Uruguay On July 30, 1930, 93,000 spectators watched Uruguay defeat Argentina 4-2 in a rematch of the 1928 Olympic gold medal game in the first World Cup final. The victory gave Uruguay its first world title.
Two years later, Brazil held its own tournament in South America, with Brazil winning that event as well. So both countries claimed their first World Cup medals at the same time!
However, it took another four years before Europe's soccer leagues held their own tournament. In France, Barcelona and Real Madrid competed for the honor of being considered the best club team in Europe. The match was played on February 23, 1938, and ended in a 1-1 tie after extra time. It was decided by a replay ordered by French president François Darlan just hours before his assassination. This is how Barcelona became the first European team to win the World Cup.
Italy's national team had been banned from playing in South America because of political tensions between Italy and Paraguay. So when it came time to hold the second World Cup, Italian football officials decided to send their best squad possible instead.
Thirteen groups The 1930 FIFA World Cup featured thirteen teams (seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America).
| Campeonato Mundial de Fútbol Uruguay 1930 | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Uruguay |
| Dates | 13–30 July |
| Teams | 13 (from 3 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 1 host city) |
The United States won their first World Cup match in 1930, defeating Belgium 3-0 in the Estadio Gran Parque Central in Montevideo, Uruguay. The match took place at the same time as another across town at the Estadio Pocitos, when France beat Mexico. Because both matches ended in a 3-0 scoreline, no winner was determined.
There have been many more victories since then, with the last one coming in 2014 during Brazil's final game of the tournament against Germany. The U.S. defeated Brazil 2-1 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro to claim their second title.
In case anyone is wondering why this information is important today instead of years ago, it's because now Americans can watch the USA play on TV. The match will be held on June 14th at 4pm ET on Fox Sports 1. In addition to the world cup, they also show MLB games and UFC fights during this time slot.
On July 13, 1930, France defeated Mexico 4-1 and the United States defeated Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches, which were held concurrently in Montevideo, Uruguay. The events took place at Parc des Princes before large crowds of spectators.
France's captain was Charles Leclerc, who later on became a French national hero after leading his country to victory in the 2018 World Cup. His rival was Mexico's Francisco "Pancho" Cruz, a striker who played for several clubs in Mexico including América de México where he won the first Mexican League title in 1945. He also played at the 1950 World Cup for Mexico.
The most important match of the day was between United States and Belgium. America's Walter Camp established the first American Football Association in 1892, and the game was originally known as "American Football". Belgium's Maurice De Waele introduced soccer to North America when he signed with New York City FC in 2016. He played one season before being traded to Toronto FC.
Canada's Olympic gold medalists in football, Australia's St George's Park, and England's Wembley Stadium are some of the famous venues that have hosted these first World Cup games.
England was the fifth country to win the event, and the third host country to do so, following Uruguay in 1930 and Italy in 1934. Brazil were the reigning champions, however they did not advance past the group round. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be held in English-speaking countries. England won their first match 1-0 against South Africa, before losing to Germany 2-3. They then defeated Yugoslavia 4-1 to finish first in their group.
Other than England, only two other teams had never previously won a single game at the World Cup: Argentina and Paraguay. Both nations reached the final but were beaten by England - who went on to win the tournament. The 5-4 penalty shoot-out victory of the final match has become known as the "Hand of God" due to a perceived role played by alleged divine intervention. This remains the most recent World Cup finals match to end in a penalty shoot-out.
The world's oldest soccer club, Grasshoppers, has qualified for the final of the UEFA Champions League. The team from Zurich defeated Marseille 5-3 on penalties after both sides finished level at 1-1 after extra time. It is the second consecutive year that Grasshoppers have reached the final, having been eliminated by Barcelona last season. Barca will now face Manchester City at the Stade de France in the other semi-final fixture.
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