The first World Cups

The World Cup was first held in 1930 and has been held every four years since, with one gap caused by the Second World War. The first five tournaments — Uruguay 1930, Italy 1934, France 1938, Brazil 1950 and Switzerland 1954 — were the period in which FIFA's flagship competition found its shape. The format changed several times, the size of the field fluctuated, and the geographical reach shifted between South America and Europe.

By 1954, the basic features of the later World Cup were in place. The group-stage-followed-by-knockout structure had settled into something close to its familiar form, regional qualifying had become part of the tournament structure, and television coverage was beginning to reach beyond the host country. From 1958 onwards, the tournament grew more steadily into one of the major global sporting events of later decades.

FIFA approved the launch of the World Cup in 1928, and Uruguay was named tournament host in 1929. The choice was based on Uruguay's two Olympic football gold medals, in 1924 and 1928, and the fact that 1930 was the centenary of Uruguayan independence. The Uruguayan government agreed to build a new stadium — the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo — and to cover the travel and lodging costs of visiting teams.

Thirteen national teams took part. Seven were from South America, four from Europe and two from North America. The European turnout was small because the long sea journey to Uruguay deterred most European associations from sending teams; only France, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Romania travelled. Uruguay won the tournament by beating Argentina 4-2 in the final at the Estadio Centenario, in front of a crowd of around seventy thousand. The first World Cup was over within seventeen days from start to finish.

The 1942 and 1946 World Cups were not held. The Second World War interrupted international football across Europe and large parts of the rest of the world, and FIFA did not attempt to organise a tournament during the conflict or in its immediate aftermath. International football resumed slowly through the late 1940s, with friendly matches and qualifying tournaments rebuilding the calendar.

The 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil and was the first since the war. The format was unusual — the final stage was a four-team round-robin group rather than a knockout, so there was no formal "World Cup final" match. The British associations took part for the first time after rejoining FIFA in 1946. England's first World Cup included a 1-0 group-stage defeat to the United States in Belo Horizonte, one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's early history.

The 1950 tournament's final stage was a four-team round-robin between Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden and Spain. Going into the last match, between Uruguay and Brazil, Brazil only needed a draw to win the tournament. The match was played at the newly built Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, in front of a crowd estimated at around two hundred thousand — one of the largest recorded crowds for a football match.

Brazil took the lead through Friaça early in the second half. Uruguay equalised through Juan Schiaffino, and then won the match with a late goal from Alcides Ghiggia. The 2-1 result handed the World Cup to Uruguay and silenced one of the largest recorded crowds in football history. The match is known in South America as the Maracanazo — the Maracanã blow — and became the defining result of the World Cup's early years.

Switzerland hosted the 1954 World Cup. The tournament's most-discussed side was Hungary, the dominant national team of the early 1950s. Hungary had not lost a match since May 1950 and went into the tournament as overwhelming favourites. They beat West Germany 8-3 in the group stage, then beat Brazil 4-2 and Uruguay 4-2 in the knockout rounds to reach the final.

The final, in Bern on 4 July 1954, paired Hungary with West Germany again. Hungary went 2-0 ahead within eight minutes. West Germany levelled before half-time, then won the match 3-2 with a late goal from Helmut Rahn. The result, known in Germany as the Wunder von Bern — the Miracle of Bern — gave West Germany its first World Cup. Hungary's defeat ended its remarkable unbeaten run; the side never reached its previous heights again.

The early World Cups settled several questions that would last for the rest of the tournament's history. Sixteen teams in the finals, a four-yearly schedule, regional qualifying, and a host nation chosen years in advance all became standard. The format of group stage followed by knockout, after the experiment of the 1950 final-round group, took hold permanently from 1958 onwards.

The tournament's cultural place was also set. Each World Cup produced moments — Uruguay's 1930 win, the Maracanazo, the Miracle of Bern — that became reference points beyond football itself. By 1954 the World Cup was already the leading single sporting event in the football world, and television coverage from the 1950s onwards helped turn it into one of the world's major sporting events.