In short
On July 13, 1930, Uruguay hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup, a 13-team tournament that invented the modern sporting event we know today. The competition legitimized international football as a mass spectacle and established a four-year cycle that has persisted for nearly a century. What began as an experiment in Montevideo became the template for global sport.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is the FIFA World Cup for association football, which dates back to 1930. Since then there have been a number of sporting events labeled "world cup", such as the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the Rugby World Cup, Rugby League World Cup, Basketball World Cup, and the Hockey World Cup.
As it was happening
11 voices, 795 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
FIFA selects Uruguay as host
FIFA's Congress votes to award the inaugural World Cup to Uruguay, chosen partly to commemorate the centennial of the country's constitution.
Voices from this moment (4)
FIFA official statement, July 1930
Jul 10
“This competition will unite the football world and prove…”
Synthesized from period accounts - FA correspondence, June 1930
Jun 15
“The notion of a 'world' championship is premature.”
El Día (Montevideo), July 1930
Jul 12
“ES: 'Uruguay ha ganado la Copa América dos veces; ahora…”
FIFA selects Uruguay as host
May 28
“FIFA's Congress votes to award the inaugural World Cup to…”
As it was happening
11 voices, 795 days.
Day 0 · May 28, 1928
FIFA selects Uruguay as host
FIFA's Congress votes to award the inaugural World Cup to Uruguay, chosen partly to commemorate the centennial of the country's constitution.
“This competition will unite the football world and prove…”
- FIFA official statement, July 1930, Jul 10
“The notion of a 'world' championship is premature.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - FA correspondence, June 1930, Jun 15
“ES: 'Uruguay ha ganado la Copa América dos veces; ahora…”
- El Día (Montevideo), July 1930, Jul 12
“FIFA's Congress votes to award the inaugural World Cup to…”
- FIFA selects Uruguay as host, May 28
Day 776 · July 13, 1930
Tournament opens
The first FIFA World Cup begins with matches in Montevideo. Belgium defeats USA 3–0; France defeats Mexico 4–1.
“The first FIFA World Cup begins with matches in Montevideo.”
- Tournament opens, Jul 13
“ES: 'Este torneo demuestra que el fútbol americano puede…”
- La Nación (Buenos Aires), July 1930, Jul 13
Day 777 · July 14, 1930
First World Cup goals recorded
Lucien Laurent of France scores the first-ever World Cup goal in France's 4–1 victory over Mexico.
“The standard will be uneven - some nations are decades…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Chapman interviews, July 1930, Jul 14
“Lucien Laurent of France scores the first-ever World Cup…”
- First World Cup goals recorded, Jul 14
Day 778 · July 15, 1930
Group stage continues
Romania and Yugoslavia advance from their group; Brazil draws with Yugoslavia 1–1.
“Romania and Yugoslavia advance from their group; Brazil…”
- Group stage continues, Jul 15
Day 793 · July 30, 1930
Final match played
Uruguay defeats Argentina 4–2 in front of 93,000 spectators at Estadio Centenario to claim the first World Cup title.
“Uruguay defeats Argentina 4–2 in front of 93,000 spectators…”
- Final match played, Jul 30
Day 795 · August 1, 1930
Tournament ends
Uruguay is crowned world champion; the victory becomes a defining moment in Uruguayan national identity and sports history globally.
“Uruguay is crowned world champion; the victory becomes a…”
- Tournament ends, Aug 1
The numbers.
3 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Teams competing
0 nations
Total matches played
0
Total goals scored
0
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.World cup
en.wikipedia.org