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 World Cup 1930
  Allsport
AllsportTeams in qualifiers  N/A
Notable absentees  Of the major European countries, only France took part
Surprises USA, who  finished third
Golden Boot  Guillermo Stábile (Argentina) - 8
Stats A total of 70 goals were scored (3.89 per  match); Argentina (18) scored the most
Format One group of four  and three groups of three in the qualifying stage, with the top from  each group going into the semi-finals
World Cup 1934
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams in  qualifiers 32
Notable absentees Holders  Uruguay, England 
Surprises  Egypt
Golden Boot  Oldrich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia) - 5
Stats A total of 70 goals  were scored (4.12 per match); Italy (12) scored the most
Format Straight knockout, replays  for drawn matches
  
World Cup 1938
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams in qualifiers  37
Notable absentees  Argentina, England, Spain, Uruguay
Surprises Dutch East  Indies (Indonesia), Cuba
Golden  Boot Leônidas (Brazil) - 7
Stats A total of 84 goals were scored (4.67 per  match); Hungary (15) scored the most
Format Straight knockout,  replays for drawn matches
World Cup 1950
 Allsport
AllsportTeams in qualifiers  34
Notable absentees  France, Germany, Hungary 
Surprises Bolivia
Golden Boot Ademir (Brazil) - 9
Stats A total of 88 goals were  scored (4.00 per match); Brazil (22) scored the most
Format Four groups, with  the winners of each progressing to a four-team round-robin final group.  Withdrawals meant there were two groups of four, one of three and one of  two
World Cup 1954
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams in qualifiers  45
Notable absentees  Spain
Surprises Korean Republic
Golden Boot Sándor Kocsis  (Hungary) - 11
Stats A  total of 140 goals were scored (5.38 per match); Hungary (27) scored  the most
Format Four groups of  four with two seeded and two unseeded teams in each group. However, the  teams played just two matches per group rather than the usual three,  with the seeded sides facing unseeded sides. Where teams ended up tied  for the second qualifying position by points, they required a play-off.  The two teams finishing at the top of their group went through to the  quarter-finals
World Cup 1958
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams in  qualifiers 45
Notable absentees Italy,  Uruguay
Surprises  Wales, Northern Ireland
Golden  Boot Just Fontaine (France) - 13
Stats A total of 126  goals were scored (3.60 per match); France (23) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with  the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
World Cup 1962
 Allsport
AllsportTeams in qualifiers  56
Notable absentees  Sweden
Surprises Colombia
Golden Boot Garrincha, Vavá  (Brazil), Leonel Sánchez (Chile), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia) , Flórián  Albert (Hungary), Valentin Ivanov (USSR) - 4
Stats A total of 89 goals  were scored (2.78 per match); Brazil (14) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with  the top two progressing to the quarter-finals
World Cup 1966
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams in  qualifiers 70
Notable absentees None
Surprises North Korea
Golden Boot Eusébio (Portugal) - 9
Stats A total of 89 goals  were scored (2.78 per match); Portugal (17) scored the most
Format Four groups of four, with  the top two progressing to the quarter-finals 
Number of matches 32
World Cup 1970
 GettyImages
GettyImagesWinners  Brazil
Teams16 
Teams in qualifiers 75
Number of matches 32
Notable absentees  Argentina, France, Portugal, Spain
Surprises  Morocco, the first African qualifiers since World War II
Golden Boot  Gerd Muller (Germany) - 10
World Cup 1974
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams 16 
Teams in qualifiers 99
Notable absentees England,  France, Hungary, Spain, USSR
Surprises  Australia, Haiti and Zaire
Golden Boot Grzegorz Lato  (Poland) - 7
Stats A  total of 97 goals were scored (2.55 per match); Poland (16) scored the  most
Format Four groups of  four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group going  into a second round of two four-team groups and the winners facing each  other in the final
World Cup 1978
  GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams 16 
Teams in qualifiers 107
Notable absentees England,  Czechoslovakia, USSR
Surprises  Iran, Tunisia
Golden  Boot Mario Kempes (Argentina) -  6
Stats A total of 102  goals were scored (2.68 per match); Argentina and Netherlands (15)  scored the most
Format  Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each  group into a second round of two groups of four, the top side in each  progressing into the final
World Cup 1982
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams 24 
Teams in qualifiers 109
Notable absentees Netherlands,  Mexico
Surprises  Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kuwait, New Zealand
Golden  Boot Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 6
Stats A total of 146  goals were scored (2.81 per match); France (16) scored the most
Format 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
World Cup 1986
 GettyImages
GettyImagesTeams 24 
Teams in qualifiers 121
Notable absentees Netherlands
Surprises Canada, Iraq
Golden  Boot Gary Lineker (England) - 6
Stats A total of 132  goals were scored (2.54 per match); Argentina (14) scored the most
Format Six groups of four, with  the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16,  plus four best third-place finishers
World Cup 1990
 GettyImages
GettyImagesWinners West Germany
Teams 24 
Teams in qualifiers 116
Notable absentees Denmark,  France, Portugal
Surprises Costa Rica,  Republic of Ireland, UAE
Golden  Boot Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) - 6
Stats A total of 115 goals were  scored (2.21 per match), which was the lowest goals-per-match ratio in  World Cup history; West Germany (15) scored the most
Format Six groups of  four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round  of 16, plus four best third place finishers
Number of matches 52
World Cup 1994
 Allsport
AllsportWinners Brazil
Teams 24
Teams in qualifiers 147
Notable absentees England, France
Surprises Greece, Nigeria, Saudi  Arabia
Golden Boot Hristo  Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Oleg Salenko (Russia) - 6
Stats A total of 141 goals were  scored (2.71 per match); Sweden (15) scored the most
Format Six groups of  four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round  of 16, plus four best 3rd place finishers
Number of matches 52
World Cup 1998
 GettyImages
GettyImagesWinners France
Teams 32 
Teams in qualifiers 174
Notable absentees Russia
Surprises Jamaica, Japan, South  Africa
Golden Boot Davor Suker  (Croatia) - 6
Stats A  total of 171 goals were scored (2.67 per match); France (15) scored the  most
Format Eight groups of  four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round  of 16
Number of matches 64
World Cup 2002
 GettyImages
GettyImagesWinners Brazil
Teams 32
Teams in qualifiers 199
Notable absentees Netherlands
Surprises Senegal, South Korea,  Turkey
Golden Boot Ronaldo  (Brazil) - 8
Stats A  total of 161 goals were scored (2.52 per match); Brazil (18) scored the  most
Format Eight  groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a  knockout round of 16
Number of matches 64
World Cup 2006
 GettyImages
GettyImagesWinners Italy
Teams 32 
Teams in qualifiers 198
Notable Absentees Cameroon,  Nigeria
Surprises Angola, Ivory  Coast, Ghana, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago 
Golden Boot Miroslav  Klose (Germany) - 5
Stats  A total of 147 goals were scored (2.30 per match); Germany (14) scored  the most
Format Eight groups of  four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round  of 16
Number of matches  64
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