STRIP away all the marketing slogans and romance, and one fact has defined the Fifa World Cup for almost 100 years.
The World Cup has always been Europe’s and South America’s playground.
Every four years, fans are told that anyone can win football’s biggest prize. But history says otherwise.
Not once has the World Cup trophy left Europe or South America.
Yes, every tournament gives us incredible underdog stories.
Germany crashed out early. Morocco stunned Spain and Portugal to become Africa’s first semi-finalists. Japan continues to prove they can compete with the best. And just today, tiny Cape Verde came within touching distance of one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, pushing defending champions Argentina to extra time before eventually losing 3-2.
Those stories deserve to be celebrated.
But they also remind us of one thing.
When the tournament reaches the business end, the traditional giants usually find a way.
The fairy tales end. The heavyweights remain.
Even the finals tell the same story.
We have seen several all-European finals, but never an all-South American final in the modern era. The last time two South American teams met in the World Cup final was back in 1950, when Uruguay beat hosts Brazil 2-1 at the Maracanã.
Asia and Africa are still chasing that breakthrough.
South Korea’s run to the semi-finals in 2002
remains Asia’s greatest achievement. It was also one of the tournament’s most controversial editions, with many fans still debating the refereeing decisions against Italy and Spain. Since then, South Korea have never reached those heights again and exited in the group stage this time around.
Japan has probably become Asia’s most consistent team. They keep qualifying, produce quality players and are no longer afraid of the big names. But this time, Brazil ended their journey.
Sometimes that’s just the reality of playing football royalty.
Africa has also taken huge strides.
Morocco’s run to the 2022 semi-finals proved the continent belongs among the world’s best.
But even they couldn’t reach the final.
That glass ceiling is still there.
The reasons aren’t difficult to understand.
Europe and South America have spent decades building world-class leagues, academies and football cultures. Many Asian and African countries are only now beginning to close that gap.
That’s why talk of Asean countries winning the World Cup needs to be realistic.
For most Southeast Asian nations, simply qualifying for the World Cup would already be history.
Winning it is a completely different challenge.
There’s another reality too.
Modern football isn’t just a sport anymore.
It’s a multi-billion-dollar global business. The biggest teams bring the biggest audiences. The biggest stars attract the biggest sponsors. The biggest rivalries generate the biggest television ratings.
That doesn’t decide who wins matches.
But it does show how much bigger the World Cup has become beyond football itself.
Cape Verde showed the gap is getting smaller. Morocco proved Africa can dream. Japan continues to improve.
The rest of the world is getting closer.
But getting closer isn’t the same as taking over.
Until an Asian or African nation finally lifts the Fifa World Cup, football’s biggest prize will remain what has always been a tournament ruled by Europe and South America.
The rest of the world is still chasing history. – July 4, 2026
T. Vignesh is the Executive Editor of Scoop.my