World Cup tournament

World Cup Tournaments (Reading Comprehension)

Reading Comprehension – World Cup Tournaments

World Cup Tournaments
World Cup Tournaments

Develop your reading skills. Study the following table about previous World Cup tournaments and do the comprehension questions

The World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is an esteemed international association football competition, overseen by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). First inaugurated in 1930, this championship has been held every four years, marking a significant event in the global sporting calendar. However, the World Cup was not contested in 1942 and 1946 due to the disruptions caused by World War II.

Since its inception, the tournament has evolved into one of the most anticipated and widely watched sporting events worldwide, capturing the attention of millions of fans and spectators across the globe

Previous World Cup tournaments

YearHostFinalThird Place Match
WinnersScoreRunners-upThird PlaceScoreFourth Place
1930
UruguayUruguay4–2ArgentinaUnited StatesNote1Yugoslavia
1934
ItalyItaly2–1
(a.e.t.)		CzechoslovakiaGermany3–2Austria
1938
FranceItaly4–2HungaryBrazil4–2Sweden
1950
BrazilUruguay[note 2]BrazilSwedenNote2Spain
1954
SwitzerlandWest Germany3–2HungaryAustria3–1Uruguay
1958
SwedenBrazil5–2SwedenFrance6–3West Germany
1962
ChileBrazil3–1CzechoslovakiaChile1–0Yugoslavia
1966
EnglandEngland4–2
(a.e.t.)		West GermanyPortugal2–1Soviet Union
1970
MexicoBrazil4–1ItalyWest Germany1–0Uruguay
1974
West GermanyWest Germany2–1NetherlandsPoland1–0Brazil
1978
ArgentinaArgentina3–1
(a.e.t.)		NetherlandsBrazil2–1Italy
1982
SpainItaly3–1West GermanyPoland3–2France
1986
MexicoArgentina3–2West GermanyFrance4–2
(a.e.t.)		Belgium
1990
ItalyWest Germany1–0ArgentinaItaly2–1England
1994
United StatesBrazil0–0
(a.e.t.)
(3–2 pens.)		ItalySweden4–0Bulgaria
1998
FranceFrance3–0BrazilCroatia2–1Netherlands
2002
Korea Republic
& Japan		Brazil2–0GermanyTurkey3–2Korea Republic
2006GermanyItaly1–1
(a.e.t.)
(5–3 pens.)		FranceGermany3–1Portugal
2010 South AfricaSpain1–0
(a.e.t.)		NetherlandsGermany3–2Uruguay
2014BrazilGermany1–0 (a.e.t.)ArgentinaNetherlands3–0Brazil
2018RussiaFrance4–2CroatiaBelgium2–0England
2022QatarArgentina3–3 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)		FranceCroatia2–1Morocco

a.e.t = after extra time

pens. = after penalty shoot-out

Note 1
There was no official World Cup Third Place match in 1930. Both the United States and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals. FIFA now recognizes the United States as the third-placed team and Yugoslavia as the fourth-placed team, based on the overall records of the teams in the tournament.

Note 2
In 1950, there was no official World Cup final match. Instead, the tournament winner was determined by a final round-robin group contested by four teams: Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden, and Spain. Uruguay’s 2-1 victory over Brazil was the decisive match, coincidentally one of the last two matches of the tournament, which propelled them ahead on points and secured their position as the top team in the group, thus becoming world champions. Consequently, this match is often regarded as the final of the 1950 World Cup. Similarly, Sweden’s 3-1 victory over Spain, played simultaneously with Uruguay vs Brazil, ensured their third-place finish in the tournament.

Source: Wikipedia

Comprehension:

  1. The first World Cup tournament was organized by a European country.
    a. True.
    b. False.
  2. There was no World Cup tournament during the First World War.
    a. True.
    b. False.
  3. Which country won the most titles?
    a. Italy.
    b. Brazil.
    c. Germany.
  4. Which country has made the most appearances in the top four?
    a. Italy.
    b. Brazil.
    c. Germany.

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