World Cup 1990

Winners West Germany

Teams 24

Teams in qualifiers 116

Notable absentees Denmark, France, Portugal

Surprises Costa Rica, Republic of Ireland, UAE

Golden Boot Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) - 6

Stats A total of 115 goals were scored (2.21 per match), which was the lowest goals-per-match ratio in World Cup history; West Germany (15) scored the most

Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16, plus four best third place finishers

Number of matches 52

World Cup 1986

Winners Argentina

Teams 24

Teams in qualifiers 121

Notable absentees Netherlands

Surprises Canada, Iraq



Golden Boot Gary Lineker (England) - 6

Stats A total of 132 goals were scored (2.54 per match); Argentina (14) scored the most

Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16, plus four best third-place finishers



Number of matches 52

World Cup 1982

Winners Italy

Teams 24

Teams in qualifiers 109

Notable absentees Netherlands, Mexico

Surprises Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kuwait, New Zealand



Golden Boot Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 6

Stats A total of 146 goals were scored (2.81 per match); France (16) scored the most

Format Six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the second round, where they split into four groups of three. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals



Number of matches 52

World Cup 1978

Winners Argentina

Teams 16

Teams in qualifiers 107

Notable absentees England, Czechoslovakia, USSR

Surprises Iran, Tunisia



Golden Boot Mario Kempes (Argentina) - 6

Stats A total of 102 goals were scored (2.68 per match); Argentina and Netherlands (15) scored the most

Format Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group into a second round of two groups of four, the top side in each progressing into the final



Number of matches 38

World Cup 1970

Winners Brazil

Teams16

Teams in qualifiers 75

Number of matches 32



Notable absentees Argentina, France, Portugal, Spain



Surprises Morocco, the first African qualifiers since World War II



Golden Boot Gerd Muller (Germany) - 10

World Cup 1966

Winners England

Teams 16



Teams in qualifiers 70

Notable absentees None

Surprises North Korea

Golden Boot Eusébio (Portugal) - 9

Stats A total of 89 goals were scored (2.78 per match); Portugal (17) scored the most

Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals

Number of matches 32

World Cup 1962

Winners Brazil

Teams 16



Teams in qualifiers 56

Notable absentees Sweden

Surprises Colombia

Golden Boot Garrincha, Vavá (Brazil), Leonel Sánchez (Chile), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia) , Flórián Albert (Hungary), Valentin Ivanov (USSR) - 4

Stats A total of 89 goals were scored (2.78 per match); Brazil (14) scored the most

Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals



Number of matches 32

World Cup 1958

Winners Brazil

Teams 16



Teams in qualifiers 45

Notable absentees Italy, Uruguay

Surprises Wales, Northern Ireland

Golden Boot Just Fontaine (France) - 13

Stats A total of 126 goals were scored (3.60 per match); France (23) scored the most

Format Four groups of four, with the top two progressing to the quarter-finals



Number of matches 35

World Cup 1954

Winners West Germany

Teams 16



Teams in qualifiers 45

Notable absentees Spain

Surprises Korean Republic

Golden Boot Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11

Stats A total of 140 goals were scored (5.38 per match); Hungary (27) scored the most

Format Four groups of four with two seeded and two unseeded teams in each group. However, the teams played just two matches per group rather than the usual three, with the seeded sides facing unseeded sides. Where teams ended up tied for the second qualifying position by points, they required a play-off. The two teams finishing at the top of their group went through to the quarter-finals



Number of matches 26

World Cup 1950

Winners Uruguay




Teams 13



Teams in qualifiers 34

Notable absentees France, Germany, Hungary

Surprises Bolivia

Golden Boot Ademir (Brazil) - 9

Stats A total of 88 goals were scored (4.00 per match); Brazil (22) scored the most

Format Four groups, with the winners of each progressing to a four-team round-robin final group. Withdrawals meant there were two groups of four, one of three and one of two



Number of matches 22

World Cup 1938

Winners Italy

Teams 15



Teams in qualifiers 37

Notable absentees Argentina, England, Spain, Uruguay

Surprises Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), Cuba

Golden Boot Leônidas (Brazil) - 7

Stats A total of 84 goals were scored (4.67 per match); Hungary (15) scored the most

Format Straight knockout, replays for drawn matches



Number of matches 18



                           

    

World Cup 1934

Winners Italy

Teams 16



Teams in qualifiers 32

Notable absentees Holders Uruguay, England

Surprises Egypt

Golden Boot Oldrich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia) - 5

Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (4.12 per match); Italy (12) scored the most

Format Straight knockout, replays for drawn matches



Number of matches 17

World Cup 1930

Winners Uruguay  Teams 13
Teams in qualifiers N/ANotable absentees Of the major European countries, only France took partSurprises USA, who finished thirdGolden Boot Guillermo Stábile (Argentina) - 8Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (3.89 per match); Argentina (18) scored the mostFormat One group of four and three groups of three in the qualifying stage, with the top from each group going into the semi-finals. Number of matches 18