Campionato Mondiale di Calcio | |
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Tournament details | |
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Host country | ![]() |
Dates | 27 May – 10 June (14 days) |
Teams | 16 (from 4 confederations) |
Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
Final positions | |
Champions | ![]() |
Runner-up | ![]() |
Third place | ![]() |
Fourth place | ![]() |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 17 |
Goals scored | 70 (4.12 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | ![]() |
← 1930 1938 → |
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.
The 1934 World Cup was the first for which teams had to qualify to take part. Thirty-two nations entered the competition, and after qualification, 16 teams participated in the finals tournament. Reigning champions Uruguay did not enter. Italy became the second World Cup champions, beating Czechoslovakia 2–1 in the final.
Host selection[]
After a lengthy decision-making process in which FIFA's executive committee met eight times, Italy was chosen as the host nation at a meeting in Stockholm on 9 October 1932. The decision was taken by the executive committee without a ballot of members. The Italian bid was chosen in preference to one from Sweden; the Italian government assigned a budget of 3.5 million lire to the tournament.
Qualification and participants[]
- Main article:1934 FIFA World Cup qualification
32 countries applied to enter the tournament, so qualifying matches were required to thin the field to 16. Even so, there were several notable absentees. Reigning World Cup holders Uruguay declined to participate, in protest at the refusal of several European countries to travel to South America for the previous World Cup, which Uruguay had hosted in 1930. As a result, the 1934 World Cup is the only one in which the reigning champions did not participate. The British Home Nations, in a period of self-imposed exile from FIFA, also refused to participate. Football Association committee member Charles Sutcliffe's view was: "the national associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have quite enough to do in their own International Championship which seems to me a far better World Championship than the one to be staged in Rome".
Despite their role as hosts, Italy were still required to qualify, the first and only time the host nation was not granted automatic qualification. The qualifying matches were arranged on a geographical basis. Withdrawals by Chile and Peru meant Argentina and Brazil qualified without playing a single match.
Twelve of the 16 places were allocated to Europe, three to the Americas, and one to Africa or Asia (including Turkey). Only 10 of the 32 entrants, and four of the 16 qualified teams (Brazil, Argentina, United States and Egypt, the first African team to qualify for a World Cup finals tournament), were from outside Europe. The last place in the finals was contested between the United States and Mexico only three days before the start of the tournament in a one-off match in Rome, which the United States won.
The majority of the 16 teams were making their first World Cup appearance. These included nine of the 12 European teams (Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Austria, and Switzerland) together with Egypt. Egypt were the first team from Africa in the finals and would not qualify again until the next time the competition was held in Italy, in 1990.
Italy as hosts[]
Like the Berlin Olympics two years later, the 1934 World Cup was a high-profile instance of a sporting event being used for overt political gain. Benito Mussolini was keen to use the tournament as a means of promoting fascism.
Squads[]
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1934 FIFA World Cup squads.
Participants[]
Africa[]
Egypt • Squad
Europe[]
Austria • Squad
Belgium • Squad
Czechoslovakia • Squad
France • Squad
Germany • Squad
Hungary • Squad
Italy • Squad
Netherlands • Squad
Romania • Squad
Spain • Squad
Sweden • Squad
Switzerland • Squad
North and Central America[]
United States • Squad
South America[]
Results[]
First round | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
27 May – Rome | ||||||||||||||
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7 | |||||||||||||
31 May – Florence (replayed 1 June) | ||||||||||||||
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1 | |||||||||||||
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1 (1) | |||||||||||||
27 May – Genoa | ||||||||||||||
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1 (0) | |||||||||||||
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3 | |||||||||||||
3 June – Milan | ||||||||||||||
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1 | |||||||||||||
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1 | |||||||||||||
27 May – Turin | ||||||||||||||
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0 | |||||||||||||
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3 | |||||||||||||
31 May – Bologna | ||||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
27 May – Naples | ||||||||||||||
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1 | |||||||||||||
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4 | |||||||||||||
10 June – Rome | ||||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
27 May – Trieste | ||||||||||||||
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1 | |||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
31 May – Turin | ||||||||||||||
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1 | |||||||||||||
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3 | |||||||||||||
27 May – Milan | ||||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
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3 | |||||||||||||
3 June – Rome | ||||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
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3 | |||||||||||||
27 May – Florence | ||||||||||||||
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1 | Third place | ||||||||||||
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5 | |||||||||||||
31 May – Milan | 7 June – Naples | |||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
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2 | ![]() |
3 | |||||||||||
27 May – Bologna | ||||||||||||||
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1 | ![]() |
2 | |||||||||||
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3 | |||||||||||||
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2 | |||||||||||||
First round[]
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Spain ![]() |
3–1 | ![]() |
Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Alfred Birlem (Germany) |
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Iraragorri ![]() Lángara ![]() |
Report | Leônidas ![]() |
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Hungary ![]() |
4–2 | ![]() |
Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli, Naples Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy) |
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Teleki ![]() Toldi ![]() Vincze ![]() |
Report | Fawzi ![]() |
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Switzerland ![]() |
3–2 | ![]() |
Stadio San Siro, Milan Attendance: 33,000 Referee: Ivan Eklind (Sweden) |
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Kielholz ![]() Abegglen ![]() |
Report | Smit ![]() Vente ![]() |
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Italy ![]() |
7–1 | ![]() |
Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Rene Mercet (Switzerland) |
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Schiavio ![]() Orsi ![]() Ferrari ![]() Meazza ![]() |
Report | Donelli ![]() |
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Czechoslovakia ![]() |
2–1 | ![]() |
Stadio Littorio, Trieste Attendance: 9,000 Referee: John Langenus (Belgium) |
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Puč ![]() Nejedlý ![]() |
Report | Dobay ![]() |
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Sweden ![]() |
3–2 | ![]() |
Stadio Littoriale, Bologna Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Eugen Braun (Austria) |
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Jonasson ![]() Kroon ![]() |
Report | Belis ![]() Galateo ![]() |
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Austria ![]() |
3–2 (a.e.t.) |
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Stadio Benito Mussolini, Turin Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Johannes van Moorsel (Netherlands) |
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Sindelar ![]() Schall ![]() Bican ![]() |
Report | Nicolas ![]() Verriest ![]() |
27 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Germany ![]() |
5–2 | ![]() |
Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Francesco Mattea (Italy) |
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Kobierski ![]() Siffling ![]() Conen ![]() |
Report | Voorhoof ![]() |
Quarter-finals[]
31 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Austria ![]() |
2–1 | ![]() |
Stadio Littoriale, Bologna Attendance: 23,000 Referee: Francesco Mattea (Italy) |
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Horvath ![]() Zischek ![]() |
Report | Sárosi ![]() |
31 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Italy ![]() |
1–1 (a.e.t.) |
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Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Louis Baert (Belgium) |
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Ferrari ![]() |
Report | Regueiro ![]() |
31 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Germany ![]() |
2–1 | ![]() |
Stadio San Siro, Milan Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy) |
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Hohmann ![]() |
Report | Dunker ![]() |
31 May 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Czechoslovakia ![]() |
3–2 | ![]() |
Stadio Benito Mussolini, Turin Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Alois Beranek (Austria) |
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Svoboda ![]() Sobotka ![]() Nejedlý ![]() |
Report | Kielholz ![]() Jäggi ![]() |
- Replay
1 June 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Italy ![]() |
1–0 | ![]() |
Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence Attendance: 43,000 Referee: Rene Mercet (Switzerland) |
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Meazza ![]() |
Report |
Semi-finals[]
3 June 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Italy ![]() |
1–0 | ![]() |
Stadio San Siro, Milan Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Ivan Eklind (Sweden) |
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Guaita ![]() |
Report |
3 June 1934 16:30 (CEST) |
Czechoslovakia ![]() |
3–1 | ![]() |
Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy) |
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Nejedlý ![]() |
Report | Noack ![]() |
Third-place match[]
7 June 1934 18:00 (CEST) |
Germany ![]() |
3–2 | ![]() |
Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli, Naples Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Albino Carraro (Italy) |
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Lehner ![]() Conen ![]() |
Report | Horvath ![]() Sesta ![]() |
Final[]
- Main article:1934 FIFA World Cup Final
10 June 1934 17:30 (CEST) |
Italy ![]() |
2–1 (a.e.t.) |
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Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome Attendance: 55,000 Referee: Ivan Eklind (Sweden) |
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Orsi ![]() Schiavio ![]() |
Report | Puč ![]() |
Goalscorers[]
With five goals, Oldřich Nejedlý is the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 70 goals were scored by 45 different players, with none of them credited as own goal.
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- 2 goals
- 1 goal
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FIFA retrospective ranking[]
In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition. The rankings for the 1934 tournament were as follows:
R | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts. | |
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1 | ![]() |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 7 | |
2 | ![]() |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 6 | |
3 | ![]() |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 6 | |
4 | ![]() |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | |
Eliminated in the quarter-finals | ||||||||||
5 | ![]() |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | |
6 | ![]() |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 2 | |
7 | ![]() |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | |
8 | ![]() |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
Eliminated in the round of 16 | ||||||||||
9 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0 | |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0 | ||
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0 | ||
12 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | |
13 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 | |
14 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | |
15 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 | |
16 | ![]() |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
External links[]
- FIFA page for Italy 1934
- Details at RSSSF; note that they often disagree with FIFA on goal scorers and times
- History of the World Cup-1934
1934 FIFA World Cup stadiums |
Stadio Littoriale (Bologna) · Stadio Giovanni Berta (Florence) · Stadio Luigi Ferraris (Genoa) · Stadio San Siro (Milan) · Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli (Naples) · Stadio Nazionale PNF (Rome) · Stadio Littorio (Trieste) · Stadio Benito Mussolini (Turin) |
International football | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIFA · World Cup · Confederations Cup · U-20 World Cup · U-17 World Cup · Minor tournaments · World Rankings · Player of the Year · Teams · Competitions · Federations · Codes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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