Only 12 teams traveled to Uruguay for the first World Cup ever held in 1930 . Twenty years later , the tournament entered a new era when it was staged in Brazil . The 1970 event in Mexico featured technicolor coverage via satellite television broadcasts . Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos:History of soccer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Only 12 teams traveled to Uruguay for the first World Cup ever held in 1930 . Twenty years later , the tournament entered a new era when it was staged in Brazil . The 1970 event in Mexico featured technicolor coverage via satellite television broadcasts . Italy go into the the 2010 tournament in South Africa as the defending champions .