Mundial: An alternative history of the Football World Cup

[morbidteaparty]

This is aimed as an alternate history of the various World Cups rather than a straight AH, though obviiously the changing political situation from 1930 onwards will factor in. Be prepared for idiocy, insularity and some different tournaments.

Without further ado, let's start with Montevideo's moment of triumph...

 

[morbidteaparty]

Born out of the increased competitiveness of the Olympic tournaments, which had become increasingly dominated by the national sides of South America, and met disdain by much of the sports traditional European powers (most notably the conservative and insular FAs of the British Isles), the first World Cup is particularly noteworthy for the sheer number of participants it had from outside of Europe, a number never since bettered.

Hosted in Uruguay, with the final taking place at the Estadio Centenario, constructed to celebrate the hundredth year of the country’s independence, the inaugural tournament contained only four European sides, one from Africa, two from Asia and the remaining nine from the Americas, with only the United States representing the region’s Anglosphere.

As the tournament was invite only, this remains the only competition not to have any form of qualifying, with the teams divided into four groups of four, followed by quarter finals, semi-finals, the bronze medal match and the final itself, a format which would be adopted again and become the standard in the aftermath of the Second World War.

The teams

The sixteen teams, some enthused by the tournaments, others cajoled by their governments, included:

• Argentina
• Belgium
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Egypt
• France
• Japan
• Mexico
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Romania
• Siam
• United States
• Uruguay
• Yugoslavia

Despite much diplomatic manoeuvring, efforts to secure further European national sides fells on deaf ears, with many associations put off by the cost of travel in the midst of the Great Depression. The Copa Mundial would largely pass by unnoticed in the Old World, outside of the press of those countries who had bothered to attend.

Originally envisioned as a straight knockout tournament, and with invitations extended to all 28 member associations, the economic crisis in much of the world put a damper on interest in the tournament, with most of FIFA’s European members expressing reservation about the long journey as well as the time commitment for those internationals who were still amateur. The original deadline of February 16 1930 for entries was passed without a single European nation committing to take part, until direct intervention from FIFA General Secretary Jules Rimet (and in the case of Romania, King Carol II) saw the confirmed participation of four European sides. The four sides, and Egypt, as well as Rimet and other FIFA officials would travel on the same boat journey – apocryphal stories have been told of impromptu kickabouts amongst the teams on the long voyage.

In contrast, in the Americas, interest was widespread, with seven entries from South America, as well as the US and Mexico participating. Similarly, to Romania, both Japan and Siam were allowed to go following governmental intervention – this would mark the last time two Asian sides would participate until the 1980s.

Tournament summary

Group stages – Group 1

Group 1 saw France paired with three sides from the Americas in Argentina, Chile & Mexico, and saw the French comfortably win the opening game of the tournament[1] with a 5-2 victory over the Mexicans, two days after which they faced the much-fancied Argentines. In a game marred by suspect refereeing as well as injuries on both sides, Argentina eventually winning 2-1. France’s fixtures gave credence to the criticism that the tournament had been poorly scheduled – their game against Argentina being their second in forty-eight hours, while Chile were yet to play their first match (which they won 3-0 against Mexico the day after Argentina’s victory.)

France’s final match of the group stage was notable for seeing the first ever award of a penalty-kick in the tournament, which Carlos Vidal scored, eventually seeing the Chileans triumph 2-0. Argentina’s match against Mexico saw three penalties awarded, with Mexico’s Oscar Bonfiglio making the first penalty-save in the tournament’s history – Argentina nevertheless ran out 7-1 winners with a hat-trick from future national team manager Guillermo Stabile.

The decisive game of the group saw Argentina defeat their Andean neighbours Chile 2-1 in a bad-tempered match to top the group, setting themselves up for a quarter-final against the fancied Brazilians who had unexpectedly finished second to Yugoslavia.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	Argentina	3	3	0	0	11	2	+9	6
2​	Chile	3	2	0	1	6	2	+4	4
3​	France	3	1	0	2	6	6	0	2
4​	Mexico	3	0	0	3	3	15	-12	0

Results

July 13 – France 5-2 Mexico

July 15 – Argentina 2-1 France

July 16 – Chile 3-0 Mexico

July 19 – Chile 2-0 France

July 19- Argentina 7-1 Mexico

July 22 – Argentina 2-1 Chile

Group stages – Group 2

The second group contained Brazil, who were one of the favourites for the tournament, Yugoslavia, Bolivia, who going into the tournament had never previously won an international match and Africa’s sole representative Egypt, who had made the semi-finals in the 1928 Olympics.

Brazil, were expected to top the group but unexpectedly lost their opener 3-2 to Yugoslavia, and despite a comfortable victory over Bolivia, only managed to qualify for the knockout stage with a last-minute equaliser against Egypt. The Egyptians, acquitted themselves well in their three group games, and became the first African side to win a match at the finals – however a narrow defeat to Yugoslavia coupled with Brazil’s superior goal difference saw them exit the tournament at the first hurdle.

The Yugoslavs meanwhile comfortably qualified the knockout stages where they faced Chile, while Brazil would face neighbours Argentina.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	Yugoslavia	3	3	0	0	9	3	+6	6
2​	Brazil	3	1	1	1	7	4	+3	3
3​	Egypt	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	3
4​	Bolivia	3	0	0	3	0	9	-9	0

Results

July 14 – Yugoslavia 3-2 Brazil

July 15 – Bolivia 0-1 Egypt

July 17 – Yugoslavia 1-0 Egypt

July 18 – Brazil 4-0 Bolivia

July 20 – Egypt 1-1 Brazil

July 21 – Yugoslavia 4-0 Bolivia

Group stages – Group 3

Hosts Uruguay were placed in a group with Peru, Romania, and Siam. The opening match of this group saw the first ever player expulsion from the competition when Peruvian Placindo Galindo was sent off against Romania. The Romanians took advantage to win 4-2, including the fastest goal of the tournament; Adalbert Deșu opened the scoring after just 50 seconds.

Uruguay’s opening game saw them beat Siam 9-0 – their opponents playing in only their third ever international (having debuted against Indochina earlier that year) played well in the first half, going in at half-time only 2-0 down, before the Uruguayans greater experience told.

The hosts next game against Peru however was a much tighter affair with the game settled by one goal in the closing minutes of the second half, following an inspired display from Peruvian goalkeeper Jorge Pardon, and saw much criticism of the hosts in the local press. Uruguay closed out their tournament with a 5-1 victory over Romania[2] who finished second, with Peru finishing third after beating Siam 5-0.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	Uruguay (H)	3	3	0	0	15	1	+14	6
2​	Romania	3	2	0	1	9	7	+2	4
3​	Peru	3	1	0	2	7	5	+2	2
4​	Siam	3	0	0	3	0	18	-18[3]	0

Results

July 14 – Romania 4-2 Peru

July 18 – Uruguay 9-0 Siam

July 20 – Siam 0-4 Romania

July 21 – Uruguay 1-0 Peru

July 22 – Peru 5-0 Siam

July 23 – Uruguay 5-1 Romania

Group stages – Group 4

The final group comprised the United States, Belgium, Paraguay and Japan. The American team, comprised primarily of European immigrants (including two former Scottish professionals) were reputedly nicknamed the shot-putters in the French press due to their supposed rough style of play. They beat Belgium 2-1 in their opening game, a match which was marred by bad weather and a poor pitch, and saw the Belgians bemoan an offside winner from Bertrand Patenaude.[4]

Paraguay meanwhile began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Japan, who had warmed up for then tournament by winning the Far Eastern Championship. Paraguay’s second game saw them lose 3-0 to the US, while Belgium beat Japan 3-1. With the Americans already qualified, the match between the Belgians and Paraguay became a playoff to see who would join them, with Belgium eventually triumphing 1-0. Japan closed out their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to the Americans.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	United States	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	6
2​	Belgium	3	2	0	1	9	7	+2	4
3​	Paraguay	3	1	0	2	2	4	-2	2
4​	Japan	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0

Results

July 13 – United States 2-1 Belgium

July 14 – Japan 0-2 Paraguay

July 17 – United States 3-0 Paraguay

July 18 – Belgium 3-1 Japan

July 20 – Japan 0-2 United States

July 21 – Paraguay 0-1 Belgium

The Quarter-finals

The four group winners and runners-up advanced to the quarter finals, with the first match taking place only a day after the final game of the group stage. The first game saw Argentina beat their neighbours Brazil 3-1 in a game marred by crowd trouble and a mass brawl sparked by a bad tackle on Brazilian strike Preguinho by Argentine captain Luis Monti, who to add insult to Brazil’s injury, scored the third goal with a superb free-kick in the 85th minute.

They were joined in the semi-finals by Yugoslavia who thrashed Chile 7-1 in a lopsided game which was decided by half time, with the Chileans having lost two players to injury. The Yugoslavs, who had scored four goals by half-time, eased off somewhat in the second half, but Ivan Bek (who played professionally in France) scored a second half hat-trick with Guillermo Subiabre scoring a late consolation for Chile.

The third quarter final between Romania and the United States ended up a draw, with both sides scoring in the final minutes of each half to leave the score at 1-1. As a result, the match was decided in extra-time with the United States scoring through Patenaude to win 2-1.

The hosts Uruguay, came from behind to beat a spirited Belgium, who played most of the game with 10-men following an injury to their captain Pierre Brain. Jan Didens had opened the scoring for the Belgians, only for the wily Hector Scarone to equalise for the hosts. Nevertheless despite attacking in waves, Uruguay found it impossible to break through, with veteran keeper Jean de Bie having a blinder in the Belgian goal. An own-goal from Nik Hoydonckx would cruelly send the Belgians out, though they had impressed the Uruguayan public with their display and were invited to a reception with the Uruguayan president before their departure.

Results

July 24 – Argentina 3-1 Brazil

July 24 – Yugoslavia 7-1 Chile

July 25 – Romania 1-2 United States (aet)

July 25 – Uruguay 2-1 Belgium

The Semi-Finals

The semi-finals, which took place two days after the quarter-finals had concluded saw two notably contrasting results, with Argentina comfortably dispatching the United States on a rain-drenched pitch 5-0, with the Americans wilting in the second half as Argentine pressure told. The margin of victory, saw Argentina’s goal tally for the tournament reach nineteen in five games, stoking increased triumphalism in the Argentine press. For the Americans, who have yet to match or better their result at the inaugural tournament, their exploits were barely noticed, with only cursory mentions in the sporting press.

In the second semi-final, Uruguay and Yugoslavia played out a thriller, with a Pedro Cea hat-trick seeing the hosts come back from being twice down to win 3-2, following goals from Djordje Vujadinovic and Ivan Bek. The Yugoslavs were denied an equaliser by a controversial offside decision[5] and upon the final whistle a near brawl broke out between the two sets of players. Nevertheless, the hosts were through to the final while the Yugoslavs faced a bronze medal match with the Americans.

Results

July 27 – United States 0-5 Argentina

July 28 – Uruguay 3-2 Yugoslavia

Bronze Medal match

The Yugoslavs, still angered by the refereeing in their match against Uruguay, comfortably dispatched the Americans in the third place match, with Ivan Bek scoring both goals as they ran out 2-0 winners in front of a sparse crowd at the newly built Estadio Centenario. While the Americans, true to their performances throughout most of the tournament, were spirited the Yugoslavs greater technical ability shone through. Yugoslavia’s third place finish would remain their highest position at the tournament, while the Americans have not reached a semi-final since.

Result

July 29 – Yugoslavia 2-0 United States

Final

Argentina and Uruguay’s victories set up a repeat of the 1928 Olympics final which Uruguay had won after a replay. Feelings around the match were high, with Argentine supporters crossing the river to chants of “victory or death”, while Montevideo’s harbour strained under the weight of thousands of Argentine supporters making the crossing, with an estimated 10-15,000 making the trip.

The game itself was watched by a capacity crowd of 93,000 with the stadium having been full since noon, while the referee, Belgian John Langenus, was only confirmed following the granting of assurances for his safety a few hours before the game, including the provision of a boat should he need to make a hasty exit. The final decision to be made before the teams took to the field, was which country’s ball should be used. With no agreement able to be reached a compromise was made with an Argentine ball used during the first half and a Uruguayan equivalent during the second.

The final, saw both teams go on the attack, with Uruguay opening the scoring through Pablo Dorado. Argentina equalised and then took the lead through Guillermo Stabile to leave half time poised at 2-1 to the Argentines, much to the disgust of the home crowd.

The second half began with sustained Uruguayan pressure and they equalised through Pedro Cea, and sustained Uruguayan pressure saw Cea add his second and Uruguay’s third ten minutes later. With twenty minutes of the match remaining, and the Argentines beginning to tire in the face of wave after wave of Uruguayan attacks, Victoriano Santos Iriate added the fourth in the 88th minute, sealing Uruguay’s victory as the first winners of the World Cup, to go with their Olympic triumphs of the 1920s.

---

[1] This remains the only tournament where the host nation did not participate in the opening match or, when group stages were used, take part in the first group itself.
[2] This gamed earned the distinction of having all six goals scored in the first half, which remains a World Cup record.
[3] Siam’s goal’s against and goal difference remain a record.
[4] Who was falsely claimed to be originally from Belgium in the Belgian reports of the match – Patenaude was of French-Canadian heritage and was born in Massachusetts.
[5] Refereeing became a bugbear for the European teams throughout the tournament with both Romania and Yugoslavia decrying what they saw as Latin American bias.

 

[Walpurgisnacht]

Having Egypt and the Asian sides not literally miss their boat and arrive at the cup on time could have interesting knock-on effects--we know that Asian participation doesn't lead to much from this update, but there were no similar mentions for Africa...

 

[OwenM]

Ooh, interesting - I hadn't realised there were more entries initially.
I do wonder whether would have had round-robins with 16 teams (or quarter-finals if they did)

 

[Yokai Man]

Born out of the increased competitiveness of the Olympic tournaments, which had become increasingly dominated by the national sides of South America, and met disdain by much of the sports traditional European powers (most notably the conservative and insular FAs of the British Isles), the first World Cup is particularly noteworthy for the sheer number of participants it had from outside of Europe, a number never since bettered.

Hosted in Uruguay, with the final taking place at the Estadio Centenario, constructed to celebrate the hundredth year of the country’s independence, the inaugural tournament contained only four European sides, one from Africa, two from Asia and the remaining nine from the Americas, with only the United States representing the region’s Anglosphere.

As the tournament was invite only, this remains the only competition not to have any form of qualifying, with the teams divided into four groups of four, followed by quarter finals, semi-finals, the bronze medal match and the final itself, a format which would be adopted again and become the standard in the aftermath of the Second World War.

The teams

The sixteen teams, some enthused by the tournaments, others cajoled by their governments, included:

• Argentina
• Belgium
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Egypt
• France
• Japan
• Mexico
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Romania
• Siam
• United States
• Uruguay
• Yugoslavia

Despite much diplomatic manoeuvring, efforts to secure further European national sides fells on deaf ears, with many associations put off by the cost of travel in the midst of the Great Depression. The Copa Mundial would largely pass by unnoticed in the Old World, outside of the press of those countries who had bothered to attend.

Originally envisioned as a straight knockout tournament, and with invitations extended to all 28 member associations, the economic crisis in much of the world put a damper on interest in the tournament, with most of FIFA’s European members expressing reservation about the long journey as well as the time commitment for those internationals who were still amateur. The original deadline of February 16 1930 for entries was passed without a single European nation committing to take part, until direct intervention from FIFA General Secretary Jules Rimet (and in the case of Romania, King Carol II) saw the confirmed participation of four European sides. The four sides, and Egypt, as well as Rimet and other FIFA officials would travel on the same boat journey – apocryphal stories have been told of impromptu kickabouts amongst the teams on the long voyage.

In contrast, in the Americas, interest was widespread, with seven entries from South America, as well as the US and Mexico participating. Similarly, to Romania, both Japan and Siam were allowed to go following governmental intervention – this would mark the last time two Asian sides would participate until the 1980s.

Tournament summary

Group stages – Group 1

Group 1 saw France paired with three sides from the Americas in Argentina, Chile & Mexico, and saw the French comfortably win the opening game of the tournament[1] with a 5-2 victory over the Mexicans, two days after which they faced the much-fancied Argentines. In a game marred by suspect refereeing as well as injuries on both sides, Argentina eventually winning 2-1. France’s fixtures gave credence to the criticism that the tournament had been poorly scheduled – their game against Argentina being their second in forty-eight hours, while Chile were yet to play their first match (which they won 3-0 against Mexico the day after Argentina’s victory.)

France’s final match of the group stage was notable for seeing the first ever award of a penalty-kick in the tournament, which Carlos Vidal scored, eventually seeing the Chileans triumph 2-0. Argentina’s match against Mexico saw three penalties awarded, with Mexico’s Oscar Bonfiglio making the first penalty-save in the tournament’s history – Argentina nevertheless ran out 7-1 winners with a hat-trick from future national team manager Guillermo Stabile.

The decisive game of the group saw Argentina defeat their Andean neighbours Chile 2-1 in a bad-tempered match to top the group, setting themselves up for a quarter-final against the fancied Brazilians who had unexpectedly finished second to Yugoslavia.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	Argentina	3	3	0	0	11	2	+9	6
2​	Chile	3	2	0	1	6	2	+4	4
3​	France	3	1	0	2	6	6	0	2
4​	Mexico	3	0	0	3	3	15	-12	0

Results

July 13 – France 5-2 Mexico

July 15 – Argentina 2-1 France

July 16 – Chile 3-0 Mexico

July 19 – Chile 2-0 France

July 19- Argentina 7-1 Mexico

July 22 – Argentina 2-1 Chile

Group stages – Group 2

The second group contained Brazil, who were one of the favourites for the tournament, Yugoslavia, Bolivia, who going into the tournament had never previously won an international match and Africa’s sole representative Egypt, who had made the semi-finals in the 1928 Olympics.

Brazil, were expected to top the group but unexpectedly lost their opener 3-2 to Yugoslavia, and despite a comfortable victory over Bolivia, only managed to qualify for the knockout stage with a last-minute equaliser against Egypt. The Egyptians, acquitted themselves well in their three group games, and became the first African side to win a match at the finals – however a narrow defeat to Yugoslavia coupled with Brazil’s superior goal difference saw them exit the tournament at the first hurdle.

The Yugoslavs meanwhile comfortably qualified the knockout stages where they faced Chile, while Brazil would face neighbours Argentina.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	Yugoslavia	3	3	0	0	9	3	+6	6
2​	Brazil	3	1	1	1	7	4	+3	3
3​	Egypt	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	3
4​	Bolivia	3	0	0	3	0	9	-9	0

Results

July 14 – Yugoslavia 3-2 Brazil

July 15 – Bolivia 0-1 Egypt

July 17 – Yugoslavia 1-0 Egypt

July 18 – Brazil 4-0 Bolivia

July 20 – Egypt 1-1 Brazil

July 21 – Yugoslavia 4-0 Bolivia

Group stages – Group 3

Hosts Uruguay were placed in a group with Peru, Romania, and Siam. The opening match of this group saw the first ever player expulsion from the competition when Peruvian Placindo Galindo was sent off against Romania. The Romanians took advantage to win 4-2, including the fastest goal of the tournament; Adalbert Deșu opened the scoring after just 50 seconds.

Uruguay’s opening game saw them beat Siam 9-0 – their opponents playing in only their third ever international (having debuted against Indochina earlier that year) played well in the first half, going in at half-time only 2-0 down, before the Uruguayans greater experience told.

The hosts next game against Peru however was a much tighter affair with the game settled by one goal in the closing minutes of the second half, following an inspired display from Peruvian goalkeeper Jorge Pardon, and saw much criticism of the hosts in the local press. Uruguay closed out their tournament with a 5-1 victory over Romania[2] who finished second, with Peru finishing third after beating Siam 5-0.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	Uruguay (H)	3	3	0	0	15	1	+14	6
2​	Romania	3	2	0	1	9	7	+2	4
3​	Peru	3	1	0	2	7	5	+2	2
4​	Siam	3	0	0	3	0	18	-18[3]	0

Results

July 14 – Romania 4-2 Peru

July 18 – Uruguay 9-0 Siam

July 20 – Siam 0-4 Romania

July 21 – Uruguay 1-0 Peru

July 22 – Peru 5-0 Siam

July 23 – Uruguay 5-1 Romania

Group stages – Group 4

The final group comprised the United States, Belgium, Paraguay and Japan. The American team, comprised primarily of European immigrants (including two former Scottish professionals) were reputedly nicknamed the shot-putters in the French press due to their supposed rough style of play. They beat Belgium 2-1 in their opening game, a match which was marred by bad weather and a poor pitch, and saw the Belgians bemoan an offside winner from Bertrand Patenaude.[4]

Paraguay meanwhile began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Japan, who had warmed up for then tournament by winning the Far Eastern Championship. Paraguay’s second game saw them lose 3-0 to the US, while Belgium beat Japan 3-1. With the Americans already qualified, the match between the Belgians and Paraguay became a playoff to see who would join them, with Belgium eventually triumphing 1-0. Japan closed out their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to the Americans.

Pos​	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1​	United States	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	6
2​	Belgium	3	2	0	1	9	7	+2	4
3​	Paraguay	3	1	0	2	2	4	-2	2
4​	Japan	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0

Results

July 13 – United States 2-1 Belgium

July 14 – Japan 0-2 Paraguay

July 17 – United States 3-0 Paraguay

July 18 – Belgium 3-1 Japan

July 20 – Japan 0-2 United States

July 21 – Paraguay 0-1 Belgium

The Quarter-finals

The four group winners and runners-up advanced to the quarter finals, with the first match taking place only a day after the final game of the group stage. The first game saw Argentina beat their neighbours Brazil 3-1 in a game marred by crowd trouble and a mass brawl sparked by a bad tackle on Brazilian strike Preguinho by Argentine captain Luis Monti, who to add insult to Brazil’s injury, scored the third goal with a superb free-kick in the 85th minute.

They were joined in the semi-finals by Yugoslavia who thrashed Chile 7-1 in a lopsided game which was decided by half time, with the Chileans having lost two players to injury. The Yugoslavs, who had scored four goals by half-time, eased off somewhat in the second half, but Ivan Bek (who played professionally in France) scored a second half hat-trick with Guillermo Subiabre scoring a late consolation for Chile.

The third quarter final between Romania and the United States ended up a draw, with both sides scoring in the final minutes of each half to leave the score at 1-1. As a result, the match was decided in extra-time with the United States scoring through Patenaude to win 2-1.

The hosts Uruguay, came from behind to beat a spirited Belgium, who played most of the game with 10-men following an injury to their captain Pierre Brain. Jan Didens had opened the scoring for the Belgians, only for the wily Hector Scarone to equalise for the hosts. Nevertheless despite attacking in waves, Uruguay found it impossible to break through, with veteran keeper Jean de Bie having a blinder in the Belgian goal. An own-goal from Nik Hoydonckx would cruelly send the Belgians out, though they had impressed the Uruguayan public with their display and were invited to a reception with the Uruguayan president before their departure.

Results

July 24 – Argentina 3-1 Brazil

July 24 – Yugoslavia 7-1 Chile

July 25 – Romania 1-2 United States (aet)

July 25 – Uruguay 2-1 Belgium

WE WAS ROBBED

More seriously,this is great,glad to see this TL.

 

[morbidteaparty]

Ooh, interesting - I hadn't realised there were more entries initially.
I do wonder whether would have had round-robins with 16 teams (or quarter-finals if they did)

Apparently, it was originally going to be open to all FIFA members with 16 in the main finals as a straight knockout with a second division below if enough teams entered.

 

[Charles EP M.]

Love the recurring referee aggro

 

[Stateless]

Why is this thread completely full of my jam?

 

[Lemon flavoured]

Very interesting premise

 

[Pete U]

Very interested in where you take this - I'm always intrigued by the prospect of a different WC, rather than just different results

 

[morbidteaparty]

1934 – Italy

Host selection & qualification

In contrast to 1930, where a series of withdrawals handed Uruguay the selection as host of the inaugural tournament, it took several ballots for a host to win out. Eventually, decided on the basis of government funding, and a programme of investment in stadiums and infrastructure Italy defeated Sweden’s bid by twelve votes to four after five rounds of voting.[1]

The selection of Italy, saw the tournament move to Europe, sparking belief that the tournament would be held on a rotating basis between European nations and the Americas.[2] Nevertheless, the tournament unlike its predecessor, fielded entrants from the majority of FIFA’s membership, resulting in the first qualification process for the tournament (in contrast to the invitational process used four years earlier.)

The previous winners, Uruguay, piqued by European disinterest in their own tournament had originally refused to enter, but following their successful retention of their Olympic Crown in 1932 in Los Angeles[3] they were persuaded to enter, and along with Italy (as hosts qualified automatically.) As with 1930, the British FAs stayed aloof, viewing the tournament as a poor substitute for their own Home Championships. Unlike in 1930, when the continent had two representatives, lack of governmental interest and the cost of travel prohibited any entries from Asia, though Japan had initially entered but withdrew before the qualifying draw was made.

In total, 40 teams entered and were divided into groups based on geographical location, with Africa’s sole representative Egypt facing Palestine[4] and Turkey, while the European, North and South American sides faced each other in their respective geographic pairings.

The European section saw Sweden, Spain, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, the Netherlands and Germany qualify as group winners[5] with the nations that had finished second entering a second round of two groups to determine Europe’s final two qualifying berths.[6] France and Hungary eventually won out, claiming Europe’s final two places – with the exception of the French and Romanians, all European sides were tournament debutants.

In the Americas, with Uruguay qualifying automatically as holders, Brazil and Argentina comfortably topped their qualifying groups, while the Americans and Mexico easily qualified ahead of Cubans, Haitians and Dominicans, all of whom entered qualifying for the first time.

The final side to qualify were the Egyptians, Africa’s sole representative at the last tournament and the only side to represent a nation from outside of Europe or the Americas at the tournament, as no Asian sides had entered in contrast to 1930.

Participating nations

• Italy (Hosts)
• Uruguay (Holders)
• Argentina
• Austria (debut)
• Brazil
• Czechoslovakia (debut)
• Egypt
• France
• Germany (debut)
• Hungary (debut)
• Mexico
• Netherlands (debut)
• Romania
• Spain (debut)
• Sweden (debut
• United States

Format and venues



In contrast to the previous tournament, which had been staged entirely in one city and had a first-round group stage, 1934 saw the adaption of a straight knockout format as used at the Olympic tournament. In contrast to Uruguay, Italy’s tournament staged matches across eight cities including Milan, Bologna, Turin, Florence, Naples, Genoa, Trieste and Rome.



Tournament summary

First Round

The tournament began on June 2, 1934, with the hosts Italy defeating Mexico 6-0 in Rome in front of a capacity crowd, with only the stout goalkeeping of Óscar Bonfiglio keeping the score down.[7]

Brazil saw off Spain in the second match to make the quarter finals for the second successive tournament, though the game was marred by rough play between the two sides with Spain’s experienced goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora suffering an injury which restricted his ability to jump for high balls, eventually resulting in the Brazilians persevering 4-2, marking their first victory on European soil.[8]

Uruguay comfortably overcame France in their first-round match to set up a quarter final with Hungary who had seen off the Swedes after extra time. In the other matches, the Dutch overcame Egypt with a controversial winner[9], the Argentines knocked out Romania, while Germany defeated neighbours Austria[10], while Czechoslovakia saw off the United States.



Results (All matches played June 2, kick-off time 4pm local time.)



Italy 6-0 Mexico

Spain 2-4 Brazil

Uruguay 3-1 France

Hungary 2-1 Sweden (a.e.t)

Egypt 1-2 Netherlands

Argentina 4-1 Romania

Austria 1-2 Germany

Czechoslovakia 5-2 United States

Quarter Finals

The quarter finals saw much tighter contests than the opening round of matches, including the first ever replay between Germany and Czechoslovakia, which saw the Czechoslovaks narrowly win after Oldřich Nejedlý scored two first-half goals in the space of five minutes.

In the other games, Italy’s rough play[11] saw them overcome a spirted Brazil, who’s main goal threat Leônidas da Silva had to leave the field of play following a collision with Italian defender Umberto Caligaris, with a goal from Raimundo Orsi.[12] Holders Uruguay, played the best match of the round in their 2-1 victory over the Hungarians, with both sides playing fluid passing football, which was, if local reports to be believed, well received by the mostly local crowd, with Pedro Cea who had scored in the 1930 final scoring the winner in the 80th minute.

Uruguay’s neighbours Argentina overcame the Dutch with ease, as the South Americans whose squad contained several players from the side that had finished as runners up had to much quality for a young and largely amateur Dutch side, with Argentina’s victory sending them into the semi-finals and creating two European – South American match ups.

Results (all matches played June 6, kick-off time 4.30pm local time)

Italy 1-0 Brazil

Hungary 1-2 Uruguay

Argentina 3-0 Netherlands

Germany 2-2 Czechoslovakia

Replay, June 7 Germany 1-2 Czechoslovakia

Semi Finals

The first semi-final saw the hosts face off with the holders in a game that was much anticipated, though unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to expectations. An early goal from Orsi, coupled with strong defensive work from a well-organised Italian side saw the Uruguayans struggle to make any inroads. While Italy’s previous match against Brazil had been characterised by rough play, the hosts focused on strong defence and simple passes, frustrating their opponents naturally expansive game. The 1-0 win saw the Italians through to the final in Rome, which would be played in front of a capacity crowd and the great and the good of the Italian fascist regime.

In the other game, the Argentines, whose squad contained several players of Italian heritage, narrowly saw off the Czechoslovaks in a game that had more quality, with Argentina winning 2-0 to set up a final against the hosts.

Results (All matches played June 9, all kick-offs 4.30pm local time)

Italy 1-0 Uruguay

Czechoslovakia 0-1 Argentina

Bronze medal match

In the bronze medal match, played in Naples the day before the final, Czechoslovakia and Uruguay played out a five-goal thriller with both sides claiming and losing the lead, before Antonín Puč scored the winner for the Czechoslovaks in the 82nd minute. The game, played in front of 15,000 fans in Naples, saw both sides stick to their passing style and the match would so impress the watching Napoli management that offers were made to players from both sides, with Nejedlý eventually signing for the following season.[13]

Result (June 15, Naples, KO 4.30pm local time)

Uruguay 2-3 Czechoslovakia

Final

The final, played at the Stadio PNF in Rome, in front of Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, Foreign Minister Count Ciano, the Italian Crown Prince Umberto and the Argentine President Honorio Pueyrredón, saw Italy triumph 2-1 after extra time, a goal from Angelo Schiavio settling the match in the 95th minute.

The final was the first time either side had every played each other, though both sides contained players born in Argentina of Italian heritage, leading the local press to dub the game the “fraternal final.” Orsi, who had starred for Argentina at the 1928 Olympics before moving to Juventus opened the scoring, but Guillermo Stábile, who played for Genoa[14] quickly equalised, with the game petering out into a 1-1 draw by the final whistle. Schiavo’s late winner delivered the trophy for the Italians and was a significant victory for the government both on a sporting and propaganda level, with the squad’s image becoming intertwined with that of the state in the months subsequent to the victory.

For Argentina, this marked a second successive silver medal at the tournament, but was generally viewed as a success, with the players being well-received upon their return to Buenos Aires, a city where a substantial part of the population were pleased with the outcome of the final.

---

[1] In the bidding for 1930, Sweden had withdrawn in favour of Italy who in turn withdrew in favour of Uruguay.
[2] A belief which was to be proven mistaken.
[3] They defeated France 3-1 in the final.
[4] A side which was almost exclusively Jewish.
[5] All of whom except for Romania were making their World Cup debut.
[6] Group 1 consisted of Norway, Denmark, Hungary and Poland, while Group 2 consisted of Yugoslavia, France and Belgium. Both groups were hosted in France in Spring 1938.
[7] Bonfiglio was himself of Italian descent, one of several players from the nations of the Americas at the tournament.
[8] They had previously beaten France and Yugoslavia in friendlies in Rio de Janeiro in 1930.
[9] The Egyptians vociferously protesting that Johannes Smit was offside when he scored in the 89th minute to no avail, marking the second successive tournament the Arab side had been knocked out in the first round.
[10] In the best game of the first round, Austria’s Matthias Sindelar dominated proceedings, before 19 year old striker Edmund Conen making his debut for the Germans scored two quick second half goals to see the Germans through to the quarter finals.
[11] A physicality they would repeat in one of the most notorious inter-war England matches at the Battle of Highbury later in 1934 which nearly saw the World Champions become the first side from outside of the British Isles to win in England.
[12] One of several oriundi in the squad, Orsi had previously represented Argentina in the 1920s before moving to Juventus in 1928 and playing for the national side of his forebears.
[13] He would return to Sparta Prague after two seasons citing homesickness.
[14] Despite having moved overseas following the 1930 World Cup he was granted special dispensation to play for the national side, making his return for the qualifiers in 1933, though the 1934 final would prove his final game for Argentina.

 

[Lemon flavoured]

I'm kind of hoping they keep the straight knockout ITTL and end up with something like 128 teams by 2022. Although the first round games might be a bit lopsided at times...

 

[marktaha]

Say the system I favour-country wins the World Cup stages the next one.Straight knockout with no qualifying tournament -if even after extra time,play on until one side scores.

 

[morbidteaparty]

Say the system I favour-country wins the World Cup stages the next one.Straight knockout with no qualifying tournament -if even after extra time,play on until one side scores.

The Eurovision hosting concept?

 

[Stateless]

Why do you think Brazil and Argentina did better in this ATL 1934 World Cup than their OTL counterparts?

 

[OwenM]

Why do you think Brazil and Argentina did better in this ATL 1934 World Cup than their OTL counterparts?

Well Argentina keeping Stabile is presumably meany to be part of it for them, but Brazil idk

 

[OwenM]

So a 1932 Olympics tournament sees Uruguay win and because of that they go?
I can see it I guess

 

[Stateless]

Well Argentina keeping Stabile is presumably meany to be part of it for them, but Brazil idk

If this is (part?) of the reason @morbidteaparty, did other Argentinian players also remain in the Argentina team? Players like Attilio Demaría and Luis Monti who actually switched to playing for Italy, or the other members of the 1930 World Cup squad?

 

[morbidteaparty]

If this is (part?) of the reason @morbidteaparty, did other Argentinian players also remain in the Argentina team? Players like Attilio Demaría and Luis Monti who actually switched to playing for Italy, or the other members of the 1930 World Cup squad?

Yeah Argentina doesn't have the players dispute it did in the early 1930s which sees them take a professional squad - as well as retaining the services of some oriundi

So a 1932 Olympics tournament sees Uruguay win and because of that they go?
I can see it I guess

Yeah, the successive olympic triumphs coupled with the world cup win (and some domestic lobbying) sees them take part in the Italian tournament.

 

[marktaha]

The Eurovision hosting concept?

Something like that.