1949 NAFC Championship
International football competition
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The 1949 NAFC Championship was the second and final international association football championship for members of the North American Football Confederation (NAFC). Hosted by Mexico, the competition ran from 4–25 September 1949 and was contested by the national teams of Cuba, Mexico and the United States. For the only time, the tournament was used one of the qualifying groups for the FIFA World Cup.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Mexico |
| Dates | 4–25 September |
| Teams | 3 |
| Venue(s) | Estadio de los Deportes, Mexico City |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Mexico (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  United States |
| Third place |  Cuba |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 28 (4.67 per match) |
| Attendance | 198,000 (33,000 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Horacio Casarín Luis de la Fuente (4 goals each) |
← 1947 1990 → | |
Defending champions Mexico were crowned champions after a 6–2 win over the United States on 18 September gave them an unassailable lead with two matches left to play. Winners Mexico and runners-up the United States both qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Background
The North American Football Confederation (NAFC) was founded in 1946. Along with the Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF), it was a precursor organisation to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Within a year of its founding, the NAFC organised a contest for its member associations.[1][2]
Mexico were the defending champions having won the inaugural competition in Cuba in 1947.[3]
Format
The tournament was played as a double round-robin where each team would play all of the others twice. The winner would be decided by the total number of points obtained across all matches played.[4] As the competition was used as one of the qualifying groups for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the teams finishing first and second would qualify for the tournament.[5]
Participants
Cuba
Mexico (Hosts)
United States
Squads
Venue
All matches were held at the Estadio de los Deportes in Mexico City.[4]
| Mexico City |
|---|
| Estadio de los Deportes |
| Capacity: 33,000 |
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Summary
The tournament began on 4 September 1949 when a Luis de la Fuente hat-trick helped Mexico to a 6–0 win against the United States. A week later, Mexico defeated Cuba 2–0 for their second win of the contest. Despite not playing, Mexico qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup on 14 September after Cuba and the United States played out a 1–1 draw. The result left Mexico clear at the top on four points with Cuba and the United States tied on one point at the half way stage.[4][5]
Four days later, Mexico sealed the title after a Horacio Casarín hat-trick helped them to a 6–2 win against the United States. In their final match of the tournament, a Pete Matevich brace helped the United States to a 5–2 win against Cuba and put them in a position to qualify for the World Cup. Their place at the tournament was confirmed when Cuba failed to score against Mexico and lost 3–0 in their final match.[4][5]
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico (C) |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | +15 | 8 | 1950 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | United States |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 3 | |
| 3 | Cuba |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 1 |
Results
| United States | 0–6 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| [4] |
|
| Cuba | 1–1 | United States |
|---|---|---|
Gómez  28' |
[4] | Wallace 23' |
| Mexico | 6–2 | United States |
|---|---|---|
|
[4] |
Goalscorers
There were 28 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 4.67 goals per match.
4 goals
2 goals
1 goal
- Jacinto Barquín
- José Gómez
- Santiago Veiga
- Mario Ochoa
- Héctor Ortíz
- Carlos Septién
- Walter Bahr
- Ben Wattman
Aftermath
Both Mexico and the United States were eliminated from the 1950 FIFA World Cup at the group stage, however the United States would cause one of the most famous upsets in the history of the World Cup, defeating England 1–0.[6]
This would be the final edition of the competition as organised by the NAFC. However, it would be revived through the North American Nations Cup organised by CONCACAF in the early 1990s.[1]