The first attempts to organise a football FIFA World Cup™ were made as early as 1905, but it took 25 years before the first FIFA World Cup tournament was held in Uruguay in 1930.  Four years previously, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy and Austria had attempted a European Cup. The International Football Association, FIFA, thwarted the proposal, however, by initiating their FIFA World Cup™ proposals.

At the FIFA Congress on May 25, 1928, during the Olympic Games in Amsterdam, 21 of the 28 member associations voted for the introduction of a FIFA World Cup™. The German Football Association, DFB, abstained. As Uruguay were the 1924 and 1928 Olympic champions, the South American country was chosen to host the first FIFA World Cup™. This decision meant a long and expensive sea journey for the European participants.

The Uruguay organisers promised to pay for the boat passage and accommodation. On June 21, 1930, a ship with the national teams of France, Romania and Belgium on board left Barcelona. On July 13, the first FIFA World Cup™ kicked-off. The DFB did not send a national team, due to the costs and the necessary long absence from work for the players.

At the second FIFA World Cup™ in Italy in 1934, Uruguay, the first world  champions having won on home soil, refrained from defending their title due to various quarrels. In 1938, title holders Italy and the French hosts were for the first time allowed to take part in the FIFA World Cup™ finals without qualifying. Fifteen of the 16 qualified teams competed. Austria had by then become a part of the Germany Reich, and the all-German team coached by Sepp Herberger consisted of five Austrians and six Germans.

The Second World War prevented the organisation of the 1942 (scheduled for Germany) and 1946 FIFA World Cup™ finals. On June 24, 1950, 13 teams competed for the FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil. Germany was not allowed to take part, as had been the case at the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games. But at the 1954 FIFA World Cup™ in Switzerland, a DFB team was eligible again. And the FIFA World Cup™ victory by Fritz Walter and his fellow-players was the most significant success for German sports. Nine years after the end of World War II and an end to the forced isolation, the country and its people showed great emotion after the 3-2 defeat of Hungary in the final in Bern.

Four years later the FIFA World Cup™ was hosted by Sweden. This proved a landmark, as with 53 countries taking part in the qualification, football became a TV sport. The viewers across the world experienced a new kind of football, perfected by Brazil and their new superstar Pele, then just 17 years old. The Brazilians were dubbed the Magicians of Sugar Mountain and Samba Footballers for their playing and technical skills; two catch phrases that were still being used to describe the Brazilian team after their fifth FIFA World Cup™ victory in 2002.

The 1962 FIFA World Cup™ in Chile brought a setback regarding technology and finance, because live TV broadcasts were impossible. By this tournament, the custom of alternating the FIFA World Cup™ every four years between South America and Europe had been agreed -- something that was not interrupted until 2002. In South America it was teams from that continent which triumphed, while on the “Old Continent” it was the European teams that took the glory. With the 17th FIFA World Cup™ in 2002, FIFA made the decision to involve other continents by awarding the prize to Asia, where Japan and South Koreasuccessfully hosted the first FIFA World Cup™-share.

At the first five FIFA World Cups™ between 1930 and 1950, the hosting countries and FIFA were happy to receive sufficient entries for a worthwhile tournament. At the following five finals between 1954 and 1978, the number of participating teams was limited to 16. From 1982 it was increased to 24, then in 1998 to the present 32. This number is likely to remain for some time due to the favourable system it offers.