In this issue
The 2026 World Cup promises to be the biggest of all time. More teams, more matches, more host countries than ever before. What began as a 13-team experiment 96 years ago is now a 48-nation extravaganza, the biggest sporting and cultural event on the planet, which literally billions of people will tune into.
How did it happen? World Soccer wasn’t there for every single step of the way, but we witnessed a fair chunk of it.
We were there when Pele and Co. dazzled in technicolour; when Cruyff taught the world to play total football; when Maradona amazed with his feet and shocked with his hand. We were there to see Baggio’s heartbreak, Ronaldo’s breakthrough and Zidane’s head loss. We were there for Spanish dominance, German efficiency and French mastery. Four years ago we were there again, for Messi’s crowning glory, and this year we’ll be back.
Our complete guide to the 2026 World Cup finals will be in next month’s issue but in the meantime, we’ve dived into our archives to put together this special edition, the History of the World Cup.
Jamie Evans, Managing Editor
Contents
4 1930 World Cup Where it all began
6 1934 World Cup Home advantage seals it for the Azzurri
8 1938 World Cup Italy retain their crown 10 1950 World Cup Blame it on Rio
12 1954 World Cup West Germany stun Magical Magyars’ nearly men
16 1958 World Cup Pele makes his mark
18 1962 World Cup The scandal in Chile
20 1966 World Cup When football came home & Alf Ramsey profile
26 1970 World Cup Campeons del mundo: Brazil more than a team
32 1974 World Cup Total football to total failure
36 1978 World Cup Battle of River Plate sees the Dutch lose again
38 World Cup greats Players who made their mark: World Cup 1930-1978
44 1982 World Cup Italy’s third crown, Paolo Rossi & Brazil profiles
52 1986 World Cup Maradona magic & “Hand of God” goal
56 1990 World Cup German justice, Schillaci & Milla profiles
62 1994 World Cup Brazil spot on, Bulgaria’s moment, ’90s Colombia
68 1998 World Cup Le magnifique & France ’98 in pictures
74 2002 World Cup Ronaldo returns in triumph
78 2006 World Cup Forza Italia & Zidane’s red mist
82 2010 World Cup Expectant Africa & all hail Spain
86 2014 World Cup Brazil’s blowout & perfect Germans
90 2018 World Cup France reach the summit again
94 2022 World Cup Messi: mission accomplished & Saudi shock