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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the men's association football tournament. For the women's tournament, see FIFA Women's World Cup. For the competition among club teams, see FIFA Club World Cup. For the video games, see FIFA World Cup video games. For the 2026 event, see 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup

Organiser(s) FIFA

Founded 1930; 96 years ago

Region International

Teams 48

Related competitions FIFA Women's World Cup

Current champions Argentina (3rd title)

Most championships Brazil (5 titles)

 2026 FIFA World Cup

Argentina, the current champions

Tournaments

1930193419381950195419581962196619701974197819821986199019941998200220062010201420182022202620302034

The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. The reigning champions are Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022 World Cup by defeating France.[1]

The contest starts with the qualification phase, which takes place over the preceding three years to determine which teams qualify for the tournament phase. In the tournament phase, 32 teams compete for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over the course of about a month. The host nation(s) automatically qualify for the group stage of the tournament. The competition is scheduled to expand to 48 teams, starting with the 2026 World Cup.

As of the 2022 World Cup, 22 final tournaments have been held since the event's inception in 1930, and a total of 80 national teams have competed. The trophy has been won by eight national teams. With five wins, Brazil is the only team to have played in every tournament. The other World Cup winners are Germany and Italy, with four titles each; Argentina, with three titles; France and inaugural winner Uruguay, each with two titles; and England and Spain, with one title each.

The World Cup is globally regarded as the most prestigious association football competition, as well as the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world.[2][3] The viewership of the 2018 World Cup was estimated to be 3.57 billion, close to half of the global population,[4][5] while the engagement with the 2022 World Cup was estimated to be 5 billion, with about 1.5 billion people watching the final match.[6]

Eighteen countries have hosted the World Cup, most recently Qatar, who hosted the 2022 event. The 2026 tournament will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, which will give Mexico the distinction of being the first country to host games in three World Cups.

History

Main article: History of the FIFA World Cup

Previous international competitions

The world's first international football match was a challenge match played in Glasgow in 1872 between Scotland and England.[7] The first international tournament for nations, the inaugural British Home Championship, took place in 1884 and included games between England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.[8] As football grew in popularity in other parts of the world at the start of the 20th century, it was held as a demonstration sport with no medals awarded at the 1900 and 1904 Summer Olympics; however, the International Olympic Committee has retroactively upgraded their status to official events, as well as the 1906 Intercalated Games.[9]

After FIFA was founded in 1904, it tried to arrange an international football tournament between nations outside the Olympic framework in Switzerland in 1906. These were very early days for international football, and the official history of FIFA describes the competition as having been unsuccessful.[10]

Team of Great Britain that won the Olympic tournament in 1908

At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, football became an official Olympic sport. Planned by the Football Association (the FA), England's football governing body, the event was for amateur players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. Great Britain (represented by the England national amateur football team) won the gold medals. They repeated the feat at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.[11]

With the Olympic event continuing to be a contest between amateur teams only, Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy tournament in Turin in 1909. The Lipton tournament was a championship between individual clubs (not national teams) from different nations, each of which represented an entire nation. The competition is sometimes described as The First World Cup,[12] and featured the most prestigious professional club sides from Italy, Germany and Switzerland, but the FA of England refused to be associated with the competition and declined the offer to send a professional team. Lipton invited West Auckland, an amateur side from County Durham, to represent England instead. West Auckland won the tournament and returned in 1911 to successfully defend their title.[13] Prior to the Lipton competition, from 1876 to 1904, games that were considered to be the "football world championship" were meetings between leading English and Scottish clubs, such as the 1895 game between Sunderland A.F.C. and the Heart of Midlothian F.C., which Sunderland won.[14]

In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the Olympic tournament as a "world football championship for amateurs", and took responsibility for managing the event.[15] This paved the way for the world's first intercontinental football competition for nations, at the 1920 Summer Olympics, contested by Egypt and 13 European teams, and won by Belgium.[16] Uruguay won the next two Olympic football tournaments in 1924 and 1928. Those were also the first two open world championships, as 1924 was the start of FIFA's professional era, and is the reason why Uruguay is allowed to wear 4 stars.[17][18]

World Cups before World War II

FIFA president Jules Rimet convinced the confederations to promote an international football tournament

Due to the success of the Olympic football tournaments, FIFA, with President Jules Rimet as the driving force, again started looking at staging its own international tournament outside of the Olympics. On 28 May 1928, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam decided to stage a world championship.[19] With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions and to celebrate their centenary of independence in 1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country of the inaugural World Cup tournament.[20]

The national associations of selected nations were invited to send a team, but the choice of Uruguay as a venue for the competition meant a long and costly trip across the Atlantic Ocean for European sides, especially in the midst of the Great Depression. As such, no European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition. Rimet eventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia to make the trip.[20] In total, 13 nations took part: seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America.[21]

Estadio Centenario, the location of the first World Cup final in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay

The first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously on 13 July 1930, and were won by France and the United States, who defeated Mexico 4–1 and Belgium 3–0 respectively. The first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France.[22] In the final, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in front of 93,000 spectators in Montevideo, and became the first nation to win the World Cup.[23] After the creation of the World Cup, FIFA and the IOC disagreed over the status of amateur players; football was dropped from the 1932 Summer Olympics.[24][25] After the IOC and FIFA worked out their differences, Olympic football returned at the 1936 Summer Olympics, but was now overshadowed by the more prestigious World Cup.[24]

The issues facing the early World Cup tournaments were the difficulties of intercontinental travel and war. Few South American teams were willing to travel to Europe for the 1934 World Cup and all North and South American nations except Brazil and Cuba boycotted the 1938 tournament. Brazil was the only South American team to compete in both. The 1942 and 1946 competitions, which Germany and Brazil sought to host,[26] were cancelled due to World War II.[27]

World Cups after World War II

The opening game of the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, shortly before the 1950 FIFA World Cup

The 1950 World Cup, held in Brazil, was the first to include British football associations. Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland had withdrawn from FIFA in 1920, partly out of unwillingness to play against the countries they had been at war with, and partly as a protest against foreign influence on football.[28] The teams rejoined in 1946 following FIFA's invitation.[29] The tournament also saw the return of 1930 champions Uruguay, who had boycotted the previous two World Cups. Uruguay won the tournament again after defeating the host nation Brazil, in the match called "Maracanazo" (Portuguese: Maracanaço).[30]

In the tournaments between 1934 and 1978, 16 teams competed in each tournament, except in 1938, when Austria was absorbed into Germany after qualifying, leaving the tournament with 15 teams, and in 1950, when India, Scotland, and Turkey withdrew, leaving the tournament with 13 teams.[31] Most of the participating nations were from Europe and South America, with a small minority from North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. These teams were usually defeated easily by the European and South American teams. Until 1982, the only teams from outside Europe and South America to advance out of the first round were: United States, semi-finalists in 1930; Cuba, quarter-finalists in 1938; North Korea, quarter-finalists in 1966; and Mexico, quarter-finalists in 1970.

Expansion to 24 and 32 teams

Inside Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, during a match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

The tournament was expanded to 24 teams in 1982,[32] and then to 32 in 1998,[33] allowing more teams from Africa, Asia and North America to take part. Since then, teams from these regions have enjoyed more success, with several having reached the quarter-finals: Mexico, quarter-finalists in 1986; Cameroon, quarter-finalists in 1990; South Korea, finishing in fourth place in 2002; Senegal, along with USA, both quarter-finalists in 2002; Ghana, quarter-finalists in 2010; Costa Rica, quarter-finalists in 2014; and Morocco, finishing in fourth place in 2022. European and South American teams continue to dominate, e.g., the quarter-finalists in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2018 were all from Europe or South America and so were the finalists of all tournaments so far.

Two hundred teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds. 198 nations attempted to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. A record 204 countries entered qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[34]

Expansion to 48 teams

In October 2013, Sepp Blatter spoke of guaranteeing the Caribbean Football Union's region a position in the World Cup.[35] In the edition of 25 October 2013 of the FIFA Weekly Blatter wrote that: "From a purely sporting perspective, I would like to see globalisation finally taken seriously, and the African and Asian national associations accorded the status they deserve at the FIFA World Cup. It cannot be that the European and South American confederations lay claim to the majority of the berths at the World Cup."[36] Those two remarks suggested to commentators that Blatter could be putting himself forward for re-election to the FIFA Presidency.[37]

Following the magazine's publication, Blatter's would-be opponent for the FIFA Presidency, UEFA President Michel Platini, responded that he intended to extend the World Cup to 40 national associations, increasing the number of participants by eight. Platini said that he would allocate an additional berth to UEFA, two each to the Asian Football Confederation and the Confederation of African Football, two shared between CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, and a guaranteed place for the Oceania Football Confederation.[38] Platini was clear about why he wanted to expand the World Cup. He said: "[The World Cup is] not based on the quality of the teams because you don't have the best 32 at the World Cup ... but it's a good compromise. ... It's a political matter so why not have more Africans? The competition is to bring all the people of all the world. If you don't give the possibility to participate, they don't improve."[38]

In October 2016, FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated his support for a 48-team World Cup in 2026.[39] On 10 January 2017, FIFA confirmed the 2026 World Cup will have 48 finalist teams.[40]

2015 FIFA corruption case

Main article: 2015 FIFA corruption case

By May 2015, the games were under a particularly dark cloud because of the 2015 FIFA corruption case, allegations and criminal charges of bribery, fraud and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights (rigged bids) for FIFA games,[41] with FIFA officials accused of taking bribes totaling more than $150 million over 24 years. In late May, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a 47-count indictment with charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy against 14 people. Arrests of over a dozen FIFA officials were made since that time, particularly on 29 May and 3 December.[42] By the end of May 2015, a total of nine FIFA officials and five executives of sports and broadcasting markets had already been charged on corruption. At the time, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced he would relinquish his position in February 2016.[43]

On 4 June 2015, Chuck Blazer while co-operating with the FBI and the Swiss authorities admitted that he and the other members of FIFA's then-executive committee were bribed in order to promote the 1998 and 2010 World Cups.[44] On 10 June 2015, Swiss authorities seized computer data from the offices of Sepp Blatter.[45] The same day, FIFA postponed the bidding process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in light of the allegations surrounding bribery in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. Then-secretary general Jérôme Valcke stated, "Due to the situation, I think it's nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being."[46] On 28 October 2015, Blatter and FIFA VP Michel Platini, a potential candidate for presidency, were suspended for 90 days; both maintained their innocence in statements made to the news media.[47]

On 3 December 2015 two FIFA vice-presidents were arrested on suspicion of bribery in the same Zurich hotel where seven FIFA officials had been arrested in May.[48] An additional 16 indictments by the US Department of Justice were announced on the same day.[49]

Biennial World Cup proposition

A biennial World Cup plan was first proposed by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation at the 71st FIFA Congress on 21 May 2021 and prominently backed by former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and national federations in Africa and Asia.[50] Continental confederations such as UEFA and CONMEBOL are not on board with the plan[51][52] but, in total, the idea is supported by 166 of the 210 member associations of FIFA.[53]

Other FIFA tournaments

BC Place in Vancouver hosting a 2015 Women's World Cup match

An equivalent tournament for women's football, the FIFA Women's World Cup, was first held in 1991 in China.[54] The women's tournament is smaller in scale and profile than the men's, but is growing; the number of entrants for the 2007 tournament was 120, more than double that of 1991.[55]

Men's football has been included in every Summer Olympic Games except 1896 and 1932. Unlike many other sports, the men's football tournament at the Olympics is not a top-level tournament, and since 1992, an under-23 tournament with each team allowed three over-age players.[56] Women's football made its Olympic debut in 1996.

The FIFA Confederations Cup was a tournament held one year before the World Cup at the World Cup host nation(s) as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming World Cup. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships, along with the FIFA World Cup champion and the host country.[57] The first edition took place in 1992 and the last edition was played in 2017. In March 2019, FIFA confirmed that the tournament would no longer be active owing to an expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021.[58]

FIFA also organises international tournaments for youth football (FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup), club football (FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA Women's Club World Cup (starting in 2028[59]), FIFA Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Women's Champions Cup), and football variants such as futsal (FIFA Futsal World Cup, FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup) and beach soccer (FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup), the latter not having a women's version.

The FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup is held biannually, including the year before each Women's World Cup. Both tournaments were awarded in a single bidding process on three occasions, with the U-20 tournament serving as a dress rehearsal for the larger competition each time (2010, 2014 and 2018).[60]

Trophy

Main article: FIFA World Cup Trophy

The Jules Rimet trophy, awarded from 1930 to 1970

From 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the World Cup winning team. It was originally simply known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde, but in 1946 it was renamed after the FIFA president Jules Rimet who set up the first tournament. In 1970, Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently. However, the trophy was stolen in 1983 and has never been recovered, apparently melted down by the thieves.[61]

After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The experts of FIFA, coming from seven countries, evaluated the 53 presented models, finally opting for the work of the Italian designer Silvio Gazzaniga. The new trophy is 36 cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18 carat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb).[62]

The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974.[62] The description of the trophy by Gazzaniga was: "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."[63]

This new trophy is not awarded to the winning nation permanently. World Cup winners retain the trophy only until the post-match celebration is finished. They are awarded a gold-plated replica rather than the solid gold original immediately afterwards.[64]

All members (players, coaches, and managers) of the top three teams receive medals with an insignia of the World Cup Trophy; winners' (gold), runners-up' (silver), and third-place (bronze). In the 2002 edition, fourth-place medals were awarded to hosts South Korea. Before the 1978 tournament, medals were only awarded to the eleven players on the pitch at the end of the final and the match for third place. In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.[65][66][67]

Since 2006, winners of the competition are also awarded the right to wear the FIFA Champions Badge, up until the time at which the winner of the next competition is decided.[68]

Format

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Tournament format has been changed. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2025)

Qualification

Main article: FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Since the second World Cup in 1934, qualifying tournaments have been held to thin the field for the final tournament.[69] They are held within the six FIFA continental zones (Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, and Europe), overseen by their respective confederations. For each tournament, FIFA decides the number of places awarded to each of the continental zones beforehand, generally based on the relative strength of the confederations' teams.

The qualification process can start as early as almost three years before the final tournament and last over a two-year period. The formats of the qualification tournaments differ between confederations. Usually, one or two places are awarded to winners of intercontinental play-offs. For example, the winner of the Oceanian zone and the fifth-placed team from the Asian zone entered a play-off for a spot in the 2010 World Cup.[70] From the 1938 World Cup onwards, host nations receive automatic qualification to the final tournament. This right was also granted to the defending champions between 1938 and 2002, but was withdrawn from the 2006 FIFA World Cup onward, requiring the champions to qualify, as previous defending champions had uncompetitive performances at subsequent editions of the FIFA World Cup. Brazil, winners in 2002, were the first defending champions to play qualifying matches.[71]

Final tournament

For the various formats used in previous tournaments, see History of the FIFA World Cup § Evolution of the format.

The final tournament format since 1998 has had 32 national teams competing over the course of a month in the host nations. There are two stages: the group stage, followed by the knockout stage.[72]

In the group stage, teams compete within eight groups of four teams each. Eight teams are seeded, including the hosts, with the other seeded teams selected using a formula based on the FIFA World Rankings or performances in recent World Cups, and drawn to separate groups.[73] The other teams are assigned to different "pots", usually based on geographical criteria, and teams in each pot are drawn at random to the eight groups. Since 1998, constraints have been applied to the draw to ensure that no group contains more than two European teams or more than one team from any other confederation.[74]

Each group plays a round-robin tournament in which each team is scheduled for three matches against other teams in the same group. This means that a total of six matches are played within a group. The last round of matches of each group is scheduled at the same time to preserve fairness among all four teams.[75] The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage. Points are used to rank the teams within a group. Since 1994, three points have been awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss (before, winners received two points).

Considering six matches in a group each with three possible outcomes (win, draw, loss), there are 729 (= 36) possible final table outcomes for the 40 possible combinations of the four teams' points.[76] However, 14 of the 40 points combinations (or 207 of the 729 possible outcomes) lead to ties between the second and third places. In such case, the ranking among these teams is determined by:[77]

Greatest combined goal difference in all group matches

Greatest combined number of goals scored in all group matches

If more than one team remain level after applying the above criteria, their ranking will be determined as follows:

Greatest number of points in head-to-head matches among those teams

Greatest goal difference in head-to-head matches among those teams

Greatest number of goals scored in head-to-head matches among those teams

Fair play points, defined by the number of yellow and red cards received in the group stage:

Yellow card: minus 1 point

Indirect red card (as a result of a second yellow card): minus 3 points

Direct red card: minus 4 points

Yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points

If any of the teams above remain level after applying the above criteria, their ranking will be determined by the drawing of lots

The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with extra time and penalty shootouts used to decide the winner if necessary. It begins with the round of 16 (or the second round) in which the winner of each group plays against the runner-up of another group. This is followed by the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the match for third place (contested by the losing semi-finalists), and the final.[72]

On 10 January 2017, FIFA approved a new format, the 48-team World Cup (to accommodate more teams), which was to consist of 16 groups of three teams each, with two teams qualifying from each group, to form a round of 32 knockout stage, to be implemented by 2026.[78] On 14 March 2023, FIFA approved a revised format of the 2026 tournament, which features 12 groups of four teams each, with the top 8 third-placed teams joining the group winners and runners-up in a new round of 32.[79][80]

In March 2025, it was reported that FIFA was considering a one-off expansion to 64 teams for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the centennial anniversary of the FIFA World Cup.[81]

Hosts

Main article: List of FIFA World Cup hosts

Selection process

A map of FIFA World Cup final hosts, 1930–2026.

Early World Cups were given to countries at meetings of FIFA's congress. The locations were controversial because South America and Europe were by far the two centres of strength in football and travel between them required three weeks by boat. The decision to hold the first World Cup in Uruguay, for example, led to only four European nations competing.[82] The next two World Cups were both held in Europe. The decision to hold the second of these in France was disputed, as the South American countries understood that the location would alternate between the two continents. Both Argentina and Uruguay thus boycotted the 1938 FIFA World Cup.[83]

Since the 1958 FIFA World Cup, to avoid future boycotts or controversy, FIFA began a pattern of alternating the hosts between the Americas and Europe, which continued until the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan, was the first one held in Asia, and the first tournament with multiple hosts.[84] South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in 2010. The 2014 FIFA World Cup was hosted by Brazil, the first held in South America since Argentina 1978,[85] and was the first occasion where consecutive World Cups were held outside Europe.[86]

Russian delegates celebrate being chosen as the host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

The host country is now chosen in a vote by FIFA's Council. This is done under an exhaustive ballot system. The national football association of a country desiring to host the event receives a "Hosting Agreement" from FIFA, which explains the steps and requirements that are expected from a strong bid. The bidding association also receives a form, the submission of which represents the official confirmation of the candidacy. After this, a FIFA designated group of inspectors visit the country to identify that the country meets the requirements needed to host the event and a report on the country is produced. The decision on who will host the World Cup is usually made six or seven years in advance of the tournament. There have been occasions where the hosts of multiple future tournaments were announced at the same time, as was the case for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were awarded to Russia and Qatar, with Qatar becoming the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament.[87][88]

For the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the final tournament was rotated between confederations, allowing only countries from the chosen confederation (Africa in 2010, South America in 2014) to bid to host the tournament. The rotation policy was introduced after the controversy surrounding Germany's victory over South Africa in the vote to host the 2006 tournament. However, the policy of continental rotation did not continue beyond 2014, so any country, except those belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments, can apply as hosts for World Cups starting from 2018.[89] This is partly to avoid a similar scenario to the bidding process for the 2014 tournament, where Brazil was the only official bidder.[90]

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was chosen to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time a World Cup has been shared by three host nations.[91] The 2026 tournament will be the biggest World Cup ever held, with 48 teams playing 104 matches. Sixty matches will take place in the US, including all matches from the quarter-finals onward, while Canada and Mexico will host 10 games each.[91]

Summary by confederation

Confederation Times hosted Hosts Upcoming hosts

UEFA

(Europe) 11 1934, Italy; 1938, France; 1954, Switzerland; 1958, Sweden; 1966, England; 1974, West Germany; 1982, Spain; 1990, Italy; 1998, France; 2006, Germany; 2018, Russia 2030, Spain & Portugal

CONMEBOL

(South America) 5 1930, Uruguay; 1950, Brazil; 1962, Chile; 1978, Argentina; 2014, Brazil

CONCACAF

(North and Central America

and Caribbean) 3 1970, Mexico; 1986, Mexico; 1994, United States 2026, Canada, Mexico & United States

AFC

(Asia) 2 2002, South Korea & Japan; 2022, Qatar 2034, Saudi Arabia

CAF

(Africa) 1 2010, South Africa 2030, Morocco

OFC

(Oceania) 0 none

Performances

See also: Results of host nations in the FIFA World Cup

Six of the eight champions have won one of their titles while playing in their own homeland, the exceptions being Brazil, who finished as runners-up after losing the deciding match on home soil in 1950 and lost their semi-final against Germany in 2014, and Spain, which reached the second round on home soil in 1982. England (1966) won its only title while playing as a host nation. Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), Argentina (1978), and France (1998) won their first titles as host nations but have gone on to win again, while Germany (1974) won their second title on home soil.[92][93]

Other nations have also been successful when hosting the tournament. Switzerland (quarter-finals 1954), Sweden (runners-up in 1958), Chile (third place in 1962), South Korea (fourth place in 2002), Russia (quarter-finals 2018), and Mexico (quarter-finals in 1970 and 1986) all have their best results when serving as hosts.[93][94] So far, South Africa (2010) and Qatar (2022) failed to advance beyond the first round.[95][96]

Broadcasting and promotion

A Coca-Cola bottle promoting the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan

The World Cup was first televised in 1954 and as of 2006 is the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world. The cumulative viewership of all matches of the 2006 World Cup was estimated to be 26.29 billion.[2] 715.1 million individuals watched the final match of the tournament, almost a ninth of the entire population of the planet. The 2006 World Cup draw, which decided the distribution of teams into groups, was watched by 300 million viewers.[97] The World Cup attracts major sponsors such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Adidas. For these companies and many more, being a sponsor strongly impacts their global brands. Host countries typically experience a multimillion-dollar revenue increase from the month-long event.

The governing body of the sport, FIFA, generated $4.8 billion in revenue from the 2014 tournament,[98] and $6.1 billion from the 2018 tournament.[99]

Manufactured by Adidas since the 1970 World Cup, official match balls displayed at FIFA headquarters in Zürich

Each FIFA World Cup since 1966 has its own mascot or logo. World Cup Willie, the mascot for the 1966 competition, was the first World Cup mascot.[100] World Cups feature official match balls specially designed for each tournament. After Slazenger produced the ball for the 1966 World Cup, Adidas became the official supplier to FIFA.[101] Each World Cup also has an official song, which have been performed by artists ranging from Shakira to Will Smith.[102][103] Other songs, such as "Nessun dorma", performed by The Three Tenors at four World Cup concerts, have also become identified with the tournament.[104]

Forming a partnership with FIFA in 1970, Panini published its first sticker album for the 1970 World Cup.[105] Since then, collecting and trading stickers and cards has become part of the World Cup experience, especially for the younger generation.[106] FIFA has licensed World Cup video games since 1986, sponsored by Electronic Arts.[105]

Results

See also: List of FIFA World Cup finals

Key

a.e.t.: result/match won after extra time

p: match won after penalty shoot-out

vte

Ed. Year Host First place game Third place game Teams

1st place, gold medalist(s)

Champion Score 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

Runner-up 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Third place Score

Fourth place

1 1930 Uruguay

Uruguay 4–2

Argentina

United States

—

[n 1]

Yugoslavia 13

2 1934 Italy Italy

Italy 2–1 (a.e.t.)

Czechoslovakia

Germany 3–2

Austria 16

3 1938 France

Italy 4–2

Hungary

Brazil 4–2

Sweden 15

– 1942 Not held due to World War II

1946

4 1950 Brazil

Uruguay 2–1

[n 2]

Brazil

Sweden 3–1

[n 2]

Spain 13

5 1954   Switzerland

West Germany 3–2

Hungary

Austria 3–1

Uruguay 16

6 1958 Sweden

Brazil 5–2

Sweden

France 6–3

West Germany 16

7 1962 Chile

Brazil 3–1

Czechoslovakia

Chile 1–0

Yugoslavia 16

8 1966 England

England 4–2 (a.e.t.)

West Germany

Portugal 2–1

Soviet Union 16

9 1970 Mexico

Brazil 4–1

Italy

West Germany 1–0

Uruguay 16

10 1974 West Germany

West Germany 2–1

Netherlands

Poland 1–0

Brazil 16

11 1978 Argentina

Argentina 3–1 (a.e.t.)

Netherlands

Brazil 2–1

Italy 16

12 1982 Spain

Italy 3–1

West Germany

Poland 3–2

France 24

13 1986 Mexico

Argentina 3–2

West Germany

France 4–2 (a.e.t.)

Belgium 24

14 1990 Italy

West Germany 1–0

Argentina

Italy 2–1

England 24

15 1994 United States

Brazil 0–0 (a.e.t.)

(3–2 p)

Italy

Sweden 4–0

Bulgaria 24

16 1998 France

France 3–0

Brazil

Croatia 2–1

Netherlands 32

17 2002 South Korea

 Japan

Brazil 2–0

Germany

Turkey 3–2

South Korea 32

18 2006 Germany

Italy 1–1 (a.e.t.)

(5–3 p)

France

Germany 3–1

Portugal 32

19 2010 South Africa

Spain 1–0 (a.e.t.)

Netherlands

Germany 3–2

Uruguay 32

20 2014 Brazil

Germany 1–0 (a.e.t.)

Argentina

Netherlands 3–0

Brazil 32

21 2018 Russia

France 4–2

Croatia

Belgium 2–0

England 32

22 2022 Qatar

Argentina 3–3 (a.e.t.)

(4–2 p)

France

Croatia 2–1

Morocco 32

23 2026 Canada

 Mexico

 United States 48

24 2030 Morocco

 Portugal

 Spain[n 3] 48

25 2034 Saudi Arabia 48

In all, 80 nations have played in at least one World Cup.[n 4] Of these, eight national teams have won the World Cup,[114] and they have added stars to their badges, with each star representing a World Cup victory. Uruguay, however, chose to display four stars on their badge, representing their two gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics, which are recognized by FIFA as World Championships, and their two World Cup titles in 1930 and 1950.

With five titles, Brazil are the most successful World Cup team and also the only nation to have played in every World Cup (22) to date.[115] Brazil were also the first team to win the World Cup for the third (1970), fourth (1994) and fifth (2002) time. Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) are the only nations to have won consecutive titles. West Germany (1982–1990) and Brazil (1994–2002) are the only nations to appear in three consecutive World Cup finals. Germany has made the most top-four finishes (13), medals (12), as well as the most finals (8).

Map of countries' best results

Teams reaching the top four

See also: FIFA World Cup records and statistics and National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup

Teams reaching the top four

Team Titles Runners-up Third place Fourth place Top 4

total

 Brazil 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) 2 (1950 *, 1998) 2 (1938, 1978) 2 (1974, 2014 *) 11

 Germany1 4 (1954, 1974 *, 1990, 2014) 4 (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002) 4 (1934, 1970, 2006 *, 2010) 1 (1958) 13

 Italy 4 (1934 *, 1938, 1982, 2006) 2 (1970, 1994) 1 (1990 *) 1 (1978) 8

 Argentina 3 (1978 *, 1986, 2022) 3 (1930, 1990, 2014) 6

 France 2 (1998 *, 2018) 2 (2006, 2022) 2 (1958, 1986) 1 (1982) 7

 Uruguay 2 (1930 *, 1950) 3 (1954, 1970, 2010) 5

 England 1 (1966 *) 2 (1990, 2018) 3

 Spain 1 (2010) 1 (1950) 2

 Netherlands 3 (1974, 1978, 2010) 1 (2014) 1 (1998) 5

 Hungary 2 (1938, 1954) 2

Czech Republic Czech Republic2 2 (1934, 1962) 2

 Sweden 1 (1958 *) 2 (1950, 1994) 1 (1938) 4

 Croatia 1 (2018) 2 (1998, 2022) 3

 Poland 2 (1974, 1982) 2

 Austria 1 (1954) 1 (1934) 2

 Portugal 1 (1966) 1 (2006) 2

 Belgium 1 (2018) 1 (1986) 2

 United States 1 (1930) 1

 Chile 1 (1962 *) 1

 Turkey 1 (2002) 1

 Serbia3 2 (1930, 1962) 2

 Russia4 1 (1966) 1

 Bulgaria 1 (1994) 1

 South Korea 1 (2002 *) 1

 Morocco 1 (2022) 1

* hosts

1 includes results representing West Germany (1954–1990)

2 includes results representing Czechoslovakia (1934–1990)

3 includes results representing Yugoslavia (1930–1990) and FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro (1998–2006)

4 includes results representing the Soviet Union (1958–1990)

Best performances by confederations

See also: FIFA World Cup results by confederation

South Koreans watching their nation on the big screens in Seoul Plaza during the 2002 World Cup when they became the first Asian country to reach the semi-finals

To date, the final of the World Cup has only been contested by teams from the UEFA (Europe) and CONMEBOL (South America) confederations. European nations have won twelve titles, while South American nations have won ten. Only three teams from outside these two continents have ever reached the semi-finals of the competition: United States (North, Central America and Caribbean) in 1930; South Korea (Asia) in 2002; and Morocco (Africa) in 2022. Only one Oceanian qualifier, Australia in 2006, has advanced to the second round, a feat they later reaccomplished in 2022.[n 5]

Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Germany are the only teams to win a World Cup hosted outside their continental confederation; Brazil came out victorious in Europe (1958), North America (1970 and 1994) and Asia (2002). Argentina won a World Cup in North America in 1986 and in Asia in 2022. Spain won in Africa in 2010. In 2014, Germany became the first and so far the only European team to win in the Americas. Only on five occasions have consecutive World Cups been won by teams from the same continent; the longest streak of tournaments won by a single confederation is four, with the 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 tournaments all won by UEFA teams (Italy, Spain, Germany, and France, respectively).

Total times teams qualified by confederation

Confederation AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA Total

Teams 43 49 46 89 4 258 489

Top 16 9 11 15 37 1 99 172

Top 8 2 4 5 36 0 105 152

Top 4 1 1 1 23 0 62 88

Top 2 0 0 0 15 0 29 44

4th 1 1 0 5 0 15 22

3rd 0 0 1 3 0 18 22

2nd 0 0 0 5 0 17 22

1st 0 0 0 10 0 12 22

Records and statistics

Main articles: FIFA World Cup records and statistics and National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup

See also: List of players who have appeared in the most FIFA World Cups, List of FIFA World Cup winning players, and List of FIFA World Cup winning managers

Argentina's Lionel Messi has played a record 26 World Cup matches across a joint-record five tournaments.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the first and only player to score in five tournaments.

Six players share the record for playing in the most World Cups; Mexico's Antonio Carbajal (1950–1966), Rafael Márquez (2002–2018), and Andrés Guardado (2006–2022); Germany's Lothar Matthäus (1982–1998); Argentina's Lionel Messi (2006–2022); and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (2006–2022) all played in five tournaments, with Ronaldo also being the first and only player to score in five tournaments.[116][117] Messi has played the most World Cup matches overall, with 26 appearances.[118] Brazil's Djalma Santos (1954–1962), West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer (1966–1974), and Germany's Philipp Lahm (2006–2014) are the only players to be named to three World Cup All-Star Teams.[119]

Miroslav Klose of Germany (2002–2014) is the all-time top scorer at the World Cup with 16 goals. He broke Ronaldo of Brazil's record of 15 goals (1998–2006) during the 2014 semi-final match against Brazil. West Germany's Gerd Müller (1970–1974) is third, with 14 goals.[120] The fourth-placed goalscorer, France's Just Fontaine, holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup; all his 13 goals were scored in the 1958 tournament.[121]

Pelé is the only person to win the World Cup three times as a player.

In November 2007, FIFA announced that all members of World Cup-winning squads between 1930 and 1974 were to be retroactively awarded winners' medals.[65] This made Brazil's Pelé the only player to have won three World Cup winners' medals (1958, 1962, and 1970, although he did not play in the 1962 final due to injury),[122] with 20 other players who have won two winners' medals. Seven players have collected all three types of World Cup medals (winners', runner- ups', and third-place); five players were from West Germany's squad of 1966–1974: Franz Beckenbauer, Jürgen Grabowski, Horst-Dieter Höttges, Sepp Maier, and Wolfgang Overath (1966–1974), Italy's Franco Baresi (1982, 1990, 1994) and the most recent has been Miroslav Klose of Germany (2002–2014) with four consecutive medals.[123]

Brazil's Mário Zagallo, West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer and France's Didier Deschamps are the only people to date to win the World Cup as both player and head coach. Zagallo won in 1958 and 1962 as a player and in 1970 as head coach.[124] Beckenbauer won in 1974 as captain and in 1990 as head coach,[125] and Deschamps repeated the feat in 2018, after having won in 1998 as captain.[126] Italy's Vittorio Pozzo is the only head coach to ever win two World Cups (1934 and 1938).[127] All World Cup-winning head coaches were natives of the country they coached to victory.[128]

Among the national teams, Brazil has played the most World Cup matches (114), Germany appeared in the most finals (8), semi-finals (13), and quarter-finals (16), while Brazil has appeared in the most World Cups (22), has the most wins (76) and has scored the most goals (237).[129][130] The two teams have played each other twice in the World Cup, in the 2002 final and in the 2014 semi-final.[131]

Top goalscorers

Main article: List of FIFA World Cup top goalscorers

Individual

Players in bold are still active.

Miroslav Klose scored a record 16 goals across four World Cups.

Rank Player Goals Matches Goals per game

1 Germany Miroslav Klose 16 24 0.67

2 Brazil Ronaldo 15 19 0.84

3 West Germany Gerd Müller 14 13 1.08

4 France Just Fontaine 13 6 2.17

Argentina Lionel Messi 13 26 0.50

6 France Kylian Mbappé 12 14 0.86

Brazil Pelé 12 14 0.86

8 Hungary Sándor Kocsis 11 5 2.20

Germany Jürgen Klinsmann 11 17 0.65

10 Germany Helmut Rahn 10 10 1.00

Argentina Gabriel Batistuta 10 12 0.83

England Gary Lineker 10 12 0.83

Peru Teófilo Cubillas 10 13 0.77

Germany Thomas Müller 10 19 0.53

Poland Grzegorz Lato 10 20 0.50

Country

Rank National team Goals scored

1 Brazil 237

2 Germany 232

3 Argentina 152

4 France 136

5 Italy 128

6 Spain 108

7 England 104

8 Netherlands 96

9 Uruguay 89

10 Hungary 87

Awards

Main article: FIFA World Cup awards

At the end of each World Cup, awards are presented to the players and teams for accomplishments other than their final team positions in the tournament.

There are five post-tournament awards from the FIFA Technical Study Group:[132][133]

Diego Maradona (holding the World Cup) received the Golden Ball for best player at the 1986 World Cup.

the Golden Ball (named for its sponsor "Adidas Golden Ball") for best player, first awarded in 1982;

the Golden Boot (named for its sponsor "Adidas Golden Boot", formerly known as the "adidas Golden Shoe" from 1982 to 2006) for top goalscorer, first awarded in 1982;

the Golden Glove (named for its sponsor "Adidas Golden Glove", formerly known as the "Lev Yashin Award" from 1994 to 2006) for best goalkeeper, first awarded in 1994;

the FIFA Young Player Award (formerly known as the "Best Young Player Award" from 2006 to 2010) for best player under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year, first awarded in 2006;

the FIFA Fair Play Trophy for the team that advanced to the second round with the best record of fair play, first awarded in 1970.

There is currently one award voted on by fans during the tournament:

the Player of the Match (currently commercially termed "Budweiser Player of the Match", formerly known as the "Man of the Match" from 2002 to 2018) for outstanding performance during each match of the tournament, first awarded in 2002.

There are two awards voted on by fans after the conclusion of the tournament:

the Goal of the Tournament (currently commercially termed "Hyundai Goal of the Tournament") for the fans' best goal scored during the tournament, first awarded in 2006;

the Most Entertaining Team during the World Cup final tournament, as determined by a poll of the general public.

One other award was given between 1994 and 2006:[134]

an All-Star Team comprising the best players of the tournament chosen by the FIFA Technical Study Group. From 2010 onwards, all Dream Teams or Statistical Teams are unofficial, as reported by FIFA itself.

World Cup Golden Ball Golden Boot Goals Golden Glove Clean sheets FIFA Young Player Award FIFA Fair Play Trophy

Uruguay 1930 Uruguay Not Awarded Argentina Guillermo Stábile 8 Not Awarded N/A Not Awarded Not Awarded

Italy 1934 Italy Czechoslovakia Oldřich Nejedlý 5

France 1938 France Brazil Leônidas 7

Brazil 1950 Brazil Brazil Ademir 9

Switzerland 1954 Switzerland Hungary Sándor Kocsis 11

Sweden 1958 Sweden France Just Fontaine 13 Brazil Pelé

Chile 1962 Chile Hungary Flórián Albert

Brazil Garrincha

Brazil Vavá

Soviet Union Valentin Ivanov

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dražan Jerković

Chile Leonel Sánchez 4 Hungary Flórián Albert

England 1966 England Portugal Eusébio 9 West Germany Franz Beckenbauer

Mexico 1970 Mexico West Germany Gerd Müller 10 Peru Teófilo Cubillas Peru

West Germany 1974 West Germany Poland Grzegorz Lato 7 Poland Władysław Żmuda West Germany

Argentina 1978 Argentina Argentina Mario Kempes 6 Italy Antonio Cabrini Argentina

Spain 1982 Spain Italy Paolo Rossi Italy Paolo Rossi 6 France Manuel Amoros Brazil

Mexico 1986 Mexico Argentina Diego Maradona England Gary Lineker 6 Belgium Enzo Scifo Brazil

Italy 1990 Italy Italy Salvatore Schillaci Italy Salvatore Schillaci 6 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Robert Prosinečki England

United States 1994 United States Brazil Romário Russia Oleg Salenko

Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov 6 Belgium Michel Preud'homme 2 Netherlands Marc Overmars Brazil

France 1998 France Brazil Ronaldo Croatia Davor Šuker 6 France Fabien Barthez 5 England Michael Owen England

 France

South KoreaJapan 2002 South Korea/Japan Germany Oliver Kahn Brazil Ronaldo 8 Germany Oliver Kahn 5 United States Landon Donovan Belgium

Germany 2006 Germany France Zinedine Zidane Germany Miroslav Klose 5 Italy Gianluigi Buffon 5 Germany Lukas Podolski Brazil

 Spain

South Africa 2010 South Africa Uruguay Diego Forlán Germany Thomas Müller 5 Spain Iker Casillas 5 Germany Thomas Müller Spain

Brazil 2014 Brazil Argentina Lionel Messi Colombia James Rodríguez 6 Germany Manuel Neuer 4 France Paul Pogba Colombia

Russia 2018 Russia Croatia Luka Modrić England Harry Kane 6 Belgium Thibaut Courtois 3 France Kylian Mbappé Spain

Qatar 2022 Qatar Argentina Lionel Messi France Kylian Mbappé 8 Argentina Emiliano Martínez 3 Argentina Enzo Fernández England

See also

List of FIFA World Cup finals

FIFA World Cup records and statistics

FIFA World Cup awards

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA U-17 World Cup

FIFA Club World Cup

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

FIFA Futsal World Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup

List of association football competitions

Notes

 There was no third place match in 1930; the two losing semi-finalists are ranked according to their overall records in the tournament.[107]

 The final stage in 1950 was a round-robin group of four teams. Coincidentally, one of the last two matches pitted together the top two teams (and the only two who could win the title), and the other was between the bottom two teams. Uruguay v Brazil is often considered the de facto final of the 1950 World Cup.[108][109]

 Centenary three games hosts:

 Argentina

 Paraguay

 Uruguay

 FIFA considers that the national team of Russia succeeds the Soviet Union, the national team of Serbia succeeds the Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro, and the national teams of the Czech Republic and Slovakia succeed the Czechoslovakia.[110][111][112][113]

 Australia's qualification in 2006 was through the Oceanian zone as they were a member of the OFC member during qualifying. However, on 1 January 2006, they left the Oceania Football Confederation and joined the Asian Football Confederation. In 2022, they again reached the second round, albeit representing Asia.

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 "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Official Song 'Live It Up' to be performed by all-star line-up". FIFA. 23 May 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018.

 "A riot of colour, emotion and memories: the World Cup stands alone in the field of sport". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.

 "Brand collaborations". FIFA. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

 "Panini World Cup sticker book". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.

 "1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay". FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2018.

 "1950 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2009.

 "FIFA World Cup Finals since 1930" (PDF). FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2009.

 "Russian Football Union". fifa. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

 "FIFA". fifa. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

 "FIFA". fifa. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

 "FIFA". fifa. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

 Venkat, Rahul (19 December 2022). "FIFA World Cup winners: Why Brazilians are unique and Germany, Italy relentless – full roll of honour". Olympics. Retrieved 4 February 2024.

 "Brazil". FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

 Yannis, Alex (10 November 1999). "Matthaus Is the Latest MetroStars Savior". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2007.

 Church, Ben (24 November 2022). "Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to let light dim on his career as he makes history at Qatar 2022". CNN. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

 "Lionel Messi breaks World Cup appearances record en route to glory in Qatar". Yahoo. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.

 Downie, Andrew (24 July 2013). "Brazil's twice World Cup winner Djalma Santos dies at 84". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2014.

 Chowdhury, Saj (27 June 2006). "Ronaldo's riposte". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 July 2006. Retrieved 23 December 2007.

 "Goal machine was Just superb". BBC Sport. 4 April 2002. Archived from the original on 4 August 2002. Retrieved 23 December 2007.

 Kirby, Gentry (5 July 2006). "Pele, King of Futbol". ESPN. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2007.

 "Brazil, Germany & Every World Cup Winner from 1930 to 2014". Goal. 13 May 2018. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018.

 Hughes, Rob (11 March 1998). "No Alternative to Victory for National Coach : 150 Million Brazilians Keep Heat on Zagalo". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2007.

 Brewin, John (21 December 2001). "World Cup Legends – Franz Beckenbauer". ESPNSoccernet. ESPN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2007.

 Wright, Joe (15 July 2018). "World Cup 2018: Didier Deschamps redeemed as France win final for the ages". Sporting News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.

 "1938 World Cup: Italy repeats as champions". CBC. 21 November 2009. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.

 "The Curse of the Foreign-Born Coach". The Wall Street Journal. 13 May 2018. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015.

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Bibliography

Glanville, Brian (2005). The Story of the World Cup. Faber. ISBN 0-571-22944-1.

External links

Official  Edit this at Wikidata

World Cup overview at the RSSSF

Wikimedia Commons logo

Wikimedia Commons has media related to FIFA World Cup.

Portals:

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FIFA World Cup

Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA)

Tournaments

Uruguay 1930Italy 1934France 1938Brazil 1950Switzerland 1954Sweden 1958Chile 1962England 1966Mexico 1970West Germany 1974Argentina 1978Spain 1982Mexico 1986Italy 1990United States 1994France 1998South Korea / Japan 2002Germany 2006South Africa 2010Brazil 2014Russia 2018Qatar 2022Canada / Mexico / United States 2026Morocco / Portugal / Spain 20301Saudi Arabia 2034

Qualification

193021934193819501954195819621966197019741978198219861990199419982002200620102014201820222026

Finals

193019341938195031954195819621966197019741978198219861990199419982002200620102014201820222026

Squads

19301934193819501954195819621966197019741978198219861990199419982002200620102014201820222026

Final draw

19982002200620102014201820222026

Broadcasters

19982002200620102014201820222026

Bids

201420182022202620302034

Officials

20102014201820222026

Team appearances

AFCCAFCONCACAFCONMEBOLOFCUEFA

Other records

Overall records and statisticsPlayer records winnerstop appearancesred cardsGoalscorer records topfinalshat-tricksown goalsManager records winnersall appearancesMatch records openingpenalty shoot-outs

Miscellaneous

AwardsBallsControversiesEconomicsFan FestivalFilmsHistoryMascotsMusicNotable matches nicknamedqualifyingRefereesStadiums finalsTrophyVideo gamesWorld Champions Cup

1 Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will host the inaugural games2 There was no qualification for the 1930 World Cup as places were given by invitation only.3 No final held; the article is about the decisive match of the final group stage.

 Category Commons

Links to related articles

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FIFA World Cup winners

1930:  Uruguay

1934:  Italy

1938:  Italy

1950:  Uruguay

1954:  West Germany

1958:  Brazil

1962:  Brazil

1966:  England

1970:  Brazil

1974:  West Germany

1978:  Argentina

1982:  Italy

1986:  Argentina

1990:  West Germany

1994:  Brazil

1998:  France

2002:  Brazil

2006:  Italy

2010:  Spain

2014:  Germany

2018:  France

2022:  Argentina

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FIFA World Cup winning managers

1930: Suppici1934: Pozzo1938: Pozzo1950: López1954: Herberger1958: Feola1962: Moreira1966: Ramsey1970: Zagallo1974: Schön1978: Menotti1982: Bearzot1986: Bilardo1990: Beckenbauer1994: Parreira1998: Jacquet2002: Scolari2006: Lippi2010: Del Bosque2014: Löw2018: Deschamps2022: Scaloni

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FIFA World Cup Golden Boot

Top scorer

1930: Argentina Stábile1934: Czechoslovakia Nejedlý1938: Brazil Leônidas1950: Brazil Ademir1954: Hungary Kocsis1958: France Fontaine1962: Hungary Albert, Brazil Garrincha, Soviet Union Ivanov, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Jerković, Chile Sánchez & Brazil Vavá1966: Portugal Eusébio1970: West Germany G. Müller1974: Poland Lato1978: Argentina Kempes

Golden Shoe

1982: Italy Rossi1986: England Lineker1990: Italy Schillaci1994: Russia Salenko & Bulgaria Stoichkov1998: Croatia Šuker2002: Brazil Ronaldo2006: Germany Klose

Golden Boot

2010: Germany T. Müller2014: Colombia Rodríguez2018: England Kane2022: France Mbappé

Golden Shoe was first awarded in 1982Golden Boot was first awarded in 2010

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FIFA World Cup Golden Ball

1982: Italy national football team Rossi1986: Argentina national football team Maradona1990: Italy national football team Schillaci1994: Brazil national football team Romário1998: Brazil national football team Ronaldo2002: Germany national football team Kahn2006: France national football team Zidane2010: Uruguay national football team Forlán2014: Argentina national football team Messi2018: Croatia national football team Modrić2022: Argentina national football team Messi

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FIFA World Cup Golden Glove

Yashin Award

1994: Belgium Preud'homme1998: France Barthez2002: Germany Kahn2006: Italy Buffon

Golden Glove

2010: Spain Casillas2014: Germany Neuer2018: Belgium Courtois2022: Argentina Martínez

Yashin Award was first awarded in 1994, and Golden Glove was first awarded in 2010.

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FIFA World Cup official match balls

Telstar (1970)Telstar Durlast (1974)Tango Durlast (1978)Tango España (1982)Azteca (1986)Etrusco Unico (1990)Questra (1994)Tricolore (1998)Fevernova (2002)+Teamgeist (2006)Jabulani (2010)Brazuca (2014)Telstar 18 (2018)Al Rihla (2022)Trionda (2026)

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FIFA World Cup video games

FIFA World Cup video games

World Cup Carnival (1986)World Cup Soccer: Italia '90 · World Cup Italia '90 (1990)World Cup USA '94 (1994)World Cup 98 · Jikkyō World Soccer: World Cup France '98 · World Soccer Jikkyō Winning Eleven 3: World Cup France '98 · World Cup '98 France: Road to Win (1998)2002 FIFA World Cup (2002)2006 FIFA World Cup (2006)2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (2010)2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (2014)FIFA 14 (2014)FIFA 18 World Cup DLC (2018)FIFA 23 World Cup DLC (2022)

FIFA Women's World Cup video games

FIFA 19 Women's World Cup DLC (2019)FIFA 23 Women's World Cup DLC (2023)

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FIFA World Cup Young Player Award

Best Young Player

1958: Brazil Pelé1962: Hungary Albert1966: West Germany Beckenbauer1970: Peru Cubillas1974: Poland Żmuda1978: Italy Cabrini1982: France Amoros1986: Belgium Scifo1990: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Prosinečki1994: Netherlands Overmars1998: England Owen2002: United States Donovan

FIFA Young Player Award

2006: Germany Podolski2010: Germany Müller2014: France Pogba2018: France Mbappé2022: Argentina Fernández

FIFA Young Player Award was first awarded in 2006.

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Countries at the FIFA World Cup

Team appearancesAll-time table

AFC

Australia1ChinaIndonesia2IranIraqJapanJordanKuwaitNorth KoreaQatarSaudi ArabiaSouth KoreaUnited Arab EmiratesUzbekistan2

CAF

AlgeriaAngolaCameroonCape VerdeDR Congo2EgyptGhanaIvory CoastMoroccoNigeriaSenegalSouth AfricaTogoTunisia

CONCACAF

CanadaCosta RicaCubaCuraçaoEl SalvadorHaitiHondurasJamaicaMexicoPanamaTrinidad and TobagoUnited States

CONMEBOL

ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuadorParaguayPeruUruguay

OFC

New Zealand

UEFA

AustriaBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCzech Republic2DenmarkEast Germany3EnglandFranceGermany2GreeceHungaryIcelandIsrael1ItalyNetherlandsNorthern IrelandNorwayPolandPortugalRepublic of IrelandRomaniaRussia2ScotlandSerbia2Slovakia2SloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUkraine2Wales

1 Have been member of multiple confederations. 2 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). 3 Team and national federation no longer exist.

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FIFA World Cup music

Official albums

Gloryland World Cup USA 94 (1994)Music of the World Cup: Allez! Ola! Ole! (1998)The Official Album of the 2002 FIFA World Cup (2002)Voices from the FIFA World Cup (2006)Listen Up! The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album (2010)One Love, One Rhythm – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album (2014)FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack (2022)FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Album (2026)

Official songs by FIFA

"Un'estate italiana" / "To Be Number One" (1990)"Gloryland" (1994)"The Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)" (1998)"Boom" (2002)"Anthem" (2002)"The Time of Our Lives" (2006)"Celebrate the Day" (2006)"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" (2010)"Sign of a Victory" (2010)"We Are One (Ole Ola)" (2014)"Live It Up" (2018)"Hayya Hayya (Better Together)" (2022)"Tukoh Taka" (2022)"Dreamers" (2022)"Lighter" (2026)"Dai Dai" (2026)

Other official songs

"El mundial" (1978)"El mundial" (1982)"El mundo unido por un balón" (1986)"La Cour des Grands (Do You Mind If I Play)" (1998)"Let's Get Together Now" (Official Local Song, 2002)"Game on" (Official Mascot Song, 2010)"Tatu Bom de Bola" (Official Mascot Song, 2014)"Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way)" (2014)"Living Football" (FIFA Anthem, 2018-2025)

Tracks from official albums

/ Promotional songs

"A Special Kind of Hero" (1986)"We Are the Champions" (1994)"Together Now" (1998)"Live For Love United" (2002)"Hips Don't Lie" (2006)"Wavin' Flag" (2010)"La La La" (Brazil 2014)" (2014)"Colors" (2018)

Other famous unofficial songs

"Back Home" (1970)"Argentine Melody (Cancion de Argentina)" (1978)"Give It a Lash Jack" (1990)"Nessun dorma" (1990)"Put 'Em Under Pressure" (1990)"World In Motion" (1990)"Tema da Vitória" (1994)"Watch Your House for Ireland" (1994)"Shibobo" (1998)"3 Lions '98" (1998)"Top of the World (Olé, Olé, Olé)" (1998)"Vindaloo" (1998)"A Little Less Conversation (JXL version)" (2002)"Here Come the Good Times" (2002)"Tous ensemble" (2002)"We're on the Ball" (2002)"Coup de Boule" (2006)"(Is This the Way to) The World Cup" (2006)"Hurry Up England" (2006)"Love Generation" (2006)"Stan's World Cup Song" (2006)"We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (2006)"Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Jurgen Klinsmann?" (2006)"World at Your Feet" (2006)"Zidane y va marquer" (2006)"Allez Ola Olé" (2010)"Everywhere You Go" (2010)"Oh Africa" (2010)"Shout" (2010)"Three Lions 2010" (2010)"Adrenalina (Univision version)" (2014)"Olé" (2014)"Vida" (2014)"Ko Ko Bop" (2018)"Ramenez la coupe à la maison" (2018)"Three Lions (It's Coming Home for Christmas)" (2022)"World Cup" (2022)"Three Little Birds"

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FIFA World Cup bids

1930

UruguayHungaryItalyNetherlandsSpainSweden

1934

ItalySweden

1938

FranceArgentinaGermany

1942†

BrazilGermany

1946†

None

1950

Brazil

1954

Switzerland

1958

Sweden

1962

ChileArgentinaWest Germany

1966

EnglandWest GermanySpain

1970

MexicoArgentina

1974

West GermanyItalyNetherlandsSpain

1978

ArgentinaMexicoIranColombia

1982

SpainWest Germany

1986

MexicoColombia‡CanadaUnited States

1990

ItalyAustriaEnglandFranceGreeceSoviet UnionWest GermanyIranYugoslavia

1994

United StatesBrazilMorocco

1998

FranceMoroccoSwitzerland

2002

South Korea–JapanMexico

2006

GermanyBrazilEnglandMoroccoSouth Africa

2010

South AfricaEgyptLibya–TunisiaMoroccoNigeria

2014

BrazilColombia

2018

RussiaBelgium–NetherlandsEnglandPortugal–Spain

2022

QatarAustraliaJapanSouth KoreaUnited States

2026

Canada–Mexico–United StatesMorocco

2030

Morocco–Portugal–SpainUruguay–Argentina–Chile–Paraguay

2034

Saudi Arabia

Notes: Bold entries are those chosen as hosts†Event cancelled by World War II‡Colombia withdrew after being awarded the event, which was re-awarded to Mexico

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FIFA

History of FIFAFIFA AnthemFIFA CongressFIFA CouncilFIFA Ethics CommitteeFIFA headquartersFootball at the Summer OlympicsList of football federationsInternational Football Association BoardTimeline of association football

Football codes

Association footballBeach soccerFutsal

Confederations

AFCCAFCONCACAFCONMEBOLOFCUEFA

Men's tournaments

FIFA World Cup U-20U-17FIFA Club World CupFIFA Intercontinental CupFIFA Futsal World CupFIFA Beach Soccer World CupFIFA SeriesBlue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup

Women's tournaments

FIFA Women's World Cup U-20U-17FIFA Women's Club World CupFIFA Women's Champions CupFIFA Futsal Women's World CupFIFA SeriesBlue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup

Other tournaments

FIFA Arab CupFIFA ASEAN CupFIFAe World CupFIFAe Nations Series

Presidents

Robert Guérin (1904–1906)Daniel Burley Woolfall (1906–1918)Jules Rimet (1921–1954)Rodolphe Seeldrayers (1954–1955)Arthur Drewry (1955–1961)Ernst Thommen (1961–1961, acting)Stanley Rous (1961–1974)João Havelange (1974–1998)Sepp Blatter (1998–2015)Issa Hayatou (2015–2016, acting)Gianni Infantino (2016–present)

Secretaries General

Louis Muhlinghaus (1904–1906)Wilhelm Hirschman (1906–1931)Ivo Schricker (1932–1951)Kurt Gassmann (1951–1960)Helmut Käser (1961–1981)Sepp Blatter (1981–1998)Michel Zen-Ruffinen (1998–2002)Urs Linsi (2002–2007)Jérôme Valcke (2007–2015)Markus Kattner (2015–2016, acting)Fatma Samoura (2016–2023)Mattias Grafström (2024–present)

Awards

FIFA 100FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015)FIFA Champions BadgeFIFA Club of the CenturyFIFA Development Award (2008–2009)FIFA Fair Play AwardFIFA Female Player of the CenturyFIFA FIFPRO World 11FIFA Order of MeritFIFA Player of the Century (2000)FIFA Presidential Award (2001–2014)FIFA Puskás AwardFIFA Women's World Cup awardsFIFA Coach of the Year (2010–2015)FIFA World Cup Dream TeamFIFA World Cup awardsFIFA World Player of the YearThe Best FIFA Football Awards

Rankings

FIFA Men's World Ranking(Former systems: 1999–20062006–2018)FIFA Women's World Ranking

Congresses

51st (Paris 1998)53rd (Seoul 2002)61st (Zürich 2011)65th (Zürich 2015)Extraordinary (Zürich 2016)68th (Russia 2018)69th (Paris 2019)73rd (Kigali 2023)

Corruption

"FIFA's Dirty Secrets"Garcia Report2015 FIFA corruption caseList of banned football officials

Others

FIFA (video game series)FIFA Confederations CupList of FIFA country codesFIFA Disciplinary CodeFIFA Fan FestivalFIFA MuseumFIFA Futbol MundialFIFA eligibility rulesFIFA International Match CalendarFIFA International Referees ListFIFA Transfer Matching SystemFIFA World Cup TrophyNon-FIFAUnited Passions

 Category Commons

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World association football championships

Football at the Summer OlympicsFootball at the Youth Olympics

Men

National

FIFA World CupFIFA U-20 World CupFIFA U-17 World CupFIFA Confederations Cup (defunct)

Club

FIFA Club World Cup (Intercontinental Cup)FIFA Intercontinental Cup

Women

National

FIFA Women's World CupFIFA U-20 Women's World CupFIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

Club

FIFA Women's Club World CupFIFA Women's Champions Cup

Variants

FIFA Futsal World CupFIFA Futsal Women's World CupFIFA Beach Soccer World CupFIFAe World Cup

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International association football

FIFAFederationsTeamsCompetitionsWorld RankingsThe Best FIFA Football AwardsTimelineMost successful clubs

World

FIFA

FIFA World Cup U-20U-17Olympic GamesYouth

DefunctFIFA Confederations CupFIFA Gold Cup

Africa

CAF

Africa Cup of Nations U-23U-20U-17African Nations LeagueAfrican Games

DefunctAfrican Nations Championship

Regional

CECAFACOSAFAWAFU

DefunctCEMACCentral African Games

Asia

AFC

AFC Asian Cup U-23U-20U-17AFC Nations LeagueAsian Games

DefunctAFC Challenge CupAFC Solidarity Cup

Regional

ASEAN AFFFIFACAFAEAFFSAFFWAFFArabian Gulf CupEast Asian GamesSouth Asian GamesSoutheast Asian GamesWest Asian Games

DefunctFar Eastern Games

Europe

UEFA

UEFA European Championship U-21U-19U-17UEFA Nations League

Regional

Baltic Cup

DefunctCentral European CupBalkan CupBritish Home ChampionshipNordic Championship

North,

Central America

& the Caribbean

CONCACAF

CONCACAF Gold Cup U-23U-20U-17U-15CONCACAF Nations League

DefunctCONCACAF ChampionshipCONCACAF Cup

Regional

LIFA CupWIFA CupCentral America and Caribbean GamesCentral America Games

DefunctNAFC ChampionshipCCCF ChampionshipNorth American Nations CupCopa CentroamericanaCFU ChampionshipCaribbean Cup

Oceania

OFC

OFC Nations Cup U-23U-19U-16Pacific Games Mini

Regional

Melanesia CupMicronesian Games

DefunctPolynesia Cup

South America

CONMEBOL

CONMEBOL Copa América U-23U-20U-17U-15South American Games

Regional

Bolivarian Games

Intercontinental

Africa & Asia

Indian Ocean Island Games

DefunctAfro-Asian Cup of NationsAfro-Asian Games

Africa & Ocenia

DefunctAFC–OFC Challenge Cup

Arab/Islamic

FIFA Arab CupArab GamesIslamic Solidarity Games

DefunctIslamic GamesPalestine CupKuneitra Cup

Europe &

South America

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions

Francophone

Francophone Games

DefunctOverseas Cup

Lusophone

Lusofonia Games

Mediterranean

Mediterranean Games

DefunctMediterranean Cup

Pan American

Pan American Games

DefunctPanamerican Championship

Other

Goodwill Games

DefunctGANEFO

Non-FIFA

CONIFA

World Football CupAfrican Football CupAsian Football CupEuropean Football CupSouth American Football Cup

UIAFA

DefunctUIAFA Great European Tournament

Other

Island GamesUniversiade

DefunctFIFI Wild CupWUFA World Series

See alsoGeographyCodesPlayer/Club of the CenturyWomen's football

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National association football teams

FIFAFIFA World CupSummer Olympics FootballAFC Asian CupAfrica Cup of NationsCONCACAF Gold CupCopa AméricaOFC Men's Nations CupUEFA European ChampionshipFIFA Arab Cup

AFC

AfghanistanAustraliaBahrainBangladeshBhutanBrunei DarussalamCambodiaChina PRChinese TaipeiGuamHong KongIndiaIndonesiaIR IranIraqJapanJordanKorea DPRKorea RepublicKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLebanonMacauMalaysiaMaldivesMongoliaMyanmarNepalNorthern Mariana IslandsOmanPakistanPalestinePhilippinesQatarSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSri LankaSyriaTajikistanThailandTimor-LesteTurkmenistanUnited Arab EmiratesUzbekistanVietnamYemen

CAF

AlgeriaAngolaBeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiCameroonCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadComorosCongoCongo DRDjiboutiEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauIvory CoastKenyaLesothoLiberiaLibyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRéunionRwandaSão Tomé and PríncipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaZambiaZanzibarZimbabwe

CONCACAF

AnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArubaBahamasBarbadosBelizeBermudaBonaireBritish Virgin IslandsCanadaCayman IslandsCosta RicaCubaCuraçaoDominicaDominican RepublicEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasJamaicaMartiniqueMexicoMontserratNicaraguaPanamaPuerto RicoSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSint MaartenSurinameTrinidad and TobagoTurks and Caicos IslandsUnited StatesU.S. Virgin Islands

CONMEBOL

ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuadorParaguayPeruUruguayVenezuela

OFC

American SamoaCook IslandsFijiKiribati*New CaledoniaNew ZealandNiue*Palau*Papua New GuineaSamoaSolomon IslandsTahitiTongaTuvaluVanuatu

UEFA

AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustriaAzerbaijanBelarusBelgiumBosnia-HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEnglandEstoniaFaroe IslandsFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGibraltarGreeceHungaryIcelandIsraelItalyKazakhstanKosovoLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaMoldovaMontenegroNetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorthern IrelandNorwayPolandPortugalRepublic of IrelandRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoScotlandSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUkraineWales

Defunct

CzechoslovakiaSaarWest GermanyEast GermanyIrelandTanganyikaNorth VietnamSouth VietnamFLN football teamNorth YemenSouth YemenUnited Arab RepublicSoviet UnionCISYugoslaviaFR Yugoslavia/Serbia and MontenegroNetherlands Antilles

Teams indicated in italics are associate/full members of their respective regional bodies but not members of FIFA.

See also: List of women's football teams

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World cups

List of world cups

Team

Association football menmen's clubwomenwomen's clubConIFAAthletics ContinentalAustralian rules footballBadminton menwomenmixedBaseball menwomenBasketball menwomenBeach soccerBoxingBull ridingCricket Testmen ODImen T20women ODIwomen T20Darts PDCWDFFencingField hockey menwomenFutsal FIFA menFIFA womenAMF menAMF womenGolf menwomenIce hockeyKabaddi CircleStandardKho khoLacrosse womenPara ice hockey menwomenPesäpalloPitch and puttPool (nine-ball)Quidditch/QuadballRoll ballMotorsport auto racingmotocrossquadcrossspeedwaytrialRoller derby menwomenRowingRugby league menwomennineswheelchairRugby union menwomensevensSepaktakrawSnookerSoftball menwomenTaekwondoTennis menwomenmixedTouch footballVolleyball menwomenWater polo menwomenWrestling teamsclubs

Individual

ArcheryBowling Ten-pin bowlingNine-pin bowling classicCanoe slalomWildwater canoeingChessCyclo-crossDivingEquestrian dressageFencingGymnastics artisticrhythmicMountain bike racingOrienteeringParalympic summerwinterRoad bicycle racing menwomenSailingShow jumpingSport shootingSwimmingTable tennisTrack cyclingTriathlonWeightliftingWushu TaoluSanda

Winter sports

BiathlonCurlingSkiing AlpineCross-countryFreestyle ski crossNordic combinedSki jumping ski flyingSnowboardingSki mountaineeringSki orienteeringSledding BobsleighLugeSkeletonSpeed skating Short trackTelemark

See also: World championships

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World championships

List of world sports championships

Olympic sports

Team

Association football menmen's clubwomenwomen's clubBaseball menmen's 12womenBasketball menwomen3x3 basketballclubBeach volleyballCricket T20 (men)T20 (women)Curling mixed doublesmixedField hockey menwomenFlag footballHandball menwomenIce hockey menwomenLacrosse menwomenRugby 7sSoftball menwomenVolleyball menmen's clubwomenwomen's clubWater polo menwomen

Individual

Aquatic sportsArcheryAthletics outdoorrace walkingBadminton menwomenmixedindividualBiathlonBobsleigh and skeletonBoxingCanoeing slalomsprintCycling BMXmountain bikingroadtrackurbanEquestrianism dressageeventingshow jumpingFencingGolf menwomenGymnastics artisticrhythmictrampolineIce skating figureshort trackspeedJudoLuge artificial tracknatural trackModern pentathlonRowing coastalSailing Olympic Class Combined WorldsShootingSkateboardingSkiing alpineNordicfreestylesnowboardingSki mountaineeringSport climbingSquash individualdoublesteamSurfingTable tennisTaekwondoTennis menwomenTriathlon mixed relayWeightliftingWrestling

Discontinued

Basque pelotaCroquet singlesteamDance sport breakdancingKaratePoloRacketsReal tennisRugby union menwomenTug of war outdoorindoor

Paralympic sports

Team

Blind footballPara ice hockey menwomenWheelchair basketballWheelchair handballWheelchair rugbyWheelchair curling mixed teamGoalballSitting volleyball

Individual

ArcheryAthleticsBadmintonBobsleigh and skeletonClimbingCycling track cyclingroad cyclingPowerliftingShootingSnowboardSkiing alpineNordicSwimmingTable tennis

Combat sports

Brazilian jiu-jitsuJu-Jitsu World ChampionshipsKendoKickboxing (amateur)MuaythaiSamboSumoWrestling beach wrestlingcatchgrapplingWushu

Cue sports

Carom billiards Three-cushion menwomenteamFive-pins individualteamartisticEnglish billiards amateurswomenPool artisticblackballchinese eight balleight-ballmen nine-ballwomen nine-ballteam nine-ballpyramidstraight poolten-ballSnooker menwomenteamamateurssix-red

Mind sports

BackgammonBridgeChess openwomenteamDraughts menwomencheckersdraughts-64draughts-64 womenGo amateursPuzzlesRenjuScrabbleSudokuXiangqi

Esports

Call of DutyCounter-StrikeDota 2eSailingFIFAFortniteLeague of LegendsMobile Legends: Bang BangNES TetrisOverwatchPro Evolution SoccerRainbow Six SiegeRocket LeagueSmiteStarCraft IIValorant

Motorsport

Automobile sport

Formula EFormula OneHill climbKartingRallyingRallycrossRally raid BajasSports Car EnduranceTouring Car

Motorcycle sports

EnduranceEnduro Beach RacingSuperEnduroHard Enduroteam enduranceIce racing individualteamGrand Prix MotoGPMoto2Moto3Motocross individual womennationsSupercrossSuperMotocrossSidecarcrossSnowcrossProduction SuperbikeSupersportSupersport 300WomenRally raid BajasSand racesSidecarSpeedway individualof NationsWorld Cuplong trackteam long trackflat trackSupermoto teamTrial nationsE-Bike cross

Other

Aeroplane sport AerobaticAerobatic GPPowerboating AquabikeF1F4soffshoreE1Radio-controlled racing 1:10 electric off-road1:8 nitro off-roadTank biathlon

Other sports

Team

American football menwomenAustralian footballBaseball5Ball hockeyBandy menmen's clubwomenwomen's clubCricket ODI (men)ODI (women)TestBeach handballBeach soccerBeach tennisCanoe poloDancesport Formation LatinDodgeballFistballFloorball menwomenFutsal menwomenmen's clubwomenIndoor hockey menwomenInline hockeyKabaddi CircleStandardKho khoKorfballLacrosse indoorLife savingMinifootballNetballPadel tennisQuadballRingetteRogainingRoll BallRoller derby menwomenRoller hockey menwomenRugby league menmen's clubwomenSailing YachtsDinghiesSepaktakrawSoccaSynchronized skatingTchoukballUnderwater hockeyUnderwater rugby

Individual

Air sports ballooningglidingparachutingparaglidingAquatics water skiingArmwrestlingArchery indoor3DfieldAthletics cross countryhalf marathonindoorwomen's decathlonrelays100 kmmountain runninglong distance mountain runningsnowshoe runningskyrunningtrail runningBowling TenpinNinepin (singles, team)Bowls indooroutdoorCanoeing marathonocean racewildwaterSUPcanoe sailingfreestylewaveskiCrokinoleCrossFitCycling cyclo-crossgravelindoormountain bike marathonsnow biketrialsDarts WDFPDCteamFinswimmingFishing freshwaterfly fishingGymnastics acrobaticaerobicparkourIce ClimbingModern pentathlon biathletriathlelaser runMounted gamesOrienteering footskimountain biketrailPétanquePowerliftingRacquetballRoller Sports artistic skatinginline alpineinline downhillinline speed skatingroller freestylescooteringRowing indoorShooting practical handgunpractical riflepractical shotgunSkiing flyingspeedtelemarkSummer biathlonStrength athletics menwomenSurfing short boardlong boardbig waveSUP/paddleboardSwimming short courseTeqballTriathlon AquathlonDuathlonIronmanIronman 70.3crosscross duathlonlong distancelong distance duathlonsprintwinterWife-carryingYo-yo

See also: World cups

Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata

International

VIAFGND

National

United StatesCzech Republic2NorwayIsrael

Categories: FIFA World CupWorld championships in association footballFIFA competitions for men's national teamsRecurring sporting events established in 1930Quadrennial sporting eventsJune in sportsJuly in sports

1966

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the year 1966. For other uses, see 1966 (disambiguation).

1966

    January

    February

    March

    April

    May

    June

    July

    August

    September

    October

    November

    December

From top to bottom, left to right: the Cultural Revolution begins in Communist China as Mao Zedong mobilizes the Red Guards; the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England sees the host nation defeat West Germany; the Beach Boys release Pet Sounds, produced by Brian Wilson; the Aberfan disaster kills 144 people in Wales when a colliery spoil tip collapses; the University of Texas tower shooting kills sixteen; Gemini 8 performs the first orbital docking with the Agena target vehicle; the 1966 flood of the Arno devastates Florence, Italy; Star Trek premieres on NBC; and the Buddhist Uprising in South Vietnam intensifies amid the Vietnam War.

Years

Millennium

2nd millennium

Centuries

    19th century 20th century 21st century

Decades

    1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s

Years

    1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

    vte

1966 by topic

Subject

    Animation Archaeology Architecture Art Aviation Awards Comics Film Literature

        Poetry Meteorology Music

        Country Jazz Rail transport Radio Science Spaceflight Sports Football Television

        American Belgian Brazilian British

            Scottish Canadian Danish Irish Italian

By country

    Afghanistan Argentina Australia Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada China Denmark France Germany India Ireland Iran Israel Japan Kuwait Luxembourg Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Norway Pakistan Philippines Portugal Singapore South Africa South Korea Soviet Union Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States

Lists of leaders

    Sovereign states Sovereign state leaders

    Territorial governors Religious leaders Law

Birth and death categories

    Births Deaths

Establishments and disestablishments categories

    Establishments Disestablishments

Works category

    Works Introductions

    vte

1966 in various calendarsGregorian calendar 1966

MCMLXVI

Ab urbe condita 2719

Armenian calendar 1415

ԹՎ ՌՆԺԵ

Assyrian calendar 6716

Baháʼí calendar 122–123

Balinese saka calendar 1887–1888

Bengali calendar 1372–1373

Berber calendar 2916

British Regnal year 14 Eliz. 2 – 15 Eliz. 2

Buddhist calendar 2510

Burmese calendar 1328

Byzantine calendar 7474–7475

Chinese calendar 乙巳年 (Wood Snake)

4663 or 4456

    — to —

丙午年 (Fire Horse)

4664 or 4457

Coptic calendar 1682–1683

Discordian calendar 3132

Ethiopian calendar 1958–1959

Hebrew calendar 5726–5727

Hindu calendars

 - Vikram Samvat 2022–2023

 - Shaka Samvat 1887–1888

 - Kali Yuga 5066–5067

Holocene calendar 11966

Igbo calendar 966–967

Iranian calendar 1344–1345

Islamic calendar 1385–1386

Japanese calendar Shōwa 41

(昭和４１年)

Javanese calendar 1897–1898

Juche calendar 55

Julian calendar Gregorian minus 13 days

Korean calendar 4299

Minguo calendar ROC 55

民國55年

Nanakshahi calendar 498

Thai solar calendar 2509

Tibetan calendar ཤིང་མོ་སྦྲུལ་ལོ་

(female Wood-Snake)

2092 or 1711 or 939

    — to —

མེ་ཕོ་རྟ་ལོ་

(male Fire-Horse)

2093 or 1712 or 940

Wikimedia Commons logo

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1966.

1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1966th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 966th year of the 2nd millennium, the 66th year of the 20th century, and the 7th year of the 1960s decade.

Events

January

Main article: January 1966

    January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.[1]

    January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo is deposed by a military coup in the Republic of Upper Volta (modern-day Burkina Faso).[2]

    January 10

        Pakistani–Indian peace negotiations end successfully with the signing of the Tashkent Declaration, a day before the sudden death of Indian prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.[3]

        The House of Representatives of the US state of Georgia refuses to allow African-American representative Julian Bond to take his seat, because of his anti-war stance.[4]

    January 15 – 1966 Nigerian coup d'état: A bloody military coup is staged in Nigeria, deposing the civilian government and resulting in the death of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.[5]

    January 17

        The Nigerian coup is overturned by another faction of the military, led by Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, leaving a military government in power and beginning a long period of military rule.[6]

        1966 Palomares B-52 crash: A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping three 70-kiloton hydrogen bombs near the town of Palomares, and one into the sea. Carl Brashear, the first African-American United States Navy diver, is involved in an accident during the recovery of the latter, which results in the amputation of his leg.

    January 19 – Indira Gandhi is elected Prime Minister of India; she is sworn in on January 24.

    January 20 - The Radio Caroline ship Mi Amigo runs aground on the beach at Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, UK.

    January 21 – Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro resigns due to a power struggle in his party.

    January 22 – The military government of Nigeria announces that ex-prime minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was killed during the coup a week previously.

    January 24 – Air India Flight 101 crashes into Mont Blanc, killing all 117 people on board, including Homi J. Bhabha, chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission.

    January 26

        Disappearance of the Beaumont children: Three children disappear on their way to Glenelg, South Australia, never to be seen again. Their fate remains unknown.[7]

        1966 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election: Harold Holt is elected leader of the Liberal Party of Australia unopposed when Sir Robert Menzies retires after an unprecedented 16 years in office; consequently Holt becomes Prime Minister of Australia six days later.

    January 27

        The British government promises the U.S. that British troops in Malaysia will stay until more peaceful conditions occur in the region.

        Britain's Labour Party unexpectedly retains the parliamentary seat of Hull North in a by-election, with a swing of 4.5% to their candidate from the opposition Conservatives, and a majority up from 1,181 at the 1964 General Election to 5,351.[8]

    January 31 – The United Kingdom ceases all trade with Rhodesia.

February

Main article: February 1966

    February 1 – Around 2,600 political prisoners are released by East Germany, in return for "donations" worth approximately $10,000 a head from West Germany.[9]

    February 3 – The unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the Moon.

    February 4 – All Nippon Airways Flight 60 plunges into Tokyo Bay; 133 people are killed.[10]

    February 7

        The Great Fire of Iloilo, Philippines, breaks out in a lumber yard and burns for almost half a day, destroying nearly three-quarters of the City Proper area and causing 50 million pesos in total property damage.[11]

        Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ of South Vietnam convene with other officials in a summit in Honolulu, Hawaii to discuss the course of the Vietnam War.[12]

    February 14 – The Australian dollar is introduced at a rate of 2 dollars per pound, or 10 shillings per dollar.[13]

    February 19 – The naval minister of the United Kingdom, Christopher Mayhew, resigns over defence policy.

    February 20 – While Soviet author and translator Valery Tarsis is abroad, the Soviet Union negates his citizenship.

    February 23 – 1966 Syrian coup d'état: An intra-party military coup in Syria replaces the previous government of Amin al-Hafiz by one led by Salah Jadid.[14]

    February 24 – A coup led by the police and military of Ghana raises the National Liberation Council to power while president Kwame Nkrumah is abroad.

    February 28 – British Prime Minister Harold Wilson calls a general election in the United Kingdom, to be held on March 31.

March

Main article: March 1966

    March – The DKW automobile ceases production in Germany.[15]

    March 1

        The British Government announces plans for the decimalisation of the pound sterling (hitherto denominated in 20 shillings and 240 pence to the £), to come into force on 15 February 1971 (Decimal Day).

        Soviet space probe Venera 3 crashes on Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface.

        The Ba'ath Party takes power in Syria.

    March 2 – Kwame Nkrumah arrives in Guinea and is granted asylum.

    March 4

        Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 crashes during a night landing in poor visibility at Tokyo International Airport in Japan, killing 64 of 72 people on board.

        In an interview with London Evening Standard reporter Maureen Cleave, John Lennon of The Beatles states: "We're more popular than Jesus now."

    March 5

        BOAC Flight 911 crashes in severe clear-air turbulence over Mount Fuji soon after taking off from Tokyo International Airport in Japan, killing all 124 people on board.

        Merci, Chérie by Udo Jürgens (music by Udo Jürgens, lyrics by Jürgens and Thomas Hörbiger) wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 (staged in Luxembourg) for Austria.

    March 7 – Charles de Gaulle asks U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson for negotiations about the state of NATO equipment in France.[16]

    March 8

        Anti-communist demonstrations occur at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.

        Vietnam War: The U.S. announces it will substantially increase the number of its troops in Vietnam.

        Nelson's Pillar in O'Connell Street, Dublin, is clandestinely blown up by former Irish Republican Army volunteers marking this year's 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

    March 10 – Crown Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands marries Claus von Amsberg.[17] Some spectators demonstrate against the groom because he is German.

    March 11

        Transition to the New Order in Indonesia: President Sukarno gives all executive powers to General Suharto by signing the Supersemar order.

        French President Charles de Gaulle states that French troops will be taken out of NATO and that all French NATO bases and headquarters must be closed within a year.

    March 16 – NASA spacecraft Gemini 8 (David Scott, Neil Armstrong) conducts the first docking in space, with an Agena target vehicle.

    March 20 – Football's FIFA World Cup Trophy is stolen while on exhibition in London; it is found seven days later by a mongrel dog named "Pickles" and his owner David Corbett, wrapped in newspaper in a south London garden.

    March 22 – in the Chinese city of Xingtai a magnitude 6.8 earthquake leaves more than 8,000 dead and 38,000 injured.

    March 24 – Pope Paul VI meets Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in Rome, and gives him an episcopal ring.[18]

    March 26 – Demonstrations are held across the United States against the Vietnam War.[19]

    March 28 – Cevdet Sunay becomes the fifth president of Turkey.[20]

    March 29 – The 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is held: Leonid Brezhnev demands that U.S. troops leave Vietnam, and announces that Chinese-Soviet relations are not satisfactory.[21]

    March 31

        The British Labour Party led by Harold Wilson wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election, gaining a 96-seat majority (compared with a single seat majority when the election was called on February 28).[22]

        The Soviet Union launches Luna 10, which becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.

April

Main article: April 1966

    April 2 – The Indonesian army demands that the country rejoin the United Nations.

    April 3 – Luna 10 is the first manmade object to enter lunar orbit.

    April 5 – During the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese military prime minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ personally attempts to lead the capture of the restive city of Đà Nẵng before backing down.[23]

    April 7 – The United Kingdom asks the United Nations Security Council for authority to use force to stop oil tankers that violate the embargo against Rhodesia (authority is given April 10).

    April 8

        Buddhists in South Vietnam protest against the fact that the new government has not set a date for free elections.

        Leonid Brezhnev becomes General Secretary of the Soviet Union, as well as Leader of the Communist Party of the U.S.S.R.

    April 14

        Kenyan Vice President Oginga Odinga resigns, saying "invisible government" representing foreign interests now runs the country. He will head a new party, the Kenya People's Union.

        The South Vietnamese government promises free elections in 3–5 months.

    April 15 – An anti-Nasser conspiracy is exposed in Egypt.

    April 18

        China declares that it will stop economic aid to Indonesia.

        The 38th Academy Awards ceremony is held in Santa Monica, California: The Sound of Music wins Best Picture.

    April 19 – Moors murders: Ian Brady and Myra Hindley go on trial at Chester Crown Court in north west England for the murders of 3 children who vanished between November 1963 and October 1965.

    April 21

        An artificial heart is installed in the chest of Marcel DeRudder in a Houston, Texas, hospital.

        The opening of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is televised for the first time.

        Haile Selassie visits Jamaica for the first time, meeting with Rasta leaders.

    April 24 – Uniform daylight saving time is first observed in most parts of North America.

    April 26

        A new government is formed in the Republic of the Congo, led by Ambroise Noumazalaye.

        The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in Soviet Central Asia with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (Very strong). Tashkent is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed.

    April 27 – Pope Paul VI and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko meet in the Vatican (the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Soviet Union).

    April 28 – In Rhodesia, security forces kill seven ZANLA men in combat; Chimurenga, the ZANU rebellion, begins.

    April 30 – Regular hovercraft service begins over the English Channel (discontinued in 2000).

May

Main article: May 1966

May 26: Guyana becomes independent

    May 4

        Fiat signs a contract with the Soviet government to build a car factory in the Soviet Union.

        May 1966 lunar eclipse: A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place, the 64th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 111.

    May 5 – The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey.

    May 6 – The Moors murders trial ends in the UK with Ian Brady being found guilty on all three counts of murder and sentenced to three concurrent terms of life imprisonment. Myra Hindley is convicted on two counts of murder and of being an accessory in the third murder committed by Brady, receiving two concurrent terms of life imprisonment and a seven-year fixed term for being an accessory.

    May 7 – Irish bank workers go on strike.

    May 12

        African members of the UN Security Council say that the British army should blockade Rhodesia.

        Radio Peking claims that U.S. planes have shot down a Chinese plane over Yunnan (the U.S. denies the story the next day).

    May 14 – Turkey and Greece intend to start negotiations about the situation in Cyprus.

    May 15

        Indonesia asks Malaysia for peace negotiations.

        The South Vietnamese army besieges Da Nang.

        Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators again picket the White House, then rally at the Washington Monument.

    May 16

        The Chinese Communist Party issues the 'May 16 Notice', marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

        A strike is called by the National Union of Seamen in the United Kingdom.[24]

        In New York City, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes his first public speech on the Vietnam War.

        The Beach Boys releases the album Pet Sounds.

    May 19 – Gertrude Baniszewski is found guilty of torturing and murdering 16-year-old Sylvia Likens in Indianapolis, United States, and is sentenced to life in prison (she is released on parole in December 1985).[25]

    May 24

        Battle of Mengo Hill: Ugandan army troops arrest Mutesa II of Buganda and occupy his palace.[26]

        The Nigerian government forbids all political activity in the country until January 17, 1969.

    May 25

        Explorer program: Satellite Explorer 32 (Atmosphere Explorer-B) is launched from the United States.

        No. 9 Squadron RAAF becomes part of the 4,500 strong Australian Task Force assigned to duties in Vietnam, leaving for Southeast Asia aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney.[27]

    May 26 – British Guiana achieves independence from the United Kingdom, becoming Guyana.

    May 28

        Fidel Castro declares martial law in Cuba because of a possible U.S. attack.

        The Indonesian and Malaysian governments declare that the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation is over (a treaty is signed on August 11).

        Boat ride It's a Small World opens at Disneyland.

    May 29 – Sports stadium Estadio Azteca officially opens in Mexico City in advance of the 1968 Summer Olympics.[28]

    May 31 – The Philippines reestablishes diplomatic relations with Malaysia.

June

Main article: June 1966

    June 2

        Éamon de Valera is re-elected as Irish president, aged 84.

        Joaquín Balaguer is elected president of the Dominican Republic.

        Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world.

        Four former cabinet ministers including Évariste Kimba are executed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for alleged involvement in a plot to kill Mobutu Sese Seko.

    June 5 – Gemini 9A: Gene Cernan completes the second U.S. spacewalk (2 hours, 7 minutes).

    June 6 – Civil rights activist James Meredith is shot by a sniper while traversing Mississippi in the March Against Fear.

    June 8

        A North American XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber prototype is destroyed in a mid-air collision with an F-104 Starfighter chase plane during a photo shoot. NASA pilot Joseph A. Walker and USAF test pilot Carl Cross are both killed.

        1966 Topeka tornado: Topeka, Kansas, is devastated by a tornado that registers as an "F5" on the Fujita scale, the first to exceed US$100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more injured and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and the campus of Washburn University suffers catastrophic damage.[29]

    June 12 – Chicago's Division Street riots begin in response to police shooting of a young Puerto Rican man.

    June 13 – Miranda v. Arizona: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.

    June 14 – The Vatican abolishes the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

    June 17 – An Air France personnel strike begins.

    June 18 – CIA chief William Raborn resigns; Richard Helms becomes his successor.

    June 28 – Argentine Revolution: In Argentina, a military junta calling itself Revolución Argentina deposes president Arturo Umberto Illia in a coup and appoints General Juan Carlos Onganía to power.

    June 29

        Vietnam War: U.S. planes begin bombing Hanoi and Haiphong.[30]

        The strike by the National Union of Seamen in the United Kingdom is called off.[24]

    June 30

        France formally leaves the military structure of NATO.

        The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded in Washington, D.C.

        Australia's semi-decennial census took place.

July

Main article: July 1966

    July 1 – Joaquín Balaguer becomes president of the Dominican Republic.[31]

    July 3

        31 people are arrested when a demonstration by approximately 4,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters in front of the United States Embassy in London in Grosvenor Square turns violent.

        René Barrientos is elected President of Bolivia.

    July 6 – Malawi becomes a republic.

    July 7 – A Warsaw Pact conference ends with a promise to support North Vietnam.

    July 8 – King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Ntare V, who is in turn deposed by prime minister Michel Micombero.

    July 11 – The 1966 FIFA World Cup begins in England.

    July 12 – Zambia threatens to leave the Commonwealth of Nations because of British peace overtures to Rhodesia.

    July 13 – In Chicago, United States, Richard Speck breaks into a nurses' dormitory and murders eight of the nine student nurses who live there.[32]

    July 14

        Israeli and Syrian jet fighters clash over the Jordan River.

        Gwynfor Evans, President of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, becomes Member of the United Kingdom Parliament for Carmarthen, taking the previously Labour-held Welsh seat at a by-election with a majority of 2,435 on an 18% swing and giving his party its first representation at Westminster in its forty-one year history.

    July 18

        Gemini 10 (John Young, Michael Collins) is launched from the United States. After docking with an Agena target vehicle, the astronauts set a world altitude record of 474 miles (763 km).

        The International Court of Justice rules in favour of South Africa in a case on the administration of South West Africa which has been brought before them by Ethiopia and Liberia.

    July 22 – Following the death of Hsu Tsu-tsai, a visiting engineer, in The Hague under suspicious circumstances, the Chinese government declares Dutch diplomat G. J. Jongejans persona non grata, but tells him not to leave China before Hsu's Chinese associates have been permitted to leave the Netherlands.

    July 23 – Katangese troops in Stanleyville, Congo, revolt for several weeks in support of the exiled minister Moise Tshombe.

    July 24

        U.N. Secretary General U Thant visits Moscow.

        A USAF F-4C Phantom #63-7599 is shot down by a North Vietnamese SAM-2 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Hanoi, the first loss of a U.S. aircraft to a Vietnamese surface-to-air missile in the Vietnam War.[33]

    July 26 – Lord Gardiner issues the Practice Statement in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, stating that the House, when acting in a judicial capacity, is not bound to follow its own previous precedent.

    July 28 – The U.S. announces that a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance plane has disappeared over Cuba.

    July 29

        1966 Nigerian counter-coup: Army officers from the north of Nigeria execute head of state General Aguiyi-Ironsi and install Yakubu Gowon.

        La Noche de los Bastones Largos: Junta takes over Argentine universities.

        Bob Dylan is injured in a motorcycle accident near his home in Woodstock, New York. He is not seen in public for over a year.

    July 30 – England beats West Germany 4–2 to win the 1966 FIFA World Cup at Wembley after extra time.

    July 31 – Loss of MV Darlwyne: a pleasure cruiser disappears off the Cornwall coast of England with the loss of all 31 aboard.[34]

August

Main article: August 1966

    August 1

        Sniper Charles Whitman kills 15 people and wounds 31 from roof of the University of Texas at Austin Main Building tower in the United States, after earlier killing his wife and mother.[35]

        The British Colonial Office merges with the Commonwealth Relations Office to form a new Commonwealth Office.

    August 5

        The Caesars Palace hotel and casino opens in Las Vegas, United States.

        The Beatles releases the album Revolver, in the UK.

    August 6

        Braniff International Airways Flight 250 crashes in Falls City, Nebraska, United States, killing all 42 of those on board.[36]

        René Barrientos takes office as the President of Bolivia.

        The Salazar Bridge (later the 25 de Abril Bridge) opens in Lisbon, Portugal.

    August 10 – Lunar Orbiter 1, the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon, is launched.

    August 11

        Indonesia and Malaysia issue a joint peace declaration, formally ending the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation which began in 1963.

        The Beatles hold a press conference in Chicago, during which John Lennon apologizes for his "more popular than Jesus" remark, saying, "I didn't mean it as a lousy anti-religious thing."

    August 12 – Massacre of Braybrook Street: Harry Roberts, John Duddy and Jack Witney shoot dead 3 plainclothes policemen in London; they are later sentenced to life imprisonment.

    August 15 – Syrian and Israeli troops clash over Lake Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee) for 3 hours.

    August 17 – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic begin negotiations in Kuwait to end the war in Yemen.

    August 18 – Vietnam War – Battle of Long Tan: D Company, 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, meets and defeats a Viet Cong force estimated to be four times larger, in Phuoc Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam.

    August 19 – The 6.8 Mw Varto earthquake affects the town of Varto in eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing at least 2,394–3,000 and injuring at least 1,420.

    August 21 – Seven men are sentenced to death in Egypt for anti-Nasser agitation.

    August 22

        The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is established.

        The United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC), predecessor of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), is formed.

    August 26 – The first battle of the South African Air Force and the South African Police with PLAN, the armed wing of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), takes place at Ongulumbashe during Operation Blue Wildebeest, triggering the South African Border War which continues until 1989.

    August 29 – The Beatles end their U.S. tour with a concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. It is their last performance as a live touring band.

    August 30 – France offers independence to French Somaliland (Djibouti from 1977).

September

Main article: September 1966

September 30: Botswana becomes independent

    September 1

        United Nations Secretary-General U Thant declares that he will not seek re-election, because U.N. efforts in Vietnam have failed.

        98 British tourists die when Britannia Airways Flight 105 crashes in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.

    September 6 – South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd is stabbed to death in Parliament by Dimitri Tsafendas.

    September 9 – NATO decides to move Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe to Belgium.

    September 12

        B. J. Vorster becomes the new Prime Minister of South Africa.

        Gemini 11 (Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr) is launched from the United States. The crew performed the first direct-ascent (first orbit) rendezvous with an Agena Target Vehicle, docking with it.

    September 13 – Cultural Revolution in China: Clashes between the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Guards are reported by TASS in the Soviet Union.

    September 16

        In South Vietnam, Thích Trí Quang ends a 100-day hunger strike.

        The Metropolitan Opera House opens at Lincoln Center in New York City with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's opera Antony and Cleopatra.

    September 19 – Indonesian military commander (later President) Suharto announces the resumption of Indonesian participation in the United Nations.

    September 29 – Hurricane Inez strikes Hispaniola, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands homeless in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.[37]

    September 30

        The Bechuanaland Protectorate in Africa achieves independence from the United Kingdom as Botswana, with Seretse Khama as its first President.

        Baldur von Schirach and Albert Speer are released from Spandau Prison in West Berlin.

October

Main article: October 1966

October 4: Lesotho becomes independent

    October 1 – West Coast Airlines Flight 956 crashes with 18 fatal injuries and no survivors 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south of Wemme, Oregon, the first loss of a DC-9.[38]

    October 3 – Tunisia severs diplomatic relations with the United Arab Republic.

    October 4

        Israel applies for membership in the European Economic Community, which is never granted.

        Basutoland becomes independent of the United Kingdom and takes the name Lesotho.

    October 5

        UNESCO signs the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers. This event is to be celebrated as World Teachers' Day.

        Spain closes its Gibraltar border to vehicular traffic.[39]

        An experimental breeder reactor at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan suffers a partial meltdown when its cooling system fails.

    October 6

        LSD is made illegal in the United States and controlled so strictly that not only are possession and recreational use criminalized, but all legal scientific research programs on the drug in the country are shut down as well.

        The Love Pageant Rally takes place in the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park (a narrow section that projects into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district).

    October 7 – The Soviet Union declares that all Chinese students must leave the country before the end of October.

    October 9 – Vietnam War: Binh Tai Massacre.

    October 11 – France and the Soviet Union sign a treaty for cooperation in nuclear research.

    October 14

        Closure of Intra Bank begins a crisis in the Lebanese banking system.

        The city of Montreal inaugurates the Montreal Metro system.

    October 15 – Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton found the Black Panther Party in the United States.

    October 17 – Lesotho and Botswana are admitted to the United Nations.

    October 21 – Aberfan disaster in South Wales (U.K.): 144 (including 116 children) are killed by a collapsing coal spoil tip.[40]

    October 26

        NATO decides to move its headquarters from Paris to Brussels.[41]

        A fire aboard the US aircraft carrier USS Oriskany in the Gulf of Tonkin kills 44 crewmen.

    October 27

        The United Nations terminates the mandate given by the League of Nations and proclaims that South West Africa will be administrated by the United Nations. This is rejected by South Africa.

        Walt Disney records his final filmed appearance prior to his death, detailing his plans for EPCOT, a utopian planned city to be built in Florida.

November

Main article: November 1966

November 30: Barbados becomes independent

    November 2

        The Cuban Adjustment Act comes into force, allowing 123,000 Cubans the opportunity to apply for permanent residency in the United States.[42]

        North Korean commandos ambush a UN command control consisting of 2nd Infantry Division soldiers south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.[43]

    November 4 – 1966 flood of the Arno river in Italy hits Florence, flooding it to a maximum depth of 6.7 m (22 ft), leaving thousands homeless and destroying millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. In addition, a severe tidal flood hits Venice.

    November 5 – Thirty-eight African states demand that the United Kingdom use force against the Rhodesian government.

    November 6 – Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched.

    November 8 – Screen actor Ronald Reagan is elected Governor of California.

    November 10 – Seán Lemass retires as Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, to be replaced in the role by fellow Fianna Fáil member Jack Lynch.

    November 11

        A mine kills three Israeli paratroopers on the West Bank border.

        Spain declares a general amnesty for crimes committed during the Spanish Civil War, effective only for the Falangists' side.

    November 12 – A total solar eclipse occurs, the 20th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 142.

    November 15 - Gemini 12 (James A. Lovell, Buzz Aldrin) splashes down safely in the Atlantic Ocean, 600 km (370 mi) east of the Bahamas.

    November 17

        The U.N. General Assembly decides to found the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

        A spectacular Leonid meteor shower passes over Arizona, at the rate of 2,300 a minute for 20 minutes.

    November 24 – TABSO Flight 101, from Sofia, Bulgaria, crashes near Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, killing all 82 people on board.[44]

    November 26

        1966 Australian federal election: Harold Holt's Liberal/Country Coalition government is re-elected with a significantly increased majority, defeating the Labor Party led by Arthur Calwell. Calwell resigns as Labor leader shortly after; he will be replaced by his deputy and future Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

        In the Canadian Football League, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Ottawa Rough Riders to win the 54th Grey Cup at Vancouver's Empire Stadium 29–14. Saskatchewan are led by quarterback Ron Lancaster.

    November 27 – The Washington Redskins defeat the New York Giants 72–41 in the highest scoring game in National Football League history.

    November 28 – Truman Capote's Black and White Ball ("The Party of the Century") is held in New York City.

    November 29 – The SS Daniel J. Morrell sinks in a storm on Lake Huron, killing 28 of 29 crewmen.

    November 30 – Barbados achieves independence from the United Kingdom.

December

Main article: December 1966

    December 1

        Kurt Georg Kiesinger is elected Chancellor of West Germany.

        British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Rhodesian Prime minister Ian Smith negotiate aboard HMS Tiger in the Mediterranean.

    December 2 – U Thant agrees to serve a second term as United Nations Secretary General.

    December 3 – Anti-Portuguese demonstrations occur in Macau; a curfew is declared the next day.

    December 5 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Bond v. Floyd that the Georgia House of Representatives must seat Julian Bond, having violated his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

    December 6 – Vietnam War: Bình Hòa massacre.

    December 7

        Syria offers weapons to rebels in Jordan.

        Barbados is admitted to the United Nations.

    December 8 – The Typaldos Line's ferry SS Heraklion sinks in rough seas in the Aegean Sea near Crete, leaving 217 dead.

    December 16

        The United Nations Security Council approves an oil embargo against Rhodesia.

        The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are adopted by the General Assembly, as Resolution 2200 A (XXI).

    December 17 – South Africa does not join the trade embargo against Rhodesia.

    December 18 – How the Grinch Stole Christmas, narrated by Boris Karloff, is shown for the first time on CBS in the United States. It becomes a Christmas tradition.

    December 19 – The Asian Development Bank begins operations.

    December 20 – U.K. Prime Minister Harold Wilson withdraws all his previous offers to the Rhodesian government and announces that he will agree to independence for the country only after the establishment of a Black majority government there.

    December 22 – Prime Minister Ian Smith declares that Rhodesia is already a republic.

    December 26 – The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, founder of Organization US (a black nationalist group) and chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, from 1989 to 2002.[45]

    December 31

        East German Premier Walter Ulbricht discusses negotiations about German reunification.

        Eight paintings worth millions of pounds are stolen from Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, but are recovered locally within a week.

        The Congolese government takes over the Union Minière du Haut Katanga.

Date unknown

    Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn are awarded the Fermi Prize.

    The Congress of the United States creates the National Council for Marine Resources and Engineering Development.

    The World Buddhist Sangha Council is convened by Theravadins in Sri Lanka, with the hope of bridging differences and working together.

    Long-term potentiation (LTP), the putative cellular mechanism of learning and memory, is first observed by Terje Lømo in Oslo, Norway.

    In or about this year, one person returning to Haiti from the Congo is thought to have first brought HIV to the Americas.[46]

Births

Births

January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

January

Ivica Dačić

Christian Kern

Nadia Maftouni

Lena Philipsson

Stefan Edberg

Rainn Wilson

Romário

    January 1 – Ivica Dačić, Serbian politician, Prime Minister of Serbia 2012–2014[47]

    January 4 – Christian Kern, Austrian politician, 24th Chancellor of Austria[48]

    January 6 – Sharon Cuneta, Filipino actress, host and singer[49]

    January 7 – Corrie Sanders, South African boxer (d. 2012)

    January 8

        Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009)

        Andrew Wood, American musician (d. 1990)[50]

    January 13 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver[51]

    January 14

        Nadia Maftouni, Iranian philosopher[52]

        Dan Schneider, American television producer, screenwriter and actor

    January 17

        Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer[53]

        Amy Sherman-Palladino, American television writer, director, and producer [citation needed]

    January 19

        Floris Jan Bovelander, Dutch field-hockey player[54]

        Stefan Edberg, Swedish tennis player[55]

        Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer and media personality

    January 20 – Rainn Wilson, American actor, writer and producer

    January 27 – Tamlyn Tomita, Japanese–born American actress

    January 28 – Andrea Berg, German singer

    January 29 – Romário, Brazilian footballer and politician[56]

February

Cindy Crawford

Téa Leoni

    February 1 – Michelle Akers, American footballer

    February 5 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer[57]

    February 6 – Rick Astley, British pop singer

    February 7 – Kristin Otto, German swimmer

    February 8 – Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer

    February 9 – Ellen van Langen, Dutch athlete

    February 11 – Cristina Elena Grigoraș, Romanian artistic gymnast

    February 13 – Neal McDonough, American actor

    February 17 – Atle Skårdal, Norwegian alpine skier[58]

    February 20 – Cindy Crawford, American model and actress

    February 22 – Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedian

    February 23

        Alexandre Borges, Brazilian actor

        Didier Queloz, Swiss-born astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate

    February 24 – Billy Zane, American actor

    February 25

        Samson Kitur, Kenyan athlete

        Téa Leoni, American actress

    February 26

        Jennifer Grant, American actress

        Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer

    February 28 – Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer

March

Zack Snyder

    March 1 – Zack Snyder, American actor, film director, screenwriter and producer

    March 2 – Sheren Tang, Hong Kong actress

    March 3

        Fernando Colunga, Mexican actor

        Vander Lee, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2016)

        Tone Lōc, African-American R&B musician

    March 4

        Kevin Johnson, American basketball player

        Dav Pilkey, American comic book writer and illustrator[59]

    March 7 – Atsushi Sakurai, Japanese musician (d. 2023)

    March 10 – Edie Brickell, American singer

    March 13 – Chico Science, Brazilian musician (d. 1997)

    March 17 – Espen Hammer, Norwegian philosopher

    March 18 – Jerry Cantrell, American guitarist and singer

    March 21

        Adam Rudawski, Polish politician, economist, and academic professor

        DJ Premier, American record producer and DJ

    March 22 – Martha McSally, American politician and military pilot[60]

    March 25

        Jeff Healey, Canadian guitarist (d. 2008)[61]

        Remig Stumpf, German cyclist (d. 2019)

    March 26 – Michael Imperioli, American actor

    March 29 – Krasimir Balakov, Bulgarian footballer

April

Robin Wright

    April 2 – Teddy Sheringham, British footballer[62]

    April 8

        Cynthia Nixon, American actress

        Robin Wright, American actress

    April 11 – Lisa Stansfield, British soul singer

    April 13 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer

    April 15 – Samantha Fox, British model and singer[63]

    April 17 – Vikram, Indian actor

    April 18 – Trine Hattestad, Norwegian athlete

    April 20 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher[64]

    April 22 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor

    April 26

        Andrea Temesvári, Hungarian tennis player[65]

        Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet

    April 27 – Yoshihiro Togashi, Japanese author and illustrator[66]

    April 28 – Ali-Reza Pahlavi, titular prince of Iran (d. 2011)

May

Charlie Schlatter

Janet Jackson

Helena Bonham Carter

    May 3 – Firdous Bamji, Indian-American actor

    May 5 – Lyubov Yegorova, Russian cross-country skier

    May 6

        Andrea Chiesa, Swiss Formula One driver

        Cindy Hsu, American Emmy Award-winning journalist

    May 7

        Anderson Cummins, Canadian cricketer

        Jes Høgh, Danish footballer

    May 8

        Robert J. Behnen, American genealogist and politician

        Kamil Kašťák, Czech ice hockey player

        Marta Sánchez, Spanish female vocalist, entertainer

        Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian goalkeeper[67]

    May 10

        Jonathan Edwards, British athlete

        Anne Elvebakk, Norwegian biathlete[68]

        Genaro Hernández, Mexican-American boxer[69]

    May 12

        Stephen Baldwin, American actor

        Bebel Gilberto, Brazilian popular singer

        Md Mostaqur Rahman, Bangladeshi cost and management accountant, 14th governor of Bangladesh Bank[70]

    May 13

        Cheryl Dunye, Liberian-born film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress

        Darius Rucker, African-American country singer

    May 15 - Greg Wise, English actor and producer

    May 16

        Janet Jackson, African-American R&B singer[71]

        Juan Manuel Funes, Guatemalan footballer and coach

    May 17 – Qusay Hussein, Iraqi politician (d. 2003)

    May 19 – Polly Walker, English actress

    May 21

        Lisa Edelstein, American actress and playwright

        François Omam-Biyik, Cameroonian football player

    May 22 – Siri Eftedal, Norwegian team handball player and Olympic medalist

    May 23

        H. Jon Benjamin, American actor and comedian[72]

        Graeme Hick, English cricketer

    May 24

        Eric Cantona, French footballer[73]

        Francisco Javier Cruz, Mexican football player

    May 25 – Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh, Iranian goalkeeper

    May 26

        Helena Bonham Carter, English actress

        Zola Budd, South African athlete

    May 27

        Heston Blumenthal, British chef

        Carol Campbell, Afro-German actress, model and presenter

    May 30 – Thomas Häßler, German football player

June

Julianna Margulies

Emmanuelle Seigner

J. J. Abrams

John Cusack

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama

Mike Tyson

    June 3 – Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricketer

    June 4

        Cecilia Bartoli, Italian mezzo-soprano

        Svetlana Jitomirskaya, American mathematician[74]

        Vladimir Voevodsky, Russian mathematician (d. 2017)[75]

    June 6 – Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo

    June 7 – Tom McCarthy, American film director and actor

    June 8 – Julianna Margulies, American actress and producer

    June 13 – Grigori Perelman, Russian mathematician

    June 16 – Jan Železný, Czech javelin thrower

    June 18 – Kurt Browning, Canadian figure skater

    June 19 – Samuel West, British actor

    June 22

        Michael Park, British rally co-driver (d. 2005)

        Emmanuelle Seigner, French actress

        Dean Woods, Australian cyclist and Olympic champion (d. 2022)[76]

    June 23 – Richie Jen, Taiwanese musician

    June 24 – Adrienne Shelly, American actress, film director and screenwriter (d. 2006)

    June 25 – Dikembe Mutombo, Congolese-American basketball player (d. 2024)[77]

    June 26 – Dany Boon, French comedian and filmmaker

    June 27 – J. J. Abrams, American television writer and producer

    June 28

        John Cusack, American actor

        Mary Stuart Masterson, American actress

    June 29 – Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Indonesian politician, governor of Jakarta

    June 30

        Cheryl Bernard, Canadian Olympic curler

        Marton Csokas, New Zealand actor

        Mike Tyson, African-American boxer[78]

July

Pamela Adlon

Enrique Peña Nieto

    July 1

        Enrico Annoni, Italian footballer

        Samir Rifai, Prime Minister of Jordan

    July 5 – Gianfranco Zola, Italian footballer

    July 9 – Pamela Adlon, American actress, voice actress, screenwriter, producer and director

    July 10 – Gina Bellman, New Zealand-British actress

    July 11 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2021)[79]

    July 14 – Matthew Fox, American actor[80]

    July 15 – Irène Jacob, French-born actress

    July 16 – Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, Mexican drug lord (d. 2026)[81]

    July 18

        Dan O'Brien, American athlete[82]

        Lori Alan, American voice actress

    July 20 – Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico (2012–2018), Governor of the State of Mexico (2005–2011)[83]

    July 21 – Sarah Waters, British novelist

    July 26 – Angelo Di Livio, Italian footballer

    July 27 – Maryann Corpus-Mañalac, Filipino associate justice of the Sandiganbayan

    July 28 – Miguel Ángel Nadal, Spanish footballer

    July 29 – Richard Steven Horvitz, American actor and voice actor

    July 30 – Murilo Bustamante, Brazilian mixed martial artist

    July 31 – Dean Cain, American actor

August

Jimmy Wales

Halle Berry

Rene Higuita

Enrico Letta

    August 4 - Philippe Maidenberg, French architect, interior designer and furnishing designer

    August 5 – James Gunn, American filmmaker[84]

    August 7

        Harith Iskander, Malaysian actor and comedian

        Jimmy Wales, American-British entrepreneur, co-founder of Wikipedia[85]

    August 9

        Glenn Postolski, Argentine professor (d. 2024)

    August 10

        Hossam Hassan, Egyptian footballer

        André Sogliuzzo, American actor and voice actor

    August 11 – Juan María Solare, Argentine composer

    August 12 – Les Ferdinand, English footballer

    August 14

        Halle Berry, American actress[86]

        Freddy Rincón, Colombian footballer (d. 2022)

    August 17 – Rodney Mullen, American skateboarder

    August 19 – Lee Ann Womack, American musician

    August 20

        Dimebag Darrell, American guitarist (d. 2004)

        Enrico Letta, 55th Prime Minister of Italy[87]

        Liu Chunyan, Chinese voice actress and host

    August 23 – Rik Smits, Dutch basketball player

    August 26

        Jacques Brinkman, Dutch field hockey player

        Shirley Manson, Scottish musician

    August 27

        Jeroen Duyster, Dutch rower

        Juhan Parts, 15th Prime Minister of Estonia

    August 28 – Priya Dutt, Indian social worker and politician

September

Salma Hayek

Adam Sandler

Kiko, Crown Princess of Japan

Nechirvan Barzani

Maria Canals-Barrera

    September 1 – Tim Hardaway, American basketball player

    September 2 – Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress

    September 4 – Yanka Dyagileva, Russian singer (d. 1991)

    September 6

        Emil Boc, 61st Prime Minister of Romania

        Eduardo Maruri, Ecuadorian businessman and politician

    September 7

        Vladimir Andreyev, Russian race walker

        Toby Jones, English actor

        Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, German speed skater

    September 8 – Carola Häggkvist, Swedish pop singer, Eurovision Song Contest 1991 winner[citation needed]

    September 9

        Georg Hackl, German luger

        Adam Sandler, American actor and comedian

    September 12

        Steve Ells, American entrepreneur and founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill

        Ben Folds, American singer-songwriter & pianist[88]

        Princess Akishino of Japan

        Malu Mader, Brazilian actress

    September 20 – Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese-American guitarist and singer-songwriter

    September 21 – Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraqi Kurdistan

    September 22

        Erdoğan Atalay, German actor

        Moustafa Amar, Egyptian singer

    September 25 – Jason Flemyng, English actor

    September 26 – Jenn Hill, American politician and member of the Michigan House of Representatives since 2023

    September 27 – Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Member of the US House from Florida

    September 28 – Maria Canals-Barrera, American actress

    September 29 – Bujar Nishani, President of Albania (d. 2022)[89]

October

David Cameron

Luke Perry

Roman Abramovich

Zoran Milanović

    October 1

        Ashab Uddin, Indian politician[90]

        George Weah, Liberian politician and football player[91]

    October 2 – Rodney Anoa'i, Samoan-American professional wrestler (d. 2000)

    October 5 – Inessa Kravets, Ukrainian athlete

    October 6 – Niall Quinn, Irish footballer

    October 7 – Sherman Alexie, Native American author[92]

    October 9 – David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2010–2016[93]

    October 10

        Tony Adams, English footballer

        Carolyn Bertozzi, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate[94]

        Bai Ling, Chinese actress

        Elana Meyer, South African athlete[95]

    October 11 – Luke Perry, American actor (d. 2019)[96]

    October 15 – Jorge Campos, Mexican footballer and coach

    October 18 – Angela Visser, Dutch winner of Miss Universe 1989

    October 19 – Jon Favreau, American actor and director[97]

    October 20 – Stefan Raab, German entertainer, television host, comedian and musician

    October 22 – Valeria Golino, Italian-Greek film and television actress

    October 24 – Roman Abramovich, UK-based Russian billionaire businessman[98]

    October 25 – Wendel Clark, Canadian hockey player

    October 28 – Andy Richter, American actor, writer, comedian and late-night talk show announcer

    October 30 – Zoran Milanović, Croatian politician, President of Croatia

    October 31

        Adam Horovitz, American rapper

        Mike O'Malley, American actor and playwright

November

Vincent Cassel

    November 2

        David Schwimmer, American actor

    November 3 – Joe Hachem, Lebanese-born Australian poker player

    November 8 – Gordon Ramsay, British chef, restaurateur and television personality

    November 11

        Benedicta Boccoli, Italian model and actress

        Peaches, Canadian musician

    November 15 – Rachel True, American actress

    November 17

        Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)[99]

        Daisy Fuentes, Cuban-born American model and television personality

        Sophie Marceau, French actress[100]

    November 19

        Gail Devers, American track and field athlete[101]

        Jason Scott Lee, American actor and martial artist[102]

    November 22

        Orlando Jorge Mera, Dominican politician (d. 2022)[103]

        Michael K. Williams, American actor (d. 2021)[104]

    November 23

        Vincent Cassel, French actor

        Michelle Gomez, Scottish actress

    November 25

        Billy Burke, American actor

        Roberto Rojas, Bolivian politician (d. 2022)[105]

    November 26 – Garcelle Beauvais, Haitian-American actress, singer and fashion model[106]

    November 28 – Narumi Yasuda, Japanese actress

    November 29 – John Bradshaw Layfield, American professional wrestler

December

Patricia Kaas

Kiefer Sutherland

    December 4 – Fred Armisen, American actor, comedian and musician

    December 5 – Patricia Kaas, French singer and actress

    December 7

        C. Thomas Howell, American actor and director

        Linn Ullmann, Norwegian journalist and author

    December 8 – Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer (d. 2023)[107]

    December 10

        Kirsten Gillibrand, American politician; United States Senator (D-NY)

        Gideon Sa'ar, Israeli politician

        Kadyrbek Sarbayev, foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan

        Natee Thongsookkaew, Thailand footballer

    December 12 – Último Dragón, Japanese professional wrestler

    December 14 – Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish Prime Minister[108]

    December 15 – Katja von Garnier, German film director

    December 17 – Miloš Tichý, Czech astronomer

    December 19

        Tim Sköld, Swedish multi-instrumentalist musician

        Alberto Tomba, Italian alpine skier

    December 20 – Ed de Goeij, Dutch footballer

    December 21

        Kiefer Sutherland, Canadian actor and film director[109]

        William Samoei Ruto, 5th President of the Republic of Kenya

    December 22 – Dmitry Bilozerchev, Soviet gymnast

    December 23 – Cláudia Raia, Brazilian actress, dancer and singer

    December 24 – Diedrich Bader, American actor and voice artist

    December 27 – Bill Goldberg, American professional wrestler

    December 28 – Kaliopi, Macedonian singer-songwriter

Deaths

Deaths

January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

January

Vincent Auriol

Georges Theunis

    January 1 – Vincent Auriol, French politician, President of France (b. 1884)[110]

    January 3

        Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1944)

        Marguerite Higgins, American journalist (b. 1920)

    January 4 – Georges Theunis, 24th Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1873)

    January 10 – Ignacy Oziewicz, Polish general (b. 1887)

    January 11

        Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (b. 1901)

        Hannes Kolehmainen, Finnish Olympic athlete (b. 1889)

        Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian activist, 2nd Prime Minister of India (b. 1904)

    January 14

        Juan Pablo Barrero, Spanish footballer and lawyer (b. 1900)

        Bill Carr, American Olympic athlete (b. 1909)

        Sergei Korolev, Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer (b. 1907)

    January 15

        Samuel Akintola, Nigerian premier of the Western region and Aare Ona Kakanfo XIII of the Yoruba (assassinated) (b. 1910)

        Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigerian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Nigeria (assassinated) (b. 1912)

        Sir Ahmadu Bello, Nigerian premier of the Northern region (assassinated) (b. 1910)

    January 16 – Courtney Hodges, American army general (b. 1887)

    January 17 – Vincent J. Donehue, American stage director (b. 1917)

    January 22 – Herbert Marshall, English actor (b. 1890)

    January 25 – Saul Adler, Russian-born British-Israeli expert on parasitology (b. 1895)

    January 31

        Elizabeth Patterson, American actress (b. 1874)

        Arthur Percival, British general (b.1887)

February

Hedda Hopper

Buster Keaton

    February 1

        Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (b. 1885)

        Buster Keaton, American actor and film director (b. 1895)

        Joseph R. Knowland, American politician and newspaper publisher (b. 1873)

    February 6 – Narcisa de León, Filipino film producer (b. 1877)

    February 9 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer (b. 1886)

    February 10

        J. F. C. Fuller, British general and military strategist (b. 1878)

        Billy Rose, American composer and band leader (b. 1899)

    February 12 – Wilhelm Röpke, German economist (b. 1899)

    February 15

        Gerard Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909)

        Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian socialist and Roman Catholic priest (b. 1929)

    February 17

        Alfred P. Sloan, American automobile industrialist (b. 1875)[111]

        Hans Hofmann, German-American painter (b. 1880)

    February 18 – Robert Rossen, American film director (b. 1908)[112]

    February 20 – Chester W. Nimitz, American Navy admiral (b. 1885)

    February 25 – Victor Kravchenko, Soviet writer (b. 1905)[113]

    February 26

        Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian pro-independence activist, Hindu nationalist (b. 1883)[114]

        Gino Severini, Italian painter (b. 1883)

    February 28

        Charles Bassett, American astronaut (b. 1931)

        Jonathan Hale, American actor (b. 1891)

        Victor Jacob Koningsberger, Dutch botanist (b. 1895)[115]

        Elliot See, American astronaut (b. 1927)

March

Frits Zernike

Néstor Guillén

    March 1

        Fritz Houtermans, German physicist (b. 1903)

        William R. Munroe, American admiral (b. 1886)

    March 3

        William Frawley, American actor (I Love Lucy) (b. 1887)

        Alice Pearce, American actress (b. 1917)

    March 5 – Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet (b. 1889)

    March 6 – Michitaro Tozuka, Japanese admiral (b. 1890)[116]

    March 7 – Donald B. Beary, American admiral (b. 1888)

    March 8 – Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar, Egyptian painter (b. 1925)

    March 10 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)[117]

    March 12 – Néstor Guillén, Bolivian politician, 40th President of Bolivia (b. 1890)[citation needed]

    March 20 – Laurence Abrams, English professional footballer (b. 1889)

    March 27 – Helen Menken, American actress (b. 1901)[118]

    March 29 – Stylianos Gonatas, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)

    March 30 – Erwin Piscator, German theater director (b. 1893)

April

Evelyn Waugh

    April 1 – Flann O'Brien, Irish humorist (b. 1911)[119]

    April 2 – C. S. Forester, English author (b. 1899)[120]

    April 3 – Battista Farina, Italian car designer (b. 1893)

    April 6 – Julia Faye, American actress (b. 1893)

    April 10 – Evelyn Waugh, English author (b. 1903)

    April 13

        Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)

        Georges Duhamel, French author (b. 1884)

        Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi military officer and statesman, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)

    April 17 – Mario Serandrei, Italian editor and screenwriter (b. 1907)

    April 19 – Javier Solís, Mexican singer and actor (b. 1931)[121]

    April 20 – Prince Frederick of Prussia (b. 1911)

    April 21 – Sepp Dietrich, Nazi German military leader and SS commander (b. 1892)

    April 23 – George Ohsawa, Japanese dietist, founder of Macrobiotics (b. 1893)[122]

    April 29 – Eugene O'Brien, American actor (b. 1880)

May

Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez

Venceslau Brás

    May 2 – Salvador Moreno Fernández, Spanish admiral and politician (b. 1886)[123]

    May 4 – Amédée Ozenfant, French painter (b. 1886)

    May 8 – Erich Pommer, German film producer (b. 1889)

    May 11 – Alfred Wintle, British army officer and eccentric (b. 1897)

    May 14 – Ludwig Meidner, German painter (b. 1884)

    May 15

        Venceslau Brás, 9th President of Brazil, leader in World War I (b. 1868)

        Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, 30th President of El Salvador (assassinated) (b. 1882)

        Titien Sumarni, Indonesian actress (b. 1932)

    May 20 – Carlos Arruza, Mexican bullfighter (b. 1920)

    May 21 – Lady Dorothy Macmillan, spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1900)

    May 22 – Tom Goddard, English cricketer (b. 1900)

    May 23 – Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (b. 1902)

    May 24 – Jim Barnes, English golf champion (b. 1886)

    May 25 – Sir Vernon Sturdee, Australian general (b. 1890)

    May 29 – James Woolf, British film producer (b. 1919)

June

Ed Wynn

    June 1 – Papa Jack Laine, American jazz musician (b. 1873)

    June 3 – Nicholas Straussler, Hungarian engineer (b. 1891)

    June 6 – Ethel Clayton, American actress (b. 1882)

    June 7 – Jean Arp, Alsatian sculptor, painter and poet (b. 1886)

    June 8 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (b. 1890)

    June 11 – Wallace Ford, English-born American actor (b. 1898)

    June 12

        William Ernest Hocking, American philosopher (b. 1873)[124]

        Hermann Scherchen, Austrian conductor (b. 1891)

    June 15 – Robert G. Fowler, American pioneer aviator (b. 1884)[125]

    June 19 – Ed Wynn, American actor and comedian (b. 1886)

    June 20 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest and astrophysicist (b. 1894)

    June 30

        Margery Allingham, British detective fiction writer (b. 1904)[126]

        Giuseppe Farina, Italian racing driver (b. 1906)

July

Frank O'Hara

    July 2

        Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (b. 1898)

        John the Wonderworker, Chinese Orthodox bishop, American archbishop and saint (b. 1896)

    July 3 – Deems Taylor, American composer (b. 1885)

    July 5 – George de Hevesy, Hungarian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)

    July 9 – Venerable Marija Petković, Yugoslav Roman Catholic foundress and Servant of God (b. 1892)

    July 11 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet (b. 1913)

    July 12 – D. T. Suzuki, Japanese scholar and essayist (b. 1870)

    July 14 – Julie Manet, French painter (b. 1878)

    July 18 – Bobby Fuller, American rock and roll musician (b. 1942)

    July 21

        Francesco Paolo Cantelli, Italian mathematician (b. 1875)

        Philipp Frank, Austrian physicist and mathematician (b. 1884)

    July 23

        Montgomery Clift, American actor (b. 1920)

        Douglass Montgomery, American actor (b. 1907)

    July 25 – Frank O'Hara, American poet (b. 1926)

    July 29 – Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigerian head of state (b. 1924)

    July 31

        Alexander von Falkenhausen, German general and military advisor, 20 July Plotter (b. 1878)

        Bud Powell, American jazz pianist (b. 1924)

August

Lenny Bruce

    August 1 – Charles Whitman, American mass murderer (b. 1941)

    August 2 – Renya Mutaguchi, Japanese general (b. 1888)[127]

    August 3 – Lenny Bruce, American comedian (b. 1925)

    August 6 – Cordwainer Smith, American author (b. 1913)

    August 12 – Artur Alliksaar, Estonian poet (b. 1923)

    August 15

        Jan Kiepura, Polish tenor and actor (b. 1902)

        Seena Owen, American actress (b. 1894)

    August 17 – Ken Miles, British sports car racing engineer and driver (b. 1918)

    August 19 – Fritz Bleyl, German painter (b. 1880)

    August 23 – Francis X. Bushman, American actor (b. 1883)

    August 24

        Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, Polish general and statesman, 33rd Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1895)

        Lao She, Chinese author (b. 1899)[128]

        Vicente Mejía Colindres, 29th President of Honduras (b. 1878)

    August 26

        Art Baker, American actor (b. 1898)

        W. W. E. Ross, Canadian geophysicist and poet (b. 1894)[129]

September

Hendrik Verwoerd

    September 6

        Margaret Sanger, American birth control advocate (b. 1879)[130]

        Hendrik Verwoerd, 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1901)

    September 9 – Nestor Paiva, American actor (b. 1905)[131]

    September 11 – Collett E. Woolman, American airline executive (b. 1889)[132]

    September 14

        Gertrude Berg, American actress (b. 1899)[133]

        Hiram Wesley Evans, American Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard (b. 1881)[134]

        Cemal Gürsel, Turkish general and statesman, 10th Prime Minister of Turkey and 4th President of Turkey (b. 1894)

    September 17 – Fritz Wunderlich, German tenor (b. 1930)

    September 19 – Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov, Soviet scientist and general (b. 1874)

    September 21 – Paul Reynaud, French lawyer and politician, 77th Prime Minister of France (b. 1878)

    September 26

        Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi, Indian Independence activist (b. 1900)[135]

        Helen Kane, American singer (b. 1904)

    September 28

        André Breton, French poet and writer (b. 1896)

        Eric Fleming, American actor (b. 1925)

October

Elizabeth Arden

    October 10

        Charlotte Cooper, English tennis champion (b. 1870)[136]

        Wilfrid Lawson, English actor (b. 1900)

    October 13 – Clifton Webb, American actor, dancer and singer (b. 1889)

    October 17 – Cléo de Mérode, French dancer (b. 1875)

    October 18 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian-born American beautician and cosmetics entrepreneur (b. 1881)

    October 23 – Claire McDowell, American silent screen actress (b. 1877)

    October 24 – Hans Dreier, German art director (b. 1885)

    October 26 – Alma Cogan, English singer (b. 1932)[137]

    October 28 – Robert Charpentier, French Olympic cyclist (b. 1916)

November

Sean T. O'Kelly

    November 2

        Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)

        Mississippi John Hurt, African-American singer and guitarist (b. 1893)

    November 5 – Dietrich von Choltitz, Nazi German military governor of Paris in World War II (b. 1894)[138]

    November 8 – Bernhard Zondek, German-born Israeli gynecologist, developer of first reliable pregnancy test (b. 1891)

    November 13 – Esna Boyd, Australian tennis player (b. 1899)

    November 14

        Steingrímur Steinþórsson, 11th Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1893)

        Zengo Yoshida, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)[139]

    November 21 – Władysław Bortnowski, Polish historian and military commander (b. 1891)

    November 23 – Seán T. O'Kelly, 2nd President of Ireland (b. 1882)

    November 26 – Siegfried Kracauer, German writer, sociologist and critic (b. 1889)

    November 28 – Boris Podolsky, Russian-American physicist (b. 1896)

December

Walt Disney

    December 2 – L.E.J. Brouwer, Dutch mathematician and philosopher (b. 1881)

    December 6 – Juan Natalicio González, Paraguayan poet, 37th President of Paraguay (b. 1897)

    December 14 – Verna Felton, American actress (b. 1890)

    December 15 – Walt Disney, American animated film producer and founder of The Walt Disney Company and Disneyland Resort (b. 1901)[140]

    December 19 – Betty Kuuskemaa, Estonian actress (b. 1879)[141]

    December 22 – Lucy Burns, American women's rights campaigner (b. 1879)

    December 26 – Herbert Gille, SS German general (b. 1897)

    December 27 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentine football player and manager (b. 1905)

    December 30 – Christian Herter, United States Secretary of State (b. 1895)

    December 31 – Nipo T. Strongheart, Native American filmmaker (b. 1891)[142]

Nobel Prizes

    Physics – Alfred Kastler

    Chemistry – Robert S. Mulliken

    Physiology or Medicine – Peyton Rous and Charles Brenton Huggins

    Literature – Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Nelly Sachs

    Peace – not awarded.

References

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harrison and Sons

Company type Private Limited Company

Industry Security printing

Founded 1750

Founder Thomas Harrison

Defunct 1997

Fate Sold to De La Rue

Headquarters High Wycombe, England

Products Postage stamps, banknotes, passports and gift vouchers

Parent Lonrho

Harrison and Sons was a major worldwide engraver and printer of postage stamps and banknotes.

History

The company was established in 1750 by Thomas Harrison in Warwick Lane, London; in 1839 Thomas Richard Harrison entered into partnership with John William Parker, creating Harrison and Co. It went through similar names and retained Harrison family ownership until 1979 when sold to Lonrho.[1]

Harrison and Sons printed its first stamp, a 1d Inland Revenue stamp for Montserrat, in 1866. This seems to be the only stamp printed by the company during the 19th century.[2]

It obtained its first Post Office contract in 1881.[3] In 1910, a new factory opened in Hayes.[4] The company won the contract to print the single colour United Kingdom Edward VII stamps in 1911 after the Post Office decided not to renew its contract with De La Rue. Initially, using printing machines manufactured by Timsons of Kettering, it went on to produce most of the British stamps over the 60-year period from the 1930s until the 1990s, including the first UK stamp using the photogravure method in 1934 and the first photogravure commemoratives in 1935 for Silver Jubilee of King George V. The first UK Christmas issue in 1966, on the specially designed Jumelle press, was also printed at Harrison and Sons. They printed their last British commemorative issue, referred to as "Queen’s Beasts’ issue", in 1998. The stamps were actually printed one year before they were issued to the public.[5] During the 1920s, Harrison & Son printed banknotes for the Commonwealth Bank in Australia.[6] In 1933, the factory moved to High Wycombe.[4]

The company (abbreviation H&S) also printed stamps, banknotes, passports and gift vouchers for over 100 other countries from 1881.[5] Some of its most famous publications were The London Gazette and Burke's Peerage.[1]

In 1979, the business was purchased by Lonrho. In February 1997, it was sold to De La Rue with the High Wycombe plant refurbished.[7] The plant closed in 2003.[8]

Company names

Harrison and Co (1839–1849)[1]

Harrison and Son (1849–1854)[1]

Harrison and Sons (1854–1920)[1]

Harrison & Sons Limited (1920–1997)[1][9]

References

 "Harrison and Sons Limited, printers". National Archives. Retrieved 4 March 2015.

 Morgan, Glenn H. (June 2017). "Harrison and Sons 1866 Revenue Stamps of Montserrat". Gibbons Stamp Monthly. 48 (1). Ringwood: Stanley Gibbons Limited: 86–89. ISSN 0954-8084.

 Sanders, Malcolm. "Glossary H-M". King George VI - Great Britain. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

 Harrison & Sons Ltd: A Timeline from King George II to King George VI Stamp Printers

 Stamp Printers by Country Stamp Printers

 The Commonwealth Bank and the Note Issue 1920 - 1960 Museum of the Reserve Bank of Australia

 "De La Rue to cut 400 jobs", The Independent, 15 April 1997

- De La Rue to restructure banknote and security print business De La Rue 30 April 1997

- Our History Archived 9 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine - De La Rue

 "Up to 350 jobs to go at printing firm", Your Local Guardian, 7 October 2002

- Security Products Manufacturing Review, Closure of High Wycombe Factory and Acquisition of House of Questa Ltd De La Rue 23 September 2002

 Companies House extract company no 168827 Harrison & Sons Limited

Categories: Printing companies of the United KingdomManufacturing companies established in 1750British companies disestablished in 1997Companies based in Buckinghamshire1750 establishments in England1997 disestablishments in EnglandBanknote printing companiesHigh WycombeBritish companies established in 1750