The inaugural FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay from 13 to 30 July 1930.
Uruguay had retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics and were celebrating the centenary of their independence, so FIFA chose them as the host nation.
It was contested by 13 teams (7 from South America, 4 from Europe and 2 from North America).
Many of the European teams invited withdrew due to the distance and expenses involved in the course of travel.
The first two games took place simultaneously on 13 July 1930- France defeated Mexico 4-1 while USA defeated Belgium 3-0. France’s Lucient scored the first ever World Cup goal.
A total of 18 games were played and Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 in the final to win the tournament’s first edition.
Argentina’s Guillermo Stabile emerged the competition’s top scorer with 8 goals.
The problems of travelling were experienced in subsequent tournaments, as only few South American countries participated in the 1934 edition hosted by Italy.
In the 1938 edition hosted by France, all South American and North American countries withdrew, except Brazil and Cuba.
Italy won the World Cup in both 1934 and 1938, with Vittorio Pozzo becoming the only manager to win the World Cup twice.
The 1942 and 1946 tournaments were cancelled due to World War II.
The competition returned in 1950, hosted by Brazil, which Uruguay won after beating Brazil 2-1 in the decisive match of the final stage.
You must log in to post a comment.