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The Graphic Truth: Whose World Cup is it anyway?

November 21, 2022
Wajahat S. Khan
and
Luisa Vieira
Map showing regions with World Cup winners and runners-up
Luisa Vieira

Yes, it’s the World Cup. But only a small part of the world actually gets to have it: Since 1930, every edition of the tournament has been won by a team from Europe or South America. Indeed, no country from any other part of the world has even been a runner-up. The last non-European or non-South American team to make it to the semifinals was South Korea in 2002, when it was host along with Japan — unless you count Turkey as part of Asia, which FIFA does not. We explore the World Cup’s winners and runners-up throughout history, showing how two regions dominate the Beautiful Game.

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