July 30, 1930: The 1st World Cup Final

The Uruguay team that won the 1930 World Cup

July 30, 1930: The Final of the 1st FIFA World Cup is held at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The host nation had advanced to it, to play Argentina, the nation across the Rio de la Plata from Montevideo. (Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires is a little further inland.)

Only 13 countries competed in that 1st World Cup. The only European countries that did so were France, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Romania. Britain's "Home Nations" -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- refused to play, due to a dispute with FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the governing body of world soccer, and would continue to refuse until 1950.

No Asian nations took part. Nor did any African nations. The United States of America took part. So did Mexico. The other 6 were all from South America: Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile.

The main reason for this was the distance involved. The 1934 and 1938 World Cups were held in Europe, and the tournament was canceled for 1942 and 1946, due to the effects of World War II. (Most of Europe was in no condition to hold qualifying matches in 1945, even after V-E Day.) By 1950, the world situation had stabilized, and air travel had become a lot safer. Still, only 13 countries went to Brazil. The next time it was held in South America, in 1962, there were a full 16 teams.

The tournament began on July 13. Argentina won Group 1, over Chile, France and Mexico. Yugoslavia won Group 2, over Brazil and Bolivia. Uruguay won Group 3, over Romania and Peru. And the U.S. won Group 4, beating Belgium 3-0 on July 13, and Paraguay 1-0 on July 17.

On July 26, Argentina beat the U.S. 6-1 in one Semifinal. In the other, on July 27, Uruguay beat Yugoslavia by the same score. The U.S. has never been so close to winning the World Cup again. Neither would Yugoslavia, nor any sub-nation thereof, get that close again until 2018, when Croatia lost to France in the Final.

The 1930 World Cup Final was held on July 30, before a crowd of 68,346. Pablo Dorado, an outside right for Bella Vista, scored in the 12th minute. Carlos Puecelle, an outside right for Sportivo Buenos Aires, tied it for Argentina in the 20th. Guillermo Stábile, a forward for Huracán, scored in the 37th, and it was 2-1 Argentina at halftime.

Pedro Cea, an inside left for Nacional, equalized for Uruguay in the 57th. Santos Iriarte, an outside left for Racing Montevideo, gave Uruguay the lead in the 68th minute. Héctor Castro, a forward for Nacional, capped the scoring in the 89th. Uruguay 4, Argentina 2.

Alberto Suppici was the winning manager. José Nasazzi, a right back from Bella Vista, was the winning Captain. Ernesto Mascheroni, a left back from Olimpia, lived until 1984, making him the last survivor of the winning team. Francisco Varallo, an inside right from Gimnasia, was the last survivor from Argentina, making it all the way to 2010, age 100.

Uruguay won the World Cup again in 1950, in a shocking upset of Brazil. Along with Italy, Germany, Brazil, England, Argentina, France and Spain, they remain 1 of only 8 countries to win the World Cup. Along with Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and France, they remain 1 of only 6 countries to win it more than once.

They reached the Semifinals in 1954, 1970 and 2010. They reached the Quarterfinals in 1966 and 2018. They reached the Round of 16 in 1986, 1990 and 2014. The got into the Group Stage in 1962, 1974 and 2002. They did not enter in 1934 and 1938; and did not qualify in 1958, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1998 and 2006.

The Estadio Centenario still stands, seating 60,235.

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July 30, 1930 was a Wednesday. It was the off-season for the NFL and the NHL, and the NBA hadn't been founded yet. But there were Major League Baseball games played that day:

* The New York Yankees swept a doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. They won the 1st game 8-2, in 10 innings. Herb Pennock went the distance. So did former Yankee Milt Gaston, whom they pounded for 6 runs in the 10th inning, including home runs by Lou Gehrig (of whom you've surely heard) and Harry Rice (of whom you probably haven't).

They won the 2nd game 10-1, with George Pipgras going the distance. No home runs were hit. Over the doubleheader, Gehrig went 3-for-10 with 4 RBIs, and Babe Ruth went 4-for-9 with 3 RBIs.

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Braves, 5-2 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Brooklyn Robins swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia. "Dem Bums won the opener, 9-5; and the nightcap, 9-4. After 1 more season, Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson, for whom the team was then named, would be fired, and the old name of "Dodgers" would be restored.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Washington Senators, 7-4 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-5 at League Park in Cleveland.

* The St. Louis Browns swept a doubleheader from the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago. They won the 1st game, 3-2, on Oscar Melillo's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning. They won the 2nd game, 6-1.

* And the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds were not scheduled.