View source for 1950 FIFA World Cup

{{Short description|Association football tournament in Brazil}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox international football competition
| tourney_name   = FIFA World Cup
| year           = 1950
| other_titles   = IV Campeonato Mundial de Futebol{{efn|The [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] pronunciation is {{IPA|pt-BR|ˈkwaʁtu kɐ̃pi.oˈnatu mũdʒiˈaw dʒi futʃiˈbɔw|}}, in today's standard Brazilian pronunciation.}} <br/> Brasil 1950
| image          = Poster - World Cup 1950.jpg
| size           = 
| caption        = Official poster
| country        = Brazil
| dates          = 24 June – 16 July
| confederations = 3
| num_teams      = 13
| venues         = 6
| cities         = 6
| champion       = Uruguay
| count          = 2
| second         = Brazil
| second-flagvar = 1889
| third          = Sweden
| fourth         = Spain
| fourth-flagvar = 1945
| matches        = 22
| goals          = 88
| attendance     = 1045246
| top_scorer     = {{fbicon|BRA|1889}} [[Ademir de Menezes|Ademir]] (9 goals)
| prevseason     = [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]]
| nextseason     = [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]]
}}
The '''1950 FIFA World Cup''' was the 4th edition of the [[FIFA World Cup]], the quadrennial international [[Association football|football]] championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950.

It was the first World Cup tournament in over twelve years, as the 1942 and 1946 World Cups were cancelled due to [[World War II]]. [[Italy national football team|Italy]], the two-time defending champions, were eliminated in the first round for the first time in history. [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]], who had won the inaugural competition in [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], defeated the host nation, [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]], in the deciding match of the four-team group of the final round, causing what is sometimes known as one of the biggest [[Upset (sport)|upsets]] in sports history, occasionally called the [[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Maracanaço]]. This was the only tournament not decided by a one-match final. It was also the inaugural tournament where the trophy was referred to as the [[FIFA World Cup Trophy#Jules Rimet Trophy|Jules Rimet Cup]], to mark the 25th anniversary of [[Jules Rimet]]'s presidency of FIFA.

==Host selection==
{{main|FIFA World Cup hosts}}
Because of [[World War II]], the World Cup had not been staged since [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]]; the planned World Cups of 1942 and 1946 were both cancelled. After the war, FIFA were keen to resurrect the competition as soon as possible, and they began making plans for a World Cup tournament to take place. In the aftermath of the war, much of Europe lay in ruins. As a result, FIFA had difficulties finding a country interested in hosting the event, since many governments believed that their scarce resources ought to be devoted to more urgent priorities than a sporting tournament.

The World Cup was at risk of not being held for sheer lack of interest from the international community, until Brazil presented a bid at the 1946 FIFA Congress, offering to host the event on condition that the tournament take place in 1950 rather than the originally proposed year of 1949.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1950/wc50index.html|title=Planet World Cup - 1950 - Overview|first=Jan|last=Alsos|website=www.planetworldcup.com}}</ref> Brazil and Germany had been the leading bidders to [[FIFA World Cup hosts#Cancelled FIFA World Cups 1942 and 1946|host the cancelled 1942 World Cup]]; since both the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]] and 1938 tournaments had been held in Europe, football historians generally agree that the 1942 event would most likely have been awarded to a South American host country. Brazil's new bid was very similar to the mooted 1942 bid and was quickly accepted.

==Qualification==
{{Main|1950 FIFA World Cup qualification}}

Having secured a host nation, FIFA would dedicate some time to persuading countries to send their national teams to compete.
[[Italy national football team|Italy]] was of particular interest as the long-standing defending champions, having won the two previous tournaments in [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]] and [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]]; however, Italy's national team was weakened severely as most of its starting line-up perished in the [[Superga air disaster]] one year before the start of the tournament. The Italians were eventually persuaded to attend, and travelled by boat rather than by plane.<ref name="lisi_47">Lisi (2007), p. 47</ref>

[[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] (the host country) and Italy (the defending champion) qualified automatically, leaving 14 places remaining. Of these, seven were allocated to Europe, six to the Americas, and one to Asia.

===Former Axis powers===
Both [[Germany national football team|Germany]] (still [[Allied-occupied Germany|occupied and partitioned]]) and [[Japan national football team|Japan]] (still [[Occupation of Japan|occupied]]) were unable to participate. The [[Japan Football Association]] (suspended for failure to pay dues in 1945) and the [[German Football Association]] (disbanded in 1945 and reorganised in January 1950) were not readmitted to FIFA until September 1950, while the [[Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR]] in East Germany was not admitted to FIFA until 1952. The French-occupied [[Saarland national football team|Saarland]] had been accepted by FIFA two weeks before the World Cup.

===United Kingdom nations===
The [[Home Nations]] were invited to take part, having rejoined FIFA four years earlier, after 17 years of self-imposed exile. It was decided to use the [[1949–50 British Home Championship]] as a qualifying group, with the top two teams qualifying. [[England national football team|England]] finished first and [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] second.

===Teams refusing to participate===
A number of teams refused to participate in the qualifying tournament, including most nations behind the [[Iron Curtain]], such as the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]], [[1934 FIFA World Cup Final|1934]] finalists [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]], and [[1938 FIFA World Cup Final|1938]] finalists [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]].<ref name="lisi_47"/> Ultimately, [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] was the only [[Eastern Europe]]an nation to take part in the tournament.

===Withdrawals during qualification===
[[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], [[Ecuador national football team|Ecuador]], and [[Peru national football team|Peru]] in [[CONMEBOL|South America]] withdrew after the qualifying draw, in Argentina's case because of a dispute with the [[Brazilian Football Confederation]]. This meant that [[Chile national football team|Chile]], [[Bolivia national football team|Bolivia]], [[Paraguay national football team|Paraguay]], and [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]] qualified from South America by default.<ref name="lisi_47"/> In Asia, the [[Philippines national football team|Philippines]], [[Indonesia national football team|Indonesia]], and [[Myanmar national football team|Burma]] all withdrew, leaving [[India men's national football team|India]] to qualify by default. In Europe, [[Austria national football team|Austria]] withdrew, claiming its team was too inexperienced.<ref name="lisi_47"/> [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] also withdrew from the qualification tournament.<ref name="lisi_47"/> These withdrawals meant that [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] and [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] qualified without having to play their final round of matches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/50qual.html |title=World Cup 1950 qualifications |publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation}}</ref>

===Qualified teams and withdrawals after qualification===
The following 16 teams originally qualified for the final tournament:
{{col begin}}
{{col-4}}
'''Asia (0)'''
*<s>{{fb|IND}}</s> (withdrew)
'''Africa (0)'''
* None qualified
{{col-4}}
'''North, Central America and Caribbean (2)'''
*{{fb|MEX|1934}}
*{{fb|USA|1912}}
'''South America (5)'''
*{{fb|BOL|civil}}
*{{fb|BRA|1889}} (hosts)
*{{fb|CHI}}
*{{fb|PAR|1842}}
*{{fb|URU}} (1930 champions)
{{col-4}}
'''Europe (6)'''
*{{fb|ENG}} (debut)
*<s>{{fb|FRA}}</s> (withdrew)
*{{fb|ITA|1946}} (1934 & 1938 champions)
*<s>{{fb|SCO}}</s> (withdrew)
*{{fb|ESP|1945}}
*{{fb|SWE}}
*{{fb|SUI}}
*<s>{{fb|TUR}}</s> (withdrew)
*{{fb|YUG}}
{{col-4}}
{{col end}}

[[File:1950 world cup.png|thumb|400px|Participating countries after 3 of the 16 qualifying countries withdrew.]]
Before the qualification competition, George Graham,<!-- note, no Wikipedia article on this George Graham--> chairman of the [[Scottish Football Association]] (SFA), had said that Scotland would only travel to Brazil as winners of the Home Championship<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0001/print.shtml |work=BBC |title=Scotland and the 1950 World Cup}}</ref> (England, by contrast, had committed to attending, even if they finished in second place).<ref name="bbc"/> After Scotland ended up in second place behind England,<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sVtAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sIwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2821%2C7156667 Official Blundering Leads To Scottish Defeat], The Glasgow Herald, 17 April 1950</ref><ref>[https://www.londonhearts.com/scores/images/1950/1950041503.htm Scots May Yet Take Part In World Cup Series {{!}} Strong Pressure On Selectors To Change Decision], The Scotsman, 17 April 1950, via London Hearts Supports Club</ref> the Scottish captain [[George Young (Scottish footballer)|George Young]], encouraged by England captain [[Billy Wright (footballer born 1924)|Billy Wright]], pleaded with the SFA to change its mind and accept the place in Brazil; however, Graham refused to change his position and so Scotland withdrew from the tournament.<ref name="bbc"/>

[[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] also withdrew, citing financial conditions that included the cost of travelling to [[South America]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tff.org/default.aspx?pageID=497 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913011438/http://www.tff.org/default.aspx?pageID=497 |title=History TFF |archive-date=13 September 2012}}</ref> FIFA invited [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] and [[France national football team|France]], who had been eliminated in qualifying, to fill the gaps left by Scotland and Turkey. Portugal and Republic of Ireland refused, but France initially accepted and was entered into the draw.

===Draw and withdrawals after the draw===
The draw, held in Rio on 22 May 1950, allocated the fifteen remaining teams into four groups:<ref>Lisi (2007), pp. 48–49</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2013/m=12/news=brazil-first-world-cup-draw-2238709.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614002515/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2013/m=12/news=brazil-first-world-cup-draw-2238709.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 June 2014 |title=Brazil's first World Cup draw |date=3 December 2013 |publisher=FIFA}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%"
|-
!width=25%| Group 1
!width=25%| Group 2
!width=25%| Group 3
!width=25%| Group 4
|-
| valign="top"|
* {{fb|BRA|1889}}
* {{fb|MEX|1934}}
* {{fb|YUG}}
* {{fb|SUI}}
| valign="top"|
* {{fb|ENG}}
* {{fb|ESP|1945}}
* {{fb|CHI}}
* {{fb|USA|1912}}
| valign="top"|
* {{fb|SWE}}
* {{fb|ITA|1946}}
* {{fb|PAR|1842}}
*<s>{{fb|IND}}</s>
| valign="top"|
* {{fb|URU}}
* <s>{{fb|FRA|1830}}</s>
* {{fb|BOL|civil}}
|}

After the draw, the Indian football association, [[All India Football Federation]] (AIFF) decided against going to the World Cup, citing travel costs (although FIFA had agreed to bear a major part of the travel expenses),<ref name="archive1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100614204013/http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/06/14/barefoot-in-bengal-and-other-stories/ Fit to Post: Yahoo! India News "Blog Archive Barefoot in Bengal and Other Stories"]</ref> lack of practice time, team selection issues, and valuing the Olympics over the FIFA World Cup.<ref name="archive1" /> Although FIFA had imposed a rule banning [[barefoot]] play following the [[Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948 Summer Olympics]],<ref>Lisi (2007), p. 49</ref> where India had played barefoot, the Indian captain at the time, [[Sailen Manna]], claimed that this was not part of the AIFF's decision.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cronin|first1=Brian|title=Did India withdraw from the 1950 World Cup because they were not allowed to play barefoot?|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/07/did-india-withdraw-from-the-1950-world-cup-because-they-were-not-allowed-to-play-barefoot.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=19 July 2011}}</ref> According to Indian sports journalist Jaydeep Basu, India did not participate because the AIFF did not have confidence in its players.<ref>{{Cite web |title=why India did not compete in the 1950 football world cup and no it wasn't because they didnt have boots. |url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/why-india-did-not-compete-in-the-1950-football-world-cup-and-no-it-wasnt-because-they-didnt-have-boots-8260087/lite/ |website=www.indianexpress.com|date=10 November 2022 }}</ref>

France also withdrew, citing the amount of travel that would be required between the venues of the Group 4 matches. There was not enough time to invite further replacement teams or to reorganise the groups, so the tournament featured only thirteen teams, with just three nations in Group 3 and two nations in Group 4. France's withdrawal, coupled with Belgium's before qualifying and Romania's elimination, meant that Brazil had become the only team to have played in every World Cup from its inauguration in [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] to date, a mark that has persisted to the present day.

Of the thirteen teams that competed, only one, England, was making its debut.  Several of the teams from the Americas teams were competing for the first time since the inaugural [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] tournament – this included Uruguay, as well as Mexico, Chile, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Yugoslavia was also making its first appearance since 1930. Spain and the United States qualified for the first time since [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]].

==Format==
A new playing format was proposed by the Brazilian organisers of the tournament to maximise matches and ticket sales since the stadium and infrastructure were so costly. The 13 teams were divided into four first-round groups (or "pools" as they were then called) of four teams, with the winner of each group advancing to a final group stage, playing in [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] format to determine the cup winner. A straight knockout tournament, as had been used in 1934 and 1938, would have featured only sixteen games (including the third-place playoff), while the proposed two rounds of the group format would guarantee thirty games, and thus more ticket revenue.<ref name="lisi_45">Lisi (2007), p. 45</ref> In addition, this format would guarantee each team at least three games, and thus provide more incentive for European teams to make the journey to South America and compete.<ref name="lisi_45"/> FIFA originally resisted this proposal, but reconsidered when Brazil threatened to back out of hosting the tournament if this format was not used.<ref name="lisi_45"/>

In each group, teams were awarded 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. Had there been a tie on points for first place in a group, a [[playoff]] would have been held to determine the group winner.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2010/04/29/the-us-and-the-1950-world-cup/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513070507/http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2010/04/29/the-us-and-the-1950-world-cup/|archive-date=13 May 2013|title=The US and the 1950 World Cup|first=Ed|last=Fansworth|publisher=The Philly Soccer Page|date=29 April 2010|access-date=14 June 2014}}</ref>

The entire tournament was arranged in such a way that the four first-round groups had no geographical basis. Hence, several teams were obliged to cover large distances to complete their programme, although [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] was allowed to play two of its three group matches in [[Rio de Janeiro]] while its other group game was held in the relatively nearby city of [[São Paulo]].

==Summary==
[[File:Ingresso Copa do Mundo FIFA 1950 - Brasil x Uruguai.jpg|thumb|Ticket for the 1950 World Cup's decisive match between Brazil and Uruguay.]]
A combined [[United Kingdom national football team|Great Britain team]] had recently beaten the [[Europe XI|rest of Europe]] 6–1 in an exhibition match and England went into the competition as one of the favourites; however, they went crashing out after a shock [[United States v England (1950 FIFA World Cup)|1–0 defeat]] by the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] and a 1–0 defeat by [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]]. Italy, the defending champions, lost their unbeaten record at the World Cup finals with a 3–2 defeat by [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] in its opening match and failed to progress to the second round.

The final match in Group 1 between [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] and [[Mexican national football team|Mexico]] was the second time a national team did not play in their own kit, the first being 1934 match between Austria and Germany when both teams arrived with white kits, and the Austrians borrowed blue kits from club side [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]]. Both teams arrived with only their red kits, so the [[Brazilian Football Confederation]] tossed a coin, with Mexico thus earning the right to play in their own kit, a right they waived as a friendly gesture, allowing the Swiss to wear their own kit while Mexico changed. The local team that lent their shirts was [[Esporte Clube Cruzeiro]] from Porto Alegre. The shirts had vertical blue and white stripes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://globoesporte.globo.com/rs/noticia/2013/05/historias-incriveis-mexico-veste-camisa-de-time-gaucho-na-copa-de-50.html|date=5 February 2013|title=Histórias Incríveis: México veste camisa de time gaúcho na Copa de 50|language=pt}}</ref>

[[File:Jogo no Estádio do Maracanã, antes da Copa do Mundo de 1950.tif|thumb|The opening game of the Maracanã Stadium, shortly before the 1950 FIFA World Cup]]
The final group stage involved the teams that had won their groups: Brazil, Spain, [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] and [[1930 FIFA World Cup]] champions [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]], who were making their first World Cup appearance since winning the inaugural tournament. The World Cup winner would be the team that finished on top of this group. The final group's six matches were shared between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Brazil played all its final group matches at the [[Estádio do Maracanã]] in Rio while the games that did not involve the host nation were played in São Paulo.

Brazil won their first two matches with a 7–1 thrashing of Sweden and 6–1 rout of Spain, putting them on top of the group with one game left to play against Uruguay; in second and only a point behind. Brazil had scored 23 goals in the tournament and only conceded four, and so were strong favourites. The two teams had played three matches against each other in the [[Copa Río Branco]], played in Brazil two months previously, with one match won by Uruguay 4–3 and two by Brazil (2–1 and 1–0), who won the tournament. Thus the difference in quality between the teams was not excessive; unlike Spain and Sweden the Uruguayans were used to the challenges in the big South American stadiums.<ref>{{cite book|author=Massimo di Terlizzi|title=Stadi da leggenda: Viaggio nelle grandi arene che hanno fatto la storia del calcio|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d0zGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA65|year=2014|publisher=SEM|language=it|isbn=978-88-97093-31-2|page=65}}</ref>

On 16 July, before a huge home crowd of 199,954 (some estimated as 205,000) in the Estádio do Maracanã, the host nation only had to draw against Uruguay and the trophy would be theirs. After such crushing victories over Spain and Sweden, it looked certain they would take the title, and the home nation duly went ahead in the second minute of the second half, thanks to a goal from [[Friaça]]. However, Uruguay equalised and then, with just over 11&nbsp;minutes left to play, went ahead 2–1 when [[Alcides Ghiggia]] squeaked a goal past [[Moacyr Barbosa]], so Uruguay was crowned World Cup champions for a second time. This stunning defeat surprised Brazil to the point of shock and is known as the ''[[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Maracanazo]]'' ("Maracanã blow"). Barbosa was blamed for the defeat, for which he suffered for the rest of his life as the match became part of Brazilian Tragedy. In 2000, shortly before his death, he said in an interview:<blockquote>"The maximum punishment in Brazil is 30 years' imprisonment, but I have been paying, for something I am not even responsible for, by now, for 50 years."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garganese |first=Carlo |title=Top 10 World Cup Goalkeeping Blunders |url=http://www.goal.com/en/news/2377/top-10/2009/10/27/1587400/top-10-world-cup-goalkeeping-blunders |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628183923/http://www.goal.com/en/news/2377/top-10/2009/10/27/1587400/top-10-world-cup-goalkeeping-blunders |archive-date=Jun 28, 2022 |website=Goal.com}}</ref></blockquote>The average attendance of nearly 61,000 per game, aided greatly by eight matches (including five featuring hosts Brazil) held in the newly built Maracanã, set a record that would not be broken until [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]. Not counting the Maracanã matches, the average attendance was a still-impressive 37,500; however, the only venues that saw crowds comparable to or greater than those in recent World Cups were the Maracanã and São Paulo. Other venues saw considerably smaller crowds.

[[Antonio Carbajal]] from Mexico was the last living player from this World Cup, he died in 2023.

==Venues==
Six venues in six cities around Brazil hosted the 22 matches played for this tournament. The [[Maracanã Stadium|Maracanã]] in the then-capital of Rio de Janeiro hosted eight matches, including all but one of the host's matches, including the ''[[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Maracanazo]]'' match in the second round-robin group that decided the winners of the tournament. The Pacaembu stadium in São Paulo hosted six matches; these two stadiums in São Paulo and Rio were the only venues that hosted the second round-robin matches. The [[Arena Independência|Estádio Independência]] in Belo Horizonte hosted three matches, the Durival de Britto stadium in Curitiba and the Eucaliptos stadium in Porto Alegre each hosted two matches, and the Ilha do Retiro stadium in far-away Recife only hosted one match. In order to present itself as a modern country, Brazil invested a today's equivalent of 290 million US-Dollars into new stadiums. The newly built [[Maracanã Stadium|Maracanã]] cost around 275 million US-Dollars alone.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fett|first=Matthias|date=2020|title=The game has changed - a systematic approach to classify FIFA World Cups|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2020.1784978|journal=International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics|volume=12|issue=3|pages=455–470|doi=10.1080/19406940.2020.1784978|s2cid=221714908|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! [[Rio de Janeiro]]
![[São Paulo]]
![[Belo Horizonte]]
|-
|[[Maracanã Stadium|Estádio do Maracanã]]
|[[Pacaembu Stadium|Estádio do Pacaembu]]
|[[Arena Independência|Estádio Independência]]
|-
| <small>{{Coord|22|54|43.8|S|43|13|48.59|W|region:BR_type:landmark|display=inline|name=Estádio do Maracanã}}</small>
|<small>{{Coord|23|32|55.1|S|46|39|54.4|W|region:BR_type:landmark|display=inline|name=Estádio do Pacaembu}}</small>
|<small>{{Coord|19|54|30|S|43|55|4|W|region:BR_type:landmark|display=inline|name=Estádio Independência}}</small>
|-
| Capacity: '''200,000'''<!--Seating capacity was 120,000, but nearly 200,000 filled the venue for the final.-->
|Capacity: '''60,000'''
|Capacity: '''30,000'''
|-
| [[File:Werner Haberkorn - Gloria - Rio de Janeiro.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:Werner Haberkorn - Vista pontual do Estádio Paulo Machado de Carvalho (Pacaembú). São Paulo-SP 2.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:Estádio Independência interior left.jpg|200px]]
|-
! colspan="3" |{{location map+ |Brazil |float=center |width=350 |places=
{{location map~ |Brazil |lat=-22.908333 |long=-43.196389 |label=[[Rio&nbsp;de&nbsp;Janeiro]]|position=right}}
{{location map~ |Brazil |lat=-23.550000 |long=-46.633333 |label= [[São Paulo]] |position=left}}
{{location map~ |Brazil |lat=-19.919133 |long=-43.938667 |label=[[Belo&nbsp;Horizonte]] |position=top}}
{{location map~ |Brazil |lat=-25.416667 |long=-49.250000 |label=&nbsp; &nbsp; [[Curitiba]] |position=bottom}}
{{location map~ |Brazil |lat=-30.033056 |long=-51.230000 |label=<br />[[Porto&nbsp;Alegre]] |position=right}}
{{location map~ |Brazil |lat=-8.050000 |long=-34.900000 |label=[[Recife]] |position=left}}
|caption=}}
|-
![[Porto Alegre]]
![[Recife]]
![[Curitiba]]
|-
|[[Estádio dos Eucaliptos]]
|[[Estádio Ilha do Retiro]]
|[[Estádio Vila Capanema]]
|-
|<small>{{Coord|30|3|42|S|51|13|38|W|format=dms|region:BR_type:landmark|display=inline|name=Estádio dos Eucaliptos}}</small>
|<small>{{Coord|8|3|46.63|S|34|54|10.73|W|format=dms|region:BR_type:landmark|display=inline|name=Estádio Ilha do Retiro}}</small>
|<small>{{Coord|25|26|22|S|49|15|21|W|format=dms|region:BR_type:landmark|display=inline|name=Estádio Vila Capanema}}</small>
|-
|Capacity: '''20,000'''
|Capacity: '''20,000'''
|Capacity: '''10,000'''
|-
|
| [[File:Estádio Ilha do Retiro 1950.png|200px]]
|[[File:Vila Capanema aérea 2.jpg|200px]]
|}

==Squads==
{{main|1950 FIFA World Cup squads}}

==Match officials==
{{col-float-begin}}
;Europe
* {{fbaicon|AUT}} [[Alois Beranek]]
* {{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Arthur Edward Ellis]]
* {{fbaicon|ENG}} [[George Reader]]
* {{fbaicon|ENG}} [[Reginald Leafe]]
* {{fbaicon|FRA|1794}} [[Charles de La Salle]]
* {{fbaicon|ITA|1946}} [[Generoso Dattillo]]
* {{fbaicon|ITA|1946}} [[Giovanni Galeati]]
* {{fbaicon|NED}} [[Karel van der Meer]]
* {{fbaicon|POR}} [[José Vieira da Costa (referee)|José da Costa]]
* {{fbaicon|SCO}} [[George Mitchell (referee)|George Mitchell]]
* {{fbaicon|ESP|1945}} [[José Luis García Carrión]]
* {{fbaicon|ESP|1945}} [[Ramón Azón Romá]]
* {{fbaicon|SWE}} [[Gunnar Dahlner]]
* {{fbaicon|SWE}} [[Ivan Eklind]]
* {{fbaicon|SUI}} [[Jean Lutz]]
* {{fbaicon|WAL|1807}} [[Sandy Griffiths]]
* {{fbaicon|YUG}} [[Leo Lemešić]]
{{col-float-break}}
;North America
* {{fbaicon|MEX|1934}} [[Carlos Estévez Tejada]]
* {{fbaicon|USA|1912}} [[Prudencio Garcia]]

;South America
* {{fbaicon|BOL|civil}} Alfredo Álvarez
* {{fbaicon|BRA|1889}} [[Alberto da Gama Malcher]]
* {{fbaicon|BRA|1889}} [[Mário Gardelli]]
* {{fbaicon|BRA|1889}} [[Mário Vianna]]
* {{fbaicon|CHI}} [[Sergio Bustamante (referee)|Sergio Bustamante]]
* {{fbaicon|PAR|1842}} [[Cayetano de Nicola]]
* {{fbaicon|PAR|1842}} [[Mario Rubén Heyn]]
* {{fbaicon|URU}} [[Esteban Marino]]
{{col-float-end}}

==Group stage==
===Group 1===
{{Main|1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1|standings}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1|1-1}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1|1-2}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1|1-3}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1|1-4}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1|1-5}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 1|1-6}}

===Group 2===
{{Main|1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2|standings}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2|2-1}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2|2-2}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2|2-3}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2|2-4}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2|2-5}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 2|2-6}}

===Group 3===
{{Main|1950 FIFA World Cup Group 3}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 3|standings}}

{{fb|IND}} was also drawn into this group, but withdrew before playing.

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 3|3-1}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 3|3-2}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 3|3-3}}

===Group 4===
{{Main|1950 FIFA World Cup Group 4}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 4|standings}}

{{fb|FRA}} was also drawn into this group, but withdrew before playing.

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup Group 4|4-1}}

==Final round==
{{Main|1950 FIFA World Cup final round}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup final round|standings}}

{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup final round|FR-1}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup final round|FR-2}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup final round|FR-3}}
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup final round|FR-4}}
----
{{#lst:1950 FIFA World Cup final round|FR-5}}
{{Main|Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)}}

{{#lst:Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|FR-6}}

==Goalscorers==
With nine goals, Brazil's Ademir was the tournament's top scorer. In total, 88 goals were scored by 47 players.

[[Alcides Ghiggia]] of Uruguay became the second player ever to score in every game: György Sárosi of Hungary was the first who scored at least one goal at his every World Cup appearance (1934: 1 match/1 goal, 1938: 4 matches/5 goals), [[Just Fontaine]] would be the third in 1958 and [[Jairzinho]] the fourth (and, as of 2025, the last) in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brazil Legends: Jairzinho |url=https://www.footballwhispers.com/blog/brazil-legends-jairzinho/ |website=Football Whispers |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref>

;9 goals
{{div col|colwidth=35em|small=yes}}
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Ademir Menezes|Ademir]]
{{div col end}}

;5 goals
{{div col|colwidth=35em|small=yes}}
* {{flagicon|URU}} [[Óscar Míguez]]
{{div col end}}

;4 goals
{{div col|colwidth=35em|small=yes}}
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Francisco Aramburu|Chico]]
* {{flagicon|ESP|1945}} [[Estanislau Basora]]
* {{flagicon|ESP|1945}} [[Telmo Zarra]]
* {{flagicon|URU}} [[Alcides Ghiggia]]
{{div col end}}

;3 goals
{{div col|colwidth=35em|small=yes}}
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Karl-Erik Palmér]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Stig Sundqvist]]
* {{flagicon|URU}} [[Juan Alberto Schiaffino]]
{{div col end}}

;2 goals
{{div col|colwidth=35em|small=yes}}
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Baltazar (footballer, born 1926)|Baltazar]]
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Jair da Rosa Pinto|Jair]]
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Zizinho]]
* {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Atilio Cremaschi]]
* {{flagicon|ITA|1946}} [[Riccardo Carapellese]]
* {{flagicon|ESP|1945}} [[Silvestre Igoa]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Sune Andersson (footballer, born 1921)|Sune Andersson]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Hasse Jeppson]]
* {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Jacques Fatton]]
* {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Željko Čajkovski]]
* {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Kosta Tomašević]]
{{div col end}}

;1 goal
{{div col|colwidth=35em|small=yes}}
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Alfredo dos Santos|Alfredo]]
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Friaça]]
* {{flagicon|BRA|1889}} [[Maneca]]
* {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Andrés Prieto (footballer, born 1928)|Andrés Prieto]]
* {{flagicon|CHI}} [[George Robledo]]
* {{flagicon|CHI}} [[Fernando Riera]]
* {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wilf Mannion]]
* {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stan Mortensen]]
* {{flagicon|ITA|1946}} [[Ermes Muccinelli]]
* {{flagicon|ITA|1946}} [[Egisto Pandolfini]]
* {{flagicon|MEX|1934}} [[Horacio Casarín]]
* {{flagicon|MEX|1934}} [[Héctor Ortiz (footballer)|Héctor Ortiz]]
* {{flagicon|PAR|1842}} [[Atilio López]]
* {{flagicon|PAR|1842}} [[César López Fretes]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Bror Mellberg]]
* {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Charles Antenen]]
* {{flagicon|SUI}} [[René Bader]]
* {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Joe Gaetjens]]
* {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Joe Maca]]
* {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Gino Pariani]]
* {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Frank Wallace (soccer)|Frank Wallace]]
* {{flagicon|URU}} [[Julio Pérez (footballer, born 1926)|Julio Pérez]]
* {{flagicon|URU}} [[Obdulio Varela]]
* {{flagicon|URU}} [[Ernesto Vidal]]
* {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Rajko Mitić]]
* {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Stjepan Bobek]]
* {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Tihomir Ognjanov]]
{{div col end}}

==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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100614213621/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/afdeveloping/technicaldevp/50/09/00/fwc%5fmexico%5f1986%5fen%5fpart4%5f279.pdf page 45]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mencompwc/51/97/55/171012-statisticalkit-fifaworldcup-milestonesfactsfigures-statusafterfwc2010.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521092116/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mencompwc/51/97/55/171012-statisticalkit-fifaworldcup-milestonesfactsfigures-statusafterfwc2010.pdf |archive-date=21 May 2013 |publisher=[[FIFA]] |title=FIFA World Cup: Milestones, facts & figures. Statistical Kit 7 |url-status=dead |date=26 March 2013}}</ref> The rankings for the 1950 tournament were as follows:

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;"
|-
!width=25| {{abbr|R|Final Ranking}}
!width=165| Team
!width=25| {{abbr|G|Group}}
!width=25| {{abbr|P|Played}}
!width=25| {{abbr|W|Win}}
!width=25| {{abbr|D|Draw}}
!width=25| {{abbr|L|Lose}}
!width=25| {{abbr|GF|Goals for}}
!width=25| {{abbr|GA|Goals against}}
!width=25| {{abbr|GD|Goal difference}}
!width=25| {{abbr|Pts.|Points}}
|-
|- style="background:gold;"
| 1 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|URU}} || [[#Group 4|4]] || 4 || 3 || 1 || 0 || 15 || 5 || +10 || 7
|- style="background:silver;"
| 2 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|BRA|1889}} || [[#Group 1|1]] || 6 || 4 || 1 || 1 || 22 || 6 || +16 || 9
|- style="background:#c96;"
| 3 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|SWE}} || [[#Group 3|3]] || 5 || 2 || 1 || 2 || 11 || 15 || −4 || 5
|- style="background:gray;"
| 4 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ESP|1945}} || [[#Group 2|2]] || 6 || 3 || 1 || 2 || 10 || 12 || −2 || 7
|-
| colspan="11"| '''Eliminated in the first round'''
|-
| 5 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|YUG}} || [[#Group 1|1]] || 3 || 2 || 0 || 1 || 7 || 3 || +4 || 4
|-
| 6 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|SUI}} || [[#Group 1|1]] || 3 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 4 || 6 || −2 || 3
|-
| 7 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ITA|1946}} || [[#Group 3|3]] || 2 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 4 || 3 || +1 || 2
|-
| 8 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ENG}} || [[#Group 2|2]] || 3 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 0 || 2
|-
| 9 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|CHI}} || [[#Group 2|2]] || 3 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 5 || 6 || −1 || 2
|-
| 10 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|USA|1912}} || [[#Group 2|2]] || 3 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 4 || 8 || −4 || 2
|-
| 11 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|PAR|1842}} || [[#Group 3|3]] || 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4 || −2 || 1
|-
| 12 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|MEX|1934}} || [[#Group 1|1]] || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 2 || 10 || −8 || 0
|-
| 13 || style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|BOL|civil}} || [[#Group 4|4]] || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 8 || −8 || 0
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |title=A history of the World Cup: 1930–2006 |first=Clemente Angelo |last=Lisi |location=Lanham, MD |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8108-5905-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofworldcu0000lisi |url-access=registration |access-date=27 August 2010 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikivoyage|World Cup 1950|1950 FIFA World Cup}}
* [https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/1950brazil 1950 FIFA World Cup on FIFA.com]
* [https://www.rsssf.org/tables/50full.html Details at RSSSF; note that they often disagree with FIFA on goal scorers and times]

{{Portal bar|1950s|Association football|Brazil}}
{{1950 FIFA World Cup}}
{{1950 FIFA World Cup stadiums}}
{{FIFA World Cup}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:FIFA World Cup}}
[[Category:1950 FIFA World Cup| ]]
[[Category:FIFA World Cup tournaments|1950]]
[[Category:1950 in men's international association football|World Cup]]
[[Category:1950 in Brazilian football]]
[[Category:Men's international association football competitions hosted by Brazil|1950]]
[[Category:June 1950 sports events in South America]]
[[Category:July 1950 sports events in South America]]