A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, or ability.

A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The events most associated with the concept are the FIFA World Cup for association football, along with the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup for cricket, both of which are widely known simply as "the World Cup." However, there are a number of notable popular team sports competitions labeled "world cups", such as the Rugby World Cup, Rugby League World Cup, and the Hockey World Cup.