INTRODUCTION WORLD DOMINANCE chants chants from frenzied fans echo across the packed stadium Flags and banners wave in the breeze Camera flashes light up the stands as a midfielder boots a long pass in front of the goal Dirt flies from underfoot when a forward streaks toward the ball The goalkeeper dives as the forward unleashes a blazing shot Victory in the world's biggest soccer tournament is at stake and it all comes down to this moment It's the final match of the World Cup the crown jewel of international soccer Since its modest beginnings in 1930 the World Cup has exploded in popularity creating an international soccer community in a way that no other sport can match It only happens once every four years and worldwide bragging rights are on the line Mario Götze right scores a goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final match Germany won the game 1 0
This illustration shows a soccer match between England and Scotland in the 1870s The goal left had no net and consisted of two poles with a rope running along the top M
1 FROM POLITICS TO PELÉ THE ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP soccer soccer or football as it's known to most of the world was far from an international craze when Scotland and England faced off for the world's first international match in 1872 While club play matches between organized local teams had grown wildly popular in Britain soccer had little foothold outside the British Isles And so the world wasn't exactly paying attention as 11 English players took to the pitch to take on 11 Scottish opponents England brought an all star team handpicked from club teams Scotland meanwhile fielded a team composed entirely of players from a single club Glasgow's Queen's Park A crowd of 4 000 fans turned out at Hamilton Crescent a muddy rain soaked cricket field in Glasgow most of them to cheer on their fellow Scots It was a gritty defensive battle between the blue shirted Scots and the white clad English The English were bigger stronger and more talented However the Scots were used to playing with one another and their smaller size made them faster than the English even on the sloppy mud that covered the field
