Year by Year Fact File

1930

Final: Uruguay 4 v 2 Argentina Montevideo, July 30
Winning Coach: Alberto Suppicci
Star Player: Pedro Cea
No. of teams: 13
Total tournament goals: 70
Tournament games: 18
Goals per game ratio: 3.8
Did you know? It was France that won the first ever World Cup match, defeating Mexico 4-1.

1934

Final: Italy 2 v 1 R.C.S. (a.e.t) Rome, June 10
Winning Coach: Vittorio Pozzo
Star Player: Angelo Schiavio
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 70
Tournament games: 17
Goals per game ratio: 4.1
Did you know? Defending champions Uruguay refused to travel to Italy to defend their trophy.

1938

Final: Italy 4 v 2 Hungary Capdeville, June 19
Winning Coach: Vittorio Pozzo
Star Player: Silvio Piola
No. of teams: 15
Total tournament goals: 84
Tournament games: 19
Goals per game ratio: 4.4
Did you know? Due to the Second World War, there would be no World Cup Finals for another 12 years. Italy became the first nation to successfully defend their title; only Brazil (1958, 62) have achieved this since.

1950

Final: *Uruguay 2 v 1 Brazil Rio de Janiero, July 16
Winning Coach: Juan Lopez
Star Player: Oscar Omar Miguez
No. of teams: 13
Total tournament goals: 88
Tournament games: 22
Goals per game ratio: 4
Did you know? The final in Rio was watched by a massive crowd of 199,000!! Most of which FIFA president Jules Rimet had to walk through to present victorious captain Obdulio Valera with the trophy.

*There was no 'final' as such: the winners were determined by a final 4 team 'round robin' group, consisting of Uruguay, Brazil, Spain and Sweden. The team with most points won the tournament.

1954

Final: W.Germany 3 v 2 Hungary Berne, July 4
Winning Coach: Josef Herberger
Star Player: Maximillian Morlock
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 140
Tournament games: 26
Goals per game ratio: 5.4
Did you know? The defeted finalists, Hungary, were overwhelming favourites to win the World Cup before the tournament began, even beating tournament winners West Germany 8-3 in the first stage!

1958

Final: Brazil 5 v 2 Sweden Stockholm, June 29
Winning Coach: Vicente Feola
Star Player: Pele
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 126
Tournament games: 35
Goals per game ratio: 3.6
Did you know? Pele made his World Cup debut as a 17 year old in this tournament and scored his first ever World Cup goal versus Wales. French forward Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in this tournament, a World Cup record, including a hat-trick versus Paraguay and 4 goals versus defending champions West Germany.

1962

Final: Brazil 3 v 1 R.C.S. Santiago, June 17
Winning Coach: Aimore Moreira
Star Player: Garrincha
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 89
Tournament games: 32
Goals per game ratio: 2.8
Did you know? Pele was injured in the second match and took no further part in the tournament.

1966

Final: England 4 v 2 W.Germany (a.e.t.) London, July 30
Winning Coach: Alfred Ramsay
Star Player: Bobby Charlton
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 89
Tournament games: 32
Goals per game ratio: 2.8
Did you know? Geoff Hirst became the first and only player to date, to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

1970

Final: Brazil 4 v 1 Italy Mexico City, June 21
Winning Coach: Mario Zagalo
Star Player: Pele
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 95
Tournament games: 32
Goals per game ratio: 2.9
Did you know? This was the first football event that kick-off times were dictated to by television companies to suit European audiences, resulting in early afternoon kick-offs, much to the detest of the European teams who found the heat and dehydration difficult to cope with.

1974

Final: W.Germany 2 v 1 Netherlands Munich, July 7
Winning Coach: Helmut Schoen
Star Player: Gerd Muller
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 97
Tournament games: 38
Goals per game ratio: 2.5
Did you know? The Netherlands opened the scoring in the first minute with a penalty by Johan Neeskens- the fastest goal in a World Cup Final.

1978

Final: Argentina 3 v 1 Netherlands (a.e.t.) Buenos Aires, June 25
Winning Coach: Cesar Luis Menotti
Star Player: Mario Kempes
No. of teams: 16
Total tournament goals: 102
Tournament games: 38
Goals per game ratio: 2.7
Did you know? This tournament saw the first ever World Cup victory by an African nation - Tunisisa defeating Mexico 3-1.

1982

Final: Italy 3 v 1 W.Germany Madrid, July 8
Winning Coach: Enzo Bearzot
Star Player: Paolo Rossi
No. of teams: 24
Total tournament goals: 146
Tournament games: 52
Goals per game ratio: 2.8
Did you know? Bryan Robson of England scored the fastest ever World Cup goal versus France in stage 1. Also, the semi-final between France and West Germany was he first ever World Cup match to be decided by a penalty-shoot out.

1986

Final: Argentina 3 v 2 W.Germany Mexico City, June 29
Winning Coach: Carlos Bilardo
Star Player: Diego Armando Maradona
No. of teams: 24
Total tournament goals: 132
Tournament games: 52
Goals per game ratio: 2.5
Did you know? The tournament had been due to be staged in Columbia, but fears over security prompted FIFA to swich the venue to Mexico for a second time in 16 years.

1990

Final: W.Germany 1 v 0 Argentina Rome, July 8
Winning Coach: Franz Beckenbauer
Star Player: Lothar Matthaeus
No. of teams: 24
Total tournament goals: 115
Tournament games: 52
Goals per game ratio: 2.2
Did you know? Pedro Monzon, of Argentina, became the first ever player to be sent off in a World Cup final.

1994

Final: Brazil 0 v 0 Italy (Brazil win on pens.) Los Angeles, July 17
Winning Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira
Star Player: Romario
No. of teams: 24
Total tournament goals: 141
Tournament games: 53
Goals per game ratio: 2.6
Did you know? A record 3.5 million people watched 53 games in the USA and the tournament also saw the creation of a whole host of rule changes, including the ban on tackles from behind to promote attacking, entertaining football.

1998

Final: France 3 v 0 Brazil
Winning Coach: Aimes Jacquet
Star Player: Zinedine Zidane
No. of teams: 32
Total tournament goals: 165
Tournament games: 64
Goals per game ratio: 2.6
Did you know? Emmanuel Petit became the first player since Argentine Jorge Burrachaga in 1986, to score from open play in a World Cup Final.