A Brief History of the World Cup

Dream Debut
The first ever World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 to mark the country's centennial. And the host nation went and won it, defeating rival Argentina 4-2. Petty grievances are nothing new in soccer, and so it proved before the final, with neither side in agreement on whose ball to use. The solution? The teams played with Argentina's ball during the first half and Uruguay's in the second. It's a tough tournament to win: only seven sides have triumphed in the 18 World Cups that have been played to date.

• A Team-by-Team Guide to the 2010 World Cup