THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL, CONNECTED

Every legend.
Every club.
Every connection.

From the moments that changed the game to the people who made them happen. Explore football's history through one connected encyclopedia.

POPULAR SEARCHESMaradona World Cup Real Madrid

THE LEGENDSFranz BeckenbauerDiscover his legacy ↗Photo: I. Mihăică / Sport 23 (1967) — via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

THE TOURNAMENTWorld Cup Photo: Djuradj Vujcic / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

THE CLUBSBayern MunichPhoto: Tobias Alt (Tobi 87) · CC BY-SA 4.0

ON THIS DAYFOOTBALL HISTORY · OCTOBER 18

THE FOOTBALL CALENDAR

On this day in football.

Memorable firsts, landmark records, defining moments and the people who shaped football.

October 18Historical anniversaries · Updated for today

HISTORIC MOMENT2005 Henry breaks Arsenal’s goalscoring record

Thierry Henry scored twice away to Sparta Prague to reach 186 Arsenal goals, moving past Ian Wright’s club record.

Explore the connection HISTORIC MOMENT1908 The first Milan derby is played — in Switzerland

AC Milan and newly founded Inter met in Chiasso rather than Milan for their first derby; Milan won 2–1 in a match that began a defining rivalry.

Explore the connection HISTORIC MOMENT1992 Ian Rush becomes Liverpool’s record goalscorer

His 287th Liverpool goal came at Old Trafford against Manchester United, taking him past Roger Hunt’s historic club record.

Explore the connection FOOTBALL LEGEND1958 Julio Olarticoechea — a 1986 World Cup winner is born

The Argentine defender became part of the side that lifted the 1986 World Cup, and is remembered for a crucial goal-line header against England.

Explore the connection

01 / THE STORIESTHE GAME BEHIND THE GAME

START EXPLORING

The stories that define football.

More than results and records. Discover the rivalries, tournaments and moments that shaped generations.

GLOBAL FOOTBALL

A history of the World Cup

Decades of champions, unforgettable finals and defining moments.

Read the story

Photo: Djuradj Vujcic / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

THE CLUB GAME

Europe’s greatest stage

From the European Cup to the Champions League era.

Read the story

Photo: FYI2023 · CC BY-SA 4.0

THE CLASSICS

More than a rivalry

Real Madrid, Barcelona and the stories behind El Clásico.

Read the story

02 / THE PLAYERSICONS OF THE GAME

THE PEOPLE WHO MADE HISTORY

Legends are made here.

Beyond the goals: follow extraordinary careers, defining matches, the teams they played for and the legacies they left.

03 / THE CLUBSTRADITION AND IDENTITY

BUILT ON HISTORY

Clubs that shaped the sport.

From iconic stadiums to the careers, trophies and rivalries that made these clubs famous.

MADRID · SPAIN

Photo: Tobias Alt (Tobi 87) · CC BY-SA 4.0

LIVERPOOL · ENGLAND

Liverpool

Explore club

Photo: Vojta.zurek · CC BY-SA 4.0

THE FOOTBALLOPEDIA DIFFERENCE

One story leads to another.

Football has never existed in isolation. Trace the people, tournaments, clubs and matches that connect the sport's greatest stories.

Start with Maradona

01 / THE PLAYERDiego Maradona 02 / THE TOURNAMENTFIFA World Cup 03 / THE EDITIONMexico 1986 04 / THE CLUBNapoli

04 / THE ARCHIVESTHE COMPLETE WORLD CUP RECORD

THE FOOTBALLOPEDIA ARCHIVE

Every World Cup. Every era.

From Uruguay 1930 to the 2026 final, explore every edition, its host nation, its champion and the moments that defined it.

23World Cup editions

1930–2026History covered

8Champion nations

1942 & 1946Not held during World War II

Turning points in World Cup history

FEATURED EDITIONS

THE 1930 EDITION The first World Cup Uruguay · Uruguay THE 1970 EDITION Brazil’s third star Brazil · Mexico THE 1986 EDITION Maradona in Mexico Argentina · Mexico THE 2026 EDITION Spain win after extra time Spain · Canada · Mexico · USA

Browse all 23 tournaments

Every edition in chronological order. Choose an era or explore the full history.

23 editions

Why 1942 and 1946 are missing: the World Cup was not played during the Second World War. The archive shows each tournament actually held, not imaginary editions.

THE HONOURS BOARD

World Cup titles by nation

All championships across the 23 editions in this archive. West Germany's titles are included under Germany.

Brazil5 titles

Italy4 titles

Germany4 titles

Argentina3 titles

Uruguay2 titles

France2 titles

Spain2 titles

England1 title

BEYOND THE WORLD CUP

Explore more football history

Move from national-team history to the clubs, competitions and earliest chapters of the game.

EUROPEAN FOOTBALLEuropean Cup & Champions LeagueThe clubs and matches that built Europe’s greatest competition. SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALLCopa AméricaThe international championship that predates the World Cup. CLUB COMPETITIONSThe FA CupThe earliest chapters of a competition founded in the 19th century. FOOTBALL ORIGINSFootball in the 19th centuryDiscover how clubs, rules and leagues made the modern game.

Explore the complete FIFA World Cup history

Every legend.
Every club.
Every connection.

On this day in football.