SHORT HISTORY, LONG ECHOES · A2/B1 · 50 min

The World Cup

The story of football's greatest show — from a small tournament in 1930 to the biggest party on Earth.

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The gold World Cup trophy in front of a packed stadium, with footballs and confetti.
Today: you'll tell the story of the World Cup — how football grew from a small competition into the biggest event on the planet — and you'll practise comparatives and superlatives, the words we use to say who is faster, bigger, and the greatest of all time.
Warm up — talk before you read. Do you like football? Which is your team, or your country's team? Have you ever watched a World Cup match? What do you already know about it? Say a few sentences out loud.

The words for today's story

Each new word is hidden in a sentence. Read it aloud and say what you think the bold word means — then reveal it and check.

1. The World Cup is a tournament: many teams play match after match, and only one team wins at the end.
a tournament (n) — a competition in which many teams or players compete to find one winner.
2. In 2022, the country of Qatar was the host: all the matches were played there, and fans travelled from around the world.
a host (n) — the country or place where an event happens and welcomes the visitors.
3. Each country brings a squad of its best players — usually about twenty-three men or women.
a squad (n) — the full group of players a team chooses for a competition.
4. He is the team's best striker: he plays near the goal and scores most of the goals.
a striker (n) — an attacking player whose main job is to score goals.
5. The referee blew the whistle, showed a yellow card, and stopped the match.
a referee (n) — the official who controls a match and makes sure players follow the rules.
6. Twenty-two players ran onto the green pitch as the crowd began to cheer.
a pitch (n) — the field of grass where a football match is played.
7. When the score was still level, the game went to a penalty shoot-out — one player against the goalkeeper.
a penalty (n) — a free shot at the goal, given after a foul or used to decide a drawn match.
8. Thousands of supporters wore their team's colours and sang for ninety minutes.
a supporter (n) — a person who follows and cheers for a particular team; a fan.
9. The captain lifted the golden trophy above his head, and gold paper flew into the air.
a trophy (n) — the cup or prize you receive for winning a competition.
10. After winning the final, they were the champions of the world for the next four years.
a champion (n) — the winner; the best team or person in a competition.
A football pitch from above, with labels for the pitch, goal, striker, defender, referee and supporters.

Now use them — out loud

Talk it through before we read:
  • Use tournament, host and champions in one sentence about a competition you know.
  • Which of these words are people (jobs), and which are things or places? Sort them out loud.

The story, in three parts

Read each part. After it, there's a quick check (try to answer from memory first), then one thing to discuss.

A timeline of the World Cup: 1930 first tournament in Uruguay, 1958 Pelé, 1966 England, 1970 Brazil, 1986 Maradona, 1991 first Women's World Cup, 2010 South Africa, 2022 Qatar.

Part 1 — Where it began

Football is the most popular sport in the world. People have played games with a ball for hundreds of years, but modern football started in Britain in the 1800s. In 1904, a group of countries created FIFA, the organisation that still runs world football today.

FIFA wanted one big competition for every country. So in 1930, the first World Cup took place in Uruguay, in South America. Only thirteen teams came, because the journey by boat was long and expensive. Uruguay, the host country, won the first tournament, and the winners received a small gold trophy.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Where and when did modern football start, and what is FIFA?

2. Where was the first World Cup, and who won it?

1. Modern football started in Britain in the 1800s. FIFA is the organisation, created in 1904, that runs world football.

2. The first World Cup was in Uruguay in 1930, and the host country, Uruguay, won it.

Discuss:
  • Only thirteen teams came in 1930 because travelling was so hard. How has travel changed the way the world watches sport?

Part 2 — The golden years

After the Second World War, the World Cup grew quickly. More countries joined, and television brought the matches into millions of homes for the first time.

New stars became famous all over the world. In 1958, a seventeen-year-old Brazilian called Pelé scored in the final and became a legend. Brazil won the World Cup many times and played beautiful, exciting football. In 1966, England won the tournament at home — for the first and only time. In 1986, the Argentinian player Diego Maradona scored two of the most famous goals in history in a single match. Every four years, the whole world stopped to watch.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What two things helped the World Cup grow after the war?

2. Who was Pelé, and what happened in 1966?

1. More countries joined, and television brought the matches into millions of homes.

2. Pelé was a Brazilian who scored in the 1958 final aged seventeen and became a legend. In 1966, England won the World Cup at home for the only time.

Discuss:
  • Why do you think football produces such famous heroes, like Pelé and Maradona? What makes a sports "legend"?

Part 3 — The world's game today

Today the World Cup is the biggest sporting event on Earth. More than a billion people watch the final on television — more than any other programme in the world.

The tournament now travels the globe. In 2010, South Africa became the first African country to host it. In 2022, the small country of Qatar hosted it for the first time in the Middle East. There is also a Women's World Cup, which started in 1991 and is now hugely popular, with big crowds and star players of its own. From thirteen teams in 1930 to a global celebration watched by half the planet, football really is the world's game.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. How do we know the World Cup final is the biggest event on Earth?

2. Give two ways the tournament has changed since 1930.

1. More than a billion people watch the final — more than any other television programme in the world.

2. Any two: far more teams; it now travels to new places (South Africa 2010, Qatar 2022); there is a hugely popular Women's World Cup (from 1991); billions now watch on TV.

Discuss:
  • The Women's World Cup is growing very fast. Why do you think it took until 1991 to begin — and what has changed?

Grammar — Comparatives & Superlatives

Sport is all about comparing: who is faster, whose team is better, who is the greatest of all time. English has two tools for this.

The rules:
• Comparative (comparing two): short word + -er → fast → faster; long word → more + word → popular → more popular. We often add than: "Brazil is faster than Italy."
• Superlative (the top of a group): the + short word + -est → the fastest; or the most + long word → the most popular. "Brazil is the most successful team."
• Irregular: good → better → the best; bad → worse → the worst.

1. Write the comparative and the superlative

1. fast → →

2. popular → →

3. good → →

4. big → →

1. faster → the fastest · 2. more popular → the most popular · 3. better → the best · 4. bigger → the biggest

2. Comparative or superlative? Complete the sentence

Use the adjective in brackets in the correct form.

1. Brazil has won the World Cup five times — they are the team in history. (successful)

2. Many people think Pelé was than any other player of his time. (good)

3. The 1930 tournament was much than today's. (small)

4. The final is the match of the whole tournament. (exciting)

1. most successful · 2. better · 3. smaller · 4. most exciting

3. Complete the paragraph

Put each adjective in the correct form. Read it aloud when you finish.

Football is the (popular) sport on Earth. A World Cup final is (big) than any other single match, and for many fans it is the (good) day of the year. Modern players are (fit) than players in 1930, and the tournament is (large) than ever before.

most popular · bigger · best · fitter · larger

Keep these forms ready — you'll need them in the Speak tab to argue who is the greatest.

The big picture

Look at each picture, read the numbers, and answer the questions out loud. This is where the story becomes real.

Bar chart of most World Cup wins: Brazil 5, Germany 4, Italy 4, Argentina 3, France 2, Uruguay 2, England 1, Spain 1.
Look and say:
  • Which country has won the most World Cups? Which have won more than England?
  • Use a comparative: "Brazil has won ___ times than Germany."
A world map with pins on host countries and years: Uruguay 1930, England 1966, Mexico 1970, USA 1994, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, Qatar 2022.
Look and say:
  • Which continents have hosted the World Cup? Which one hosted it first?
  • Would you like your country to be the host one day? Why / why not?
The World Cup by numbers: over 1 billion watch the final, 32 teams, 64 matches, 90 minutes a match, 1 trophy, every 4 years.
Look and say:
  • Which number surprises you the most? Say why.
  • More than a billion people watch the final. Why do you think so many people love football?

Speak

This is the most important part of the lesson — do all of it out loud. The timer keeps you talking.

Useful language: compare with faster / more famous / better, and pick a winner with the fastest / the most famous / the best. Use today's words: tournament, host, squad, striker, referee, pitch, penalty, supporter, trophy, champions.
Time remaining: 4:00
Task A · Tell the story (4 minutes)

Tell the story of the World Cup in your own words, as if to a friend who knows nothing about it: the first tournament in 1930 → television and the great players → the huge global event of today.

Use at least two comparatives, two superlatives, and five key words.

Task B · The greatest of all time (4 minutes)

Who is the greatest football player ever — Pelé, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, or someone else? Choose one and argue for them using superlatives: "the fastest", "the most exciting", "the best". Then let your teacher argue for a different player and defend your choice.

Task C · Your game (4 minutes)

Talk about football and you — choose one:

  • Describe a match you enjoyed watching, or a team you support, and why.
  • Design your dream squad: pick five players and say why each one is in the team.
  • If you're not a football fan, describe another sport or event you love, and compare it with football.

To finish — the bigger questions

  1. Football is called "the world's game". Why do you think it became more popular than any other sport?
  2. Hosting the World Cup costs a country billions. Is it worth the money? What does a country gain?
  3. The Women's World Cup is growing fast. Do you think it will one day be as big as the men's?
  4. Before you go — from memory: say one comparative sentence and one superlative sentence about the World Cup.