1938 FIFA World Cup

The Story of the 1938 World Cup

The 1938 World Cup in France holds a particular poignancy for anyone who appreciates football’s place in the wider world. Played on the edge of catastrophe, with Europe sliding towards war, this tournament was the last the game would see for twelve years. For Australian fans whose grandparents might have followed the news from afar, France 1938 is a reminder that international football has always been shaped by forces far bigger than the sport itself. Italy defended their title successfully, becoming the first and still only nation to win back-to-back World Cups, but within fifteen months the world would be at war.

Australia did not participate in the 1938 World Cup. The tournament remained a predominantly European and South American affair, and Australian football was not yet part of the global conversation. However, the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) became the first Asian team to compete at a World Cup, a milestone for the broader region.

The Road to France

The selection of France as host nation occurred at the FIFA Congress in Berlin on August 13-14, 1936, against the politically charged backdrop of the Nazi Olympics. France emerged victorious in the first round of voting with 19 votes, compared to three for Argentina and one for Germany. The decision reflected practical realities: Argentina presented logistical nightmares for European-dominated FIFA, while Germany, as evidenced by the heavily politicised 1936 Olympics, promised to transform the tournament into propaganda theatre.

France represented an ideal compromise. It was the homeland of Jules Rimet, the visionary FIFA President who had created the World Cup. The country possessed modern stadiums already distributed across its territory, and its democratic government offered a contrast to the authoritarian regimes that had hosted the previous two editions. The French organising committee prepared ten venues across the nation, from Paris to Marseille, Bordeaux to Strasbourg.

Argentina’s reaction to the hosting decision proved dramatic. Having assumed the World Cup would alternate between Europe and South America after Uruguay 1930 and Italy 1934, the Argentine Football Association felt betrayed by FIFA’s European bias. When their hopes were dashed, riots erupted outside AFA offices in Buenos Aires. Argentina initially submitted a late bid that was accepted, only to definitively withdraw due to internal disagreements between the national federation and local clubs. Uruguay, still nursing grievances from Europe’s poor representation at their 1930 tournament, joined Argentina in boycotting the competition.

The geopolitical situation in Europe directly shaped the tournament’s composition. On March 12, 1938, just months before kickoff, Nazi Germany completed the Anschluss, annexing Austria and absorbing it into the Third Reich. Austria had already qualified for the World Cup and possessed considerable footballing talent, but the nation now ceased to exist as an independent entity. Austrian players were absorbed into the German squad, though this forced marriage created more problems than solutions. Five Austrian players featured for Germany, but coach Sepp Herberger later blamed their “defeatist attitude” for Germany’s surprising elimination.

Sweden received a bye into the quarter-finals following Austria’s withdrawal, one of several administrative adjustments required by the chaotic political landscape. The tournament ultimately featured fifteen teams rather than the planned sixteen, with the knockout format ensuring that a single defeat meant immediate elimination.

This tournament introduced several lasting innovations. For the first time, player numbers appeared on shirts, enhancing spectator identification. It also established the precedent that both the host nation (France) and the defending champions (Italy) received automatic qualification, a tradition that would continue until 2002.

The Tournament Unfolds

The opening round on June 4-5, 1938, delivered immediate drama and established the tournament’s reputation for attacking, goal-laden football. Eighty-four goals would be scored across eighteen matches, averaging 4.67 per game, the highest rate in World Cup history until 1954.

The match that would define the tournament’s character came in Strasbourg, where Brazil faced Poland in conditions that would produce World Cup legend. Heavy rain had transformed the pitch into a quagmire, and Brazilian star Leonidas da Silva, the “Rubber Man” who had perfected the bicycle kick, attempted to remove his boots to play barefooted. The referee immediately ordered him to replace his footwear, but what followed was footballing brilliance regardless.

Brazil and Poland produced an eleven-goal thriller that remains one of the greatest matches in World Cup history. Poland’s Ernst Wilimowski became the first player to score four goals in a single World Cup match, yet still finished on the losing side. Wilimowski’s achievement would not be bettered for 56 years, until Oleg Salenko scored five against Cameroon in 1994. Leonidas matched him with four goals of his own, including one struck without his right boot after it had torn off in the mud. Under modern rules, the barefoot goal would have been disallowed, but the referee, perhaps unable to distinguish boot from black sock in the swampy conditions, allowed it to stand. Brazil prevailed 6-5 after extra time.

Elsewhere, defending champions Italy began their title defence with a 2-1 victory over Norway in Marseille, Silvio Piola scoring the winning goal. The hosts France defeated Belgium 3-1 in Paris before a jubilant home crowd. Switzerland and Germany played out a 1-1 draw in Paris, requiring a replay that would produce the tournament’s greatest shock.

The Swiss replay victory over Germany ranks among the most significant upsets in early World Cup history. The heavily reinforced German squad, bolstered by Austrian talent, had led 2-0 but collapsed to lose 4-2. Coach Herberger attributed the defeat to internal divisions between German and Austrian players, a microcosm of the political tensions that had forced their union.

Cuba provided the tournament’s most unexpected narratives. Having qualified only because other Latin American nations withdrew, the Caribbean island nation forced a replay against Romania before prevailing 2-1. Goalkeeper Juan Ayra delivered an exceptional performance, and goals from Hector Socorro and Carlos Oliveira carried Cuba into the quarter-finals, where reality intervened. Sweden demolished the exhausted Cubans 8-0, the most lopsided result in World Cup history to that point.

The Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) made history as the first Asian team to participate in a World Cup, though their journey ended quickly. Hungary crushed them 6-0 in Reims, with the Indonesians conceding their first goal after just thirteen minutes. Defender Tjaak Pattiwael later reflected philosophically: “It doesn’t matter what happened. I defended Indonesia.” He even had a goal ruled out for offside, denying Asia its first World Cup goal.

The quarter-finals produced another classic as Brazil and Czechoslovakia, the 1934 finalists, battled to a 1-1 draw requiring a replay. The brutal encounter left both teams depleted, and Brazil prevailed 2-1 in the second match. Italy eliminated host nation France 3-1 in Paris, silencing the home crowd. Hungary continued their impressive march with a 2-0 victory over Switzerland.

Defining Moments

The semi-finals brought controversy that would echo through Brazilian football history. Facing Italy in Marseille on June 16, Brazil made a decision that ranks among the greatest blunders in World Cup lore. Coach Ademar Pimenta, convinced that victory was assured and that his team needed fresh legs for the final, rested star striker Leonidas. Various explanations have been offered: some claim Pimenta openly stated he was “saving Leonidas for the final,” displaying catastrophic overconfidence. Others suggest Leonidas was genuinely injured after three matches in six days. More conspiratorial theories propose that Mussolini himself pressured the Brazilian coach to bench his best player.

Whatever the truth, the decision backfired spectacularly. Italy scored twice in five minutes early in the second half, with Gino Colaussi opening the scoring and Giuseppe Meazza converting a penalty. Meazza’s spot-kick provided one of football’s most memorable images: as he prepared to shoot, the elastic in his shorts snapped, causing them to fall around his waist. Undeterred, Meazza held up his shorts with one hand and calmly converted the penalty while Brazilian goalkeeper Walter stood laughing. The “shorts incident” has been recounted for generations, though it overshadows Italy’s clinical performance. Brazil pulled one back but could not find an equaliser, losing 2-1.

Pimenta restored Leonidas for the third-place playoff against Sweden, and the star striker scored twice in a 4-2 victory, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with seven goals. The Golden Boot could not compensate for what might have been.

The final on June 19, 1938, brought Italy and Hungary together at the Stade Olympique de Colombes in Paris before 45,000 spectators. Italy, seeking to become the first nation to win consecutive World Cups, faced a Hungarian side that had scored fifteen goals in three matches.

Gino Colaussi opened the scoring after just six minutes, but Hungary’s Pal Titkos equalised two minutes later, signalling an open contest. Silvio Piola restored Italy’s lead in the sixteenth minute, and Colaussi added a second before halftime to make it 3-1. Gyorgy Sarosi reduced the deficit in the seventieth minute, but Piola sealed Italy’s triumph with a fourth goal in the eighty-second minute.

The 4-2 victory crowned Italy as back-to-back world champions, a feat that remains unique in men’s football history. Coach Vittorio Pozzo became and remains the only manager to win two World Cup titles. The Italian players saluted the stands, though this time the fascist symbolism carried less weight on foreign soil.

What no one in Paris could have known was that this would be the last World Cup for twelve years. Within fifteen months, Germany would invade Poland, triggering World War II. The 1942 and 1946 World Cups would be cancelled, leaving Italy as reigning champions for an unprecedented sixteen years, from 1934 to 1950. Many of the players who competed in France would never play international football again; some would not survive the war.

Top Scorers - Golden Boot Race

Tournament Awards

• Golden Boot: Leonidas (Brazil) - 7 goals
• Silver Boot: Silvio Piola (Italy) - 5 goals
• Silver Boot: Gyorgy Sarosi (Hungary) - 5 goals
• Silver Boot: Gyula Zsengeller (Hungary) - 5 goals

Did You Know?

• Emile Veinante (France) and Arne Nyberg (Sweden) both scored in the 1st minute of their respective matches.
• Ernst Wilimowski scored 4 goals for Poland against Brazil but still finished on the losing side in a 6-5 defeat.
• Leonidas scored a goal without his right boot after it tore off in the muddy pitch against Poland.
• Giuseppe Meazza’s shorts fell down as he took a penalty in the semi-final against Brazil, but he scored while holding them up.
• Cuba became the first Caribbean nation to win a World Cup match, defeating Romania 2-1 in a replay.
• Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) was the first Asian team to participate in a World Cup.
• Austria withdrew after qualifying due to the Nazi Anschluss, with some players joining the German squad.
• This was the last World Cup until 1950 due to World War II.
• Italy remains the only men’s team to win back-to-back World Cups.
• Coach Vittorio Pozzo is the only manager to win two World Cup titles.

Complete Match Results

Round of 16

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Third-Place Match

Final

Related Content

• 1934 World Cup - Previous tournament
• 1950 World Cup - Next tournament (after WWII hiatus)