World Cup from Time to Time Based on Historical Records

This was the first time the use of penalty shootouts in determining the FIFA World Cup champion.  Sweden finished third after a 4-0 win over Bulgaria. Both the final and the third-place match were held at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles.

-The Sixteenth World Cup-

The 1998 World Cup was the 16th edition. It was held in France, from June 10 to July 12, 1998. France was chosen by FIFA in July 1992 in an election in Zürich, Switzerland, beating two other candidates, Morocco and Switzerland. 

The tournament was won by hosts France, after winning the final match at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis over Brazil by a score of 0-3.  Meanwhile, dark horse Croatia finished third after a 1-2 win over the Netherlands in the third-place match at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris.

-The Seventeenth World Cup-

The 2002 World Cup was the 17th edition. The tournament was held for the first time in two countries, South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30, 2002. 

32 teams participated in the finals. Brazil won the tournament for the fifth time after a 2-0 victory over Germany in the final match at the Yokohama International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. Turkey finished third after defeating hosts South Korea 3-2 in the third-place match at the Daegu World Cup Stadium in Daegu.

-The Eighteenth World Cup-

The 2006 World Cup was the 18th edition. The final round was held in Germany, from June 9 to July 9, 2006.  The tournament was won by Italy, after winning the final match over France on penalties by a score of 5-3, following a 1-1 draw for the first 120 minutes in the final match at the Olympic Stadium, Berlin. 

This was the second time the use of penalty shootouts in determining the FIFA World Cup champion. Meanwhile, hosts Germany won the third place after winning with a score of 3-1 over Portugal in the third-place match at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart.