Today in HistoryâJuly 13: The First World Cup Begins
On an unusually cold winter day in 1930, players from Europe and the Americas took to the field in Montevideo, Uruguay, for the kickoff of the first FIFA World Cup. It was an experiment that hardly anyone could have imagined would become the worldâs most-watched sporting event.
That first tournament was a decidedly modest affair.
Unlike todayâs World Cup, teams were invited to participate, and the tournament draw wasnât even finalized until they arrived. Uruguay was chosen as host partly because it was still celebrating the centennial of its independence and partly because it had recently won two Olympic football titles. But European teams faced a daunting transatlantic voyage by ship, and several declined the invitation. Egypt, the only African country expected to compete, missed its connecting ship to Uruguay.
By the time play began on July 13, the inaugural World Cup featured an awkwardâbut not unluckyâ13 teams, forcing organizers to improvise the tournament format.
The two opening matches kicked off simultaneously. In one stadium, France faced Mexico; in another, the United States played Belgium. France won, 4â1, and French forward Lucien Laurent scored the first goal in World Cup historyâreportedly in falling snow. The United States defeated Belgium, 3â0, beginning a surprising run that would carry the Americans all the way to the semifinals (the U.S. menâs teamâs longest World Cup run to date). The victory also produced the tournamentâs first clean sheet, with U.S. goalkeeper Jimmy Douglas preventing Belgium from scoring.
Brazil is the only country to have played in every single menâs World Cup since the tournament began.
The tournament featured a few other oddities. In a match between Argentina and France, for example, a referee accidentally blew the final whistle six minutes early and had to restart play after protests from the French.
Despite such hiccups, the experiment worked. Uruguay defeated Argentina, 4â2, in the final to become the first World Cup champions.
By the time Uruguay lifted the trophy at monthâs end, the world had discovered something it wanted more of. Nearly a century later, the World Cup attracts millions of viewers, fills enormous stadiums, and can bring entire countries to a standstill. But it all began with 13 teams, a few ships crossing the Atlantic, and a new idea waiting to prove itself.
- 15 days: Length of voyage made by most of the European teams to the first tournament
- ~90,000: Spectators at the Uruguay-Argentina final
- 0: Qualifying matches required for the first tournament
- 1793: Jean-Paul Marat is assassinated during the French Revolution
- 1878: The Treaty of Berlin is signed, after the Russo-Turkish War
- 1985: Live Aid raises millions for Ethiopian famine relief
