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 central African nation has only played in the World Cup once before - in 1974 when the country was named Zaire.

From BBC

England concluded the so-called 'Send-Off Series' before the World Cup with defeat against Japan at Wembley.

From BBC

Italy’s national soccer team failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the full cast confirmed, attention now shifts towards the biggest World Cup staged.

From BBC

The Three Lions breezed through qualification for the World Cup winning all of their eight games without conceding a goal.

From BBC