1950 FIFA World Cup qualification

1950 FIFA World Cup Qualification
Tournament details
Teams 36 (from 3 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played 27
Goals scored 130 (4.81 per match)

A total of 34 teams entered the qualification rounds of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Brazil, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.

The remaining 32 teams were divided into 10 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:

However, due to the withdrawals of India, Scotland and Turkey after qualifying, only 13 teams actually competed in the final tournament.

A total of 19 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 27 qualifying matches were played, and 130 goals were scored (an average of 4.81 per match).

Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.

Groups

The 10 groups had different rules, as follows:

Group 1

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  England 3300143+116
2  Scotland 3201103+74
3=  Wales 301216−51
3=  Ireland (IFA) 3012417−131





England qualified. Scotland also qualified, but declined to travel.

Group 2

First round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Turkey 110070+72
2  Syria 100107−70

Syria withdrew, and remaining match was not played.

Turkey advanced to the Final Round.

Final round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Turkey qualified, later withdrew
 Austria withdrew

Austria withdrew, so Turkey qualified automatically. But Turkey later also withdrew, and FIFA offered the place to Portugal, the runner-up of Group 6, but they declined. FIFA decided not to allow anyone else to qualify, leaving the World Cup two teams short.

Group 3

First round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Yugoslavia 2200112+94
2  Israel 2002211−90

Yugoslavia advanced to the Final Round.

Final round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1=  France 20202202
1=  Yugoslavia 20202202

France 2–2 Yugoslavia on aggregate, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

Yugoslavia qualified while France were also offered a place by FIFA. France initially accepted, but later declined.

Group 4

First round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1   Switzerland 220084+44
2  Luxembourg 200248−40

Switzerland advanced to the Final Round.

Final round

Belgium withdrew, so Switzerland qualified automatically.

Group 5

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Sweden 3300143+116
2  Ireland (FAI) 411267−13
3  Finland 3012212−101




Sweden qualified. Finland withdrew before the group was completed. Ireland (FAI) were subsequently invited to enter competition but declined the opportunity because of traveling costs.[1]

Group 6

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Spain 211073+43
2  Portugal 201137−41

Spain qualified. Portugal were also invited to take part but they declined.

Group 7

Argentina withdrew, so Bolivia and Chile qualified automatically.

Group 8

Ecuador and Peru withdrew, so Uruguay and Paraguay qualified automatically..

Group 9

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Mexico 4400172+158
2  United States 4112815−73
3  Cuba 4013311−81





Mexico and the United States qualified.

Group 10

Burma, Indonesia and the Philippines all withdrew before the draw, so India qualified automatically. But India later also withdrew "because of the expense of travelling such a long way to play"[2] (or, according to some reports, after a FIFA ruling that players were not allowed to play barefoot[3]), and FIFA decided not to invite anyone else, leaving the World Cup three teams short.

However, another opinion about this was reported in an article of The Los Angeles Times in 2011. AIFF (the All India Football Federation) could not send their team from South Asia to South America due to financial problems, and wanted to concentrate its resources to attend the Olympics, which was regarded as more important.[4]

Qualified teams

FIFA World Cup qualification 1950
Participating countries after 3 of the 16 qualifying countries withdrew.
Team Finals appearance Streak Last appearance
 Bolivia 2nd11930
 Brazil (H) 4th41938
 Chile 2nd11930
 England 1st1
 India 1st1
 Italy (c) 3rd31938
 Mexico 2nd11930
 Paraguay 2nd11930
 Spain 2nd11934
 Scotland 1st1
 Sweden 3rd31938
  Switzerland 3rd31938
 Turkey 1st1
 United States 3rd11934
 Uruguay 2nd11930
 Yugoslavia 2nd11930

Notes

References

  1. Invitation to World Cup turned down www.independent.ie, February 22, 2004
  2. "World Cup: US v England match recalls 1950 upset", BBC, June 2, 2010
  3. "Did India withdraw from the 1950 World Cup because they were not allowed to play barefoot?", LA times, July 19, 2011, now in web archives.
  4. Ryan, Sean (1997). The Boys in Green: the FAI international story. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1-85158-939-2. pp. 50.

External links

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