A Brief History of the World Cup

Forza, Italia!
... Thus deprived of their best penalty taker for the shootout, France lost on kicks 5-3 to Italy, whose captain, Fabio Cannavaro, lifted their fourth World Cup. Four years later, in 2010 in South Africa, the host, Italy, France and 29 other sides will all be hoping to reign supreme over the rest of the soccer world.

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