is the global governing body that organizes the World Cup.

Context: World Cup identity and governance

The World Cup is held every four years since 1930, except for cancellations in and ____ due to World War II.

Context: Tournament cycle and exceptions

Qualification occurs over the preceding three years to select teams for the phase.

Context: Qualification vs tournament phases

Host nation(s) have qualification and automatically enter the group stage.

Context: Automatic qualification for host nations

As of the 2026 World Cup, teams compete in the tournament phase over about a month.

Context: World Cup participation and expansion

Expansion milestones include 24 teams in 1982, 32 teams in 1998, and teams for 2026.

Context: World Cup participation and expansion

World War II causes the 1942 and 1946 World Cup competitions to be .

Context: Cause→effect chain: World War II → cancellations

FIFA corruption allegations tied to media/marketing rights cause the 2026 World Cup bidding process to be .

Context: Cause→effect chain: corruption allegations → bidding postponement

Expansion to more teams causes more opportunities for underrepresented regions, which leads to some teams from Africa, Asia, and North America reaching later stages such as the .

Context: Cause→effect chain: expansion → later-stage opportunities

The team that won the most recent World Cup edition is called the champions.

Context: Reigning champions

The nickname for Uruguay’s upset win over Brazil in the 1950 World Cup is called the .

Context: Maracanazo

The 2015 case involved bribery, fraud, and money laundering allegations tied to FIFA decisions and rights.

Context: 2015 FIFA corruption case and its meaning

A proposal to hold the World Cup every two years rather than every four is the World Cup proposition.

Context: Biennial World Cup proposition

The standard cycle is every four years, so the idea that the World Cup is held every two years by default is a .

Context: Common confusion: biennial vs default cycle

Qualification vs tournament phases: Qualification selects teams for the tournament phase, while the tournament phase is the final competition period where qualified teams compete at host for the title.

Context: Tournament phase meaning