Editing World cup (section)

{{short description|International sports competition where competitors represent their nation}}
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{{About||the flagship association football competition|FIFA World Cup|other world championships|List of world cups|and|List of world sports championships|and|List of world championships in mind sports|the song by IShowSpeed|World Cup (song)}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2024}}
[[File:Kitzbuehel slalom ganslernhang 2010.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|Alpine Skiing World Cup]] consists of a series of competitions where results are counted together]]

A '''world cup''' is a global [[sport]]ing competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of [[world champion]]. The event most associated with the name is the [[FIFA World Cup]] for [[association football]], which dates back to 1930. Since then there have been a number of sporting events labeled "world cup", such as the [[ICC Men's Cricket World Cup]], the [[Rugby World Cup]], [[Rugby League World Cup]], and the [[Men's Hockey World Cup|Hockey World Cup]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition |date=2000 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/61/W0226150.html |access-date=2024-06-08 |archive-date=2005-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123201538/http://www.bartleby.com/61/61/W0226150.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

A world cup is generally, though not always, considered the premier competition in its sport, with the victor attaining the highest honour in that sport and being able to lay claim to the title of their sport's best. However, in some sports the [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] title carries at least as much prestige, while other sports such as [[FINA Diving World Cup|diving]] and [[Artistic Gymnastics World Cup|artistic gymnastics]] differentiate between their premier competitions, such as World Championships and Olympic Games, and their "World Cup", which is organized as a smaller scale but high-level showcase event with small elite fields.