Viva la World Cup
With the World Cup final between France and Argentina just barely behind us, we, at the Edge, wanted to dive a little deeper into the history of the World Cup and its presence and fanbases in the two competing countries.
The first FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930, hosted thirteen teams: seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America. Both France and Argentina played in this first tournament, with France losing to Argentina in the group stage and Argentina losing to Uruguay in the finals. Since 1930, the World Cup has been played every four years, except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II. After the 1998 World Cup in France, the tournament has been composed of 32 teams that qualified, competing through group stages, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. The host nation for the tournament automatically qualifies, but every other country competes through rounds of qualification in order to participate in the most prestigious football tournament in the world.
As of now, Brazil has won the most World Cups with five wins, but France is the current reigning champion, having won the tournament when it was last played in 2018. The World Cup is the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, with a ninth of the entire global population consuming the tournament in some capacity.
Before the beginning of the World Cup tournament, FIFA, or the Federation International de Football Association that hosts the World Cup, was formed in Paris in 1904. Their headquarters have since been relocated to Zürich, Switzerland, but the origination of the association is a point of pride for football fans in France. Later in 1904, the French national team was created. Football had been growing in popularity in France and around Europe since the late 1800s.
Football is becoming increasingly important to French culture. As popularity has increased, French football leagues have been formed with PSG, or Paris Saint-Germain, being one of the most prevalent football clubs in the world. Rivalries between French football clubs can be intense–so much so that their fan sections in stadiums are completely separate from one another due to extreme violent movements in the past. Before 1998, cycling was France’s most popular sport. After the ‘98 World Cup that was hosted and won by France, attention has shifted to football. With France’s 2018 win, passion and love for the sport continue to flourish in the country.
With France’s recent win against Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semifinals, French pride was waved around the streets of central Paris. French fans understood the political and emotional significance of the match, as France ruled Morocco from 1912 to 1956 and Morocco was the first African country to make it to the semifinals in the World Cup. After the win, French fans flooded the Champs-Elysée waving flags and setting off fireworks to celebrate their victory.
Similarly, in Argentina, the securing of the team’s place in the final was met with chants, drums, and honking in streets all over the country. Passion for football runs deep in Argentinian fans. Football is Argentina’s most popular sport, and support for certain clubs and the national team are typically familial and generational–pride is passed down and is based on the roots from where people throughout the country come.
This passion is strengthened by Argentina’s success on the international stage, with two of the best players to ever play the game. Diego Maradona, who led the team to their second World Cup win in 1986, completely changed the football scene in Argentina. Lionel Messi, the award-winning forward currently playing for the Argentinian national team, is the third-highest goal scorer in the world right now. Argentinians were hoping Messi would lead them to victory in Sunday’s game.
Argentina’s scrappy gameplay has been seen in World Cups since 1930, with the country bringing home wins in back-to-back 1978 and 1986 World Cup tournaments. But, the origin of football in Argentina might surprise you. In the 19th century, British immigrants are credited with introducing the game to the country. The first records of matches in Argentina are hazy and seemingly a rough representation of the current game. The Argentinian league of clubs was the fourth league created in the world, following Great Britain, Scotland, and England. These deep roots and love for the game are seen in Argentinian fans today. Streets are typically deserted during matches as fans are glued to their televisions. This was likely the case for both France and Argentina on Sunday, as this nail-biting game highlighted both teams on a global scale for the most important match in the football world. Fortunately for Messi and the entire Argentinian national team, their hard work and dedication brought them the win, but not without quite the fight from France. This 2022 World Cup final match that went all the way to penalty shootouts is sure to go down in history as one of the most exciting final matches in history.