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1934 FIFA World Cup

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A colorful map showing the results of the 1934 FIFA World Cup, with countries shaded to indicate their tournament placements and stages.

The 1934 FIFA World Cup

The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second big soccer tournament called the FIFA World Cup. It took place in Italy from May 27 to June 10, 1934. This was the first time teams had to qualify to join the World Cup. Thirty-two countries tried, but only sixteen teams played.

The winners from the last World Cup, Uruguay, did not play because not many European teams had joined their tournament before. In the final game, Italy won against Czechoslovakia with a score of 2–1. This made Italy the first European team to win the World Cup.

Many fans traveled from other countries to watch the games. About 7,000 fans came from the Netherlands. Around 10,000 fans each came from Austria and Switzerland. This was more fans from other countries than any football tournament before.

The tournament used a straight knockout format. If a game ended in a tie after ninety minutes, teams played thirty more minutes of extra time. If it was still tied after that, the match was replayed the next day.

Italy won strongly, beating the United States 7–1 in the first round. In the final, Italy came back to win the World Cup at the Stadium of the National Fascist Party in Rome. Oldřich Nejedlý from Czechoslovakia scored the most goals in the tournament, with five. In total, 45 players scored 70 goals.

The 1934 FIFA World Cup was special because all the teams that reached the last eight were from Europe. It was a happy time for soccer fans all over the world.

Images

Football legends from the 1934 World Cup, including Italy's coach Vittorio Pozzo giving directions to his players before the match against Czechoslovakia.
A view inside San Siro stadium from 1934, showing its early architecture and seating arrangement.
An old football stadium in Naples, Italy, that was used for important matches and World Cup games before it was destroyed during World War II.
Historic view of Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa from the 1920s.
An old football stadium in Bologna, Italy.
A historic stadium in Rome before an important soccer match in 1934.
A historic stadium in Florence, Italy, built in the 1930s.
Historic football stadium from the 1934 World Cup in Trieste, Italy.

Related articles

Netherlands
Austria
Switzerland
United States men's national soccer team
Rome

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on 1934 FIFA World Cup, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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