📜 WORLD CUP HISTORY: 1930 TO TODAY
PAGE 1 OF 5 · HOW IT ALL BEGAN
URUGUAY 1930
THE TOURNAMENT THAT STARTED EVERYTHING
In 1930 football had been played around the world for decades, but there had never been a world championship. FIFA, the organisation that governs football, decided to change that. They chose Uruguay to host the first-ever World Cup because the country had won the Olympic football gold medal twice in a row and was celebrating its centenary of independence. Just thirteen teams made the long journey by boat to South America to take part, because travel was slow and expensive in 1930 and some European nations refused to make the trip. The tournament was played over two weeks in just one city, Montevideo, with the centenary stadium built specially for the occasion. Uruguay beat Argentina three goals to four in front of one hundred thousand delirious fans in the final, becoming the very first World Cup champions in history. The whole country celebrated for days, and across the Atlantic, disappointed Argentine fans threw stones at the Uruguayan embassy. From this small and improvised beginning, the greatest sporting event on Earth was born.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
Only 13 teams entered the very first World Cup in 1930, compared to 48 teams who will compete in the 2026 tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
HISTORY!
THE SETTING
🇺🇾 Hosted in Montevideo, Uruguay
🚢 Teams travelled weeks by boat to get there
🏟️ A brand new stadium built for the final
🚢 Teams travelled weeks by boat to get there
🏟️ A brand new stadium built for the final
THE WINNER
🏆 Uruguay beat Argentina in the final
😰 100,000 fans packed the stadium
🌍 Football's world championship was born
😰 100,000 fans packed the stadium
🌍 Football's world championship was born