document_title: History of the FIFA World Cup

question_text: when did the world cup change to 32 teams

text: History of the FIFA World Cup

text: International football before 1930[edit]

text: The first official international football match was played in 1872 in Glasgow between Scotland and England,[1] although at this stage the sport was rarely played outside Great Britain.

text: By the twentieth century football had gained ground all around the world and national football associations were being founded. The first official international match outside the British Isles was played between Uruguay and Argentina in Montevideo in July 1902.[2] The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris on 22 May 1904 – comprising football associations from France, Belgium (the preceding two teams having played their first national against each other earlier in the month), Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, with Germany pledging to join.[3]

text: As football began to increase in popularity, it was contested as an IOC-recognised Olympic sport at the 1900 and 1904 Summer Olympics, as well as at the 1906 Intercalated Games, before becoming an official FIFA-supervised Olympic competition at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[4] Organised by England's Football Association, the event was for amateur players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. The England national amateur football team won the event in both 1908 and 1912.

text: There was an attempt made by FIFA to organize an international football tournament between nations outside of the Olympic framework in 1906 and this took place in Switzerland. These were very early days for international football and the official history of FIFA describes the competition as having been a failure.

text: With the Olympic event continuing to be contested only between amateur teams, competitions involving professional teams also started to appear. The Torneo Internazionale Stampa Sportiva, held in Turin in 1908, was one of the first and the following year; Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, also held in Turin. Both tournaments were contested between individual clubs (not national teams), each one of which represented an entire nation. For this reason, neither was really a direct forerunner of the World Cup, but notwithstanding that, the Thomas Lipton Trophy is sometimes described as The First World Cup,[5] at the expense of its less well-known Italian predecessor.

text: In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the Olympic tournament as a "world football championship for amateurs",[6] and took responsibility for organising the event. This led the way for the world's first intercontinental football competition, at the 1920 Summer Olympics, won by Belgium.[7] Uruguay won the tournaments in 1924 and 1928.

text: In 1928, FIFA made the decision to stage their own international tournament. The 1932 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, did not plan to include football as part of the programme due to the low popularity of the sport in the United States. FIFA and the IOC also disagreed over the status of amateur players, and so football was dropped from the Games.[8] FIFA president Jules Rimet thus set about organizing the inaugural World Cup tournament. With Uruguay now two-time official world champions and due to celebrate their centenary of independence in 1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country. The national associations of selected nations were invited to send a team, but the choice of Uruguay as a venue for the competition meant a long and costly trip across the Atlantic Ocean for European sides. No European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition.[citation needed] Rimet eventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France, Romania, Hungary and Yugoslavia to make the trip.[9] In total, 13 nations took part – seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America.

text: The first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously, and were won by France and the United States, who beat Mexico 4–1 and Belgium 3–0, respectively. The first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France. Four days later, the first World Cup hat-trick was achieved by Bert Patenaude of the U.S. in the Americans' 3–0 win against Paraguay. In the final, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in front of a crowd of 93,000 people in Montevideo to become the first nation to win a World Cup.[10]

text: The 1934 World Cup was hosted by Italy and was the first World Cup to include a qualification stage. Sixteen teams qualified for the tournament, a number which would be retained until the expansion of the finals tournament in 1982. Uruguay, the titleholders from 1930, still upset about the poor European attendance at their World Cup in 1930, boycotted the 1934 World Cup. Bolivia and Paraguay were also absent, allowing Argentina and Brazil to progress to the finals in Italy without having to play any qualifying matches. Egypt became the first African team to compete, but lost to Hungary in the first round. Italy won the tournament, becoming the first European team to do so.

text: The 1938 World Cup competition was also held in Europe (in France), much to the consternation of many South Americans, with Uruguay and Argentina boycotting. For the first time, the title holders and the host country were given automatic qualification.  Following a play-off match against Latvia, Austria had officially qualified for the final round, but because of the Anschluss in April 1938 with Germany, the Austrian national team withdrew, with some Austrian players being added to the German squad (the combined German squad would be eliminated in the first round for the first time in the World Cup's history, with the second time happening eighty years later during the 2018 tournament). Austria's place was offered to England, but they declined. This left the finals with 15 nations competing. France hosted, but for the first time the hosts did not win the competition, as Italy retained their title, beating Hungary in the final. Polish striker Ernest Willimowski became the first player to score four goals in a World Cup game during Poland's 6–5 loss against Brazil; his record was later equalled by other players, but was bettered only 56 years later in the 1994 World Cup.

text: Cancellations due to World War II[edit]

text: The FIFA World Cup was planned to take place in 1942. Germany officially applied to host the 1942 FIFA World Cup at the 23rd FIFA Congress on 13 August 1936 in Berlin. In June 1939, Brazil also applied to host the tournament. The beginning of European hostilities in late 1939 prompted further plans for the 1942 World Cup to be cancelled, before a host country was selected. The FIFA tournament did not take place.

text: During World War II, FIFA struggled to keep itself afloat, and it had no financial or personnel resources with which to plan a peacetime tournament for when hostilities ended.[11] When the war ended in 1945, it was clear that FIFA would have no hope in a single year of planning and scheduling a 1946 World Cup. In fact, FIFA’s first meeting was on July 1, 1946 – around the time the 1946 World Cup would ordinarily have been played – and when it planned the next World Cup for 1949 no country would host it.[12] The major international tournament in 1946 was the 1946 South American Championship in which Argentina beat Brazil 2–0 on February 10, 1946.

text: Competitions resumed with the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, which was the first to include British participants. British teams withdrew from FIFA in 1920, partly out of unwillingness to play against the countries they had been at war with, and partly as a protest against a foreign influence to football,[13] but rejoined in 1946 following FIFA's invitation. England's involvement, however, was not to be a success. The English failed to make the final group round in a campaign that included a surprise 1–0 loss to the United States.[14]

text: The tournament also saw the return of 1930 champions Uruguay, who had boycotted the previous two World Cups. For political reasons, Eastern European countries (such as Hungary, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia) did not enter. Title-holder Italy did take part, despite the Superga air disaster of 1949 in which the entire Grande Torino team (many who were national team players) were killed. The 1950 World Cup was the only tournament not to stage a final tie, replacing knockout rounds with two group phases. The last match of the second group phase, however, is sometimes referred to as a "final", as the group standings meant the winners would be the overall winners.

text: Uruguay were surprise victors over hosts Brazil with a final score of 2–1 (the game would later be known as Maracanazo), and became champions for the second time.  This game also held the record for the highest attendance at any sporting match, at roughly 200,000.[15]

text: The 1954 World Cup, held in Switzerland, was the first to be televised. The Soviet Union did not participate because of their dismal performance at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Scotland made their first appearance in the tournament, but were unable to register a win, going out after the group stage. This tournament set a number of all-time goal-scoring records, including highest average goals per game and highest-scoring team (Hungary), and most goals in a single match (Austria's 7–5 quarter-final victory over Switzerland). West Germany were the tournament winners, defeating Olympic champions Hungary 3–2 in the final, overturning a 2–0 deficit in the process, with Helmut Rahn scoring the winner. The match is known as the Miracle of Bern in Germany

text: Brazil won the 1958 World Cup, held in Sweden, and became the first team to win a World Cup outside their home continent (only four teams have done this to date – Brazil in 1958, 1970, 1994 and 2002, Argentina in 1986, Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014). The Soviet Union participated this time, most likely due to their win at Melbourne 1956. For the first (and so far only) time, all four British teams qualified for the final round. Wales was able to take advantage of a situation in the Africa/Asia zone, where the number of withdrawals would give Israel qualification without having played a single qualifying match. This prompted FIFA to rule that qualification without playing was not allowed (despite allowing this to happen in earlier years of the Cup), and so Israel were ordered to play against one of the teams finishing second in the other groups. A tie was created, and Wales defeated Israel 2–0 twice in 1958. It was the first (and so far the only) time that a country played a World Cup final round after having been eliminated in the regular qualifiers. The tournament also saw the emergence of Pelé, who scored two goals in the final. French striker Just Fontaine became the top scorer of the tournament.

text: Chile hosted the 1962 World Cup. Two years before the tournament, an earthquake struck, the largest ever recorded at 9.5 magnitude, prompting officials to rebuild due to major damage to infrastructure. When the competition began, two of the best players were in poor form as Pelé was injured in Brazil's second group match against Czechoslovakia. Also, the Soviet Union saw their goalkeeper Lev Yashin show poor form including a 2–1 loss to hosts Chile as the hosts captured third place.

text: The competition was also marred by overly defensive and often violent tactics. This poisonous atmosphere culminated in what was known as the Battle of Santiago first round match between Italy and Chile in which Chile won 2–0. Prior to the match, two Italian journalists wrote unflattering articles about the host country. In the match, players on both sides made deliberate attempts to harm opponents though only two players from Italy were sent off by English referee Ken Aston. In the end, the Italian team needed police protection to leave the field in safety.

text: When the final whistle blew, Brazil beat Czechoslovakia for the second World Cup in a row by a final of 3–1 led by Garrincha and Amarildo, in Pelé's absence, and retained the Jules Rimet trophy.

text: Colombia's Marcos Coll made World Cup history when he scored a goal direct from a corner kick (called an Olympic Goal in Latin America), the only one ever made in a World Cup, past legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin.

text: The 1966 World Cup, hosted by England, was the first to embrace marketing, featuring a mascot and official logo for the first time. The trophy was stolen in the run-up to the tournament but was found a week later by a dog named "Pickles".[16] South Africa was banned for violating the anti-discrimination charter (apartheid). The ban remained in effect until 1992 when the South Africa Football Association was finally accepted by FIFA. The qualifying rounds of the tournament saw a controversy when the African nations decided to withdraw in protest of only one qualifying place allocated by FIFA to the regions of Asia, Oceania and Africa. The eventual qualifiers from the zone, North Korea, became the first Asian team to reach the quarter-finals, eliminating Italy in the process. England won the tournament, although João Havelange (former FIFA president from 1974 to 1998) claimed that the 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed so that England and Germany would win respectively.[17] Geoff Hurst became the first and to this day the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final and Eusébio, whose team Portugal were taking part in their first World Cup, was the tournament top-scorer, with nine goals to his name.

text: The qualification stages of the 1970 World Cup were coincidental with the Football War between Honduras and El Salvador. The finals were held in Mexico. Israel had been with Europe, but due to political issues, it was becoming harder to place them adequately in the qualifying rounds. They were grouped in Asia/Oceania. Korea DPR then refused to meet them, even though this meant automatic disqualification. The group stage clash between defending champions England and Brazil lived up to its billing, and is still remembered for England goalkeeper Gordon Banks' save from a Pelé header on the six-yard line, arguably the best save ever. The tournament is also remembered for the semi-final match between Italy and West Germany, in which five goals were scored in extra time, and Franz Beckenbauer played with a broken arm, since Germany had used up all their allowed substitutions. Italy were the eventual 4–3 winners, but were defeated 1–4 in the final by Brazil, who became the first nation to win three World Cups, and were awarded the Jules Rimet trophy permanently for their achievement.

text: A new trophy was created for the 1974 edition, held in West Germany. After a draw in their first UEFA/CONMEBOL Intercontinental play-off match against Chile in the qualifiers, the Soviet Union refused to travel to the Chilean capital for the return fixture for political reasons, and in accordance with the regulations, Chile were awarded a victory. East Germany, Haiti, Australia and Zaire made their first finals. The tournament also saw a new format, where the two top teams from each of the earlier four groups were divided into two groups of four each again, the winner of either group playing each other in the final. The West German hosts won the competition by beating the Netherlands 2–1 in the final, but it was also the revolutionary Total Football system of the Dutch that captured the footballing world's imagination. The very well-playing Poland finished third, after defeating Brazil 1–0 (and after defeating Argentina 3–2 and eliminating Italy 2–1 in the initial group play), having barely lost in terrible rain in the semi-finals to West Germany 0–1.

text: The 1978 World Cup was held in Argentina, causing controversy as a military coup had taken place in the country two years earlier. Allegations that Dutch star Johan Cruyff refused to participate because of political convictions were refuted by him 30 years later.[18] and none of the teams decided to stay away.

text: This was the hardest ever World Cup finals to qualify for. With 95 teams vying for 14 places (the holders and hosts qualified automatically), there were nearly seven countries competing for each place in Argentina. Hungary won their European group but had to win a play-off against Bolivia to qualify, while England were eliminated despite winning five of their six qualifying matches.

text: Iran and Tunisia were first time participants. Tunisia won their first match against Mexico 3–1 and became the first African team to ever win a world cup game. There was some on-field controversy as well. During the second round, Argentina had an advantage in their match against Peru since the kick off was several hours after Brazil's match with Poland. Brazil won their match 3–1, so Argentina knew that they had to beat Peru by four goals to advance to the final. Trailing 2–0 at half-time, Peru simply collapsed in the second half, and Argentina eventually won 6–0. Rumors suggested that Peru might have been bribed into allowing Argentina to win the match by such a large margin. Argentina went on to win the final 3–1, Mario Kempes scoring twice, with the Dutch being runners-up for the second time in a row.

text: Spain hosted an expanded 1982 World Cup which featured 24 teams, the first expansion since 1934. The teams were divided into six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the second round, where they split into four groups of three. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals. Cameroon, Algeria, Honduras, New Zealand and Kuwait were the debutants. The group match between Kuwait and France was stage of a farcical incident. As the French were leading 3–1, the Kuwaiti team stopped playing after hearing a whistle from the stands which they thought had come from referee, as French defender Maxime Bossis scored. As the Kuwaiti team were protesting the goal, Sheikh Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, president of the Kuwait Football Association, rushed onto the pitch and gave the referee a piece of his mind, who proceeded to disallow the goal. Bossis scored another valid goal a few minutes later and France won 4–1.

text: Also during the group stages, Hungary beat El Salvador 10–1, which has been the only occasion to this day that a team scored ten goals in a World Cup match. The group match between West Germany and Austria later resulted in a change of World Cup rules, after both teams visibly aimed to keep the qualification ensuring 1–0 scoreline over 80 minutes. The semi-final between West Germany and France saw another controversy when German keeper Harald Schumacher's challenge took out Patrick Battiston, with the score at 1–1. Schumacher escaped a red card, and Germany won in a penalty shoot-out, after coming back to level from having gone 1–3 down. The final was won by Italy, making Italian captain Dino Zoff the oldest player to win the World Cup. Italian striker Paolo Rossi, who was making his comeback after a match-fixing scandal and the ensuing ban, was the tournament top-scorer with six goals including a classic hat-trick against Brazil.

text: Mexico became the first nation to hold two World Cups by hosting the 1986 World Cup. The format changed again, with the second round being replaced by a pre-quarterfinal, knockout competition, for which 16 teams would qualify. It was also decided that the final two matches in all groups would kick off simultaneously, to ensure complete fairness. Canada, Denmark and Iraq made their first finals. José Batista of Uruguay set a World Cup record being sent off after a mere 56 seconds into the game against Scotland. The quarterfinal match between England and Argentina is remembered for two remarkable Diego Maradona goals, later regarded as player of the tournament, the first, the controversial handball goal, and the second, considered to be the Goal of the Century, in which he dribbled half the length of the field past five English players before scoring. In the final, Argentina beat West Germany 3–2, inspired by Diego Maradona, who set up Jorge Burruchaga for the winner.

text: The 1990 World Cup was held in Italy. Cameroon, participating in their second World Cup, made it to the quarter-finals after beating Argentina in the opening game. No African country had ever reached the quarter-finals before. Mexico was unable to compete in the 1990 World Cup preliminary competition as a result of a two-year ban for age fraud at a youth championship; the United States qualified for the first time since 1950. An unpleasant episode marred the Merica preliminaries: during the match between Brazil and Chile, a firework landed close to the Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas, who then feigned injury by cutting his own face with a razor blade he had hidden in his glove. His team refused to continue the match (as they were down a goal at the time). The plot was discovered and resulted in a 12-year suspension for Rojas and to Chile being banned from the 1994 World Cup. The final featured the same teams as in 1986. After finishing runners-up in the two previous tournaments, West Germany beat Argentina 1–0 in the final to record their third title. The Republic of Ireland also made their first appearance in the tournament, reaching the quarter-finals without winning a single game (four draws, with a penalty shoot-out win over Romania in the second round). This is the furthest a team has ever advanced in the World Cup without winning a game.

text: The 1994 World Cup, held in the United States, saw the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties, with Brazil edging out Italy. FR Yugoslavia was excluded due to UN sanctions in connection with the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Russia (taking the place of the Soviet Union which had disintegrated over 1990 and 1991) played their first World Cup competition as a new country, with Greece, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia as the other first-timers. Diego Maradona was banned mid-tournament after testing positive for recreational drugs: without him, Argentina were eliminated in the last 16 by Romania. Colombian defender Andrés Escobar was murdered ten days after scoring an own-goal against the hosts in a first-round match that eliminated Colombia.

text: The total attendance for the tournament of nearly 3.6 million remains the biggest in World Cup history. Oleg Salenko of Russia became the first player to score five goals in a single World Cup finals game in his country's 6–1 group stage win over Cameroon. In the same match, 42-year-old Roger Milla scored the only goal for Cameroon, becoming the oldest player ever to score in a World Cup match. Hristo Stoichkov shared the Golden Boot as the joint top goal scorer in the tournament with Oleg Salenko (six goals), as well as earning the Bronze Ball award. He led Bulgaria to a shock 2-1 win over defending champions Germany in the quarter-finals, before losing 2–1 to Italy and losing the third place play-off to Sweden, 4–0.

text: The 1998 World Cup was held in France, and had an expanded format featuring 32 teams. Iran beat the Maldives in qualification by the widest margin in World Cup history – 17–0. In the finals, the second round match between France and Paraguay witnessed the first golden goal in World Cup history, as Laurent Blanc scored to give the hosts a 1–0 victory. Hosts France won the tournament by beating Brazil 3–0 in the final, as the scorer of four goals in the tournament, Ronaldo, appeared to be less than a hundred percent in the match, and was unable to make any impact. Debutants Croatia finished a commendable third.

text: The 2002 World Cup was the first to be held in Asia, and was hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan. Togolese Souleymane Mamam became the youngest player ever to take to a World Cup preliminary game field at 13 years, 310 days in Lomé in May 2001. Australia defeated American Samoa 31–0 in a preliminary match – a new record for the margin of victory, and the highest-scoring match ever. The tournament was a successful one for teams traditionally regarded as minnows, with South Korea, Senegal and the United States all reaching the last eight. Brazil beat Germany 2–0 in the final for their fifth title. Turkey’s, Hakan Sukur made history by scoring the earliest World Cup goal of all time against South Korea at only 11 seconds.

text: The 2006 World Cup was held in Germany. It was the first World Cup for which the previous winner had to qualify; the host nation(s) continue to receive an automatic berth. Four African teams also made their debut in the world cup finals: Togo, Ivory Coast, Angola and Ghana who impressively made it to last 16 by beating the Czech Republic, third ranked in the world, 2–1, along with the United States 2–0, before losing to the defending champions Brazil 0–3.

text: First seed and holders Brazil and second seeded England were initially English bookmakers' favourites. A strong performance by Germany brought them as far as the semi-finals. However, the final match-up was between Italy and France, in which French captain Zinedine Zidane was sent off in the last ten minutes of extra time for a headbutt to the chest of Italian central defender Marco Materazzi. Italy went on to win 5–3 in a penalty shootout, the score having been 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time.

text: The 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa. It was the first cup hosted on African soil, and the cup was won by Spain. The tournament was noted for its highly defensive opening matches, controversies surrounding goal-line technology, and the introduction of vuvuzelas. Though considered as one of the tournament favorites, the Spaniards won the cup despite scoring only eight goals in seven games and losing their opening match to Switzerland. David Villa led the squad in scoring with five goals. In a final which saw a record number of yellow cards distributed and what some considered violent play from the Dutch side, the ten-man Netherlands squad were defeated 1–0 in the 116th minute of extra time by an Andrés Iniesta goal.

text: The 2014 World Cup was held in Brazil, marking the second time that Brazil hosted the competition. The cup was won by Germany, who beat Argentina 1-0 in the final. The Netherlands defeated Brazil 3–0 in the bronze medal game.

text: Because of the relatively high ambient temperatures in Brazil, particularly at the northern venues, cooling breaks for the players were first introduced during these games.[19]

text: The 2018 World Cup was held in Russia. It was the first cup to be held in Eastern Europe. The cup was won by France, who beat Croatia 4–2 in the final. Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the bronze medal game. It was also the first cup to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system.Croatian player Luka Modric won the golden ball while the best young player award was won by the 18 year old French player Kilian Mbappe. Harry Kane of England was the golden boot winner.

text: Format of each final tournament[edit]

text: The number of teams and the format of each final tournament have varied considerably over the years. In most tournaments, the tournament consists of a round-robin group stage followed by a single-elimination knockout stage.[20]

text:
1930: A group stage, followed by a knockout stage with 4 teams (group winners; note that no third-place match was played)
1934–1938: Single-elimination tournament; these are the only tournaments without a group stage
1950: A first group stage, followed by a final group stage with 4 teams (group winners); this is the only tournament without an official final match
1954–1970: A group stage, followed by a knockout stage with 8 teams (group winners and runners-up)
1974–1978: A first group stage, followed by a second group stage with 8 teams (first round group winners and runners-up), followed by the final (second round group winners; second round group runners-up played in the third-place match)
1982: A first group stage, followed by a second group stage with 12 teams (first round group winners and runners-up), followed by a knockout stage with 4 teams (second round group winners)
1986–1994: A group stage, followed by a knockout stage with 16 teams (group winners, runners-up and the four best third-placed teams)
1998–2022: A group stage, followed by a knockout stage with 16 teams (group winners and runners-up)
2026–: A group stage, followed by a knockout stage with 32 teams (group winners and runners-up)

text: In summary:

text:
Year
Host

Entrants / Played (Qualifying)
Teams
Matches
Round 1
Round 2
Final stages

1930
 Uruguay

No Qualification (Invitational Only)

13

18

4 groups of 3 or 4 teams[s 1]

knockout of 4 teams  (round 1 group winners)[s 2]

1934
 Italy

32 / 27

16

17

knockout[s 3]

1938
 France

37 / 21

16[s 4]

18

knockout[s 3]

World War II

1950
 Brazil

34 / 19

16[s 5]

22

4 groups of 4 teams[s 5][s 1]

group of 4 teams  (round 1 group winners)

1954
  Switzerland

45 / 33

16

26

4 groups of 4 teams[s 6][s 1]

knockout of 8 teams  (round 1 group winners and runners-up)

1958
 Sweden

55 / 46

16

35

4 groups of 4 teams[s 1]

1962
 Chile

56 / 49

16

32

4 groups of 4 teams

1966
 England

74 / 51

1970
 Mexico

75 / 68

1974
 West Germany

99 / 90

16

38

4 groups of 4 teams

2 groups of 4 teams  (round 1 group winners and runners-up)

final  (round 2 group winners)[s 7]

1978
 Argentina

107 / 95

1982
 Spain

109 / 103

24

52

6 groups of 4 teams

4 groups of 3 teams  (round 1 group winners and runners-up)

knockout of 4 teams  (round 2 group winners)

1986
 Mexico

121 / 110

24

52

6 groups of 4 teams

knockout of 16 teams  (round 1 group winners and runners-up, plus 4 best 3rd-placed teams)

1990
 Italy

116 / 103

1994
 United States

147 / 130

1998
 France

174 / 168

32

64

8 groups of 4 teams

knockout of 16 teams  (round 1 group winners and runners-up)

2002
 South Korea   Japan

199 / 193

2006
 Germany

198 / 194

2010
 South Africa

205 / 200

2014
 Brazil

204 / 203

2018
 Russia

210 / 208

2022
 Qatar

32

To be announced

2026
 Canada   Mexico   United States

48

80

16 groups of 3 teams

knockout of 32 teams  (round 1 group winners and runners-up)

text:
^ Jump up to: a b c d Up to 1958, ranking ties in groups were to be broken via a playoff; this only happened in 1954 and 1958. Since 1962, all ties are broken by goal average or goal difference.

Jump up ^ No third-place match was played

^ Jump up to: a b In 1934 and 1938, draws in knockout matches were resolved via a replay. Later, drawing of lots was provided for, though never invoked. Since 1974, penalty shootouts are used.

Jump up ^ Austria pulled out after qualifying, leaving the tournament with only 15 teams

^ Jump up to: a b India, Scotland and Turkey pulled out after qualifying, leaving the tournament with only 13 teams, and thus, one group had only 3 teams and one group had only 2 teams

Jump up ^ Each group had two seeded and two unseeded teams; the seeded teams played only unseeded teams and vice versa.

Jump up ^ The third-place match was contested by the round 2 group runners-up

text: Group stage advancement format[edit]

text: Match points[edit]

text:
FIFA World Cup 1930–1990[citation needed]
2 points for a win
1 point for a draw
FIFA World Cup 1994–2022
3 points for a win
1 point for a draw

text: Match schedule[edit]

text: Each group of four teams plays a round-robin schedule. As of the 1986 World Cup, all final group games must be held simultaneously, a rule instituted by FIFA to minimize collusion amongst teams requiring a certain result to advance. FIFA instituted a policy to award three points for a win in the 1994 World Cup. Although goals for was already a tiebreaker, FIFA hoped to create an additional incentive for teams to pursue victory. The first team affected by the rule was Paraguay in 1998, which would have won its group on goal differential over Nigeria under prior FIFA rules. Paraguay advanced to the knockout phase as group runner-up and was defeated by host nation and eventual champion France in the round of 16. It is not possible under the new point system to be eliminated from the group stage with a second place or higher winning percentage, however it is possible to finish behind a team with the same winning percentage yet a lower goal difference. This took place in the 2010 World Cup when New Zealand finished with three draws and Slovakia finished with one win, one draw, and one loss. Slovakia advanced in Group F by finishing second with four points, eliminating New Zealand with three points. Under the previous FIFA point allotment system, New Zealand would have advanced with a zero goal difference, while Slovakia would have been eliminated with a goal difference of −1.

text: Criteria for advancement to knockout phase[edit]

text:
Greatest number of points in group matches
Greatest total goal difference in the three group matches
Greatest number of goals scored in the three group matches
If teams remained level after those criteria, a mini-group would be formed from those teams, who would be ranked on:
Most points earned in matches against other teams in the tie
Greatest goal difference in matches against other teams in the tie
Greatest number of goals scored in matches against other teams in the tie
If teams remained level after all these criteria, FIFA would hold a drawing of lots
The drawing of lots for tied teams takes place one hour after the final game in the group at the stadium where the championship match is held. The drawing of lots is similar to the World Cup draw in terms of style and format; a ball is drawn from a pot, which contains balls with the names of each tied team.

text: As of the 2014 World Cup, lots have only been drawn once in tournament history. However, they were used to separate second and third place in a group (Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands in 1990) where both were already assured of qualification. Thus, a team has never been eliminated based upon drawn lots.

text: World Cup–winning teams, captains, and managers[edit]

text:
Year

Host

Winning Team

Captain

Head coach

1930

 Uruguay

 Uruguay

José Nasazzi

Alberto Suppici

1934

 Italy

 Italy

Giampiero Combi

Vittorio Pozzo

1938

 France

 Italy

Giuseppe Meazza

Vittorio Pozzo

1950

 Brazil

 Uruguay

Obdulio Varela

Juan López Fontana

1954

  Switzerland

 West Germany

Fritz Walter

Sepp Herberger

1958

 Sweden

 Brazil

Hilderaldo Bellini

Vicente Feola

1962

 Chile

 Brazil

Mauro Ramos

Aymoré Moreira

1966

 England

 England

Bobby Moore

Alf Ramsey

1970

 Mexico

 Brazil

Carlos Alberto Torres

Mário Zagallo

1974

 West Germany

 West Germany

Franz Beckenbauer

Helmut Schön

1978

 Argentina

 Argentina

Daniel Passarella

César Luis Menotti

1982

 Spain

 Italy

Dino Zoff

Enzo Bearzot

1986

 Mexico

 Argentina

Diego Maradona

Carlos Bilardo

1990

 Italy

 West Germany

Lothar Matthäus

Franz Beckenbauer

1994

 United States

 Brazil

Dunga

Carlos Alberto Parreira

1998

 France

 France

Didier Deschamps

Aimé Jacquet

2002

 South Korea   Japan

 Brazil

Cafu

Luiz Felipe Scolari

2006

 Germany

 Italy

Fabio Cannavaro

Marcello Lippi

2010

 South Africa

 Spain

Iker Casillas

Vicente del Bosque

2014

 Brazil

 Germany

Philipp Lahm

Joachim Löw

2018

 Russia

 France

Hugo Lloris

Didier Deschamps


document_title: NCAA Football (series)

question_text: when was the last college football game made

question_tokens: when was the last college football game made

root

text: NCAA Football (series)

text: Yearly releases (1993–2013)[edit]

text: Bill Walsh College Football[edit]

text:
Bill Walsh College Football

Developer(s)
Visual Concepts

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
Super NES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD

Release
June 1993

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

tag: table

text: Bill Walsh College Football was released in June 1993 on 4th generation video game consoles, such as the Sega Genesis.

tag: p

text: Bill Walsh College Football featured the top 24 college football teams from 1992 and 24 of the all-time greatest teams since 1978. While no actual players were named and no official team logos used, colleges were listed by city and players identified by number. Play modes include exhibition, playoffs, and all-time playoffs. Sixty-eight classic college plays were available, including the triple option, student body, and wishbone.

text: Other options and features include automatic or manual-pass catch mode, audibles, reverse angle replay, onside kicks, four weather conditions (fair, windy, rain, and snow), three different quarter lengths (5, 10, and 15 minutes), and a hurry-up offense.

text: The Bill Walsh endorsement was meant to parallel John Madden's endorsement of NFL Football.

text: Bill Walsh College Football '95[edit]

text:
Bill Walsh College Football '95

Developer(s)
High Score Productions

Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts

Platform(s)
Sega Genesis

Release
June 1, 1994

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: Bill Walsh College Football '95 was the second installment of the college football franchise and the first to have a year.

text: The game featured 36 Division I-A teams, a windowless passing mode, customizable seasons from one to sixteen weeks, and complete statistical tracking throughout the season. Players could choose either a playoff system or bowl games with fictional names: Maple Bowl, Palm Bowl, Pecan Bowl, and Redwood Bowl.

text: Bill Walsh College Football 95 also provided 36 new plays and formations including the Wishbone, Veer, Tee Offense, and 4-4 D.

text: College Football USA 96[edit]

text:
College Football USA 96

Developer(s)
High Score Productions

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
Sega Genesis

Release
July 15, 1995

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: The series was renamed College Football USA 96, and was the first version to feature all (108 at the time) Division l-A teams. It was also the first in the series to feature real bowl games (Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, and Rose). Players could play an entire 11-game season (or shorter if desired) before advancing to one of the bowl games.

text: There were 400 plays from which to choose, and a new passing mode allowed players to select from five receivers on every play. Other new features and options included the following: four-player mode, three different game lengths, substitutions, injuries, audibles, fake snaps, spins, hurdles, dives, blocked kicks, interceptions, and laterals

text: College Football USA 96 would mark the first and only time that the Southwest Conference would appear in a video game.[3] It also marked the only time that the University of Pacific Tigers would appear in a video game, as they dropped their football program after the 1995 season to save money.

text: The game was well received by critics. GamePro called it "the most authentic and in-depth Genesis college football cart yet", citing the challenging A.I., the huge selection of teams, and the many new features and gameplay elements brought to the series.[4] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it scores of 8.5 and 8 out of 10. They likewise praised the selection of teams and the new gameplay elements, and remarked that the game "brings another level in football gaming."[5]

text: College Football USA 97[edit]

text:
College Football USA 97

Developer(s)
High Score Productions

Publisher(s)
EA Sports (Genesis)
Black Pearl Software (SNES)

Platform(s)
Super NES, Sega Genesis

Release
Genesis

NA: June 1, 1996

SNES

NA: December 1996

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: College Football USA 97 was the fourth installment of the series. The game featured University of Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier on the cover.

text: The game added a new "create player" feature (up to 28 players) and custom schedules, new animations and all 111 Division I-A teams. Players could also compete in a customized Tournament with support for up to 16 players in a single-elimination or round robin format.

text: Players were also able to adjust penalties, set weather type, enter user records, perform substitutions, set audibles, toggle injuries, and change game length, as well as difficulty level. Authentic playbooks (with plays like the Wishbone), a USA Today/CNN Coaches Poll, and the Sears National Championship Trophy were also available.

text: Reviews for this installment were still positive, but reviewers generally commented that the additions and improvements from College Football USA '96 are too subtle, and advised gamers who already owned the previous installment to carefully consider how important the new features are to them before purchasing.[6][7][8] Electronic Gaming Monthly's sports reviewers both gave it 7 out of 10,[7] and Next Generation gave it 3 out of 5 stars.[8]

text: NCAA Football 98[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 98

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation, Microsoft Windows

Release
PlayStation

NA: July 31, 1997

Windows

NA: September 30, 1997

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: NCAA Football 98 was released on July 31, 1997. The game featured University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel on the cover.

text: This was the first game in the series to feature a multi-season Dynasty Mode, allowing players to take control of a team for four seasons and recruit players to fill out roster vacancies at the completion of each season. Additionally, it was EA's first college football game to carry the name and logo of the NCAA. Its ability to use the NCAA's brands in the game were the result of a licensing deal intended primarily for EA's NCAA March Madness basketball games (first released in February 1998) and its incorporation of the Men's Division I Basketball Championship.[3]

text: NCAA Football 99[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 99

Developer(s)
EA Sports

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation, Microsoft Windows

Release
PlayStation

NA: August 1, 1998

Windows

NA: August 31, 1998

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: NCAA Football 99 was the sixth edition of the game. The game featured University of Michigan cornerback and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson on the cover. Its tagline read Desire+Pride=Victory!.

text: The game featured all 112 Division I-A teams at the time and also featured 3D, polygon-rendered players for the first time in the franchise's history. Additional features included the ability to create players, edit player names, sixty fight songs and crowd chants. Over eighty historical teams were added to the game, as well. The Heisman Memorial Trophy replaces the 'EA Sports MVP" trophy and other awards are given out. Recruiting is simple and done in a serpentine draft system. The Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl are now playable, and the other Bowls played have EA Sports as the sponsor. Created players from this game can be imported to the title Madden NFL 99. It featured no commentary by booth announcers; instead a PA announcer provides the commentary. Unlike the current games in this franchise, NCAA 99 featured an optional 16 team playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode.

text: PC Gamer US nominated NCAA Football 99 as the best sports game of 1998, although it lost to NBA Live 99. They wrote that NCAA Football 99 "turned out to be the year's finest pigskin offering, despite a healthy challenge from EA Sports' own Madden NFL 99."[9]

text: NCAA Football 2000[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 2000

Developer(s)
EA Sports

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation

Release
June 30, 1999

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: NCAA Football 2000, released only for the PlayStation, featured University of Texas running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams being tackled by a Texas A&M University defense on the cover.

text: The game included all 114 Division I-A schools and 26 from Division I-AA. It also featured new 3D polygon-rendered players, which are fully displayed in multiple camera angles during gameplay.

text: Other notable additions include coaching tips, 23 bowls (up from four), the ability to edit new plays, and the official Heisman Trophy award.

text: NCAA Football 2001[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 2001

Developer(s)
EA Sports

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation

Release
July 25, 2000

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: NCAA Football 2001, released only for the PlayStation, featured University of Alabama running back Shaun Alexander on the cover.

text: This version included Create-a-player, Create-a-school, Custom League (up to eight teams, double round-robin, plus playoff), Custom Tournament (up to 16 teams, double elimination), as well as fully customizable Season/Dynasty schedules. This was also the final installment which offered a playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode (24 teams).

text: NCAA Football 2002[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 2002

Developer(s)
EA Sports

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2

Release
July 23, 2001

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: NCAA Football 2002, released only for the PlayStation 2, featured Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke on the cover.

text: This was the first version released for PlayStation 2; it lacked features (such as Custom League, Custom Tournament, and Create-a-school) that were present in the previous PlayStation edition (2001).

text: The game featured a new Campus Cards rewards system, which allowed players to unlock special features in the game such as historical teams or special stadiums.

text: NCAA Football 2003[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 2003

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube

Release
July 20, 2002

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer

text: NCAA Football 2003, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington on the cover.

text: New features in this version included over 200 licensed fight songs, 3D cheerleaders and 144 different schools.

text: Dynasty mode was enhanced with the ability to redshirt a player and schedule non-conference games before each season. Trophies and awards, modeled after real-life college football awards, was another feature new to this version. Players could win trophies by playing games and could add them to a personal collection which is shown off in a trophy room. These awards include the Heisman, Coach of the Year and Bowl-specific trophies. The game featured 23 different rivalry trophies that were created to represent their real-life counterparts.

text: Create-A-School mode returned in this edition of the game after being absent from the previous year. The game also featured a customizable interface for the first time. A player could choose his or her favorite team and the game interface would be based around that team's fight song, mascot, logos and school colors.

text: NCAA Football 2004[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 2004

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube

Release
July 16, 2003

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, online

text: NCAA Football 2004, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Southern California quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer on the cover.

text: This edition featured the return of gameplay modes seen in previous versions such as Dynasty Mode.

text: The College Classics mode was introduced in this version and allowed players to replay classic games in college football history. New tackling animations and more realistic zone defenses were also included.

text: NCAA Football 2005[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 2005

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube

Release
July 15, 2004

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 2005, the last game in the series to have the full year on the cover and released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the cover.

text: This version introduced more fan interaction in the game. The home team's defense can incite the crowd to make noise, making it difficult for the offense to hear the quarterback's audibles. This feature, dubbed "home field advantage", allowed stadium influence and energy to swing a game's momentum if strong enough. The game ranked the "Top 25 Toughest Places to Play", which included famous stadiums such as Florida's "Swamp" and LSU's "Death Valley", where this feature would be felt more strongly.

text: The new "Match-Up Stick" feature allowed players to match up more experienced and skilled players on younger, less-talented ones to exploit matchup problems.

text: All Division I-A schools were included in the game along with more than 70 I-AA schools. Signature fan celebrations, such as the "Gator Chomp" and "Texas Hook 'Em Horns" were included.

text: NCAA Football 06[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 06

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2, Xbox

Release
July 12, 2005

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 2006 has features that include the Dynasty mode, wherein the player act as a team's head coach, both on and off the field. Aside from weekly games, the player also controls recruiting freshman for the next year's season; new to the 2006 version is in-season recruiting.

text: Another new feature in the 2006 game is the Race for the Heisman mode, in which the player takes on the role of a single player attempting to win the Heisman Trophy. Race for the Heisman begins with the user selecting which position they want their character to be. The player then completes a workout for college scouts and you are offered scholarships to three different schools. The quality of football programs that offer scholarships depends on how well the player did in the workout. The player can either choose to accept one of the scholarships or walk on at any Division I school. After selecting what school to play for the player is automatically placed in the starting line up. Year after year the player's attributes increase depending on the previous seasons performance with the ultimate goal of winning the Heisman trophy.

text: Desmond Howard, a Heisman-winning player from the University of Michigan, is on the cover. This is a slight break in tradition as the NCAA Football series traditionally featured an NFL rookie on the cover of the game, with an action shot of him wearing his college jersey from the previous year. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

text: NCAA Football 07[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 07

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP

Release
July 18, 2006

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 07 was released on July 18, 2006, and was the series' first release on both the Xbox 360 and PSP. University of Southern California running back and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush is featured on the game's cover.[1] FCS teams were not featured on next gen consoles, but were available still on previous gen consoles.

text: This version of the game utilized a feature called Turn the Tide, which consisted of a momentum meter on the score graphic at the top or bottom of the screen. A boost in momentum for a team would increase the performance of all players and boost their attributes by a varying amount.

text: This version also included spring drills, an update to the Race for the Heisman mode called Campus Legend (which plays more like NFL Superstar mode in Madden), ESPN integration, and a spring game in Dynasty and Campus Legend modes.

text: NCAA Football 08[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 08

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360

Release
July 17, 2007

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 08 was released on July 17, 2007. The cover athlete is Boise State University quarterback Jared Zabransky.

text: Some of the new features for this version include Leadership Control, which allows players who perform well to "lead by example" and control the action on the field and increase their sphere of influence by improving their players' personal ratings on each big play. The game also features a new and deeper recruiting system and an all-new Campus Legend mode. This was the first version of the game released on the PlayStation 3.

text: NCAA Football 09[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 09

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon, EA Canada

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii

Release
July 15, 2008 (approximate)

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 09 was released July 15, 2008. It was released on all next generation consoles, including, for the first and only time, the Wii.[10] The covers featured the following college football figures:

text:
PlayStation 2 — DeSean Jackson, wide receiver/return specialist, California
PlayStation 3 — Matt Ryan, quarterback, Boston College
PSP — Owen Schmitt, fullback, West Virginia
Wii — Sparty, mascot, Michigan State
Xbox 360 — Darren McFadden, running back, Arkansas

tag: ul

text: NCAA Football 10[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 10

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon, EA Canada

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360

Release
July 14, 2009

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 10 was released on July 14, 2009. The covers feature the following former college players:

text:
PlayStation 2 — Brian Orakpo, defensive end/linebacker, Texas
PlayStation 3 — Brian Johnson, quarterback, Utah
PSP — Mark Sanchez, quarterback, USC
Xbox 360 — Michael Crabtree, wide receiver, Texas Tech

text: NCAA Football 11[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 11

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon, EA Canada

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS

Release
July 13, 2010

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 11 was released on July 13, 2010. It was released on all next generation consoles, with the exception of the Wii. The cover athlete for all three versions is former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

text: This was the last version of the game released for the PlayStation 2, and the only version released for iOS.[citation needed]

text: NCAA Football 12[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 12

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon, EA Canada

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360

Release
July 12, 2011

Genre(s)
Sports

Mode(s)
Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

text: NCAA Football 12 was released on July 12, 2011 on PS3 and Xbox 360. The cover athlete was Mark Ingram Jr. of the University of Alabama.

text: NCAA Football 13[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 13

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release
July 10, 2012

Genre(s)
American football simulation

Mode(s)
Single-player
Multiplayer or singleplayer on-line

text: NCAA Football 13 was released on July 10, 2012. The game's cover features Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III of Baylor, along with another Heisman winner (Barry Sanders from Oklahoma State), who was decided by fan voting. Sanders was picked over Marcus Allen, Doug Flutie, Desmond Howard, Charlie Ward, Andre Ware, Eddie George, and Herschel Walker during the voting process.

text: NCAA Football 14[edit]

text:
NCAA Football 14

Developer(s)
EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)
EA Sports

Platform(s)
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release
July 9, 2013

Genre(s)
American football simulation

Mode(s)
Single-player
Multiplayer or singleplayer on-line

text: NCAA Football 14, the final installment in the series, was released on July 9, 2013. The game's cover features former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, who was decided by fan voting. Robinson was picked over Eddie Lacy, Kenjon Barner, Jarvis Jones, EJ Manuel, Ryan Swope, John Simon, and Tyler Eifert during the voting process.

text: Future of the series[edit]

text: Due to recent legal disputes between the association, Electronic Arts, college athletes, and others regarding the usage of college athletes' likenesses in video games (which is currently barred by the NCAA because of the concept of sport amateurism), they would not renew their licensing deal with EA. However, the expiration of the license only affects the use of the NCAA's trademarks in the games; teams and other events are licensed from schools individually or through organizations such as the Collegiate Licensing Company—who announced on the same day that they would extend its own licensing deal with EA through 2017. As such, EA ensured that with these existing deals in place, it would still be able to produce future versions of the franchise without the NCAA license (as it did prior to 1997); EA Sports' executive vice president Andrew Wilson announced that the next edition of the franchise was already in development, and would "[still] feature the college teams, leagues, and all the innovation fans expect from EA Sports."[1][3][11]

text: However, after the SEC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 conferences announced that they would not license their trademarks to EA, the company announced on September 26, 2013 that it would not make a college football game for 2014.[2][12]

text: Player names[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2013)

text: Players' real names and exact likenesses are not used in the game. While the Madden NFL series uses real player names and likenesses, those players are compensated for the use of their image. Due to NCAA restrictions on the amateur status of athletes, names are not allowed. Additionally, current college players cannot be used as cover athletes. Instead, each cover features a player whose college eligibility ended the season before the game's release, wearing his former college uniform. The only two exceptions have been the Wii version of NCAA Football 09, which featured Sparty, the mascot of Michigan State University, on the cover, and NCAA Football 06 when Desmond Howard was featured on the cover striking the Heisman Trophy pose during his career at Michigan, despite not having played for Michigan for more than 15 years.

text: Although EA Sports does not claim that the players in the game represent real life players, the jersey number, position, height, weight, home state, and ethnicity are aligned with the real players. Fans of any particular team are sure to recognize their favorite players (for example, in NCAA Football 14, Florida State QB #5 would correspond to Jameis Winston). Actual usage of a player's real name would be in violation of the NCAA's policy regarding student athletes. Amateur "roster makers" will often manually associate player names and will upload a roster file to the built-in roster sharing system. As of NCAA Football 09, EA has put in the EA Locker feature which allows remote roster sharing online through either Xbox Live or PlayStation Network depending on the console. In certain game modes, real players are given fake names. For instance, in NCAA Football 14, Ohio State QB Braxton Miller is referred to as Matthew Carrington.

text: Soundtracks[edit]

text: Prior to the release of NCAA Football 06, the only music featured in the game were fight songs of most FBS and FCS colleges featured in the game. These would play at random, however the user-selected "favorite team" would always have their fight song played first whenever the game was first started.

text: NCAA Football 06 was the first and only entry in the series to include licensed music to keep the series in uniform with other EA Sports releases of the time, such as Madden NFL and the NHL series.

text: NCAA Football 07 returned to the fight song only format. NCAA Football 08 added a cinematic theme song to the main menu, with fight songs playing during Dynasty Mode.

text: NCAA Football 09 allows a new custom stadium sounds feature allowing users to edit what sounds are heard at specific stadiums during events within the game, such as a touchdown, field goal, or timeout. Fans of the teams can now create an authentic experience in each stadium by using copyrighted songs that EA is not allowed to put into the game.

text: NCAA Football 10 plays Tick Tick Boom by The Hives in the introduction only.

text: NCAA Football 11 uses the music that is used in ESPN College Football coverage.