World Cup

American  

noun

Soccer.

1. a trophy emblematic since 1930 of the world championship in soccer and competed for every four years by finalists who have won qualifying matches among more than 150 national teams.

2. the quadrennial championship match for this trophy between the two finalists emergent from 24 qualifying teams, which include regional winners, the defending champion, and the host country team.

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World Cup British  

noun

1. an international competition held between national teams in various sports, most notably association football

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Compare meaning

How does world-cup compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Super Bowl vs. World Cup

Example Sentences

The stance of the directors meant that Young, the first Scotland player to reach 50 appearances, never played at a World Cup.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Whichever team hoists the winning World Cup soccer trophy this summer will be the recipients of a very valuable prize, thanks to rising gold prices.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Bosses in charge of the Scottish FA at the time did what would be unthinkable to the modern football fan - They gave up their place at the first World Cup after World War Two.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Watch every single World Cup match, earn $50,000.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

We were at a World Cup competition, and I had heard some talk of going out to a restaurant instead of eating at the hotel.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad