Host Country: Uruguay
Participants: 13
Countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, United States, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia.
Championship: Uruguay 4, Argentina 2
Top goal scorer: Guillermo Stabile, Argentina (8 goals)
Uruguay,
which had won the 1924 and '28 Olympic soccer titles, was awarded
the site of the first World Cup in honor of the country's 100th
birthday in 1930. The fact that Uruguay was willing to pay travel
expenses for all countries didn't hurt its cause, either. Still,
only four European teams were willing to make the trip. . .
The tournament kicked
off July 13, when France beat Mexico 4-1 in Pocito before 1,000
fans. The championship game between Uruguay and Argentina in
Centenario Stadium drew slightly more interest, attracting 93,000
fans. . . .
Hey, who knew the
United States could play soccer? In 1930 they could, thanks
to the help of several naturalized immigrants. The U.S. team
won two games in 1930; it took another 64 years to bring its
victory total to four. . . .
And yes, the first
World Cup even had its moments of mayhem. On July 15, fans stormed
the field after a referee accidentally ended a game between
France and Argentina six minutes early. (The end of the game
was eventually played after the people were cleared from the
field, with Argentina winning, 1-0.) Before the championship
game, Uruguay and Argentina argued over what type of ball would
be used, so a different one was used in each half. And in Buenos
Aires, angry Argentines threw bricks at the Uruguayan embassy
after their team lost.
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