A bit of the history of the first World Cup
The year 1930, Uruguay. Three stadiums, one of them the Centennial, with an audience of 90,000 spectators. Only 13 participating teams. At that time, could anyone have imagined that in the future, the World Championship or “the World Cup,” as it is now called all over the planet and not only in Spanish-speaking countries, would become a sporting event (and also a cultural one)? Of such dimensions?
The sporting spectacle was held for the first time in 1930 in Uruguay when FIFA decided to organize an international men’s soccer tournament under the administration of its president Jules Rimet.
The final, held on July 30, 1930, between Uruguay and Argentina, went down in history. It is reported that more than 90,000 fans were present, including 20,000 Argentines. The stadium opened its doors six hours before the game, and it was completely full two hours before the opening whistle.
The game ended 4-2 in favor of the hosts of the World Cup.
Today the championship has a structure with a 32-team final tournament preceded by a two-year qualification process involving more than 200 national teams worldwide.
First goal in World Cup history
Lucien Laurent of France scored the first goal in World Cup history. Four days later, Bert Patenaude of the United States scored the first World Cup hat-trick in the Americans’ 3–0 win against Paraguay.
In the final, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in front of a crowd of 93,000 in Montevideo to become the first nation to win a World Cup.
Cancellations due to World War II
Germany officially applied to host the 1942 FIFA World Cup at the 23rd FIFA Congress on August 13, 1936, in Berlin. In June 1939, Brazil also applied to host the tournament. The start of World War II in September 1939 led to the cancellation of the 1942 World Cup before a host country had been selected.
Postwar years
Competitions resumed with the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, which was the first to include British participants. British teams withdrew from FIFA in 1920 due to an unwillingness to play against countries with which they had been at war and in protest against foreign influence on football. Still, they rejoined in 1946 after the FIFA invitation.
Some curiosities about Qatar, the host country of the 2022
– The form of government is an absolutist emirate, a type of monarchy characteristic of the Middle East.
– 85% of its population is not Qatari. It has a large immigrant population made up of Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, and Iranians, who were attracted by the generation of jobs from oil and gas.
– Qatar has no trees. In Doha, the capital, there are private gardens with some species, but being a city built in the desert, it is entirely normal for the landscape to be devoid of trees.
– The Qataris are the owners of Paris Saint Germain. And they pay Lionel Messi’s salary.
