It’s a known fact that a European team has never won the World Cup outside of Europe. Italy has captured the trophy four times winning in Italy, France, Spain, and Germany. Germany has won it three times in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. England won it in England and France won it in France. Not only have teams from Europe not won outside their own continent, but also some haven’t even been able to win outside their own country. South American teams, on the other hand, have triumphed on whatever continent they are put on, whether it be Europe, South America, Asia, or North America. The World Cup 2010 will change the history of the World Cup forever by being the first World Cup a European team wins outside of Europe.
While this may seem like an insignificant detail, it’s quite a dramatic one. Both South America and Europe have won a combined total of nine World Cups each, but Europe has only won on the comfort of European soil. You could argue that by winning the same amount of finals, the two sets of continental super powers are equal, but the greater argument would be that if you’re really the best, you should be the best wherever you play. This World Cup 2010 is the first to be played on African soil and has thrown a major wrench in the works.
Neither teams from South America nor Europe can point to history this time around, which meant each team had to set a new precedent. Both sides arguably started strong, with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay playing well in the group stages, and all of them making their way to the quarterfinals. Europe had some big names drop out early, including England, France, and Italy. But Spain, Germany, and Holland picked up momentum with every game, eventually knocking out Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, rather resolutely. The reasoning behind this could be any number of factors, including the domination of the Champions League, the strength in depth of the squads, and the conditions in South Africa being similar to that of many European nations.
Whatever the reasons may be, two of the favorites for this year’s tournament, Brazil and Argentina, left at the quarterfinal stage, a dismal showing considering each team’s immense array of talent. It was quite a shock to see such heavyweights bow out that early, and more than that, to see the European teams dominate them so soundly. The two teams that stand out have got to be Holland and Spain. Neither has had the honor of lifting the World Cup trophy and while Germany may still play Holland in the final, it would be a fantastic first in world football to see a European team win outside of Europe as well as win the trophy for the first time themselves.
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Remember that the first international match was between Scotland and England (1872).