FIFA World Cup 1930
The inaugural World Cup competition was hosted by Uruguay, the reigning Olympic champions. The bid from the Uruguayan Football Association included a commitment to build a new stadium as a centrepiece and reimburse participants' expenses: the tournament would coincide with the centenary of Uruguay's independence.
All FIFA affiliates and the UK home nations (who were not FIFA members) were invited to enter and although seven South American nations and the United States agreed to send teams, no European entries were received when the deadline passed in February 1930. FIFA's president intervened and pulled some political strings to secure the participation of France, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Romania (the last thanks to the intervention of the newly crowned King Carol II).
All matches were staged in Montevideo but the showpiece Estadio Centenario was not ready when the tournament started. With a capacity of 90,000, this was the largest football stadium outside the UK. The thirteen participating teams were divided into four groups, the winners of each entering the final knock-out stage.
I am grateful to Glen Isherwood for sharing his research into the colours worn in these finals.
A detailed history of the 1930 World Cup finals is available on Soccer Nostalgia.
Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Knock Out Stages