1950 FIFA World Cup

Lore & Background

Because of World War II, the World Cup had not been staged since 1938; the planned World Cups of 1942 and 1946 were both cancelled. After the war, FIFA were keen to resurrect the competition as soon as possible, and they began making plans for a World Cup tournament to take place. In the aftermath of the war, much of Europe lay in ruins. As a result, FIFA had difficulties finding a country interested in hosting the event, since many governments believed that their scarce resources ought to be devoted to more urgent priorities than a sporting tournament. The World Cup was at risk of not being held for sheer lack of interest from the international community, until Brazil presented a bid at the 1946 FIFA Congress, offering to host the event on condition that the tournament take place in 1950 rather than the originally proposed year of 1949. Brazil and Germany had been the leading bidders to host the cancelled 1942 World Cup; since both the 1934 and 1938 tournaments had been held in Europe, football historians generally agree that the 1942 event would have most likely been awarded to a South American host country. Brazil's new bid was very similar to the mooted 1942 bid and was quickly accepted.

In Their Own Story

The bus groaned up the hill toward the stadium, and through the window a young Mexican midfielder pressed his forehead against the glass, watching the Brazilian fans pour in like a tide. The air was thick, almost liquid, and the smell of earth and sweat clung to the kit. He remembered the 4-0 against Switzerland—the way the whole dressing room had screamed, the way the goalkeepers had lifted the captain. But now, facing the yellow-and-green wave ahead, he knew the script would be different. The whistle blew. The roar swallowed everything. And for ninety minutes, Mexico simply tried to keep their shape, to breathe, to find one another in the chaos. They found, in the end, a single thread of dignity in the loss—and that, the captain would say later, was enough to carry home.

Reader's Guide

The thirteen teams were divided into four first-round groups (or 'pools' as they were then called) of four teams, with the winner of each group advancing to a final group stage, playing in round-robin format to determine the cup winner. A straight knockout tournament, as had been used in 1934 and 1938, would have featured only sixteen games (including the match for third place), while the proposed two rounds of the group format guaranteed thirty games, and thus more ticket revenue. In addition, this format guaranteed each team at least three games, and thus provide more incentive for European teams to make the journey to South America and compete. FIFA originally resisted this proposal, but reconsidered when Brazil threatened to back out of hosting the tournament if this format was not used. In each group, teams were awarded 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. Had there been a tie on points for first place in a group, a playoff would have been held to determine the group winner.

Did You Know?

• Mexico defeated Switzerland 4–0 in Group 1, but the source does not specify whether this was Mexico's opening fixture.
• Only one team, England, was making its World Cup debut in 1950.
• France withdrew after the draw, citing the amount of travel required between venues in Group 4.
• India withdrew after the draw, citing travel costs, lack of practice time, team selection problems, and valuing the Olympics over the FIFA World Cup.