The First FIFA World Cup Match Was Played
On this day · 13 July 1930
On a winter afternoon in Montevideo, two games kicked off at once and football's greatest tournament quietly began.
On 13 July 1930, the inaugural FIFA World Cup opened in Montevideo, Uruguay, with two matches played simultaneously. France beat Mexico 4-1 at the Estadio Pocitos, while the United States defeated Belgium 3-0. These were the first competitive fixtures in what would grow into the most-watched sporting event on Earth.
The tournament drew 13 teams to host nation Uruguay, which had been chosen partly to mark its independence centenary and its back-to-back Olympic football titles. With travel by ship long and costly, several European sides declined, leaving a field heavy with South American entrants.
The day produced an enduring footnote: France’s Lucien Laurent struck in the 19th minute against Mexico to score the first goal in World Cup history.
The first World Cup match began without fanfare, yet it launched a competition that now commands a global audience of billions.
Uruguay went on to win the trophy on home soil, defeating Argentina in the final and cementing the World Cup as football’s defining stage.
Sources & references
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