World Cup history – The early years

Every four years the World Cup takes place and each passing World Cup seems to be bigger and better than the one before but they are far removed from the early World Cups. The first event took place in 1930 in an attempt to bring the soccer world closer together but few would have predicted what a success the event would become.

The honour of hosting the first ever World Cup was bestowed upon Uruguay, in recognition of the fact that they were Olympic soccer champions. They showed that their Olympic glory was no fluke and added the feat of being first ever World Cup champions to their gold medals. Italy then took the next two World Cups before the tournament was halted by the Second World War.

The landscape in Europe and relationships between rival nations had changed dramatically since the War but the World Cup was an opportunity to put national problems aside and concentrate on other matters. The 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil but the host nation and the footballing world was shocked when Uruguay triumphed 2-1 in the Maracana Stadium to top the group and win the World Cup.

This tournament was notable for being the only one which did not feature a one-off match as the final but coincidentally the four team group stage was decided by a clash between the top two. If the game ended in a tie, Brazil would have won the World Cup for the first time and the final score was a major shock for Brazil and their fanatical fans. Ever since 1950, Brazil have been attempting to right the wrongs of letting their home fans down but those present at the time still recall the sadness and anger that was felt in Brazil at the time.

This was the last time Uruguay made a large impression on the world soccer stage but their position was being filled by emerging soccer strength. Although the favourites for the 1954 World Cup were Hungary, a team of immense skill and talent, Germany provided a classic underdog performance to snatch a victory which sounded the death knell for one of the worlds most highly respected teams although controversy reigns about the final to this date. In Germany, the match has been christened The Miracle of Bern but doping rumours and extremely poor officiating benefiting the Germans played a strong influence on the outcome of the match and the Hungarians finished heartbroken. Germany were soon to become a regular fixture in the finals of the World Cup and in all the tournaments since 1954, one two have taken place which did not feature Brazil or Germany. The 1978 final between Argentina and Holland and the 2006 final between Italy and France being the occasions when either of the two powerhouses in World soccer failed to make the showpiece occasion.

With improved television coverage and players like Pele, Eusebio and Beckenbaur the stories of the World Cups since 1958 are widely known and most people are aware of what took place. The original World Cup tournaments may not have been captured in cinematic quality like the current tournaments but without these landmark triumphs and the emergence and disappearance of some major names in World soccer, the greatest sporting event in the world would be a vastly different place.