Day 32 – World Cup history: Structure of the tournament
Lesson
Topic Point: The World Cup structure has evolved over time. The first World Cupin 1930 had 13 teams. From 1934-1978, the tournament had 16 teams. In 1982, thetournament increased to 24 teams and in 1998 to 32 teams. The 2026 tournamentwill increase to 48 teams. While the increase is in part due to popularity, andin turn money, there is significant increase in talent around the world andequitable global representation is necessary.
Until 1966, only 1 spot was allocated forAfrica, Asia, and Oceania, combined! One additional spot was allocatedto CONCACAF. From 1970-1978 (3 World Cups), an additional spot was allocated tothe Africa/Asia/Oceania region (1 for Africa, 1 for Asia/Oceania). This spotwas taken from a combination of Europe/South America. Finally, in 1982, webegin to see a greater global representation with the increase in number ofteams that gain a berth to the tournament (Appendix 7).
Historically, the format of the tournamenthas been an opening round of group play, with each group containing 4 teams soall teams are guaranteed 3 matches. Followed by group play, the top teams fromeach group move on to the elimination rounds -a single-elimination playoffformat. Notable past exceptions include the 1950 World Cup and the 1982 WorldCup (further explanation below)
With 48 teams, the round-robin phase of thetournament will have twelve groups of 4 teams each. The top two teams, plus theeight best 3rd place teams, in each group will form the Round of 32.From here, there will be a knockout phase to end with the championship and 3rdplace games.
Personally, I would like to see a secondgroup phase with eight groups of 4 teams, and the winner of each group moves onto the quarterfinals! That would result in more games for all countries thatadvanced from the first round, but would also increase the duration of thetournament. Despite the increase from 32 to 48 teams, and the increase in totalnumber of games from 64 to 104, the total number of games played by thesemi-final teams will only increase by 1 game (from 7 to 8 games). This isbecause only one round was added in the knockout phase, and the semi-finalteams are guaranteed one more game after the semi-final (championship and 3rdplace games). The duration of the tournament is 39 days compared to previouslybeing around 31-32 days.
Ted Lasso: Thereis no reference to the World Cup tournament, format, or competition. JaimeTartt presents Roy with a gift for “Uncle’s Day”, his World Cup jersey from the2014 World Cup (S3E10).
Soccer-related note: The 13 teams in 1930 were sorted into three groups of 3 teams andone group of 4 teams. The group winners formed the semi-final round followed bythe championship game. The 1934 and 1938 versions had a 16-team knockout format(no groups), much like NFL playoffs or the NCAA basketball tournament.
The next World Cup was held in 1950 due toWorld War II and the devastation that Europe experienced. This version of theWorld Cup was unique. Fifteen teams qualified and were divided into threegroups of 4 teams and one group of three teams. Two teams withdrew afterqualification resulting in two groups of 4 teams, one group of 3 teams, and onegroup with only 2 teams. The group winners formed the championship group whichplayed a round-robin format to determine the World Cup Champion (and theremaining places of 2nd through 4th). This is the onlyWorld Cup to not have a championship game.
In 1954, FIFA developed the popular modernformat. From 1954-1978, the tournament had 16 teams divided into four groups of4 teams. The top two teams from each group entered the quarterfinal round whichtransitioned to a knockout phase.
In 1982, the tournament increased to 24teams (six groups of 4 teams). The top two teams in each group formed thesecond round which was also a round-robin (4 groups of 3 teams). The winner ofeach group entered the semi-final. The winners played in the championship andthe losing team played the third-place match.
In 1986, the format changed to exclude asecond group stage. Instead, the top two teams of each of the six groups plusfour 3rd place teams with the best records formed the Round of 16which began the knockout phase of the tournament. This continued in 1990 and1994.
With the increase to 32 teams in 1998,eight groups of 4 teams formed the field with the top 2 in each group formingthe Round of 16 knockout rounds. The last version of this format was in 2022.
American Sports comparison: As mentioned before, American sports have a regular season that iswithin a 6-8 month period, followed by the playoffs. The NFL and NCAA use aknockout format for the entire playoffs. However, the NBA, NHL, and MLB use a“Best-of” format for the playoffs with teams playing a series of games todetermine the team that progresses.
Interestingly, the 1980 men’s USA icehockey team that won the gold medal progressed through a tournament formatsimilar to the 1950 World Cup. There was a “Group Round” and a “Medal Round”.The United States beat the Soviet Union in a game that was not technically asemi-final game. There was a group of 4 teams (USA, Soviet Union, Finland, andSweden) that formed the medal round and competed in a round robin format. Byvirtue of two wins, the United States accumulated the most points and won thegold medal. The Soviet Union, despite the loss to the United States, won thesilver medal as opposed to the bronze (as would happen in the modernsemi-final/final version of the World Cup and Olympic ice hockey tournaments). The1980 Winter Olympics did not have semi-final nor a Gold medal/Bronze medalgames!
Interactive
Below are links to individual World Cup overviews with results from the 1st round group stage through final/3rd place games, including 2nd round group stage (if applicable) and knock-out rounds. Also, find a reference/link with document from the Lake Placid Olympic Museum which explains the format and results of the 1980 Men’s Ice Hockey Winter Olympic results. This tournament structure was similar to the 1950 World Cup where there was no Gold Medal (championship) nor Bronze Medal (3rd place) games. Instead, there was a 4-team championship group that determined places 1-4 through round-robin play.
1. The 1950 World Cup – there were just two group stages. The teams were divided in to four groups. The group winners made up the Championship group that played each other to determine places 1-4.
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1950/
2. The 1954 World Cup – Started with a group phase, four groups of 4 teams each. The top two teams from each group advanced to the Knockout Stage – the modern format for most of the tournaments since 1954 (but not all!)
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1954/
3. The 1970 World Cup – this format was the last for this era that started in 1954 (16 teams, four groups of 4 teams with the top 2 advancing to the knockout stage).
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1970/
4. The 1974 World Cup – There were still only 16 teams that formed four groups of 4 teams each for the opening group stage. However, this tournament featured a second group stage with two groups of 4 teams each. The winner of each group met in the final. The second place in each group met for the 3rd place match. The 1978 tournament was structured the same.
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1974/
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1978/
5. The 1982 World Cup – This tournament had two rounds of group play, but the total number of teams in the World Cup increase to 24. The First Group Stage was six groups of 4 teams each. The top two teams in each group advanced to the 2nd Group Stage – 12 teams made up four groups of 3 teams each. The winner of each group advanced to the semi-finals.
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1982/
6. The 1986 World Cup – The tournament continues with 24 teams divided into six groups of 4. However, there was no 2nd group stage – the tournament proceeded with the Knockout Stage after the First Round Group Stage. The top 2 teams in each group plus the four best 3rd place teams advanced to the Round of 16 Knockout Stage.
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1986/
7. The 1998 World Cup – The tournament expanded to 32 teams. There were eight groups of 4 teams. The top two teams advanced to the Knockout Stage starting with the Round of 16.
https://www.worldcupbrackets.info/tournaments/world-cup/1998/
8. The 1980 Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament – 12 team entered the tournament and were divided into two groups. Each team played the 5 other teams in their group once. The top two teams in each group advanced to the Championship group of 4 teams. However, each team only played the two teams from the other group (ie they did not play the team from their own group again). The result of the group round was carried into the championship round. The United States and Sweden were the top two teams from the Blue Division and their game ended in a tie. Both teams entered the championship round with one point. The Soviet Union and Finland were the top two teams from the Red Division, and the Soviet Union beat Finland in their match. The Soviets entered the Championship Group with 2 points and Finland had zero. The United States played the Soviets first and Finland second. With two wins and one tie, the United States won the Championship group and the gold medal with a total of 5 points (the Soviets won silver with 4 points).
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