Doha: Four years after the inaugural FIFA World Cup held at Uruguay in 1930, Italy was chosen as the next host for the tournament.
The 1934 edition of the FIFA World Cup sought the participation of more nations, and the introduction of a qualifying stage. A total of 32 teams joined the preliminary round and only 16 made it to Italy.
In a first and only instance in the history of FIFA World Cup, the host nation, Italy, had to play the qualifiers for their own tournament which they did so with ease by defeating Greece.
Only four non-European nations applied in the qualification stage, including Argentina, USA, Egypt, and Brazil. The first and the latter qualified but soon failed to progress in the quarterfinals.
The first host nation and World Cup holder, Uruguay, was also noticeably absent in the lineup of contenders as it declined to participate in the tournament in retaliation to the absence of Italian team in the 1930 World Cup it hosted.
On playing big and breakthroughs
Following the success of the first World Cup, the 1934 tournament in Italy was played out on a grander scale with matches held at eight cities - Milan, Bologna, Rome, Florence, Naples, Genoa, Turin, and Trieste, with the finals in Rome. It is also the first time that the tournament was broadcasted live on radio in 12 of the 16 qualified nations.
From this point until the present, FIFA has adapted the practice of holding tournament matches in different cities and a play-off for the third place.
Redemption game
With the past editions of the World Cup till date, it is known that a few players have consecutively played in the final round of the tournament. However, only one player has graced the World Cup finals while representing two different countries.
In 1930, Luis Monti played for Argentina and scored the nation's first and only goal during the World Cup finals, as they lost to Uruguay with a 2-1 score.
Four years later, he won the title with Italy in a 2-1 win against Czechoslovakia, during the finals in Rome.
1934 World Cup in Numbers / 1934 World Cup Facts:
Host: Italy
Teams: 16
Format: Round of 16, quarterfinals, semis, final
Matches: 17
Goals: 70
Winners: Italy
Runners-up: Czechoslovakia
Third place: Germany
Fourth place: Austria
Golden boot: Oldrich Nejedly
