The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th time the best soccer teams from around the globe compete head to head in a bid to be crowned kings of the soccer world. But do you know how it all got started in the first place?
The first recorded instance of an official soccer match between nations was a game played between England and Scotland in 1872. At that time the sport was rarely played outside the United Kingdom so the opportunities for “international play” were limited.

By the time the twentieth century began, all that had changed. Nations all over the globe were taking up soccer and forming leagues. In an effort to bring these nations together on the soccer pitch FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) was born in Paris on May 22, 1904.

In 1904 soccer was featured as a trial sport at the Olympics, and became an officially recognized one at the 1908 games. However only amateur teams were allowed to participate, so FIFA began looking for ways to organize a competition between the world’s soccer professionals. When it was announced that soccer was to be dropped from the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles because of the US lack of interest in the sport, the need for a professional worldwide soccer tournament seemed to become even more pressing.

Jules Rimet, then president of FIFA set about the task of organizing what would become the inaugural FIFA World Cup. Nations were invited rather than having to qualify and Uruguay was chosen as the competition venue, in part to celebrate the centennial off the country’s independence.

The European nations were very poorly represented during the first World Cup – only Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia made the trip. Strange as it may seem, for a nation that was apparently not interested in soccer, it was a team from the USA that won the inaugural World Cup match – beating Mexico 4-1 – and one of their players, Bert Patenaude, who scored the tournaments very first hat trick in a 3-0 win against Paraguay.

For the all South American finals showdown between Uruguay and Argentina, 93,000 people turned out to watch the spectacle, which Uruguay won 4-2, becoming the first team to be crowned champions of the soccer world.

The FIFA World Cup has come a long way from its humble beginnings. The qualification process now takes two full years and 32 nations compete in the Finals. The event is broadcast all over the world to millions of TV viewers and in many nations normal life is put on hold for two weeks while the spectacle that is the biggest sports show on Earth unfolds.

About the Author:
Brad Barrett is the founder of SoccerTools.com, a resource for all soccer fans with a current blog on US, English and World Cup soccer and reviews and information on how to buy discount soccer equipment such as World Cup jerseys, soccer balls, soccer training equipment and soccer cleats.

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