FIFA President Jules Rimet presents the Jules Rimet trophy to Dr. Raul Jude of the Uruguayan Football Association.

From the pubs in England to the bush in Africa, millions of people around the world are tuning in to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, which kicked off JUNE 11, 2010.   Here are some fun facts and soccer trivia:

World Cup Winners

• Brazil won 5 times
   
• Italy won 4 times
   
• Germany (West) won 3 times
   
• Uruguay won 2 times
   
• Argentina won 2 times
   
• England has only won once
   
• France has only won once

Soccer's Stunning Upset: In 1950, the U.S. National Team beat England 1-0 in the World Cup held in Brazil.  This was an amazing upset at the time as England was favored 3-1 to win the match.  The event was called the "Miracle on the Grass" as the English considered themselves the "Kings of Football" and many of the Americans on the team had other "real" jobs to support their families.  Click here for more information

It’s no doubt that soccer has becoming increasingly more popular in the United States, but it remains to be seen as to whether Americans know the facts and origin of the most popular soccer event in history.

Here is some food for thought on the history of the World Cup for you to use to impress your teammates, bring up at a dinner conversation or even share with some parents on the sidelines.

Did you know the first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930?

FIFA President Jules Rimet's dream was realised as Uruguay hosted the inaugural FIFA World Cup in its centenary year. Uruguay, the reigning Olympic champions, was chosen to host the inaugural tournament. Uruguay built a fantastic stadium in Montevideo to hold 95,000 but the stadium wasn’t even finished until five days after the World Cup had already started. Only

Jules Rimet Cup

four European teams made the long sea journey and the Final was an all-South American affair, with Uruguay beating neighbours Argentina just as they had done in the 1928 Olympic final. Trailing at half-time, the hosts triumphed 4-2 in the newly built Estadio Centenario to become football's first world champions.

There were a total of 13 teams in the first World Cup. Besides the host Uruguay, there were Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, U.S. and Yugoslavia

SOCCER FUN FACT:  The most common surname of World Cup players is Gonzalez or Gonzales.

SOCCER FUN FACT: The most common score in a World Cup finals match is 1-0.

Did you know that the original Golden Nike trophy was a gold cup designed by French sculptor, Abel Lafleur?

The sculpture, which was made of pure gold,  depicted Nike of Samothrace (Winged Victory) and was 30 cm in height and weighed 1.82 kg. In 1950 the statuette was renamed after World Cup founder, Jules Rimet Cup. It was a trophy passed on to each winner and the team to win the tournament three times got to keep it (Brazil achieved this in 1970). In 1983 the Cup was stolen and it has never been found.

Did you know that the fourth World Cup was held in Brazil?

FIFA Cup

The final between Brazil and Uruguay was played in front of amazing 203,000 people. Brazil had impressed everyone in the early stages and took the lead 1-0. Uruguay could hardly get out of their own half, but still managed to score two goals. One of the biggest upsets in football history.

Did you know that six teams have won the World Cup when they hosted the tournament?

Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), Germany (1974), Argentina (1978) and France (1998) have all won on home soil.

Did you know that the FIFA World Cup trophy cost about $50,000 to make in 1971?

Today the trophy is worth over $10,000,000.

Bora Milutinovic coached in every World Cup between 1986 and 2002 - but for different teams: Mexico, Costa Rica, U.S., Nigeria and China

Do you have fun World Cup trivia you would like to submit? Send us your trivia tidbit and upon verification of the submission, we will publish your fact along with your name in the next World Cup trivia article. Those who submit trivia tidbits will be entered into a drawing to win a replica of the official World Cup ball. Submit trivia to News@SoccerNation.com.