How many countries play in the World Cup?

As of 2014, the FIFA World Cup features 32 teams that compete for various titles. However, during the preliminary competition there can be many more teams competing for the 31 available spots, with one spot reserved for the previous winner.

In 2014, the FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil. There were a total of 204 entries, while there were 200 team entries in the previous World Cup. There has been a total of 19 FIFA World Cup tournaments since the inception of the event. In terms of popularity, no sporting event is viewed more than the World Cup. In 2006, data showed that more than 715.1 million people watched the final match of the event.