FIFA World Cup Official Film ***SOPRTS***

Starting with the FIFA World Cup™ finals in Switzerland in 1954,we see the red-hot favourites Hungary, led by the legendary Puskas eventually beaten by West Germany 3-2 in a classic final.

The 1958 finals, held in Sweden, saw the emergence of a new superstar in Pélé. This 17-year-old wonder player led the Brazilians to a final triumph over the host nation 5-2.

Chile was the venue for the 1962 finals, where holders Brazil were expected to regain their crown. The host, Chile, took them all the way in an epic semi-final, but the classy Brazilians eventually beat Chile 4-2 and went on to beat another surprise package, Czechoslovakia, 3-1 in a one-sided final.

England was expected to perform well in 1966, playing on home ground. After tough, tense games against Portugal and Argentina, England eventually overcame West Germany in the final 4-2. The team was helped, in no small measure, by a historic final hat-trick by Geoff Hurst and superb defending and attacking from Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton.

The 1970 finals saw the emergence of probably the greatest team the world has ever seen, in the all-conquering form of Brazil. Pélé was playing in his last finals and his touch, vision and goal prowess combined with Jairzinho's amazing feat of scoring in every round, propelled the Brazilians to an irresistible 4-1 final victory over an overwhelmed Italy.

The 1974 finals in West Germany saw the emergence of "Total Football" in the shape of the classy Dutch led by the legendary Johan Cruyff. The Dutch swept all before them until they came up against the solid hosts in the final. Beckenbauer led West Germany to a tense 2-1 victory.

Argentina, as hosts in 1978, were under great pressure to succeed. Amidst passionate supporters, they progressed to the finals with a wonderful blend of attacking football and tough defending. The unlucky Dutch, now lacking Cruyffs' sublime skills, were the fall guys once again in the Final, losing 3-1 in a classic clash of styles.

Brazil was expected to beat Italy with ease in a group decider, but did not count on Paolo Rossi wrecking their plans with two great opportunist goals, enabling Italy to win a classic game 3-2. The Italians eventually went on to win the tournament with a 3-1 victory over a West German side.

Mexico had just recovered from a devastating earthquake, but the nation put on a great tournament and Argentina, inspired by Maradona, justified "favourite" status. The epic quarter-final with England generated Maradona’s most controversial goal. West Germany won through to the Final, but Argentina was waiting for them and won a classic final 3-2, to fulfil his expected destiny and lift the FIFA World Cup™ trophy once more for Argentina.

Mexico had just recovered from a devastating earthquake, but the nation put on a great tournament and Argentina, inspired by Maradona, justified "favourite" status. The epic quarter-final with England generated Maradona’s most controversial goal. West Germany won through to the Final, but Argentina was waiting for them and won a classic final 3-2, to fulfil his expected destiny and lift the FIFA World Cup™ trophy once more for Argentina.

Italia 90 was another fascinating tournament, a melting pot of different styles, culture and technique. The biggest tournament to date, it saw the emergence of the African nations with the free-flowing Cameroon capturing everyone's hearts. The final was tight and not for the squeamish, but the well-drilled and better-disciplined Germans prevailed 1-0 winners to claim the crown for the third time.

In 1994, the FIFA World Cup™ came to the USA for the first time in history and set the country alight, giving soccer a tremendous boost in the world’s biggest market. Audiences were treble the previous highest ever achieved for soccer in the USA. This film offers an original view of the razzmatazz and vigour of the first US-staged event and captures the agony of the penalty shootout between Brazil and Italy that decided the world title.

The French team —on home soil— was always going to be in contention for the title of World Champion. It did not disappoint its fans. France '98 was not short on drama or controversy, in equal measure and this is captured most effectively on this film. The 1998 film was shot on Super 16 mm film and includes the most complete and extensive coverage ever, with each match being filmed from more angles than any previous film.

A World Cup of shocks and surprises, making history from start to finish. It was the first World Cup in Asia and the first to be co-hosted by two countries. The official film captures the unique spirit of this event in 120 minutes of football - on the pitch and behind the scenes. This is one of few official films able to offer a hint of the world behind the dressing room door - Senegal's victory celebrations, Mexico's prayer and team talk and the referees debriefing.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process, along with the host nation, Germany, for the finals tournament. Italy won the tournament, claiming their fourth World Cup title. They defeated France 5–3 in a penalty shootout in the final, after extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 to finish third.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. The bidding process for hosting the tournament finals was open only to African nations; in 2004, the international football federation, FIFA, selected South Africa over Egypt and Morocco to become the first African nation to host the finals. The matches were played in ten stadiums in nine host cities around the country, with the final played at the Soccer City stadium in South Africa's largest city, Johannesburg. Thirty-two teams were selected for participation via a worldwide qualification tournament that began in August 2007. In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. These sixteen teams advanced to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final.