Small is beautiful. So the theory goes, and Lionel Messi's fans are unlikely to disagree. When it comes to World Cup finals, however, small may not be beautiful or ultimately successful.
Since Uruguay, then with a population of 2.2 million, won the 1950 tournament, football's most coveted prize has been the private domain of the South American superpowers, Brazil and Argentina, and western Europe's five most populous nations.
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