Money and the Invention of the World Cup of Football (1904-1938)

Since it was founded in 1904, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) wanted to organize an “international championship”. However, this project did not immediately come to fruition due to a lack of financial resources and available players. In 1912, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) entrusted FIFA with organizing the Olympic tournament. That competition became one of the most popular events and brought in a third of the Games' total revenue. Its success provoked hostility from IOC officials because many of the football players taking part in the Games did not abide by the rules of amateurism. The conflict enabled FIFA to free itself from IOC control and create its own event. Beginning in 1930, levying 5% from the take of World Cup matches gave FIFA the resources it needed to operate effectively. The financial success of each World Cup became an important criterion for assessing its success.