Europe’s World Cup stranglehold tested by Brazil, Argentina

DUBAI: When Gianni Infantino told a gathering of European soccer officials in Vienna he hoped the winner of the World Cup came from their continent, the FIFA President quickly stated — with a smile — he adapts the comment to whichever region he’s in. It’s no laughing matter for the rest of the world. Seven of the last eight World Cup finalists have come from Europe.

Thirteen of the last 16 semifinalists, too. Only three non-European nations — Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay — have reached the World Cup final. Uruguay hasn’t played in the title match since 1950.

And only two non-European nations other than Brazil and Argentina have reached the semifinals since 1970 — South Korea in 2002 and Uruguay in 2010. No African country has ever gotten to the last four — in part because of Luis Suárez’s last-minute, goal-line handball for Uruguay to deny Ghana in the 2010 quarterfinals — and nobody from North America since the United States in the first World Cup in 1930. Nations from around the world are invited to the party but, really, it’s mostly the Europeans staying until the end.

“You want the World Cup to be a world tournament,” soccer author Jonathan Wilson said. “Ideally you’d have a team from every confederation in the quarterfinals. “You want the best teams, but you want the best teams to come from as many different places as possible.