Uruguay, 1930
In 1930, The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) held soccer's first World Cup tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay.
There were a total of 13 teams in the first world cup. Besides the host Uruguay, there were Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, the United States and Yugoslavia.
The entire tournament took place in three stadiums within Montevideo; Central Park, Pocitos Stadium and Estadio Centenario, which staged the final between the hosts and Argentina.
Trivia
- The first two World Cup matches took place simultaneously, France defeated Mexico 4–1, and the United States beat Belgium 3–0. Both matches were played in Montevideo, Uruguay on 13 July 1930.
- France's captain in the first World Cup match, Alex Villaplane, was killed fifteen years later for alleged collaboration with the Nazis. Villaplane was shot dead by French resistance fighters in July 1945.
- A record that will surely never be beaten, the lowest recorded attendance for a match was 300 spectators for the match between Romania & Peru in Montevideo on 14 July 1930.
- The Romanian team in World Cup 1930 were selected by their King. The 'football-crazy' King Carol II of Romania personally selected the team, and asked the employers to grant each player a three-month leave with full pay.
- Uruguayan goalkeeper Antonio Mazzali returned home before thekick-off of the 1930 finals as he had sneaked out from the hotel without permission. The Uruguayan team had been isolated in a Montevideo hotel for almost eight weeks before Mazzali sneaked out one night to visit his family. Mazzali was a member of Uruguay's Olympic gold medal teams in 1924 and 1928, but he had never appeared in any World Cup finals.
- The match between Argentina and France on 15 July 1930 was terminated by the referee by mistake six minutes before time. The Brazilian referee Almeida Rego whistled to end the match at the 39th minute in the second half when Argentina was leading 1-0. He resumed the match half an hour later, but no goal was scored in the 'extra' time.
- The USA trainer had to be carried off unconscious during the 1930 Semi-Final against Argentina after he ran to the pitch to attend an injured player, dropped his medicine box, and broke a bottle of chloroform. When he tried to pick up the broken bottle, he took in the fumes and fell to the ground immediately. The injured player recovered without any treatment.
- The two semi-final matches saw identical 6-1 scores, as Argentina beat the US and Uruguay defeated Yugoslavia.
- Thousands of Argentinian supporters failed to attend the 1930 Final as their boats were delayed due to thick fog. Eight of the ten chartered boats were unable to arrive in time for the Final, though fortunately the match referee was on the first boat that arrived.
- Uruguay and Argentina tossed up before the 1930 Final to choose the ball, as both teams wanted to use their own 'home-made' ball in the Final. Argentina won and their ball was used in the first half and the Uruguayan ball the second half.
- Hector Castro, who scored Uruguay's winning goal in the 1930 Final, had only one hand. He had lost one hand and part of his arm in a childhood accident.
- An unexpected consequence of Argentina's defeat in the 1930 Final was that the Argentinian president was overthrown several days after the Final. Argentinian president Irigoyen was overthrown in a military coup flamed by the deeply disappointed citizens.
- After winning the World Cup in 1930, the Uruguayan players were treated as national heroes, and each player was presented with a plot of land and a new house by the municipality of Montevideo.
World Cup Firsts
- The first player to be replaced in World Cup finals due to injury was French goalkeeper Alex Thepot. The goalkeeper was kicked by a Mexican player in the jaw in the opening match of the 1930 World Cup. He was replaced by midfielder Augustin Chantrel.
- The first match ever played was between Mexico and France, with France winning 4-1, played in Montevideo, Uruguay on 13/07/1930.
- The first player to score in the World Cup was Lucien Laurent of France in the 19th minute in the first World Cup match on 13/07/1930.
- The first player in the World Cup to score a penalty goal was Mexico's Manuel Rocquetas Rosas against Argentina on 19 July 1930.
- The first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match was United States's Bert Patenaude who did this against Paraguay in the first round of the 1930 World Cup. Some records wrongly have the first player scoring a hat-trick as Guillermo Stabile of Argentina in their 6:3 win over Mexico on 19 July 1930, two days after Patenaude.
- The first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup match was from Peru, in a match against Romania on 14 July 1930. Various sources list the person as either Plácido Galindo or Mario de las Casas.
Results of Uruguay 1930
Group 1 results:
France 4-1 Mexico
Argentina 1-0 France
Chile 3-0 Mexico
Argentina 6-3 Mexico
Chile 1-0 France
Argentina 3-1 Chile
Group 2 results:
Yugoslavia 2-1 Brazil
Yugoslavia 4-0 Bolivia
Brazil 4-0 Bolivia
Group 3 results:
Romania 3-1 Peru
Uruguay 1-0 Peru
Uruguay 4-0 Romania
Group 4 results:
United States 3-0 Belgium
United States 3-0 Paraguay
Paraguay 1-0 Belgium
Semi-finals results:
Argentina 6-1 United States
Uruguay 6-1 Yugoslavia
World Cup Final:
Uruguay 4-2 Argentina
Related Pages
- Videos from the 1930 FIFA World Cup
- List of all countries who have hosted in the World Cup
- FIFA World Cup Home
- about Estadio Centenario
- About Sport in Uruguay
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