FOOTBALL
101
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to the sport - Football 101 is here to help you understand the origins, terms, and rules of the game we play. Let’s celebrate 2026 together as we hit a milestone 50-year anniversary for our club, and cheer on Team Canada as our country jointly hosts the World Cup!
The Beginnings of the World’s Game
Before the World Cup was conceived, Football was still in its infancy. International football games were recorded between Scotland and England first dating back to 1872, and was not commonly played outside of the British Isles. As the game grew in popularity, more national football associations were springing up. The first recorded international match occurring outside the British Isles took place in 1902 when Uruguay hosted Argentina.
FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) was founded in 1904 in Paris, made up of associations from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. While not yet an official member, Germany had pledged their intent to join the fledgling FIFA organization.
Olympic Goals
As football’s popularity continued to grow, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) introduced football as an official Olympic sport for the 1900 and 1904 Summer Olympics. FIFA became the overseer of the sport for the 1908 Olympics.
FIFA had attempted to create an international competition outside of the Olympics, hosting a 1906 competition in Switzerland, however FIFA admits that the attempt was a failure.
The next attempt for an international football tournament was the FIFA organized football event for the 1916 Olympics - the Olympics themselves were ultimately cancelled by the start of WW1. FIFA’s tournament ended up being the very first Copa América.
Olympic football returned in 1920 at the Summer Olympics, won by Belgium, followed by Uruguay (1924 and 1928).
The World Cup
Eventually, FIFA decided to try running another international tournament at the behest of then FIFA President Jules Rimet.
The stage was set to hold the first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay. The country was chosen as the first host in celebration of the country’s 100th anniversary of their first constitution; and because the Uruguayan national football had won the gold medal in football at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics - earning them the title of the “world’s best football team” at the time.
The World Cup played every four years from 1930 until the outbreak of WW2, not resuming until 1950 in Brazil.
World Leaders
The World Cup has only been won by eight countries:
Brazil (x5) - 1958/1962/1970/1994/2002
Germany (x4) - 1954/1974/1990/2014
Italy (x4) - 1934/1938/1982/2006
Argentina (x3) - 1978/1986/2022
Spain (x2) - 2010/2026
France (x2) - 1998/2018
Uruguay (x2) - 1930/1950
England (x1) - 1966
