From 1 To 1000: The Matches That Made History In The FIFA World Cup

The history of the FIFA World Cup is built with thousands of matches, but some encounters hold a special place: those that represent a symbolic number in the most important tournament in world soccer.

Today, Japan faces Tunisia in Monterrey during the Group F matchday, but this is not just another group-stage game. This match will be recorded as the 1,000th game in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

To celebrate this milestone, we look back at some of the matches that marked a before and after in World Cup history.

The First Historic World Cup Matches

Match 1

The first match in the history of the World Cup was played on July 13, 1930. In Uruguay, host of the first edition, France defeated Mexico 3-1 in a historic encounter. Beyond the French victory, the match was remembered because it featured the first goal in tournament history, scored by Lucien Laurent.

Match 100

The centennial match arrived during the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. On July 3, in Zurich, Austria and Uruguay played the 100th match in the competition’s history, in the third-place playoff. The European side won and claimed the bronze medal.

Match 200

A final appears on this list. On July 30, 1966, at the iconic Wembley Stadium, England defeated West Germany in a historic final to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy. That match became known as the 200th game in World Cup history.

Match 400

The classic Río de la Plata rivalry had the honor of featuring the 400th match. On June 16, 1986, in Puebla, Argentina earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uruguay on their path toward the world title.

Match 500

The 1990 World Cup in Italy hosted the 500th match during the Round of 16. On June 23, in Bari, Czechoslovakia defeated Costa Rica 4-1 in a special match for the Central American side, which was playing in a knockout stage for the first time.

Match 900

Another final appears on the list. On July 15, 2018, in Moscow, France won their second star after defeating Croatia in the final.

One hundred matches later, history reaches number 1000, and this time the honor belongs to Japan and Tunisia, two national teams that will be forever remembered in the World Cup records.