1950 FIFA World Cup qualification
Football tournament
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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.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 June 1949 – 15 April 1950 |
| Teams | 34 (from 3 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 121 (4.65 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Jack Rowley Horacio Casarín Luis de la Fuente Željko Čajkovski (4 goals each) |
← 1938 1954 → | |
The remaining 32 teams were divided into 10 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:
- Groups 1 to 6 – Europe and the Near East: 7 places, contested by 18 teams (including Israel and Syria).
- Groups 7 to 9 – The Americas: 6 places, contested by 10 teams.
- Group 10 – Asia: 1 place, contested by 4 teams.
Of the 14 qualified teams, 5 did not play any qualifying games because their opponents withdrew.
However, after 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 26 qualifying matches were played, and 121 goals were scored (an average of 4.65 per match).
Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.
Groups
The 10 groups had different rules, as follows:
- Group 1 had 4 teams. The teams played against each other once, either home or away. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
- Groups 2, 3 and 4 had 3 teams each. The strongest team of each group was seeded. There would be two rounds of play:
- First Round: The seeded team received a bye and advanced to the final round directly. The 2 unseeded teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the final round.
- Final Round: The seeded team played against the winner of the First Round on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
- Group 5 had 3 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.
- Group 6 had 2 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.
- Group 7 had 3 teams. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
- Group 8 had 4 teams. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
- Group 9 had 3 teams. The teams played against each other twice. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
- Group 10 had 4 teams. The group winner would qualify.
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England (C) |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 6 | Qualification for 1950 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 |  Scotland |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Wales |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | |
| 4 |  Ireland (IFA) |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 17 | −13 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) points. The points system worked as follows: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
(C) Champions
| Wales | 0–0 | Ireland (IFA) |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
England qualified. Scotland also qualified, but declined to participate.
Group 2
First round
Syria withdrew after the first match, and the remaining match was not played.
Turkey advanced to the Final Round.
Final round
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.[1]
Group 3
First round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yugoslavia |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 4 |
| 2 |  Israel |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0 |
| Yugoslavia | 6–0 | Israel |
|---|---|---|
Pajević  12', 19', 26'Senčar 44'Že. Čajkovski 63'Bobek 83' (pen.) |
Report |
| Israel | 2–5 | Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
| Glazer 65', 76' |
Report | Valok 19', 64' Bobek 20'Zl. Čajkovski 41'Že. Čajkovski 82' |
Yugoslavia advanced to the Final Round.
Final round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | Yugoslavia |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Yugoslavia | 1–1 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Že. Čajkovski 36' |
Report | Baillot 55' |
| France | 1–1 | Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
| Baillot 8' |
Report | Bobek 44' |
France 2–2 Yugoslavia on aggregate, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.
| Yugoslavia | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | France |
|---|---|---|
| Mihajlović 12', 84' (pen.) Že. Čajkovski 114' |
Report | Walter 13' Luciano 83' |
Yugoslavia qualified while France were also offered a place by FIFA. France initially accepted, but later declined.
Group 4
First round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Switzerland |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 4 |
| 2 |  Luxembourg |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 5–2 | Luxembourg |
|---|---|---|
| Maillard 20' Fatton 30', 41'Ballaman 48'Antenen 59' |
Report | Wagner 3' Reuter 88' |
| Luxembourg | 2–3 | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| Muller 3' Kremer 38' |
Report | Maillard 1' Friedländer 59'Fatton 75' |
Switzerland advanced to the Final Round.
Final round
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Switzerland |
0 | 0 | Qualified |
| — |  Belgium |
0 | 0 | Withdrew |
Belgium withdrew, so Switzerland qualified automatically.
Group 5
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sweden |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 4 |
| 2 |  Ireland (FAI) |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 |
| 3 |  Finland |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
| Finland | 1–1 | Ireland (FAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Vaihela 89' |
Report | Farrell 65' |
Sweden qualified. Finland withdrew before the group was completed. Ireland (FAI) were subsequently invited to enter competition but declined the opportunity because of travelling costs.[2]
Sweden beat Finland 8–1 on 2 October 1949 in Malmö.[3] However, FIFA's website does not include this match in the list of matches or in the group standings.[4] RSSSF's website lists the match with the note "Sweden played B-team", and does not provide group standings.[5]
Group 6
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 3 | Qualification for 1950 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 |  Portugal |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
Spain qualified. Portugal were also invited to take part but they declined.
Group 7
Argentina withdrew, so Bolivia and Chile qualified automatically.[6]
Group 8
Ecuador and Peru withdrew, so Uruguay and Paraguay qualified automatically.[7]
Group 9
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | +15 | 8 |
| 2 |  United States |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 3 |
| 3 |  Cuba |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 1 |
| United States | 0–6 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Flores 20' Luna 30'de la Fuente 37', 55', 58'Septién 85' |
| Cuba | 1–1 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Gómez 28' |
Report | Wallace 23' |
| Mexico | 6–2 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Ortiz 14' Casarín 23', 41', 76'de la Fuente 47'Ochoa 89' |
Report | Souza 52' Wattman 90' |
Mexico and the United States qualified.
Group 10
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India |
0 | 0 | Qualified |
| 3 |  Burma |
0 | 0 | Withdrew |
| 3 |  Indonesia |
0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Philippines |
0 | 0 |
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,"[8] and the AIFF wanted to concentrate on the 1952 Olympics.[9] Although according to some reports, it was caused by a FIFA ruling that players were not allowed to play barefoot.[10] FIFA decided not to invite anyone else, leaving the World Cup three teams short.
Qualified teams
| Team | Finals appearance | Streak | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bolivia |
2nd | 1 | 1930 |
 Brazil (H) |
4th | 4 | 1938 |
 Chile |
2nd | 1 | 1930 |
| England |
1st | 1 | — |
| India |
1st | 1 | — |
 Italy (C) |
3rd | 3 | 1938 |
| Mexico |
2nd | 1 | 1930 |
 Paraguay |
2nd | 1 | 1930 |
| Spain |
2nd | 1 | 1934 |
| Scotland |
1st | 1 | — |
| Sweden |
3rd | 3 | 1938 |
| Switzerland |
3rd | 3 | 1938 |
 Turkey |
1st | 1 | — |
| United States |
3rd | 1 | 1934 |
 Uruguay |
2nd | 1 | 1930 |
| Yugoslavia |
2nd | 1 | 1930 |
Goalscorers
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
Jacinto Barquín- José Gómez
- Santiago Veiga
Roy Bentley- Jack Froggatt
Jorma Vaihela
Jean Luciano- Marius Walter
Bobby Brennan
Peter Farrell- Johnny Gavin
- Davy Walsh
Jim Kremer- Armand Müller
- Michel Reuter
- Camille Wagner
Mario Ochoa- Héctor Ortiz
- Carlos Septién
Fernando Cabrita- Jesus Correia
- José Travassos
Alec Linwood- Jimmy Mason
- John McPhail
- Lawrie Reilly
- Billy Steel
Estanislau Basora- Agustín Gaínza
- Luis Molowny
- José Luis Panizo
Sune Andersson- Hasse Jeppson
- Nils Liedholm
Kiki Antenen- Robert Ballaman
- Hans-Peter Friedländer
Walter Bahr- Ben Wattman
Bülent Eken- Erol Keskin
- Gündüz Kılıç
- Lefter Küçükandonyadis
Mal Griffiths
Zlatko Čajkovski- Božidar Senčar
Notes
- At the start of 1950 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland-based IFA and the Republic of Ireland-based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era played for both teams. Four players – Tom Aherne, Reg Ryan, Davy Walsh and Con Martin – actually played for both the FAI XI and the IFA XI in these qualifying rounds. FIFA intervened, after complaints from the FAI,[11] and subsequently restricted players' eligibility based on the political border. In 1953 FIFA ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be officially designated as the Republic of Ireland, while the IFA team was to become Northern Ireland.
- For the third qualifying tournament in a row, the South American teams qualified automatically after withdrawals. In Group 7, Bolivia and Chile did play two matches between them, but they were not classified as official World Cup qualifiers by FIFA.
- Burma, the Philippines and Indonesia all withdrew, so India qualified automatically. However, India withdrew later because of "disagreements over team selection and insufficient practice time.". India had never been able to qualify for the World Cup before and have never been able to do since then, which means they are the only team to have qualified for the World Cup and that never played a World Cup match.
- Germany and Japan were both banned because of their actions during World War II. Italy, despite originally being a member of the Axis powers, was allowed to participate because its government was overthrown in 1943 and the new government sided with the Allies.