A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities - usually national teams or individuals representing their nation - compete for the title of world champion. A world cup is generally considered the premier competition in its sport, with the victor attaining the highest honour in that sport and able to lay claim to the title of their sport's best. However, in some sports the Olympic title carries at least as much prestige.

There are a number of notable world cups in popular sports, but it is the FIFA World Cup (a football tournament, first held in 1930) that is widely known simply as 'the World Cup'.

Some sport governing bodies prefer the title world championship or a related term; some even organise both a world cup and a world championship with different rules. Usually, such competitions take one of two forms, a short periodic competition or a year-long series of meetings.