Uruguay 1930: How the Hosts Became the First World Champions
Thirteen nations, four European teams who crossed an ocean by ship, and a final between two fierce rivals — the first FIFA World Cup was unlike anything the sport had seen before, and Uruguay made sure it ended on the perfect note.
The first FIFA World Cup took place from 13 to 30 July 1930, with Uruguay chosen as the host nation. At the time, La Celeste were the strongest team on the planet, having claimed Olympic gold in Paris in 1924 and Amsterdam in 1928. Just thirteen nations took part, with only four of them coming from Europe — each making the long voyage to South America by ship. The teams were divided into four groups, three of which contained just three sides.
The very first match saw France beat Mexico 4-1, with French forward Lucien Laurent writing his name into history by scoring the tournament's first-ever goal. Curiously, the official opening ceremony took place five days after the competition had already begun.
Two familiar rivals reached the final: hosts Uruguay and Argentina, who had contested the Olympic gold medal just two years earlier in Amsterdam. Both sides came through their semi-finals comfortably, Uruguay eliminating Yugoslavia and Argentina dispatching the USA. The semi-final between Uruguay and Argentina is also remembered for one of football's more bizarre moments — a policeman kicked a ball back onto the pitch from behind the touchline, one of the Uruguayan forwards promptly put it in the net, and the referee, to the astonishment of the Argentines, allowed the goal to stand.
The final ended 4-2 to La Celeste, though not without drama. Uruguay's opening goalscorer Pablo Dorado was so overcome with emotion after finding the net that he fainted from joy. Argentina led 2-1 at half-time, but the hosts came out a different team after the break, scoring three times to claim the trophy. Alberto Horacio Suppici's side became the first world champions in history.
Top scorer: Guillermo Stábile (Argentina) — 8 goals
Champions squad: Ballestrero, Gestido, Fernández, Iriarte, Andrade, Castro, Scarone, Dorado, Mascheroni, Cea, Nasazzi, Piriz, Calvo, Capuccini, Tejera, Salomón, Urdinirán, Melogno, Riolfo, Petrone, Anselmo, Recoba
Coach: Alberto Suppici
Highest-scoring match: Argentina v Mexico 6-3
Total goals scored: 70 | Average per match: 3.89
Best-attended match: 93,000 — Uruguay v Yugoslavia | Average attendance: 24,861