FIFA WORLD CUP

On 26 May 1928 in Amsterdam, the FIFA congress voted that a new tournament was to be organised in 1930 which was to be open to all member nations. On 18 May 1929, the Barcelona congress voted that Uruguay should be the first nation to host a FIFA World Cup.
Two months before the tournament was due to commence not a single European country had entered the competition. Thanks to Rimet's personal efforts, at least four delegations, Belgium, France, Yugoslavia and Romania, set sail on 21 June 1930 from Villefranche-Sur-Mer with the liner "Conte Verde" reaching Rio de Janeiro on 29 June, where they picked up the Brazilian squad and arrived in Montevideo on 4 July.
A tremendous sporting success.

The first FIFA World Cup only attracted 13 nations, including four Europeans, eight from South America and a representative team from the United States. On the field of play however, the quality of football produced was of the highest standard. And whilst the public had expected to see a South American domination, the four teams from Europe did more than hold their own as typified by the French team, beating Mexico 4 - 1 and going down narrowly to Argentina 1 - 0 in an epic struggle. The referee, who had blown the final whistle six minutes early, finally - after fierce protests - recalled the players to the field, some of whom were already in the shower!
First final, first legend.

A few days later in the colossal Centenario stadium (100,000 capacity), the atmosphere was electric as spectators were awaiting the South American final between Uruguay and Argentina. At half-time, Uruguay were down 2-1, but fought back bravely and put three second half goals passed the stunned Argentinans, ending the game with a 4-2 victory. The FIFA President Jules Rimet presented the " Victoire aux Ailes d'Or " trophy, a statuette 30cm high, made of gold and weighing 4 kg, to the Uruguayan captain José Nazassi. Celebrations in Montevideo went on for several days and nights and the day after the famous victory, the 31 July, was proclaimed a national holiday. The ball had begun to roll for football's most prestigious prize and the universal nature of the game had been officially proclaimed!