th and 120th minutes through defender Fabio Grosso and sub Alessandro Del Piero, finally putting years of international disappointment behind him with a breakaway strike. The tearful Germans departed with honour preserved and belief restored, eventually picking up third place.

Portugal's Ronaldo was now established as the tournament's bad guy and was booed in Munich throughout the semi with France, though he also rose to the occasion as something approaching a one-man attack. He was outshone only by Zidane, who was set to retire from all football at the end of the tournament and was determined to go out at the highest level. A foul on Henry by Carvalho gave him a penalty chance that he took with aplomb, succeeding against Portguese keeper Ricardo where England had failed. Thereafter, despite the efforts of Ronaldo and Luis Figo, himself on a last hurrah, France were destined for Berlin, Ronaldo eventually shedding tears that were not met with much in the way of worldwide sympathy.

The final would be a re-run of that of Euro 2000 where a Zidane in his pomp had inspired French victoire. He set out for the same outcome in the final and added his blend of panache when a penalty in the seventh minute was awarded after a clumsy foul on Florent Malouda by Marco Materazzi. In choosing to send arguably the world's best keeper, Gianluigi Buffon, the wrong way and then dink the ball off the bar and across the line, it looked as if he had signed off in the style he clearly wanted.

But then Materazzi, only playing at centre-half because Alessandro Nesta had succumbed to injury, powered home a header from an Andrea Pirlo corner to take the game into a chess session of two teams matching each other in every department. Extra-time again arrived, and penalties loomed again with few clues as to who would triumph. As it turned out, the pendulum was swung by perhaps the World Cup's most incendiary moment.

Zidane had continued to push for an opening but began to be frustrated by the flagging efforts of both his team-mates and his own body. Suddenly, off the ball, he became involved in an altercation with Materazzi, the Italian crashing to the floor. The world looked on in confusion only for TV replays to show that the Frenchman had head-butted Materazzi in the chest in the style of a charging bull. The tournament had been besmirched by play-acting but this was no dive: Materazzi had been knocked from his feet. Referee Horacio Elizondo was informed by fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo of the offence, the Spanish assistant seemingly swayed by a TV replay. Zidane, whose quiet demeanour always shadowed a hot temper, left the field wordlessly, passing the trophy with a rueful glance and sloping into football history.

With France's leader deposed, Italy gained a confidence in the shoot-out they had not displayed in painful exits from the 1990, 1994 and 1998 tournaments, and it was a Frenchman plying his trade in Serie A, David Trezeguet, who missed the key spot-kick. The Italians scored all five, Fabio Grosso smashing the last past Fabien Barthez to send the Azzurri into raptures. Many of their players had suffered a summer of uncertainty and accusation as part of the Calciopoli corruption scandal that had torn their domestic game's reputation to shreds. Lifting the World Cup for a fourth time served as delightful vindication.

History of 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

Innovations
• This was the first tournament to be hosted by two countries and the first held in Asia

Controversies
• FIFA banned Cameroon from wearing the sleeveless shirts they had used throughout the 2002 African Nations Cup as they were deemed to be 'vests'

Trivia
• Three countries pre-qualified - France as holders and South Korea and Japan as co-hosts
• On the same day as the final, the two lowest-ranked FIFA teams - Montserrat (203rd) and Bhutan (202nd) - met in Bhutan. The hosts won 2-0 in front of 15,000
• Ronaldo changed his hairstyle after the quarter-finals when his wife told him their young son kissed the TV screen shouting "daddy" when he saw Roberto Carlos
• South Korea's Cha Doo-Ri was booked 20 seconds after coming in as a substitute during injury time in a match against Poland
• Bora Milutinovic was a coach at his fifth successive finals with his fifth different country

In a tournament characterised by an overwhelming capacity to surprise, with virtually every underdog having their day, it seemed somehow inappropriate that the final of the 2002 World Cup was contested by two teams who between them had graced 12 of the competition's 16 finals.

Brazil, with four titles to their name going into the tournament, prevailed against a decidedly average German side, with three previous wins, by two goals to nil in a match that ended in a fashion the neutrals wanted and the tournament needed.

Ronaldo got both goals - his seventh and eighth of the tournament - and earned the striker the competition's Golden Boot at the same time as slaying the ghosts of France 98. There was, at least, one anomaly saved for the competition's dénouement - Player of the Tournament Oliver Kahn was culpable for Brazil's first, fumbling a speculative shot from Rivaldo to the feet of his gleeful strike partner. This after the indomitable German had conceded just one goal in his country's six previous matches.

Brazil's return to all-conquering form, welcome though their easy-on-the-eye brand of football always is, was largely overshadowed by the achievements of the hosts, both on the field of play and in the slick organisation and good spirit garnered off it. For the first time in World Cup history, the finals went to Asia and, also a first, to not one but two countries. Korea and Japan set aside historical differences to jointly host one of the most successful tournaments ever, even if the standard of football on offer, at times, was not quite up to scratch, and the standard of refereeing was described with alarming regularity in much less delicate fashion.

A sign of shocks to come arrived as early as the opening match when newcomers Senegal dramatically upset holders France, previously considered all but unbeatable, with a 1-0 victory. It went from bad to worse for the disappointing French as Les Bleus bid au revoir at the group stage having failed even to register a goal. A 0-0 draw with Uruguay, with Thierry Henry sent off, earned their solitary point before a 2-0 reversal at the hands of the impressive Danes ended their participation and cost coach Roger Lemerre his job.

There were other high-profile casualties at the group stage as many people's pre-tournament favourites, Argentina, felt the reaper's bony clutches in the group of death. A David Beckham penalty, dubiously won by Michael Owen, did for the Argentines as England, and Beckham in particular, finally banished the demons of St Etienne after some traditional backs-against-the-wall defending. Nigeria finished bottom of a group headed up by unbeaten Sweden, ahead of second-placed England on goal difference.

If Group F had been a touch morbid then life positively flourished in Group H as co-hosts Japan successfully navigated the least challenging of paths with Russia and Tunisia offering barely passive resistance as the sport's hold on the Japanese public began to tighten its grip.

Brazil made short shrift of the opening stages by first beating Turkey, then China - coached by Velibor 'Bora' Milutinovic, at his fifth successive finals with a different team after having managed Mexico (1986), Costa Rica (1990), USA (1994) and Nigeria (1998) - and then dispatching of Costa Rica. The match against the Turks was blemished by some appalling 'simulation' (cheating) by Rivaldo, who feigned an injury to his face after having the ball kicked at his knees by Hakan Ünsal - sent off for his troubles - when preparing to take a corner. The Brazilian was later fined £5,180.

Spain had an effortless time sweeping to the top of a group containing South Africa, Slovenia - taking their World Cup bow - and Paraguay. The Paraguayans had to rely on a late goal against the Slovenians in a 3-1 win to sneak past the luckless Africans on the narrowest of margins, goals scored.

Things, however, did not run as smoothly for their second-round opponents, Republic of Ireland. Manager Mick McCarthy and inspirational captain Roy Keane clashed over the team's preparations and, amid accusations and counter-accusations following a bust-up at a meeting arranged by McCarthy, Keane was sent home in disgrace but indignant.

The Irish appeared doomed but, thanks to the heroics of namesake Robbie, they held the Germans - earlier 8-0 victors over hapless Saudi Arabia - to a 1-1 draw that ensured they would qualify behind Rudi Völler's team at the expense of traditional African heavyweights Cameroon.

Italy made hard work of qualifying from their own group after succumbing meekly to a fast-fading Croatian team, third at the previous finals but showing their age, and being held by group winners Mexico.

But if any of the qualifying pools of the opening stages epitomised the summer's jamboree, it was that containing co-hosts South Korea, hotly-tipped Portugal, outsiders USA and Poland. Many feared the Koreans, under Dutchman Guus Hiddink, would struggle to win a match, let alone escape the group, but they were to embark on a fairytale run that would turn the nation's streets into all-night carnivals. Victory over Poland and a tough draw with USA took them to within touching distance, and a Portuguese humbling at the hands of the Americans had turned the form book on its head. Despite defeat to a Poland side that was already out of contention, USA took second after Korea beat Portugal in a rancorous affair.

Korea's Park Ji-Sung became an instant hero after controlling a 30-yard pass on his chest, hooking the ball over Sérgio Conceiçao and striking a half-volley through Vítor Baía's legs to score against nine men after Joao Pinto and Beto had been sent off, sending those inside and outside the ground into raptures.

In the knockout stages, England eased past the in-form Danes in the rain of Niigata thanks to goals from Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand and Emile Heskey, raising a nation's already inflated expectations, while Germany quietly stumbled past Paraguay, and Brazil were indebted to keeper Marcos in seeing off a spirited challenge from Belgium.

Senegal, inspired by El Hadji Diouf, continued their fine run with a dramatic golden goal win over the Swedes while the Mexicans descended into petty fouling when bitter rivals USA's 2-0 lead became insurmountable in the closing stages of their encounter. Goals from Brian McBride and Landon Donovan had done the damage as USA's burgeoning reputation as a maturing footballing side grew.

Even extra-time was not enough to separate Spain and Ireland as penalties reared their unwanted head for the first time. Ian Harte had missed a spot-kick in normal time and Robbie Keane converted another, so it was with mixed feelings that McCarthy's men approached the shoot out. Iker Casillas saved twice and Matt Holland hit the bar to end a brave Irish adventure.

Both hosts played their next match on the same day and, after Japan had fallen to a very decent Turkish performance, it was left to South Korea to fly the region's flag, but they faced a greater ask in beating Italy. In the end, they prevailed in the most dramatic - and controversial - of circumstances. Ahn Jung-Hwan went from villain to hero after missing an early penalty but he popped up to head a golden goal winner after it had looked for all the world like Christian Vieri's headed goal would be enough for the Europeans. Seol Ki-Hyeon had latched onto a Christian Panucci error to put the ball into the right-hand bottom corner for a last-gasp equaliser that set up the grandstand finish.

The Italians did not take defeat with good grace and Perugia, Ahn's Italian employers, through colourful chief Luciano Gaucci, sacked him immediately for his act of treason, saying: "That gentleman will never set foot in Perugia again. He was a phenomenon only against Italy. I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian football."

Referee Byron Moreno, too, was not a popular figure after sending off golden boy Francesco Totti for a dive in extra-time, dominated by the lively and physically resilient South Koreans, when he tumbled in the box vainly searching for a penalty. Struggling to top each party, expecting it to be the last, over a million people poured out onto the streets of Seoul alone, but it was not long before more face-paint and fireworks were required - again, in some part, thanks to a benevolent official.

Spain, their quarter-final opponents, had two 'goals' chalked off, one for a debatable offside call, the second denying the Iberians a golden-goal winner after an assistant referee wrongly flagged that the ball had gone out of play before Joaquin crossed for Fernando Morientes to head home. Penalties were needed to settle the game and, after Lee Woon-Jae had saved Joaquin's spot-kick, it fell, appropriately, to South Korea's captain and most capped player, Hong Myung-Bo, to convert the winning penalty. South Korea thus became the first Asian side to make the semi-finals and added fuel to the fire of both Korean street parties and calls for reform of the method of picking match officials.

A policy of inclusion of officials from the breadth of FIFA's family meant Moreno (Ecuador), the referee from the Spanish game, Gamal Ghandour (Egypt) and Peter Prendergast (Jamaica), who had missed a legitimate Belgian goal in their match against Brazil, were selected ahead of mainly European whistle-blowers with more match experience. Such a policy was scrapped for Germany 2006.

Elsewhere, Turkey edged out Senegal in a match between two largely unfancied sides, the only goal a golden one from Ilhan Mansiz and Germany, despite being second-best for large passages of play, scraped past Bruce Arena's USA to book a record ninth semi-final appearance.

With a number of the big teams fallen by the wayside, the victors of England's clash with Brazil had a very real chance of ultimate glory and England expected once Michael Owen had seized on a mistake to put them one up. But a moment of brilliance from Rivaldo just before the break was followed by Ronaldinho deceiving David Seaman from distance by lobbing the ageing keeper from a free-kick. The Brazilian was later sent off but Sven-Göran Eriksson had no response to the opportunity presented and the English meekly bowed out, another chance gone.

Korea's fairytale came to an end at the hands of the Germans, who paid heavily for their 1-0 semi-final victory by losing Michael Ballack to an accumulation of yellow cards. A professional foul when South Korea looked to be building towards goal was a selfless act but one that put his side at a huge disadvantage in the final against Brazil, victors over Turkey by the same scoreline in the other semi-final.

Brazil took the honours but the people of Japan and South Korea won the plaudits for the warmth of their welcome and the flawless way they conducted their responsibilities with the eyes of the world trained upon them - and for providing some breathtaking excitement and colour both on and off the field.

History of World Cup 1998

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

Innovations
• An increase in the number of teams from 24 to 32
• For the first time, the South American qualifiers were held in a single group
• Electronic boards showing the amount of added time at the end of each half were introduced
• The golden goal was brought in - the first team to score in extra time would win the match

Controversies
• The final was blighted by the absence of Brazil's Ronaldo from the team-sheets handed to the media, only for him to be included shortly before the kick-off. The rumours continue to circulate to this day

Trivia
• The first player to score a golden goal in World Cup history was France's Laurent Blanc in the 113th minute of the second round match against Paraguay
• Australia failed to qualify despite a record of six wins, two draws and no defeats, losing to Iran in the play-off on away goals
• For the first time in FIFA's history, the draw for the finals took place in a football stadium - Stade Vélodrome in Marseilles
• It is estimated the cumulative TV audience for the tournament was 37 billion

After a 60-year gap, the World Cup returned to its country of birth. Though the competition had been expanded to a rather bloated 32 teams, the return to France was to prove a great success.

Brazil were favourites, with striker Ronaldo, a non-playing sub in 1994, at the peak of his powers. Improbable pace, skill and goalscoring made him football's hottest property and richest player, endorsed by a whole host of companies. Denied the services of an injured Romário, Ronaldo would have to bear the striking burden. In the opening game, the holders overcame Scotland with some difficulty before soundly beating Morocco 3-0.

In the third group game, they took the lead late on against the dour Norwegians but were shocked by a late surge. Tore André Flo and a Kjetil Rekdal penalty landed Brazil with their first opening-round defeat since 1966. The hosts made short work of their group, beating South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Denmark, but the real story was Zinedine Zidane's dismissal against the Saudis, where the Mexican referee red-carded him for kicking out at Fuad Amin. The French would therefore be without their playmaker for their second-round match.

The Italians, for whom Roberto Baggio was making a welcome return, had little trouble in their group despite an opening draw with Chile in which Lazio import Marcelo Salas scored two great goals. Striker Christian Vieri was outstanding for Italy in all three games.

The highest profile casualties were Spain, who lost in 3-2 thriller to Nigeria and could only draw 0-0 with Paraguay. Despite beating a Bulgarian side well past its sell-by-date 6-1 in the final game, it was yet another tale of underachievement for the Spaniards.

Perhaps the most enticing fixture in the first round was the group match between USA and Iran. Diplomatic differences were put aside before the game when the players exchanged flowers and posed for a joint team picture. Once the game had started, Iran outplayed the Americans and were worthy 2-1 winners. Both teams were also-rans in a group dominated by Germany and Yugoslavia.

Argentina made as good a start to the tournament as they had in 1994. With Gabriel Batistuta and Ariel Ortega impressive they looked like a side that England would have preferred to avoid in the second round. As penance for a late Graeme Le Saux mistake against Romania, England had finished second in their group. But in that famous second-round game in St Etienne they matched the Argentinians, even after having David Beckham dismissed for his petulant kick at Diego Simeone. Despite Michael Owen's great goal, England exited stage left after another penalty shoot-out loss.

Nigeria, who had dazzled in the first round with enterprising football from the likes of Nwankwo Kanu, Sunday Oliseh and Jay-Jay Okocha, capitulated inexplicably to Denmark, who for once in a major tournament had both Laudrup brothers in tandem.

Italy knocked out Norway in a dull game lit up by a great run and goal by Christian Vieri. Brazil overpowered Chile with Ronaldo at his best while Holland beat Yugoslavia by virtue of a 91st-minute winner from Edgar Davids.

France, struggling without the cutting edge of Zidane, were forced to make history when Laurent Blanc scored the first ever World Cup extra-time 'golden goal' against Paraguay. Their reward was a date with the Italians. Perhaps due to many of the Frenchmen playing for clubs in Italy, the two sides cancelled each other out and the game fizzled out, with the end result being the Italians' exit from their third successive World Cup on penalties. While Baggio was able to partially bury the ghost of the Pasadena Rose Bowl, this time it was Luigi Di Biagio who was the unfortunate penalty misser.

Germany, who had shown signs of fallibility all tournament, collapsed in amazing style against Croatia, playing in their first World Cup. After having defender Christian Wörns sent off, the Germans fell behind to a great strike from Robert Jarni and just could not get back into the game. Late goals from Davor Suker and Goran Vlaovic were no more than the Croats deserved.

The remaining quarter-finals were enduring classics. Brazil held off the Danes in Nantes with two goals from Rivaldo helping them to a narrow 3-2 win. In Marseille's Stade Vélodrome, Argentina and Holland served up a feast. An early exchange of goals from Patrick Kluivert and Claudio López led to an even match of flowing football. But, in keeping with an unhappy tradition, Argentina then pressed the self-destruct button as Ariel Ortega was dismissed for headbutting the chin of Holland keeper Edwin van der Sar.

Just when the game seemed destined for extra time, Dennis Bergkamp produced a goal that would grace any stage. Controlling a long pass instantly in the air, he wrong-footed a defender and prodded it with the outside of his boot into the roof of the net. Keeper Carlos Roa could do nothing but look on in admiration.

Marseille hosted the Dutch once more as they faced Brazil in the semi-final. After Ronaldo had scored a typical goal just after half-time, Brazil seemed to have a place in the final in their grasp, but Patrick Kluivert fired in three minutes from time. Again, the golden goal rule restricted both sides' ambitions and it was a penalty shoot-out once more. Brazil converted all four and Phillip Cocu and Ronald de Boer's misses put the favourites in the final.

There they would meet the hosts, who could thank defender Lilian Thuram's sudden discovery of a scoring touch when the game seemed to be turning towards Croatia. The Croats, for whom Davor Suker finished as the tournament's top scorer, satisfied themselves with a win in the third-place play-off over Holland.

The furore that blew up before the final is one of the greatest scandals in World Cup history and the true facts are still to be revealed, perhaps now lost in the mists of time and memory. When the teams for the match at Stade de France were initially announced, Ronaldo was missing from the team-sheet with Edmundo in his place.

There was speculation his ailing knee had finally given out but then a different story emerged. Ronaldo had suffered had some form of fit while sleeping in his hotel room. Room-mate Roberto Carlos had alerted doctors and worries over damage to his brain had led to his omission from the team-sheet. But when the teams lined up, a rather nervous Ronaldo was there - at least in body. Rumours persist that he had been given a sedative by doctors and that team sponsor Nike, for whom Ronaldo was their leading endorsed player, had forced his inclusion. Whatever the truth, his zombified performance reflected a young man in turmoil who did not want to be playing.

Without him, Brazil looked lost and fell to a France side empowered by a rush of football fervour from the home support. Despite the errant efforts of hapless striker Stéphane Guivarc'h in front of goal, the French still overpowered Brazil.

Even without Laurent Blanc, suspended following a red card after a terrible piece of play-acting from Slaven Bilic in the semi-final, the defence easily smothered what few Brazilian attacks there were. Zidane, who had improved steadily as the tournament went on, reached a crescendo when, unmarked on both occasions, he headed in two identical goals from Emmanuel Petit corners.

And though pivotal defender Marcel Desailly was sent off for a horrible foul on Cafu in the 75th minute, France finished the stronger, eventually sealing their win with a breakaway goal from Petit. Brazil had been thrashed, their dreams of a fifth World Cup perhaps dying in Ronaldo's hotel room, but few could argue with the validity of France as winners.

Skipper Didier Deschamps lifted the trophy, fans partied on the Champs-Élysées and cycling perhaps became France's second favourite sport.

History of 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

Innovations
• Three points for a win in group matches as opposed to two in a bid to encourage more attacking play
• Yellow cards accumulated in the group stage were wiped clean after its completion
• Referees were allowed to wear colours other than black to avoid a clash with the two competing teams
• Players had names above their numbers on shirts
• The USA v Switzerland match in the Pontiac Silverdome was the first to be played indoors in World Cup history - although it was still on grass

Controversies
• Chile were banned from the 1994 tournament after their goalkeeper Roberto Rojas pretended to have been hit and seriously hurt by firecrackers thrown by Brazilian fans in a successful bid to get a 1989 qualifier abandoned. FIFA subsequently used TV evidence to prove Rojas' deceit and Brazil were awarded a 2-0 win
• Diego Maradona tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine but the Argentinean FA withdrew him from the tournament before FIFA could ban him and, amazingly, he remained in the USA as a commentator

Trivia
• Colombian defender Andrés Escobar scored an own goal against USA that helped knock his team out of the competition. A few days after he and his team-mates returned to Colombia, Escobar was shot dead by gangsters amid speculation his error had cost drug barons millions in gambling losses
• Germany's Stefan Effenberg was sent home by coach Berti Vogts after showing the finger to fans when substituted against South Korea
• Russia's Oleg Salenko shared the Golden Boot with six goals, but five of them came in one match against Cameroon. In the same game, 42-year-old Roger Milla broke his own record, set four years previously, as the oldest man to score in a World Cup finals. He also established a record as the oldest player
• The overall attendance of 3,587,538 - an average of 68,991 per match - was a World Cup record

In an attempt to convert the 'New World' to a different form of football, FIFA chose the USA to host the tournament, a decision greeted with massive scepticism. But despite 'soccer' being way down the American sporting popularity list, it was full houses all-round throughout the tournament.

After a Hollywood-style opening ceremony in which Diana Ross, rather prophetically, missed a penalty, Germany beat Bolivia in rather unconvincing fashion. This, too, was to prove prophetic.

Brazil, after two poor World Cups, looked stronger than they had since 1982, with Barcelona striker Romário at the very peak of his predatory powers. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira had added a defensive ballast to midfield in the tandem of Mauro Silva and Dunga and it paid dividends in the opening wins over Russia and Cameroon. The final group game came against a strong and free-scoring Sweden side and honours were shared as both progressed.

Russia and Cameroon both exited prematurely but not without sharing a record-breaking match. Russia's Oleg Salenko scored a record five goals in a 6-1 win over Cameroon for whom Roger Milla became, at an official age of 42 (some say he was older), the oldest ever scorer in the World Cup.

Argentina started in a similar fashion to Brazil, thrashing the Greeks 4-0 in Boston and then beating the impressive Nigerians 2-1. While Gabriel Batistuta and Claudio Caniggia fired the bullets, the strings were pulled by Fernando Redondo and Diego Maradona, back playing after a ban for cocaine use and a series of false starts at Napoli, Seville and Newell's Old Boys. Looking suspiciously trim and energetic, Maradona lashed in an amazing goal against Greece and celebrated maniacally.

Argentina became most people's favourites for the tournament. Until, at least, the news came out that Maradona had tested positive for banned stimulant ephedrine. Broken by the loss of their leader, Argentina faded against Bulgaria in their last group game and now faced the challenge of Romania in the second round.

The Romanians had won a group that included the hosts and Colombia, Pelé's pick to win the tournament. But Colombia, for all their pretty passing moves, fell to the wiles of Gheorghe Hagi in their opener and then catastrophically lost to the USA in their next, putting them out. Harrowingly, defender Andrés Escobar paid for an own goal with his life, shot by gangsters on his return to Medellin. It was an incident that cast a shadow over Colombian football for years to come.

Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland continued to delight the neutrals by beating Italy in New York after a tremendous goal from Ray Houghton. However, they met a rather damp end to their campaign in the second round when a mistake by Italia 90 hero Packie Bonner handed progress to the Dutch.

The hosts put up a brave showing against Brazil but lost to a late strike from Bebeto, Brazil's other striker. Germany struggled to get past the Belgians while Italy needed a late equaliser from Roberto Baggio against Nigeria. Baggio, rumoured to be at odds with coach Arrigo Sacchi, was the hero on the field as he converted an extra-time penalty winner.

The best game of the round saw the Argentinians face the Romanians. Hagi, often termed the 'Maradona of the Carpathians', showed the Argentinians what they were missing, supplying two goals for Ilie Dumitrescu and then scoring himself. Well though Argentina played, Maradona's cutting edge was lacking and they were overrun by Romania's incisive attacking.

Sweden, though, matched the Romanians in the quarter-final and held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out. The other quarters were all thrilling games. Brazil fought off a late Dutch surge to win 3-2 through a Branco goal. Italy narrowly beat the Spanish with goals from Baggios Dino and Roberto. 'The Divine Ponytail' struck his winner in the 88th minute but there was still time for an improbable miss from Julio Salinas. Spain, once again, had flattered to deceive.

The story of the round came when Bulgaria, with only one recognised star in Hristo Stoichkov, staged a late comeback to knock out the Germans. Stoichkov rattled in a free-kick after Lothar Matthäus had put the Germans ahead from the spot before the bald head of Yordan Letchkov dived in to head the ball for an improbable winner.

Perhaps that Herculean effort was too much for the Bulgars as, in the semi-final, Roberto Baggio tore them apart - Stoichkov's penalty to make it 2-1 made the game look closer than it was. Similarly, the Swedes were outclassed in a dull semi-final with Brazil. A lone Romário strike was enough to take his team through.

After what had been a vastly entertaining tournament, it was sad that the final was such a drab affair, even surpassing the horror show of 1990. Both Romário and Baggio played with injuries and their talents were consequently dulled, with both missing good opportunities. Though Brazil played the more attacking football, Italy defended well, with Franco Baresi outstanding. Despite a thrilling cameo from mysterious Brazil substitute Viola, extra-time petered out and penalties would, sadly, decide which side won the World Cup for a record fourth time.

Baresi and Márcio Santos both missed and, after an exchange of two successful kicks, Daniele Massaro's poor effort was saved by Cláudio Taffarel. After Dunga had given Brazil the advantage, up stepped Baggio, so deadly all tournament. He blazed over, choosing power over the precision that had served him so well, and Brazil were crowned champions for the fourth time.

History of 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

Innovations
• Lots were used to separate teams with identical records in the group stage
• World Cup Italia 90 was the first officially licensed tournament PC game

Controversies
• The referee added an unwarranted eight minutes of first-half injury time to the semi-final between Italy and Argentina because he forgot to check his watch
• Argentina's Pedro Monzón became the first player to be sent off in a World Cup final - followed 22 minutes later by team-mate Gustavo Dezotti

Trivia
• Nigeria's 23-year-old Samuel Okwaraji died of heart failure during the qualifier between Angola and Nigeria
• Mexico were banned from participating in the tournament after being found guilty of deliberately fielding over-age players in an Under-20 event
• Cameroon became the first African team to reach the last eight
• Republic of Ireland reached the last eight without winning a match (other than on penalties), scoring just two goals in the process
• Argentina were the first team in a World Cup final not to score
• West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer became the first man to win the World Cup as a captain (1974) and coach
• Roger Milla's goals for Cameroon against Colombia in the second round made him the oldest player ever to score in the World Cup finals, at 38 years and 20 days. He beat his own record four years later

This was, in truth, a poor World Cup. It's a saying among Dutch football fans that poor quality tournaments are always won by the Germans and, while Dutch-German enmity ought to be borne in mind, this tournament most definitely added weight to the notion.

West Germany, soon to become plain old Germany after reunification, hit the ground running in the group stages with a 4-1 thrashing of Yugoslavia and a 5-1 thumping of the United Arab Emirates. Lothar Matthäus had been released from his marking role of 1986 and was leading the attacking charge. He grabbed three goals in those first two games, setting out his stall for a finals of immense personal achievement.

Holders Argentina were not the side of 1986, with Diego Maradona carrying a knee injury and his colleagues, with the exception of Claudio Caniggia, not up to the standards of the previous tournament.

In an amazing opening game, African football arrived on the world stage when Cameroon defeated the holders with a goal from François Omam-Biyik. Despite having two men sent off for some disgraceful tackling, Cameroon held on.

Argentina eventually qualified in third place from their group behind Cameroon and Romania, a skin-of-the-teeth approach that would continue through the tournament.

The other surprise packages were Costa Rica, who had come second in their group behind Brazil after wins over Scotland and Sweden.

Of the other favourites, hosts Italy looked strong. However, converting the vast number of chances they created was a problem. Enter Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci, a late addition to the squad who burst on to the scene with a winner against Austria and another against the Czechs. The other goal against Czechoslovakia was a tremendous solo run by Roberto Baggio, the new prince of Italian football.

European champions Holland, meanwhile, had succumbed to their old folly of in-fighting and only just squeezed into the second round behind England and Republic of Ireland. In the knock-out stages, the Germans took their revenge on the Dutch for defeat in the Euro 88 semi-finals with a 2-1 win. The game became infamous for a disgraceful spitting incident between Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler.

Brazil, too, perished in the second round. Against Argentina, they dominated possession, hitting the woodwork on a number of occasions before Maradona awoke from his torpor. A weaving run was followed by a perfect through-ball to Caniggia, who did the rest to kill off the Brazilians.

Cameroon continued their amazing run with a 2-1 defeat of Colombia, thanks in no small part to the comedic keeping of René Higuita, whose suicidal attempt to dribble round Roger Milla resulted in the veteran striker's second goal.

Similar romance was provided by the Republic of Ireland, playing in their first finals, and knocking out Romania in a thrilling penalty shoot-out in Genoa. Never pretty to watch, Jack Charlton's side won friends with their unstinting work ethic. After a trip to meet the Pope in Rome, their tournament was ended by the hosts and a goal by Toto Schillaci. West Germany progressed after beating Czechoslovakia through a Matthäus penalty.

England spoilt the Cameroon party with an extra-time win despite twice being behind. Argentina's ugly roadshow continued with a penalty shoot-out win over Yugoslavia, for whom Dragan Stojkovic and Robert Prosinecki had dazzled all tournament. Despite missing a penalty himself, Maradona would face the hosts in his adopted hometown of Naples.

It went down to the dreaded spot-kicks again. Schillaci had put the Italians ahead but Caniggia equalised. A rough-house approach from Argentina prevented the Italians' passing moves and, though Ricardo Giusti was dismissed early in extra-time, it was back to the lottery of penalties - a lottery the Argentinians were now used to. Maradona converted after Milan's Roberto Donadoni had missed and then Aldo Serena missed, too. Tears were shed as the Azzurri went out.

The other semi-final in Turin is a game of English legend where, in keeping with much of football history, it went to penalties and the Germans won. Brave England, who had improved steadily all through the tournament, finished fourth after losing to Italy in the third-place play-off.

The final, perhaps uniquely, saw West Germany as the peoples' favourites to win. Argentina had alienated most neutrals with their foul play, theatrical diving and constant hounding of the referee. Maradona was a leading culprit and the footballing demi-god of 1986 had been replaced by a moaning, complaining prima donna dwarf.

In the worst final yet, the Germans triumphed when, in an apt fashion, Andreas Brehme converted an 85th-minute penalty after a foul on Rudi Völler. Argentina had been looking to play for penalties once again having had Pedro Monzón sent-off for a foul on Klinsmann, earning infamy as the first ever player to be dismissed in a final.

The game collapsed into farce as the Argentinian players surrounded the referee. Gustavo Dezotti followed Monzón down the tunnel in the dying seconds and the Germans had their revenge for Mexico. Maradona's tears of joy from four years earlier were replaced by tears of self-pity.

The crowning achievements, though, had been those of Matthäus, who lifted the trophy, and coach Franz Beckenbauer, who became the first player to both captain and coach a World Cup-winning side.

History of World Cup 1986

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

Innovations
• The group-style second round was scrapped and replaced with a straight knockout tournament

Controversies
• Colombia were the original choice as hosts but economic chaos meant they in effect had to withdraw. Hopes of an open system for finding a replacement were all but ended when FIFA president João Havelange headed straight from the 1982 final to Mexico
• The sometimes brilliant, sometimes disgraceful Diego Maradona's handball to score against England stirred passions on both sides of the Atlantic. Afterwards, he smiled and said it was "a bit with the head of Maradona and another bit with the hand of God"

Trivia
• Iraq qualified without playing a home match because of the Iran-Iraq war
• A total of 308 qualifying matches were played and 801 goals scored
• Bulgaria and Uruguay qualified for the second round without winning a group match
• Portugal's players went on strike, refusing to train between their first and the second games, and were knocked out after a loss to Morocco in the final group match
• Iraq defender Samir Shaker Mahmoud was banned for a year by FIFA after spitting at the referee during his team's 2-1 loss to Belgium
• Paraguay's Cayetano Ré became the first coach to be sent off after repeatedly encroaching onto the pitch during the first-round game against Belgium
• Uruguay's José Batista was sent off after 56 seconds of the group match against Scotland

A return to Mexico after just 16 years looks a romantic choice at first glance. In fact, the return to Central America came as a result of original hosts Colombia's inability to meet the economic demands of staging "the greatest show on earth". Mexico was itself a country in crisis after a earthquake had wreaked havoc and killed 25,000 people in 1985, but the country rallied to stage the tournament once again.

The tournament was to centre on one squat little man, Diego Armando Maradona, who was on a mission to bury the ghost of 1982 and a troubled spell at Barcelona.

From the first game, Maradona was the mainstay of an Argentina side that was otherwise functional and efficient but lacking in flair. Maradona provided magic in spades and matched it with a will to win. Scoring an excellent equaliser against off-colour holders Italy, he played a part in every Argentine goal in the first round.

The first round's darlings were the Danes, featuring the talents of Michael Laudup and Preben Elkjær-Larsen. A 6-1 defeat of Uruguay saw odds on the Scandinavians winning the trophy tumble. The bookies soon breathed easier, though, as the Danes bizarrely capitulated 5-1 to Spain in the second round, with Emilio 'The Vulture' Butrageno scoring four.

Other first-round form teams to fail at the second-round stage were Soviet Union, in a dramatic 4-3 loss to Belgium, and Morocco, who topped England's group before taking West Germany to the wire - it was not until three minutes from the end that the Germans got their winner in Monterrey.

Italy, a pale shadow of the 1982 side, were dispatched with ease by the French. France, who had won the 1984 European Championships in some style, were again many romantics' choice for the championship, though an over-reliance on Michel Platini's goal power from midfield would later prove problematic.

Brazil, themselves a shadow of their 1982 team but 4-0 conquerors of Poland, met the French in a titanic encounter in Guadalajara.

The game ended 1-1 and was absolutely jam-packed with incident. A challenge by Brazil goalkeeper Carlos on Bruno Bellone brought back painful memories of the Battiston-Schumacher incident four years earlier. At the other end, with his first kick of the game, substitute Zico missed a penalty to win the game in normal time, so it was penalties again for the French. This time, their nerve held despite Platini inexplicably blazing his spot-kick over the bar. Keeper Joel Bats was the hero as he saved first Socrates' casual effort and then Júlio César's strike.

Luis Fernández stroked home the decider and the French rejoiced. The time seemed right for revenge over the Germans, who had ousted the hosts in their own shoot-out.

Argentina's challenge was meanwhile gathering pace. A functional win over Uruguay took them on to face England in the quarter-finals. Bobby Robson's side, for whom Gary Lineker had hit a rich vein of scoring form, had beaten South American opposition in the second round in Paraguay, but Argentina looked a far tougher proposition.

And so they would prove. Maradona's first goal, for which there is no dispute that he had handled, was followed by an amazing 75-yard dribble past the entire England defence and goalkeeper Peter Shilton. It is surely the best goal ever seen on the World Cup stage. England, though, rallied after the introduction of John Barnes, who provided a goal for Lineker. The pair almost repeated the trick but Lineker failed to direct his header goalwards.

Yet, despite the illegitimacy of Maradona's first goal, there was little doubt about the best team winning.

Just to show that his second goal hadn't been a fluke, Maradona twice repeated a similar trick in the semi-final against Belgium, surprise members of the last four after a shoot-out win over Spain. The Belgians just couldn't hold the irrepressible Argentina skipper as he led his team into their second final in three World Cups.

There they faced West Germany, ever the party-poopers. France, broken by their toils in the quarter-final, failed to get their revenge. Goalkeeper Bats soiled his heroic status by fumbling an Andreas Brehme free-kick early on and, in the last minute, when France were pushing hard for an equalizer, Rudi Völler scored a breakaway goal.

The final saw Maradona being marked hard by Lothar Matthäus and reduced to a peripheral role for much of the game, which was a poor spectacle until its later stages. Centre-back José Luis Brown had headed in Jorge Burruchaga's free-kick and, when Real Madrid's Jorge Valdano stroked the ball past Schumacher, all looked lost for the Germans.

But on came substitute strikers Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Dieter Hoeness, brother of 1974 hero Uli. Rummenigge, who had suffered another injury-hit finals, bundled home a Völler flick before Völler himself headed in Thomas Berthold's flick with eight minutes to play. Argentina looked shaken but surely this had to be Maradona's tournament?

The little man certainly believed so. Two minutes later, he ended a weaving run with a delicate through-ball to Jorge Burruchaga. The youngster did the rest and Argentina soon claimed their second World Cup. Maradona had realised his dream and, though Argentina were far from a one-man team, no single player has ever had such an influence on the destiny of a World Cup.

History of 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

Innovations
• A complete overhaul of the structure and an expansion to 24 teams in the finals to allow more teams from Africa and Asia
• Penalty shoot-outs to decide semi-final and final matches

Controversies
• In the game between France and Kuwait, the Kuwaitis protested about a goal, claiming they had stopped because of a whistle. Prince Fahid, the Kuwaiti FA president, walked onto the pitch to argue with the referee and threatened to withdraw his team. The referee reversed his decision, but France still won 4-1. The referee was suspended, and Fahid was fined US$14,000
• The format meant that England and Cameroon were knocked out despite not losing a match
• West Germany and Austria went into their last group game knowing a German win would mean both qualified for the next round and, to the disgust of the vociferous crowd, neither made any attempt to score after Germany took an early lead. Algeria, who had beaten West Germany in the opening game, were the real victims as they went out as a result
• In the semi-final, German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher was responsible for one of the game's most appalling fouls when he charged out his area and poleaxed France's Patrick Battiston. To the astonishment of players and spectators, the referee took no action and Schumacher showed not a jot of concern for the unconscious Battison, who was stretchered off with a damaged spine and missing teeth

Trivia
• Italy's captain, Dino Zoff, was 40 when he played in the final and remains the oldest man to receive a winner's medal
• France's Alain Giresse scored the first goal in a penalty shoot-out. France lost the semi-final to West Germany 4-5
• Hungarian substitute László Kiss scored a hat-trick in eight minutes in a record 10-1 rout of El Salvador
• Italy's Giampiero Marini was booked inside a minute in the game against Poland
• Northern Ireland's Norman Whiteside, at the age of 17 years and 42 days, became the youngest player to appear in the finals
• Algeria's captain, Salah Asad, was executed during a government crackdown on Islamic fundamentalists in 1992
• England's Bryan Robson scored against France after 27 seconds, a record at the time
• Peru's 67-year-old coach Elba de Pádua Lima, better known as Tim, had appeared in the World Cup 44 years earlier as a player for Brazil
• The total attendance figure of 2,109,723 was the first time it had topped two million

Espana 82 was an expanded, and rather unwiedly, tournament with 24 places now up for grabs for the qualifiers and a changed structure. There was to be a second group stage once again but with the re-introduction of a semi-final stage.

The first stage, with six groups of four, saw a record scoreline when Hungary walloped El Salvador 10-1 as well as a surprise when Algeria defeated West Germany 2-1. Despite this win, the Algerians failed to reach the second round when a footballing Anschluss between Austria and the Germans conspired to let the Germans win 1-0. Newspapers around the world proclaimed the game as a carve-up and few of those who watched the stultifying fare on offer could disagree. German fans of a certain age remain embarassed by the game.

The heroes of the first round were Northern Ireland, making their first finals appearance since 1958. With Norman Whiteside, the youngest player to feature in a finals tournament, they managed to qualify by beating Spain 1-0 with a famous Gerry Armstrong goal in Valencia. The Spaniards also suffered the ignominy of drawing with Honduras and it was not to be a happy tournament for the hosts.

The other home nations - England and Scotland - suffered contrasting fortunes. The Scots were beaten 4-1 by Brazil, despite an iconic early goal from David Narey, and were eliminated after drawing 2-2 with Soviet Union.

England were the form horses of the first round, beating heavily-fancied France 3-1 with Bryan Robson scoring the finals' fastest ever goal (27 seconds) and later nodding in another. Wins over Czechoslovakia and Tunisia gave Ron Greenwood's team a 100% record but, in the second round, a failure to score against Spain and West Germany saw them return home empty-handed.

Holders Argentina, now featuring Diego Maradona, had endured a tough time in their group, losing to the Belgians in the opening game, but had reached the second round groups of three. They faced a group of death in the form of Brazil and Italy. Brazil fielded their best team since 1970, with the talents of Falcão, Zico, Socrates and Éder, but the lack of a genuine striker - Careca missed out through injury - cost them dearly. The gangly Serginho was not up to the standard of the rest of the side.

The Argentinians flopped badly against the Italians and were then outclassed by Brazil in a 3-1 defeat that saw Maradona sent off for kicking out at Batista. Maradona, then just beginning his career at Barcelona, had failed in the tournament in his adopted country.

But the Brazilians, everybody's favourites to win the trophy, were soon to meet their own Waterloo. In a World Cup classic, they were beaten by an Italian side waking up from the slumber of the first round. Paolo Rossi struck a hat-trick as Brazil, despite classic goals from Socrates and Falcão, exited, with Serginho guilty of some glaring misses.

The semi-finals saw Italy face Poland, who were still featuring Grzegorz Lato but had star man Zbigniew Boniek suspended. Rossi was again the man for the occasion as his two goals put Italy into their first final in 12 years.

The other semi-final is often recognised as the modern World Cup's greatest-ever game. France had recovered from their opening defeat to play some fantastic football with celebrated midfielders Michel Platini, Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana leading the charge. With the scores at 1-1, on came substitute Patrick Battiston, who was almost immediately played through the middle.

Charging in on goal, he came up against German keeper Harald Schumacher, who, just as Battiston reached the ball, clattered him with a forearm smash. The ball trickled wide of the net but, amazingly, Dutch referee Charles Corver awarded a goal-kick as Battiston lay motionless on the field, having lost two teeth.

Despite having to restructure once again, when extra-time came, France stormed into a 3-1 lead with goals from Giresse and Marius Tresor. But the Germans, showing typical resolve and dismissal of romance, fought back to equalise through Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, carrying an injury but on as an emergency substitute, and Klaus Fischer. So began the World Cup's first-ever penalty shoot-out. As was to become customary down the years, it was the Germans who were victors as Didier Six and Maxime Bossis both missed spot-kicks. Gigantic striker Horst Hrubesch smashed home the winner.

Germany, highly unpopular after the Schumacher incident, ran out of luck in the final. Both finalists had started slowly in the competition but the Italians finished far stronger as Paolo Rossi opened the scoring and Marco Tardelli smashed in their second, celebrating in legendary fashion.

Substitute Alessandro Altobelli sealed it for the Italians in the 80th minute before Paul Breitner scored a late German consolation, his second in a World Cup Final. In truth, Italy had outclassed the Germans and, having beaten the holders in Argentina, the favourites in Brazil and the pantomime villains in West Germany, they were worthy winners.

History of 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

Innovations
• None

Controversies
• In 1976, Argentina had undergone a military coup and, in the build-up to the tournament, a number of teams debated whether they ought to take part. In the end there were no boycotts
• All of Argentina's games kicked off at night, giving them the advantage of already knowing other results in their group ahead of their own games. As a result, FIFA changed the rules ahead of the 1982 event
• Argentina needed to beat Peru by four clear goals in their last second-round match to reach the final. They won 6-0 with what some commentators noted was "suspicious ease", prompting suggestions the game had been rigged. Conspiracy theorists pointed out Peru's keeper Ramon Quiroga had been born in Argentina. Nothing was ever proved
• Netherlands refused to attend the post-match ceremonies after the final because of what they claimed were deliberate stalling tactics by the Argentineans before the start
• In the dying seconds of a first-round match between Brazil and Sweden, Brazil's Zico headed home a corner-kick. But referee Clive Thomas disallowed the goal, insisting he had whistled to end the match while the ball was in the air. The final score remained at 1-1

Trivia
• Against Hungary, France wore the shirts of a local squad from Club Atletico Kimberley. Argentinean TV was only black and white and the standard strips of the two sides were indistinguishable
• Brazil failed to reach the final despite not losing a match
• Netherlands' Ernie Brandts scored at both ends, an own goal for Italy and later a goal for his country, in their 2-1 win
• A nun was arrested in Frankfurt when she tried to strangle a man who had been cheering Austria's 3-2 win over West Germany

For the first time in 16 years, the tournament returned to South America, and not without a little controversy. Argentina was governed by a military junta that had come to power in bloody fashion and was known to deal with its critics through torture and imprisonment. This political situation had led many countries to consider boycotting Argentina for its human rights abuses but diplomacy on the part of the junta meant that, eventually, every qualifier lined up.

Netherlands had led the calls for a boycott but they would still have to do without Johan Cruyff, who had promised wife Danny that he wouldn't travel to South America after a supposed kidnapping attempt. West Germany, meanwhile, were without Franz Beckenbauer and were a shadow of the side that had won in 1974.

The hosts were favourites. Their star was Mario Kempes, a veteran of 1974 who had developed into the complete striker. Chain-smoking, hippified coach Cesar Luis Menotti could also count on the talents of skipper and sweeper Daniel Passarella, midfield playmaker Osvaldo Ardiles, Kempes' strike partner Leopoldo Luque and keeper Ubaldo Fillol. He even had the luxury of leaving 17-year-old wunderkind Diego Maradona out of his final 22-man squad.

But the Argentineans had a difficult time in the first round, where they faced a French team featuring a young Michel Platini. After an extremely narrow 2-1 victory, Argentina needed a win against the Italians to remain in their preferred base of Buenos Aires. They failed, with Roberto Bettega scoring the only goal for the Italians.

Netherlands, meanwhile, were struggling without Cruyff and narrowly squeezed through in a group that Peru won, with Teófilo Cubillas making a welcome return to the finals. Between the Dutch and the second group stage lay the Scots, who, despite coach Ally MacLeod's prediction that they could win the entire tournament, had been crushed by Peru and, more embarrassingly, played out an X-rated draw with Iran that goes down in history as one of the worst games in the World Cup of all-time.

Scotland needed to beat the Dutch by two clear goals and, after Archie Gemmill scored a legendary goal to put them 3-1 up, they were in dreamland. Not for long, as Johnny Rep scored the goal that took the Dutch through just four minutes later.

The second stage saw the Dutch reunited with the West Germans in a repeat of the final of 1974. It took a late goal from René van de Kerkhof to secure a draw against them but the group's real threat was the Italians, for whom Bettega and Paolo Rossi formed a strong strike partnership ahead of the usual tough banks of defence and midfield.

After Netherlands beat an Austrian side featuring the legendary Hans Krankl 5-1, the fight for a place in the final went down to the wire. Willy Brandts put past his own keeper to put the Italians ahead but soon made amends by equalising. It took an amazing 40-yard thunderbolt from Arie Haan to win it for the Dutch and take them into their second successive final.

Now based in Rosario, Argentina started well with a 2-0 win over a strong Polish team but Brazil looked odds on to go through. After a goalless draw between the old rivals, Argentina had to beat Peru by four clear goals to reach the final. After one of the sport's most controversial results, they did just that. Peru keeper Quiroga was born in Argentina and there was more than a whiff of junta interference. It has since been alleged that some US$50 million was paid into a slush fund for the Peruvian authorities.

Whatever the truth of that allegation, the final itself was not without controversy either. The kick-off was delayed while Argentinian officials made a song and dance about a lightweight cast on Van de Kerkhof's fractured wrist. Once the game had started, and despite a strong Dutch start, Kempes was the hero as he tapped home after strong running by Luque and Ardiles. But Netherlands rallied and substitute Dirk Nanninga, as he had predicted to the press before the match, headed in ten minutes from time.

Then came the moment that confirmed the Dutch as World Cup history's nearly men: Robbie Rensenbrink's shot against the post in the last minute. In extra-time, Kempes took a full grip on the game, beating three men before knocking a rebound off keeper Jan Jongbloed into the net.

He then set up Daniel Bertoni five minutes from time and Argentina, whatever allegations about drug-use and corruption have followed, went down in history as 1978 World Cup champions amid famous scenes of tickertape celebration.

History of 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

Innovations
• FIFA commissioned a new trophy after Brazil were allowed to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy

Controversies
• The USSR were knocked out in the final qualifying round after refusing to play in Chile, where there had recently been a military coup, with thousands of supporters of Marxist president Salvador Allende executed in the football stadium. Chile kicked off, kicked the ball into an empty net and were awarded the game
• Haiti, under the horrific regime of François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, played their final qualifying match against Trinidad at home - the visitors had no less than four goals disallowed. FIFA subsequently suspended the referee
• Haiti defender Ernst Jean-Joseph became the first player in the World Cup to fail a dope test. He was taken back to the team hotel and beaten up by his own squad officials

Trivia
• Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be shown a red card in a World Cup match
• Poland's Leslaw Cmikiewicz set a record when he made six appearances as substitute
• The start of the final was delayed when the referee noticed the corner and centre-line flag-posts were missing as the teams lined up

Although it was the team's defining moment, Mexico 70 was the end of the era of Brazilian World Cup dominance. By the time the Mondial returned in 1974, the map of world football had changed.

The mid-70s was the era of 'total football', and Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich dominated the European club scene with this free-flowing, interchangeable approach. While Netherlands, who featured the likes of Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol and Willem van Hanegem, played a more attractive and cavalier game, the West Germans had won the European Nations Cup in 1972, playing a more functional but devastatingly effective brand of it. Two years later, they were perhaps a little more defensive, no longer relying on midfield counterpoint Günter Netzer, but seemingly the only team who had a chance of stopping the devastating Dutch.

Brazil were a spent force, playing an ugly, Europeanised form of football. With Pelé now gone and Gerson and Tostao also out of the picture, they were fortunate not to lose to the ever-unlucky Scotland in the group stages and only just sneaked into the newly-added second group stage.

Elsewhere, Netherlands qualified from their group with ease. West Germany didn't find it quite so easy, suffering a hugely embarassing loss to the East Germans and struggling to beat Chile and Australia, who were making their first appearance in the finals (and last for 32 years).

The highest-profile first-round casualties were the Italians, who had struggled to beat Haiti and then been beaten by Poland in the final group game. The Poles, England's conquerors in the qualifiers after Jan Tomaszewski, the keeper labelled by Brian Clough as a "clown", had thwarted an England onslaught at Wembley, featured the talents of the wonderfully-named defender Jerzy Gorgon, midfield creator Kazimierz Deyna and free-scoring winger Grzegorz Lato, and enjoyed their best-ever World Cup.

The second stage saw Netherlands really get into gear. With Cruyff at his mercurial best, they hammered Argentina 4-0, eased past the East Germans and then compounded the new world order of international football by soundly beating the Brazilians. Neeskens and Cruyff scored two great goals to put them into the final.

The other group was far less straightforward as both West Germany and the Poles looked strong in seeing off the challenges of Sweden and Yugoslavia. Netherlands' opponents would be decided in the last group game. Despite a fine showing from the Poles, home advantage stood in Frankfurt when Gerd Müller, Bayern Munich's finisher of finishers, scored in the 76th minute to set up a date with destiny in Munich.

It was one of the most eagerly-awaited finals in years with few able to choose between the two and, considering the historical enmity between the two countries, it was a game that meant far more than football.

The Dutch, children of World War II and its aftermath, seemed intent on humiliating the Germans and, after an amazing first minute where Netherlands passed the ball around without the Germans touching the ball, Cruyff set off into the box with typical purpose. Future Scotland manager Berti Vogts brought him down and Neeskens did the rest from the penalty spot.

After that, Netherlands chose to play keep-ball and mock the Germans. But, marshaled by Franz Beckenbauer, the hosts held their nerve and were rewarded when a forceful run by Bernd Hölzenbein was ended after a tackle by Wim Jansen. Referee Jack Taylor pointed to the penalty spot. The Dutch accused the German winger of diving but the end result was Paul Breitner drilling the ball past Jan Jongbloed in the 25th minute.

Two minutes before half-time, the Germans were in the lead. The scorer was Müller, in his last international, who executed a pirouette to fire in. Demoralised just before the break, the Dutch came out fighting in the second half, but the lethargy and teasing of the early part of the game was hard to shake off. Though Johan Neeskens went close twice, keeper Sepp Maier was equal to the task.

The West Germans had beaten their bitter rivals and dashed the hopes of the footballing romantic - just as they had done in 1954 with the Hungarians. Cruyff was soon to sneak into World Cup exile. Beckenbauer, who had previously lost a final and come third in 1970, lifted the newly issued FIFA World Cup Trophy.

History of World Cup 1970

Winners: Brazil
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

Stats
A total of 95 goals were scored (2.97 per match), including five penalties and one own goal; Brazil (19) scored the most; 54 individual players scored, while Pelé and Uwe Seeler scored in their fourth World Cup tournament

Format
Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group into the quarter-finals

Innovations
• This was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe
• It was the first to be televised in colour
• Substitutes were allowed for the first time (two per team)
• Red and yellow cards were introduced, although no player was sent off during the tournament
• Fair Play Award introduced
• Teams level on points at the end of the group stage were separated by goal difference (replacing play-offs and goal average).

Controversies
• Before the event, England's captain, Bobby Moore, was arrested and held in Colombia on charges of theft. He was released on the eve of the competition after England had travelled on without him
• To fit in with European viewing schedules, some matches kicked off at noon. This was unpopular with many players and managers because of the intense heat in Mexico at that time of day
• On the eve of the England-Brazil match, Brazilian fans gathered outside the England hotel and chanted and sang all night in a deliberate bid to disrupt the team's sleep.

Trivia
• Zambia and Sudan both won 4-2 at home in their qualifying play-off matches. Sudan went through because of a quickly-scrapped rule that the team scoring more goals in the second match would win. However, they finished bottom of their final qualification group and did not reach the finals
• Rioting marred qualifying matches between El Salvador and neighbours Honduras, and in July 1969 war broke out between the two in what historians dubbed "The War of Soccer"
• Brazilian Mário Zagallo became the first man to win the tournament as a player (1958) and coach.
• Pelé became the first man to play in three World Cup-winning teams
• During the post-final celebrations, the lid of the trophy went missing. Brazilian reserve Davio retrieved it from a young spectator at the stadium exit.

Overview
As with 1966, images of this tournament remain at the forefront of the football fan's memory. This was the first tournament to be televised in colour and the football played was similarly vivid. It is remembered as Brazil's finest and defining hour.

Following the woes of 1966, after which Pelé had said he would never play in a World Cup again, the Brazilians took this event very seriously indeed. Coach Joao Saldanha wanted his team to play a flowing brand of football but this was to be coupled with a hard-edged physical approach, brought about by months spent in a spartan training camp. Although Saldanha would be supplanted by Mário Zagallo just prior to the tournament, the team continued to play in Saldanha's chosen image and won the trophy in the manner he desired.

Pelé was tempted out of exile and was joined by thrilling wingers Jairzinho and Rivelino, balding playmaker Gérson, the nascent talent of midfielder Clodoaldo and skipper Carlos Alberto, a superb exponent of the art of the attacking full-back. Centre-forward Tostao was there, too, his career saved by an eye operation. Together they formed the World Cup's most thrilling attacking force.

The tournament's location was the subject of much consternation from the European teams, who worried about the 50 degree heat and the breathing problems associated with high altitude. Nevertheless, the West Germans, English and Italians were involved in some of the best matches.

In the group stage, England faced the Brazilians in Guadalajara in a game many envisaged as a dress rehearsal for the eventual final. Jairzinho grabbed the goal that won it for Brazil but the game is best remembered for Gordon Banks' save from Pelé's bullet-header - and a late miss by Jeff Astle. Despite that defeat, England joined Brazil in the knock-out stages.

But, in a re-staging of the 1966 final, the Germans got their revenge over England, when, with Alf Ramsey's side leading 2-0 and having taken off Bobby Charlton and Martin Peters to rest them for the next round, stand-in keeper Peter Bonetti fumbled a long-range shot from Franz Beckenbauer and then allowed Uwe Seeler to back-head the equaliser. England wilted in the heat of Leon and Ramsey's team, run ragged by a far fitter German side, succumbed in extra-time when Gerd Müller, scorer of ten goals in Mexico, scored a typically predatory winner.

Brazil, meanwhile, rolled over the unsung Peruvians, led by the mercurial Teófilo Cubillas, and now faced old enemy Uruguay in the semis. An early goal from Uruguay's Luis Cubilla saw the Brazilians rocked but a pep talk from Pelé and a fantastic strike from Clodoaldo brought them level. The samba football soon returned and Jairzinho and Rivelino's late strikes planted them in the final.

Germany, exhausted by their efforts in Leon, now faced Italy, then fully in the bloom of the catenaccio era. But when Karl Schellinger cancelled out a Roberto Boninsegna goal in the very last minute, luck looked to be with the Germans. However, Beckenbauer injured his shoulder and, though he played on with one arm in a sling, the Italians won out. The score changed no less than five times in extra-time before Gianni Rivera, the golden boy of Italian football, scored a 112th-minute winner.

The superhuman efforts in the last four perhaps did for Italy as Brazil overpowered them in the final. Pelé pulled the strings for the South Americans as first he leapt, in the proverbial fashion of a salmon, to head in a Rivelino cross on 19 minutes. Italy got back in the game when Boninsegna seized on a mistake from Clodoaldo to beat keeper and sometime clown Felix, and the crowd, almost all of them cheering for the Brazilians, began to worry. But up stepped chain-smoking midfielder Gérson to clatter in a goal from the edge of the penalty area.

Twenty minutes from the end, Pelé headed a Gérson cross back for Jairzinho to bundle in and complete his record of having scored in every game. But the coup de grâce was added in the very last minute as Brazil took the ball the length of the field to score the fourth. Clodoaldo, rejuvenated after his early mistake, beat a couple of players and the ball reached Pelé. He, as ever, used his vision to play in Carlos Alberto, whose low drive drilled past Albertosi into the Italian goal. As a sign off for a great side, it has never been surpassed, just as the Brazilian team of 1970 is unlikely to ever be surpassed.

For their three wins in 12 years, the Jules Rimet Trophy that Carlos Alberto lifted was to remain in Brazil permanently. Or, at least, until it was stolen in 1983 from the Brazilian Confederation HQ in 1983.