South American nations at the FIFA World Cup

World Cup participation and results

Summary of performance

This table shows for each world cup the number of countries at the World Cup, the number of entries (#E) from around the world including any rejections and withdrawals, the number of South American entries (#A), how many of those South American entries withdrew (#A-) before/during qualification or were rejected by FIFA, the South American representatives at the World Cup finals, the number of World Cup Qualifiers each South American representative had played to get to the World Cup (#WCQ), the furthest stage they reached, their results, and their coaches.

1930s: The inaugural FIFA World Cup, Uruguay's triumph

The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930. FIFA, football's international governing body selected Uruguay as host nation as the country would be celebrating the centenary of its first constitution, and Uruguay had successfully retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics. The first World Cup was the only one without a qualification process; seven teams from South America participated in the tournament.

The 1930 FIFA World Cup Final was contested by the finalists from the 1928 Olympics, Uruguay and Argentina. The final was played at the Estadio Centenario on 30 July. The gates were opened at 8:00 a.m., six hours before kick-off, and at noon the ground was full with an official attendance of 93,000. A disagreement overshadowed the build-up to the match as the teams disagreed on who should provide the match ball, forcing FIFA to intervene and decree that the Argentine team would provide the ball for the first half and the Uruguayans would provide their own for the second. The game ended 4–2 to Uruguay (who had trailed 2–1 at half time) who added the title World Cup winners to the mantle of Olympic Champions, as Jules Rimet, president of FIFA, presented the World Cup Trophy, which was later named after him.

1934–1938: World Cup without champions, 3rd place for Brazil

The 1934 World Cup is the only tournament in which the reigning champions did not participate. Reigning World Cup holders Uruguay declined to participate in protest at the refusal of several European countries to travel to South America for the 1930 World Cup, which Uruguay had hosted. Argentina and Brazil were the only South Americans nations to participate.

The 1938 World Cup was the last World Cup to be staged before the outbreak of World War II. The decision to hold the second of these, the 1938 World Cup, in France was controversial, as the American countries had been led to understand that the World Cup would rotate between the two continents. Both Argentina and Uruguay therefore boycotted the tournament. Only Brazil participated from South America, fininshing in third place after a 4–2 victory against Sweden.

1950: World Cup in Brazil, Uruguay's second triumph

1950 World Cup, held in Brazil, was the fourth FIFA World Cup and the only one not decided by a one-match final. Argentina, Ecuador and Peru in South America withdrew after the qualifying draw (in Argentina's case because of a dispute with the (Brazilian Football Confederation). This meant that Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay qualified from South America by default.

The final group stage involved the teams who won their groups: Brazil, Spain, Sweden and 1930 champions Uruguay, who were making their first World Cup appearance since winning the inaugural tournament. The World Cup winner would be the team that managed to finish on top of this group. The final group's six matches were shared between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Brazil played all its final group matches at the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio while the games that didn't involve the host nation were played in São Paulo. Brazil won their first two matches with a 7–1 thrashing of Sweden and 6–1 rout of Spain. Eventually, Brazil progressed to the final round, facing Uruguay in the final match of the tournament on 16 July 1950. Brazil only needed a draw to finish top of the group, but Uruguay won the game 2–1, shocking and silencing the hundred thousands who attended the game. This defeat on home soil is a significant event in Brazilian history, being known popularly as the Maracanazo. The official attendance of the game was 199,854, with the actual attendance estimated to be about 210,000.

1954: Postponed dreams

As title holders, Uruguay qualified automatically for the 1954 World Cup. Only three teams from South America participated in the qualification; Brazil was the only team to qualify for the main tournament. In the quarter-finals, they lost 2–4 to Hungary, while Uruguay obtained fourth place, losing the third place play-off 3–1 to Austria.

1958–1962: Brazilian domination, 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile

Three South American nations – Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil – participated in the 1958 World Cup. Argentina appeared for the first time since 1934, while this would be Paraguay's last finals appearance until 1986. The tournament won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European team. The final holds many records in World Cup history. Pelé became the youngest player to play a World Cup finals, the youngest scorer in a World Cup final and the youngest player to win a World Cup winners' medal. The team of the tournament voted by journalists was five Brazil players:

The 1962 World Cup was held in Chile, the third World Cup held in South America. Five South American nations participated, where the tournament was again won Brazil, who claimed their second title after defeating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final, becoming the second team, after Italy in 1938, to successfully defend its World title. Hosts Chile beat Yugoslavia 1–0 to finish third.

1966: Search for the guilty

At the 1966 World Cup, four South American nations participated. Argentina and Uruguay lost in the quarter-final, while Brazil and Chile were eliminated after the group stage. During that controversial game (for more details see Argentina and England football rivalry), Argentina's Antonio Rattín became the first player to be sent off in a senior international football match at Wembley Stadium. Rattín at first refused to leave the field and eventually had to be escorted by several policemen. After 30 minutes, England scored the only goal of the match. This game is known as el robo del siglo (the robbery of the century) in Argentina. It is one of the worst championship by results for the South American nations.

South American protesters claimed that England, as hosts, had rigged the entire tournament with the help of West Germany. They particularly complained about the referees. English officials refereed most of Brazil's games. The England–Argentina match was refereed by a German; it was a bad-tempered match and the England manager, Alf Ramsay, described the Argentines afterwards as "animals". Meanwhile, the West Germany–Uruguay match had an English referee who sent off two Uruguayans.

1970: The greatest World Cup team ever

Three South Americans participated in the 1970 World Cup. Peru qualified for the first time, having made one previous appearance in the 1930 tournament (which did not require qualification). The 1970 World Cup won by Brazil, who beat Italy 4–1 in the final. With their third World Cup triumph, Brazil were allowed to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently. In the semi-final, Brazil defeated Uruguay]] 3–1, finally exacting revenge for their defeat in the 1950 World Cup final. The Brazilian squad, led by Carlos Alberto, and featuring Pelé, Clodoaldo, Gérson, Jairzinho, Rivelino and Tostão, is often regarded as the greatest ever World Cup team.

1974: New conspiracy theory

Four nations participated in the 1974 World Cup. For qualification, the nine South American nations were divided into three groups of three teams each, as Brazil qualified automatically as holders; Argentina, Chile, Uruguay also qualified for the tournament. Brazil finished in fourth place, while Argentina was eliminated in the second round, and Chile and Uruguay in the first round. Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be sent off with a red card in an World Cup opening match. João Havelange, president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998, claimed that the 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed so that England and Germany would win respectively. He stated, "We were the best in the world, and had the same team that had won the World Cup in 1962 in Chile and 1970 in Mexico, but it was planned for the host countries to win."

1978: The first Argentina World Cup title

The 1978 World Cup, the 11th staging of the tournament, was held in Argentina, marking the fourth time the World Cup was hosted in South America. Three South American nations participated in the tournament: Argentina, Brazil and Peru. The tournament was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina. Controversy surrounded the hosts, however, as all of their games in the first round kicked off at night, giving the Argentines the advantage of knowing where they stood in the group. This issue would arise again in Spain 1982, which prompted FIFA to change the rules so that the final two group games in subsequent World Cups would be played simultaneously.

In 1978, Argentina needed to beat Copa América holders Peru by four clear goals to reach the final ahead of Brazil. They won 6–0 but there were dark rumours that Peru, who had an Argentine-born goalkeeper, had thrown the game. There are several allegations that the Argentine government struck a deal with the Peruvian government that ensured Argentina would proceed to the final. The deal allegedly encompassed delivery of a large grain shipment to Peru by Argentina and the unfreezing of a Peruvian bank account that was held by the Argentine Central Bank. In exchange, the Peruvian team had to allow Argentina to win in their second-round match with a margin that was large enough to go the next round. That margin was four goals.

The final, Argentina–Netherlands, was also controversial, as the Dutch accused the Argentines of using stalling tactics to delay the match. Mario Kempes opened the scoring for the hosts before Dick Nanninga equalized a few minutes from the end. Rob Rensenbrink had a glorious stoppage-time opportunity to win it for the Netherlands, but his effort came back off the goal post. Argentina won the final 3–1 after extra time. The Netherlands, because of the controversial game events, refused to attend the post-match ceremonies after the match ended. Brazil took third place from an enterprising Italy side with Nelinho scoring a memorable goal, and were dubbed "moral champions" by coach Cláudio Coutinho as although they did not win the tournament, they did not lose a single match.

1982: The "Sarrià Stadium Tragedy"

Four South American nations participated in the 1982 World Cup: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru. As of 2010, this was the last time Peru qualified for a FIFA World Cup finals. The tournament was the first for Diego Maradona, but defending champions Argentina lost opening match 0–1 to Belgium, although they would qualify to the second round. Brazil, with Zico, Sócrates, Falcão, Éder and others in their squad, boasted an offensive firepower that promised a return to the glory days of 1970. They defeated the Soviet Union 2–1 thanks to a 20-metre Éder goal two minutes from time, then Scotland and New Zealand with four goals each.

Peru and Chile finished fourth in their groups and were therefore eliminated early. In the second round, Italy prevailed 2–1 over Argentina, with Italian defenders Gaetano Scirea and Claudio Gentile proving themselves equal to the task of stopping the Argentine attack. With the loss, Argentina needed a win over Brazil on the second day, but fell 3–1, with Argentina only scoring in the last minute. Notably, Maradona kicked Brazilian player João Batista in the groin and was sent off in the 85th minute. The Brazil–Italy match 3–2 for Italy, with Italian striker Paolo Rossi scoring a hat-trick. The result eliminated Brazil from the tournament. The result was seen by many as not only a defeat for Brazil, but a defeat of their attacking philosophy by the less talented but more organised Italians. This match has since then been labelled by Brazilian press as the 'Sarrià Stadium Tragedy' (br: A tragédia do Sarriá)

1986: Argentina's second World Cup title

Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA, but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially resigned in 1982. Mexico was selected as the new host in May 1983. At the 1986 World Cup, four nations South American nations participated: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The tournament was won by Argentina (their second title, after also winning in 1978), captained by Maradona, who scored the infamous "Hand of God goal", and also a goal voted as "Goal of the Century", in the same quarter-final against England. These were two of the five goals that Maradona scored during the tournament; he also created another five for his teammates. Argentina beat West Germany 3–2 in the final at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca.

The first round of the finals began in Group A, where Argentina beat South Korea 3–1, with Maradona playing a major part. Italy and Argentina drew 1–1, Maradona and Alessandro Altobelli scoring. The final set of matches saw Argentina beating Bulgaria 2–0.

Paraguay in Group B won 1–0 over Iraq and subsequently drew both Mexico and Belgium. Group D saw Brazil start 1–0 over Spain, 1–0 over Algeria, and 3–0 over Northern Ireland. Uruguay qualified in the second round only two points and goal difference of –5.

In the rematch of the 1930 World Cup final, Argentina just edged out South American champions Uruguay in Puebla thanks to a 42nd-minute strike from Pedro Pasculli. Brazil progressed to the quarter-finals comfortably when they saw off Poland 4–0, while Paraguay lost England 0–3.

In the quarter-finals, three-time world champion Brazil faced France in Guadalajara. Brazil were well on top in the early stages, and Careca put them one up after 18 minutes. Five minutes before half-time, however, France drew level when Michel Platini scored his 41st goal after converting a cross from Dominique Rocheteau. Brazil had a chance to regain the lead in the second half when Branco was fouled by French keeper Joël Bats in the penalty area. Zico took the penalty, but Bats saved it. The match proceeded into extra time, and France had the better of the extra half-hour. No goals were scored, and so it was time for a penalty shoot-out. Sócrates, who had earlier missed an open goal and headed an easy chance straight into the French goalkeeper's arms, failed with the first kick for Brazil. The next six penalties were all converted, followed by Platini firing over the bar. Brazil were back on level terms, but not for long: Júlio César struck the post with his penalty, whereupon Luis Fernández then scored to put France through 4–3 on penalties.

The quarter-final between Argentina and England was featured two very different goals by Diego Maradona: the first was scored illegally, as he punched the ball into the goal past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The referee did not see the handball and the goal was given as valid. After the game, Maradona claimed the goal was scored "A bit with the head of Maradona and another bit with the hand of God"; it therefore became known as the "Hand of God" goal. For his second goal, voted "Goal of the Century" in 2002 on the FIFA website, Maradona dribbled half the length of the field past five English players before scoring. In Argentina, the game was seen as revenge for the Falklands War.

In the other semi-final, meanwhile, Maradona struck twice in the second half as Argentina beat Belgium 2–0. In the final against West Germany, José Luis Brown put Argentina one up midway through the first half of the final, and when Jorge Valdano scored a second for the South Americans in the 55th minute, Argentina looked to be strolling to victory. West Germany then staged a spirited comeback. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge pulled one back in the 74th minute, and six minutes later Rudi Völler hit the equaliser. With seven minutes remaining, a pass from Maradona gave Jorge Burruchaga the chance to score the winner for Argentina. Eight years on from their home triumph, Argentina regained the world title and 30 million people in Argentina celebrated in the streets after the final victory. Maradona was the Golden Ball winner as the best player of the tournament.

1990: Chile incident, Argentina reaches Final

Four South American nations participated in the 1990 World Cup: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. One of the most bizarre incidents in World Cup history occurred on 3 September 1989. During the Brazil–Chile CONMEBOL qualifying match in Rio de Janeiro, Chile needed victory to retain any hope of qualification, but trailed 0–1 to Brazil. Around 20 minutes into the second half, Chile goalkeeper Roberto Rojas fell to the pitch with an apparent injury to his forehead. A firework, thrown from the stands by a Brazilian fan named Rosemary de Mello, was smouldering about a yard away. After carrying Rojas off the pitch, the Chilean players and coaches refused to return claiming conditions were not safe, and the match went unfinished. After studying video footage of the match showing that the firework had not made contact with Rojas, FIFA awarded Brazil a 2–0 win, eliminating Chile from the 1990 World Cup. As punishment, Chile were barred from the qualifying process for the 1994 World Cup, and Rojas was banned for life, though the ban was lifted in 2001.

Argentina lost its first game 0–1 to Cameroon, then defeated the Soviet Union 2–0 and drew 1–1 with Romania, finishing third in its group as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams. Brazil took maximum points in its group, winning 2–1 over Sweden, 1–0 over Costa Rica and 1–0 over Scotland. Colombia and Uruguay also qualified to the second round.

The all-South American match in the second round was won for Argentina by a goal from Claudio Caniggia with ten minutes remaining after a run through the Brazilian defence by Diego Maradona and an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea. Uruguay lost 0–2 to Italy, while Colombia lost 1–2 after extra time to Cameroon.

Argentina reached the semi-finals after a goalless stalemate and winning the penalty shoot-out 3–2, despite Maradona having his penalty saved. A second Argentine miss (by Pedro Troglio) looked to have eliminated them until goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea – playing because first choice Nery Pumpido broke his leg during the group stage – rescued his side by stopping the Yugoslavs' final two spotkicks.

The first semi-final pitted the host nation Italy against world champions Argentina. Salvatore Schillaci scored to put Italy ahead in the 17th minute, but Claudio Caniggia equalised midway through the second half, There were no further goals, but a series of serious fouls saw five yellow cards and a red issued, largely to Argentina: the game went to a shootout which Argentina won 4–3, after Roberto Donadoni and Aldo Serena both had their kicks saved by Goycochea. Argentina's decisive penalty had been converted by Maradona, who, playing in his club "home city" of Naples, had urged locals to support him rather than their homeland, creating a more muted atmosphere than Italy's previous games in Rome.

The final between West Germany and Argentina has been cited as the most cynical and lowest quality of all World Cup finals. In the 65th minute, Argentina's Pedro Monzón was sent off for a foul on Jürgen Klinsmann, the first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final.

Argentina, weakened by suspension and injury, offered little attacking threat throughout a contest dominated by the West Germans, who struggled to create many clear goalscoring opportunities. The only goal of the contest arrived in the 84th minute when Mexican referee Edgardo Codesal awarded a penalty to West Germany, after a foul on Rudi Völler by Roberto Sensini. Andreas Brehme, who later said there was no foul, converted the spot kick to settle the contest. In the closing moments, Argentina were reduced to nine after Gustavo Dezotti received the second red card of the game when he hauled Jürgen Kohler to the ground during a stoppage in play. The 1–0 scoreline provided another first: Argentina were the first team to fail to score in a World Cup final.

1994: Bolivia returns to the World Cup, Colombian tragedy, Brazil's fourth World Cup title

Four South American nations participated in the 1994 World Cup: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia. Chile could not take part in qualification as it was still banned by FIFA; Bolivia had qualified for the first time since the 1950 tournament. The tournament saw the end of Diego Maradona's World Cup career, having played in the 1982, 1986 and 1990 World Cups. He was expelled from the tournament after he failed a drug test which uncovered ephedrine, a weight loss drug, in his blood. Colombia, despite high expectations due to their style and impressive qualifying campaign, disappointed in the tournament, failing to advance from the round robin. The team was supposedly dogged by influence from betting syndicates and drug cartels, with coach Francisco Maturana receiving death threats over squad selection. Defender Andrés Escobar was a tragic figure of this tournament, as in the group stage match against the United States national team, he scored an own goal which eliminated his team 2–1. Escobar was later shot to death outside a bar in a Medellín suburb only ten days after the match, apparently in retaliation for the own goal.

Colombia finished top of their qualifying group without having lost a match, which included a historic 5–0 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires. Expectations of the team were high, some even naming them as favourites to win the tournament. The match in Group A between Colombia and Romania was the first game for either side in the group phase; Colombia lost 1–3 to Romania. The team went into their second group game against the United States knowing they had to win to have any chance of progressing. In the 35th minute, Andrés Escobar attempted to cut out a cross but accidentally deflected the ball into his own net. Earnie Stewart took the Americans two goals in front after scoring in the 56th minute. Iván Valenciano scored a consolation goal for Colombia in the closing minutes of the match. Colombia did, however, win their final group match 2–0 over Switzerland, but it was not enough to ensure progression.

In Group B, Brazil won over Russia, Cameroon also one draw against Sweden and qualified Round of 16. Bolivia draw 0–0 against South Korea, lost 0–1 opening match Germany, 1–3 Spain. In the next stage did not qualified. Argentina collected a maximum of six points from their opening two matches after beating Greece 4–0 in Foxboro before coming from behind to overcome the feisty Nigerians 2–1 on the same field four days later, yet still only finished third, since lost 0-2 Bulgaria.

Argentina, who were shorn of Diego Maradona who was thrown out of the tournament for taking drugs faced in round 2 Romania. Romanian scores twice in the first twenty minutes. In between, Gabriel Batistuta scored a penalty, but after half-time Romania netted a superb third on the counterattack, with Hagi beating goalkeeper Luis Islas. Abel Balbo pulled one back, but Romania held on for a shock win. Brazil in round of 16 defeat 1–0 hosting nations United States. Brazil would normally win easily, but United States were playing at home, in their National Day. Leonardo was sent off immediately, which increased Brazil's uncertainty. Later, Leonardo declared that he acted by instinct, without any intention to harm. Brazil won that match thanks to the usual: Aldair and Márcio Santos effective in the defense, Romário and Bebeto effective in the attack. Bebeto scored the sole goal at 28 minutes of second half.

In quarter-final Brazil won against Netherlands. In the second Brazilian goal, Romário was clearly off side, but he pretended he had not seen the ball, the referee considered that Romário was not participating of that play, and Bebeto scored. The match was an easy 2-0 for Brazil, but in ten minutes Netherlands scored two goals. Then, from a long free-kick, Branco scored. Branco was a veteran, who had participated of the cups in 1986 and 1990, who was much admired by the Brazilians for his braveness. FIFA considered this Brazil - Netherlands to be a classic match.

Brazil won the semi-final against Sweden by 1-0, after Jonas Thern had been sent off with a red card Romário scored the only goal of the game in the 80th minute.

Brazil and Italy played the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. This time, not even Romário could help Brazil win. For the first time in the History of World Cups, a final ends in 0-0, and must be decided in penalty kicks. This happened because both Brazil and Italy had a scheme which privileged first the defense, and, luck allowing, the attack. Brazil won in the penalties. The Italians missed three of four kicks. Brazil was four times champion. The trophy was handed to captain Dunga from the hands of the vice-president Al Gore. Brazil's Romário, with five goals, won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. Brazilians refer to this cup as the Cup that Romário won for Brazil.

1998: Brazil way too weak in the final

At the 1998 FIFA World Cup participated five nations of South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay. Paraguay qualified for the first time since 1986. After Brazil beat Scotland and Marocco while Norway drew with Morocco and Scotland, Brazil had qualified as group winners with a game to spare. Chile conceded equalisers in all their games, but their three draws were enough for them to qualify in second place and advance with a record-low three points. Paraguay drew their first two games 0-0 and beat 3-1 Nigeria qualified in second place. After two games in group England and Colombia were level on points before they played each other in their final group game. Colombia lost the match 0-2 and withdraw. Argentina qualified with a match to spare after they beat Japan and Jamaica with Gabriel Batistuta scoring in both games. Argentina then beat Croatia to take first place.

Chile in the Round of 16 play against South American rivals Brazil at the Parc des Princes in Paris. César Sampaio scored twice early on, and a Ronaldo penalty made it 3–0 before half-time. Chile kept fighting, and Salas got his fourth goal of the competition, heading in a rebound after Cláudio Taffarel had saved a shot from Zamorano, but Ronaldo scored again quickly and Chile were out of the tournament. Argentina - England round of 16 match stayed 2-2 until the end of extra time. In the ensuing penalty shoot-out that decided the game, Argentina won 4-3 after two English kicks were saved by their goalkeeper Carlos Roa. Paraguay lost to France. France only scored through Laurent Blanc in the 114th minute, during the second half of overtime (making it the first golden goal scored in a World Cup). Argentina in the quarter-final 1-2 lost Netherlands an 89th minute. Moments after Argentine playmaker Ariel Ortega was sent off for head-butting Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, evening the teams at 10 men a side, Dutch captain Frank de Boer launched a 60-yard pass directly to the right foot of Bergkamp in the right side of the penalty area. With his first touch, the striker known as "The Iceman" cut back to his left past defender Roberto Ayala. With his second touch, Bergkamp tucked a hard shot over keeper Carlos Roa into the top left corner. In other quarter-final Denmark put up much more of a battle than many thought possible, but in the end, using two goals by Rivaldo, defending World Cup holder Brazil pulled out a 3-2 decision in a quarterfinal match today at La Beaujoire Stadium. In the 60th minute, Rivaldo netted the final and deciding goal, finding the low right corner from 20 yards.

Semi- final: Brazil - Netherlands. Ronaldo scored in the 46th minute for Brazil, and Patrick Kluivert equalized for the Dutch in the 87th minute. A surprisingly tame match was tied 1-1 after 120 minutes. Goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel made two diving saves as Brazil defeated The Netherlands 4-2 on penalty kicks.

The final was contested by Brazil, who were the defending champions having won the previous World Cup four years earlier in 1994, and the host nation France, who had reached the final of the tournament for the first time. France won the match 3–0 to claim the World Cup for the first time, with the timing of the match two days before Bastille Day adding to the significance of the victory. Zinedine Zidane, who was named man of the match, scored twice before half-time and Emmanuel Petit added a third goal in the last minute. The match had an attendance in the region of 75,000. The match also saw speculation on the condition of the Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who suffered a convulsive fit on the eve of the match. After initially being left out of the team sheet, in spite of his physical state, it was announced just 72 minutes before kick-off that he was going to play. In the match, he sustained an injury in a clash with French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. Although it was believed that the decision to play Ronaldo had backfired, it was understandable as the player had been a crucial member of the side throughout the tournament, having scored four goals and created three more. They also inflicted the heaviest defeat on Brazil since 1930.

2002: Ecuador debut, Brazil's fifth World Cup title

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup participated five nations of South America: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay. Ecuador qualified first time for the final tournament. Paraguay first match in group tied South Africa 2–2 (goals: Roque Santa Cruz and Francisco Arce), lost to Spain in the second game (1–3) and finally defeated Slovenia (3–1; goals Nelson Cuevas, twice, and Jorge Luis Campos) to qualify for the second round. The Brazilian team started the 2002 World Cup with a 2–1 against Turkey, 4-0 China PR, 5-2 Costa Rica and qualified from the group stage. Argentina first match in group won 1-0 Nigeria, second game loss 0-1 to Nigeria. Like favourites France, second favourites Argentina were eliminated following a 1-1 draw to Sweden in their third game. Ecuador were drawn in Group G with Italy, Mexico and Croatia. Ecuador were knocked out at the group stage, they achieved a 1–0 victory over Croatia, who had come third at the previous edition of the World Cup, lost 0-2 Italy, 1-2 Mexico. Uruguay, as dark horses of the group, never really got going, their high point being a goalless draw with a sub-par France side. However, they did manage to put three goals past Senegal in a high-scoring draw, but their loss to Denmark in their opening game had dashed any hopes they may have had of qualifying for the Round of 16.

In the second round Germany ended Paraguay's dreams in the World Cup with an 88-minute goal. Brazil won 2-0 Belgium. To the surprise of the Brazilians themselves, referee Peter Prendergast disallowed Belgian goal by Marc Wilmots that would have given Belgium a 1–0 lead. Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari declared after the tournament that the match against Belgium had been the hardest for Brazil to win.

Against England in the quarter finals, Brazil won 2–1. Brazil's Ronaldinho caught out England goalkeeper David Seaman with a lobbed free kick from 42 yards to send Brazil into the semis. Ronaldinho also assisted teammate Rivaldo for their first goal, but was sent off for stamping on the right ankle of England's Danny Mills.

The semifinal was against Turkey, which Brazil had faced in their group. Again, this match was difficult, as Brazil won 1–0 with a goal by Ronaldo. Rivaldo had scored one goal in all five games up to this one but did not manage to hit the target in the sixth. He had seemed all set to repeat Jairzinho´s great achievement in 1970 when he scored in every game of the World Cup.

The final was between two of the most successful teams in the competition's history: Germany and Brazil. Incredibly, the teams had never played each other in the World Cup before, besides a match between Brazil and East Germany in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn had been the tournament's best keeper, but was not able to maintain his post unscathed in this match, as Ronaldo vanquished his France '98 demons by scoring both goals in the Brazilian 2–0 triumph. Ronaldo also won the Golden Shoe as the tournament's leading scorer, though Kahn won the Golden Ball as the most outstanding player. This match also marked Brazilian captain Cafu's third appearance in a World Cup Final, a feat that has yet to be accomplished by any other player in the history of the tournament. The title marked Brazil's fifth World Cup championship, which is more than any other nation has achieved, also being the first team to win all seven of their games without any extra time or penalty kicks.

2006: Ecuador reaches the Round of 16, Argentina and Brazil early finishes World Cup

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup participated fourth nations of South America: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay. Ecuador were drawn into Group A with the hosts, Poland, and Costa Rica. Wins over Poland and Costa Rica earned La Tri qualification to the knockout stages for the first time. In 2006, Paraguay qualified for its third World Cup in a row. This time, two early defeats against England and Sweden (both 0–1) sent the team home early. The only consolation was defeating Trinidad and Tobago during the last and final group game by 2–0. Argentina qualified from Group C with a game remaining, Argentina topping the group on goal difference having hammered Serbia and Montenegro 6–0 and beating Côte d'Ivoire 2–1. The Brazilians won all three games to qualify first in the group. Despite winning the first 2 games against Croatia (1–0) and Australia (2–0), Brazil didn't seem to work as expected and struggled to beat the opponents' defense. In the third game, manager Parreira tried a new squad with five former reserve players, including Robinho, and Cicinho. The changes were successful, as the team put on a comfortable 4–1 win against Japan.

At round of 16 Argentina struggled to get past Mexico 2-1 until a Maxi Rodríguez goal in extra time put the Albiceleste in the quarter-finals. Ecuador lost 0–1 England thanks to a David Beckham free kick. During the second round, Brazil defeated Ghana 3–0, in a game which included Ronaldo's record 15th World Cup goal.

Quarter-final Germany and Argentina ended 1–1 after extra time; the hosts edged out the Argentines 4–2 on penalties to go through to the semifinals (this was the first time Argentina had lost a World Cup penalty shootout: up until this match, both Argentina and Germany had participated in three penalty shootouts, winning all of them). Argentina scored first to grab a 0–1 lead. However, Michael Ballack's cross, flicked on by Tim Borowski, allowed Klose to head in the equalizer with 10 minutes to spare. During the subsequent penalty shootout, goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saved two shots while his teammates all converted their shots to win the shootout 4–2. Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals against France by a score of 1–0. France was led by a rejuvenated Zinédine Zidane and by a strong defence which kept the Brazilian strikers under check for the duration of the game. Perhaps partially due to their uncommon formation, Brazil was shut out, attempting just one shot at French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. The game was also notable for being the first time that the Brazil team had been shut out in 3 consecutive matches against France, now has a 2–1–1 all-time record in 1986, 1998 and 2006 in World Cup matches. After elimination to France, the Brazil team was largely criticized by the press and the fans. The media circulated images of the left wingback Roberto Carlos tying his shoes while Henry ran unmarked to score the winning goal. The sporting legend Pelé blamed coach Parreira and Ronaldinho for the team's early elimination.

2010: Uruguay's fourth place, Paraguay's best ever performance

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup participated five nations of South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay. Chile were at the Finals tournament for the first time since the 1998 competition. The South American teams performed strongly, with all five advancing to the knockout stages (four as group winners). In group A despite a red card being given to Uruguay substitute Nicolas Lodeiro in the second half, Uruguay were able to hold a "lacklustre" France to a 0–0 draw. Won 3-0 against South Africa and 1-0 against Mexico. The group winners, Uruguay, advanced to face the runners-up from Group B, Korea Republic. In group B Argentina won all the matches. As group winners, Argentina advanced to face Mexico in Round of 16. Paraguay topped the group F with five points and advanced to face Japan, the runners-up in Group E. Twice Paraguay played a draw and won 2-0 against Slovakia. As winners of the group G, Brazil advanced to play against Chile – runners-up in Group H – in the Round of 16. Brazil won 2-1 against DPR Korea, 3-1 Côte d'Ivoire and draw 0-0 with Portugal. Chile, as group runners-up, faced Brazil, the winners of Group G. Chile won 1-0 against Honduras, 1-0 Switzerland and lost 1-2 Spain.

Uruguay vs the South Korea was the first match in the Round of 16. Uruguay won the match 2–1. Uruguay's two goals came from Luis Suárez, the second of which broke a 1–1 deadlock in the 80th minute. Suárez's first was scored when Diego Forlán made a low cross from the left that was not dealt with by the Korean defence, leaving Suárez to score at the back post. Uruguay subsequently adopted a defensive posture and Korea had more chances to score. Suarez's goal was regarded as one of the tournament's best. Argentina vs Mexico met at Soccer City. Argentina won the match 3–1 for a place in the quarter-finals against Germany. The match was overshadowed by a refereeing error that allowed Argentina's opening goal. Carlos Tevez headed the ball into the net from a Lionel Messi pass in the 25th minute, but replays showed there were no players between Tevez and the goal, rendering his goal clearly offside. Replays of the goal were shown in the stadium but the decision to award the goal was not overturned. Tevez said he knew that the goal was offside, but chose not to say anything. Argentina's second goal came from a defensive error from Ricardo Osorio as a poor pass out of defence was snatched by Gonzalo Higuaín to round the keeper and score. After half-time, Tevez scored his second goal of the match to give Argentina a three-goal lead, with a long range shot that found the top corner of the Mexican goal. Javier Hernández scored for Mexico in the 71st minute but it turned out to be no more than a consolation goal, as Argentina held on to win 3–1. Brazil in the Round of 16 soundly defeated Chile 3–0 to progress to a quarter-final match against the Netherlands. Brazil's first goal came from a corner kick taken by Maicon in the 34th minute, with Juan heading the ball into the goal without being marked. Brazil had doubled its lead within five minutes after a free-flowing passing movement involving Robinho and Kaká that teed up Luís Fabiano to score after taking the ball around the Chilean goalkeeper. Robinho himself sealed victory for Brazil in the second half, scoring following a long run with the ball by Ramires. Paraguay and Japan met at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. The match was decided by a penalty shootout after the score was locked at 0–0 for 120 minutes. Paraguay won the shootout and progressed to its first ever World Cup quarter-final. The match was a generally unexciting affair, as Japan adopted a defensive posture while Paraguay itself maintained a solid defence. The first half produced the occasional chance on goal with Lucas Barrios having a shot saved shortly before a long distance shot from Daisuke Matsui hit the crossbar of Paraguay's goal. The second half was similar, with either side producing occasional chances to score rather than periods of dominance. The result of the deadlock was extra time, which continued goalless. A penalty shootout ensued, in which Yuichi Komano missed a spot kick for Japan. Paraguay scored all five of its penalties, clinching the win and passage to the quarter-finals.

The Netherlands versus Brazil was the first quarter-final match. The Netherlands won 2–1 after recovering from a 1–0 deficit, knocking the five-time world champions Brazil out of the tournament. Brazil's coach Dunga confirmed after the match that he would be leaving the position upon the expiry of his contract, admitting responsibility for Brazil's defeat. Uruguay and Ghana met at Soccer City for a place in the semi-final against the Netherlands. It was the first time that the teams had ever played each other in a senior competitive football match. After a dramatic 120 minutes of play (including extra time) that finished 1–1, Uruguay won in a penalty shoot-out 4–2. Uruguay dominated the early periods of the match, but suffered an injury to captain Diego Lugano in the first half. Just before half-time, Ghana took the lead when Sulley Muntari was allowed time on the ball by Uruguay, and took advantage by scoring with a shot from 40 yards. After half-time, Diego Forlán pulled Uruguay level with a free kick from the left side of the field that went over the head of Ghana's goalkeeper Richard Kingson. While both teams had chances to win, the match proceeded to extra time as the scores remained level. Late in extra time, Ghana sent a free kick into the box; Luis Suárez blocked Stephen Appiah's shot on the goal line. On the rebound, Dominic Adiyiah's header was heading into the goal, but Suárez blocked the shot with his hands to save what would have been the extra-time winner and he was dismissed. Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing penalty kick off the crossbar and Suárez celebrated the miss. In the shootout, Gyan converted his penalty, as did everybody else until the 4th round of penalty kicks when Adiyiah's penalty was saved by Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Uruguay's Maxi Pereira then hit his penalty kick over the bar. Muslera saved Captain John Mensah's, and Ghana's fifth, penalty. Sebastián Abreu converted Uruguay's fifth spot kick by lightly chipping it Panenka-style to win the match. After the game, Suárez said, "I made the save of the tournament," and, referring to the infamous handball goal scored by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup, claimed that "The 'Hand of God' now belongs to me." Suárez claimed he had no alternative and was acting out of instinct. Forlán agreed that Suárez saved the game, "Suárez this time, instead of scoring goals, he saved one, I think he saved the game. In other Quarter-final Germany thrashed Argentina 4–0. The 4–0 defeat was Argentina's biggest loss at a World Cup since 1974. Spain defeated Paraguay 1–0. The first half of the match finished goalless, although both sides had chances to score and Paraguay's Nelson Valdez had a goal ruled out as offside. The match suddenly became eventful in the second half due to a string of penalty kicks. First, Óscar Cardozo was pulled down by Gerard Piqué in Spain's penalty area and Paraguay was awarded a penalty. Cardozo took the penalty himself but it was saved by Spain's goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Spain soon after launched an attack at the other end of the field, in which David Villa was ruled by the referee to have been brought down by Antolín Alcaraz. Xabi Alonso stepped up to take the penalty kick and seemed to have scored, only for the referee to order it be retaken because of encroachment by a Spanish player into the penalty area before the kick was taken. Xabi Alonso's retake was saved by Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar. As a result, the score remained 0–0 after the three penalty kicks. However, Spain ultimately managed to take the lead in the 82nd minute: David Villa collected a rebounded shot off the post from Pedro, to score himself off the post. The goal turned out to be the winner for Spain.

Uruguay played the Netherlands in the first semi-final. The Netherlands won the match 3–2. Uruguay adopted a defensive posture early in the match, but were only able to hold their opponents scoreless for 18 minutes, when Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst scored from 35 yards into the top right corner of the goal. However, the Netherlands were unable to capitalise on their lead, as Diego Forlán equalised in the 41st minute (1-1) when his shot from 25 yards hit squarely in the middle of the goal was misjudged by goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg who missed it by millimeters. The Netherlands took lead quickly, though, as a pass from van der Vaart reached Sneijder who dished it into the side of the goal as Muslera dived and missed it by inches. Then, three minutes later, Kuyt crossed to Robben who headed it into the goal as Muslera just stood there hopelessly to make it 3-1. The Netherlands suffered a late scare when Maxi Pereira, who failed a penalty against Ghana, scored in stoppage time from a freekick; however, the score remained 3–2 despite desperate Uruguayan attempts to equalise.

Third place play-off. Germany defeated Uruguay by 3–2. Bastian Schweinsteiger managed to take a shot towards the goal, which Muslera rebounded towards Thomas Müller who scored. Uruguay forced their way back into the game after Luis Suárez's pass put Edinson Cavani through on the left and he slid low into the far corner to put them on level terms after 28 minutes. Diego Forlán then put them ahead in the second half with a beautiful backheel kick from the edge of the penalty box while goalkeeper Hans-Jörg Butt just stood there hopelessly after 51 minutes. Marcell Jansen then scored on 56 minutes after Muslera came for Jérôme Boateng's cross but missed it right in front of Jansen allowing him to head into an empty net. Mesut Ozil took a corner in the 82nd minute, which reached a German player, bounced off him and went up to Khedira's head, who headed it in. Uruguay almost forced extra time when Forlán curled a 92nd-minute free-kick onto the bar, but Germany held on to win the match. After the game, Uruguay coach Óscar Tabárez insisted that his side did not deserve to be on the losing side, "We achieved an equal game against a real power, we could have won because in the game [they] were not superior to us, "We're not that far away [from Germany's level], the route has been marked, we must learn from this".

2014: Drama for Brazil on home soil as Colombia shine and Argentina reach the final

The 2014 FIFA World Cup marked the fifth time the World Cup was hosted by a South American nation, with Brazil staging the tournament for the second time (the first time being in 1950). Besides the hosts, 5 CONMEBOL teams managed to qualify. Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador qualified directly via the qualification tournament, while Uruguay also qualified by beating Jordan in the inter-continental play-offs. FIFA appointed Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Salvador, Fortaleza, Recife, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Natal, Cuiabá and Manaus as host cities, with the final being played at the iconic Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil, victorious in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, were pre-tournament favourites, together with world champions Spain, Germany and their arch-rivals Argentina.

The months before the tournament were overshadowed by massive protests among many Brazilians, who accused Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and her government of setting questionable priorities by pouring loads of money into the World Cup, while things like healthcare and education were considered more important and in more urgent need of financial aid by many. They also stated both the Brazilian government and the FIFA were corrupt and didn't take the people's wishes into account. The protests were supported by many, including Brazilian legendary footballer Romário. Further anger was caused by the fact that several workers died while working on the construction sites of the new stadiums, especially in São Paulo and Manaus. The construction of many stadiums was delayed, and the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba was almost taken out of the tournament. Some stadiums remained unfinished when the competition started.

The group stage kicked off on 12 June 2014, with Brazil taking on Croatia in São Paulo. The opening goal of the tournament was an own goal by Brazilian defender Marcelo, who became the first Brazilian ever to score an own goal at the FIFA World Cup. However, Brazil managed to turn the game around and eventually won 3-1. Brazil's second goal, scored by poster boy Neymar, was a doubtful penalty kick which eventually led to the exclusion of Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura from the tournament. In their following group game, Brazil suffered a minor setback when they drew 0-0 against Mexico in Fortaleza, but they restored their supremacy with a resounding 4-1 victory over Cameroon in Brasília and ended top of the table in Group A.

In Group B, Chile faced world champions Spain, the Netherlands, 2010 runners-up, and Asian minnows Australia, whom they managed to defeat 3-1 in their opening game in Cuiabá. The Chileans then managed to knock out the title holders in Rio de Janeiro, winning 2-0 by goals from Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aránguiz, only to go down by the same score in their final group match in São Paulo against the Netherlands, thus ending second in their group and going through to the round of 16.

Group C saw outsiders Colombia, who missed top striker Radamel Falcao due to an injury, take on Greece, Japan and Côte d'Ivoire. Los Cafeteros eased through their group, defeating the Europeans 3-0 in Belo Horizonte, the Africans 2-1 in Brasília and the Asians 4-1 in Cuiabá, with James Rodríguez emerging as a bit of a star by scoring in all their games.

In Group D, Uruguay, who ended third in South Africa, started off with a shock as they failed to overcome an offensive second half strategy by minnows Costa Rica and eventually went down 3-1 in Fortaleza and ended the game with 10 men. Uruguay's star player Luis Suárez was unable to play during that game due to an injury, but he returned in their second group match in São Paulo against England and immediately became his country's hero as he scored twice to give Uruguay a 2-1 victory. However, in Uruguay's final group game in Natal, Suárez once again was the target of great controversy as he allegedly bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. Although the referee missed the incident, FIFA later decided to give Suárez a nine-month ban from all football matches, making him ineligible to compete in the rest of the tournament. Uruguay did manage to progress to the round of 16, though, as Italian midfielder Claudio Marchisio received a red card and Diego Godín headed home Uruguay's only goal in the 81st minute.

Ecuador became the only CONMEBOL nation not to reach the knockout stage. In Group E, La Tricolor suffered a late 2-1 defeat against Switzerland in Brasília, before beating Honduras by the same score in Curitiba. Their 0-0 draw against France at the Maracanã was not enough to go through. All 3 Ecuadorian goals were scored by striker Enner Valencia.

Argentina found themselves on enemy soil in Brazil, and failed to impress in Group F, although they eventually managed to win all 3 of their matches narrowly. Star striker Lionel Messi became Argentina's hero in the group phase, scoring 4 of Argentina's 6 goals. A 2-1 win over debutants Bosnia and Herzegovina in Rio de Janeiro was followed by a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Iran in Belo Horizonte, with Messi scoring to clinch an undeserved victory over the Asian hopefuls. Their group stage campaign ended with a tight 3-2 victory over African champions Nigeria, with Messi scoring twice, and La Albiceleste progressed to the knockout phase with 9 points out of 9.

The Round of 16 featured two all-South American encounters, with hosts Brazil taking on Chile in Belo Horizonte and Colombia facing Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro the same day. The Brazilians started off very well against Jorge Sampaoli's Chile, with David Luiz scoring an early goal for the hosts. However, Chile soon regained their strength and Alexis Sánchez scored a well-deserved equaliser. The game went into extra time, and both Hulk and Mauricio Pinilla were close to giving their teams the lead, but in the end a penalty shootout proved unavoidable. The shootout was won by Brazil, and the Seleção went into the quarter finals at La Roja's expense.

That night in the Maracanã, Colombia were victorious over Uruguay. James Rodríguez scored twice, once in both halfs, to end Uruguayan hopes. Rodríguez's first goal was later elected the goal of the tournament. Colombia's win marked the first time in history the country made it to the Quarter Finals of the World Cup.

The other South American team that reached the Round of 16, Argentina, played three days later and needed extra time against Switzerland to secure a win in São Paulo, with their only goal being scored by Ángel Di María, in the 118th minute.

In the Quarter Finals, another South American match was played when Brazil met Colombia in Fortaleza. Brazil claimed a 2-0 lead after 70 minutes, after both their central defenders, captain Thiago Silva and Luiz, found the net. The lead could not be undone by the Colombians, even though James Rodríguez scored from the penalty spot in the 80th minute. The game didn't end in joy for the Brazilians, though, as top striker Neymar was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a back injury and captain Thiago Silva was suspended. Rodríguez's strike was his sixth of the tournament, and he eventually became the top scorer of the 2014 World Cup.

Argentina, the only other CONMEBOL representative left, also reached the semi-finals by beating Belgium 1-0 in Brasília. An early strike from Gonzalo Higuaín was enough for the victory, and Alejandro Sabella's team steered through. A final between Brazil and Argentina didn't seem unlikely.

However, in the semi-finals, things went horribly wrong for the hosts. In a thrilling encounter against the Germans, Brazil equalled their record worst-ever defeat as they went down 7-1 in Belo Horizonte, causing national tragedy and sorrow throughout Brazil. The game is known as the Mineirazo, and will be remembered as a football match that stunned the world. Felipe Scolari's team suffered the worst-ever defeat in a World Cup semi-final and ended the tournament with a negative goal difference. The Brazilian fairytale was over.

Argentina did manage to reach the final, as they proved themselves the better side in a thrilling penalty shootout against the Netherlands in São Paulo. Sergio Romero stopped two penalties and became Argentina's hero.

In the third place playoff in Brasília, Brazil was unable to recover from the shock demolition days earlier, and they lost 3-0 to a rampant Dutch side.

The final was played on July 13 in Rio de Janeiro, between Germany and Argentina. Both teams had good chances, and referee Roberto Rosetti was criticized for not sending German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer off, but neither of the teams managed to score a goal. The decision finally fell against Argentina, as German substitute Mario Götze netted home a winner in the 113th minute. It marked the third world cup in a row Argentina lost to the Germans, as they fell short again and ended as runners-up. Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament, a decision that was highly criticized. Brazil's total nightmare - a world cup title for their archrivals in their country, remained a nightmare.

Germany were the first European team to claim the world title in the Americas.