Maybe...
It's not too dissimilar to how they performed in the real 1908 Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics
An Alternate History of FIFA, the World Cup, and International Football.
It's not too dissimilar to how they performed in the real 1908 Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics
The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Qualifiers
The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Qualifiers
As England were both hosts and reigning champions, there were 19 spots to fill this time between 66 teams. The qualification system had been tweaked in many ways. The groups were the following:- Group 1: Scotland, Ireland, Leinster, Munster, Isle of Man
- Group 2: Wales, Cornwall, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney
- Group 3: France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg
- Group 4: Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Malta
- Group 5: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland
- Group 6: Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Romania
- Group 7: Catalonia, Basque Country, Galicia, Toledo-La Mancha, Gibraltar
- Group 8: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile
- Group 9A: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia
- Group 9B: Pará, Paraíba, British Guiana
- Group 10: United States, Canada, Quebec, Jamaica
- Group 11: Mexico, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados
- Group 12A: Bengal, Bombay, Mysore
- Group 12B: Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore
- Group 13: Cape, Transvaal, Natalia, Orange Free State
- Group 14A: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
- Group 14B: New Zealand, Victoria, Tasmania
Europe Zone
Group 1
Ireland 7-0 Isle of ManLeinster 2-1 Munster
Scotland 18-0 Isle of Man
Ireland 3-3 Leinster
Scotland 4-1 Munster
Leinster 16-0 Isle of Man
Scotland 1-1 Leinster
Munster 3-1 Ireland
Scotland 6-0 Ireland
Munster 6-1 Isle of Man
Group 2
Cornwall 26-0 AlderneyJersey 4-3 Guernsey
Wales 24-0 Alderney
Cornwall 5-1 Jersey
Wales 9-0 Guernsey
Jersey 3-1 Alderney
Wales 6-0 Jersey
Cornwall 10-0 Guernsey
Cornwall 1-0 Wales
Guernsey 8-0 Alderney
Group 3
France 5-0 LuxembourgBelgium 2-2 Netherlands
France 3-2 Belgium
Netherlands 4-1 Luxembourg
Netherlands 0-0 France
Belgium 7-0 Luxembourg
Group 4
Italy 0-0 SwitzerlandGermany 3-1 Italy
Switzerland 2-1 Germany
Group 5
Finland 2-2 SwedenDenmark 5-0 Norway
Sweden 2-1 Norway
Denmark 9-1 Finland
Denmark 4-0 Sweden
Finland 0-0 Norway
Group 6
Romania 1-0 AustriaBohemia 2-0 Hungary
Austria 3-1 Bohemia
Romania 0-0 Hungary
Hungary 5-2 Austria
Romania 3-0 Bohemia
Group 7
Basque Country 6-0 GibraltarToledo-La Mancha 3-0 Galicia
Catalonia 8-2 Gibraltar
Basque Country 1-1 Galicia
Toledo-La Mancha 0-0 Catalonia
Galicia 7-0 Gibraltar
Catalonia 4-2 Galicia
Basque Country 2-1 Toledo-La Mancha
Basque Country 6-4 Catalonia
Toledo-La Mancha 12-0 Gibraltar
Cornwall caused an upset against Wales in Group 2 and qualified for their first World Cup. Malta withdrew from Group 4 due to being unwilling to travel the distance to Germany and Switzerland for their games. Romania also caused an upset in Group 6, drawing against Hungary and knocking out Austria to make their World Cup debut. The Basque Country dominated Group 7 against other Iberian teams to achieve their debut.
Americas Zone
Group 8
Argentina 4-1 ChileUruguay 8-1 Paraguay
Argentina 5-0 Paraguay
Chile 2-2 Uruguay
Uruguay 4-2 Argentina
Paraguay 2-0 Chile
Group 9A
Bahia 0-0 Rio de JaneiroSão Paulo 3-1 Bahia
São Paulo 5-2 Rio de Janeiro
Group 9B
Paraíba 6-0 British GuianaPará 4-1 British Guiana
Paraíba 2-0 Pará
Group 10
United States 7-1 JamaicaCanada 3-2 Quebec
United States 0-0 Quebec
Jamaica 1-1 Canada
Canada 2-1 United States
Jamaica 0-0 Quebec
Group 11
Mexico 18-0 BarbadosTrinidad and Tobago 3-1 Haiti
Mexico 4-0 Trinidad and Tobago
Haiti 5-1 Barbados
Mexico 6-2 Haiti
Trinidad and Tobago 4-0 Barbados
Paraíba defeated veterans São Paulo in the play-off to qualify for their first World Cup, Canada beat out the United States in Group 10 to make their return to the Cup, and, although they couldn’t qualify, Trinidad and Tobago had a good performance in Group 11.
Rest of the World Zone
Group 12A
Mysore 3-0 BombayBengal 0-0 Mysore
Bengal 7-1 Bombay
Group 12B
Philippines 5-1 SingaporeSingapore 1-0 Hong Kong
Hong Kong 2-1 Philippines
Group 13
Cape 4-3 Orange Free StateNatalia 1-1 Transvaal
Cape 2-2 Natalia
Orange Free State 3-0 Transvaal
Cape 3-1 Transvaal
Natalia 5-2 Orange Free State
Group 14A
New South Wales 2-0 Western AustraliaSouth Australia 1-1 Queensland
New South Wales 6-2 South Australia
Western Australia 3-0 Queensland
Queensland 1-1 New South Wales
Western Australia 11-0 South Australia
Group 14B
Victoria 5-0 TasmaniaNew Zealand 4-2 Tasmania
New Zealand 2-1 Victoria
The Philippines beat out Mysore to reach their first World Cup, as veterans Hong Kong and Bengal had poor performances, The Cape barely succeeded over Natalia to become the first African team in the World’s premiere football tournament and New South Wales would get to the tournament once again over New Zealand.
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The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Group Stage
The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Group Stage
Like in the previous World Cups, the draw was completely random, save for hosts and reigning champions England. The groups were set to play in different geographic areas, with Group 1 playing throughout London, Group 2 playing in Liverpool, Group 3 playing in Manchester and Group 4 playing in Sheffield.- Group 1: England, Hungary, Denmark, Basque Country, Cape
- Group 2: Romania, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Argentina
- Group 3: Sweden, Switzerland, Scotland, Philippines, New South Wales
- Group 4: Mexico, Uruguay, Cornwall, Paraíba, France
Group 1
Hungary 4-0 CapeDenmark 7-2 Basque Country
England 3-1 Cape
Denmark 6-1 Hungary
Basque Country 1-1 England
Denmark 15-0 Cape
Denmark 5-1 England
Basque Country 2-1 Hungary
England 1-0 Hungary
Basque Country 4-2 Cape
Denmark advanced comfortably from their group, scoring the largest margin of victory in World Cup history against the Cape 15-0. Hosts England barely managed to beat out the Basque with a 0.04 difference in goal average, while Hungary had a surprisingly poor performance losing all of their games except for the one against minnows the Cape.
Group 2
Argentina 1-0 NetherlandsGermany 1-1 Canada
Romania 3-2 Argentina
Netherlands 4-1 Canada
Germany 1-1 Romania
Argentina 2-0 Canada
Romania 2-1 Canada
Netherlands 3-0 Germany
Romania 3-3 Netherlands
Argentina 5-1 Germany
Romania would continue their streak of shocking results by defeating Argentina and coming out of their group unbeaten, but in 2nd place due to goal average. The Netherlands crashed out despite only losing one game, and Germany and Canada had poor showings not winning a single match.
Group 3
New South Wales 1-1 SwitzerlandScotland 6-0 Philippines
Sweden 4-0 New South Wales
Switzerland 3-2 Scotland
Sweden 15-1 Philippines
Scotland 0-0 New South Wales
Scotland 2-0 Sweden
Switzerland 8-0 Philippines
Sweden 4-1 Switzerland
New South Wales 3-0 Philippines
Sweden and Scotland would once again advance to the knockout stages, with Scotland barely edging out Switzerland on goal average. Despite losing, New South Wales had a surprisingly good performance, amassing 4 points. Sweden almost equalled Denmark’s 15-0 scoreline against the Philippines, but the Filipinos managed one goal in to make the margin 14-0.
Group 4
Uruguay 3-1 FranceParaíba 4-2 Cornwall
France 1-0 Mexico
Uruguay 2-1 Cornwall
Paraíba 0-0 Mexico
Cornwall 2-0 France
Cornwall 5-0 Mexico
Uruguay 7-3 Paraíba
Mexico 1-0 Uruguay
France 0-0 Paraíba
This group was the only group out of the 4 where all teams won one match. Uruguay had a nightmarish loss to Mexico but still topped the group, while Cornwall and Paraíba surprised everyone by finishing above World Cup finalists France, knocking them out. Cornwall advanced on goal average.
Like always, 8 teams advanced to the quarter-finals. These quarter-finals would become infamous in the history of FIFA due to a particular incident in the Uruguay v Romania match.
The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Knockout Stage
The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Knockout Stage
The details of quarter-final matches in this early World Cup are more well-documented due to the 1910 edition’s historical importance.The unstoppable force that was the Danish team was about to strike the Scottish, and it wouldn’t be pretty. The Scotland that won the World Cup just 4 years ago in 1906 was completely missing, as the Danes put 4 past their net and the Scotsmen had barely any chance to retaliate. Done and dusted with, the Scots made the short trip back home as the Scandinavians advanced to their first semi-finals.
Argentina’s troubles with underdogs continued in their quarter-finals match against Cornwall, in with the Cornishmen got ahead early on in the match with a 1-0 lead. However, the Argentines would begin to turn the match around by equalizing, but, try as they might, they couldn’t score again. Many noted that the Argentine team were not at their best, exhausted from 3 separate World Cups of having to do most of their pre-tournament training on boats, some of the players getting seasick and overall not enjoying the experience of having to play to eventually lose and try for bronze once again. Therefore, some theorize that they allowed a second Cornish goal for their own sake, and by full-time the Argentines simply went to their hotel and rested.
Sweden and England faced each other once more, and the Swedes couldn’t shake off their troubles against them. The 8-0 loss against the Great Britain combination had given them quite the scare, so their squad was engineered to take the English down. This was the Three Lions’ home turf though, and that was clear on the pitch. The Swedes got the head start by scoring a goal near the end of the first half, but in the second half England would come around and put 3 past them, knocking the Nordics out of the Cup.
And then, the fated Uruguay vs. Romania match-up. As the Orientals kicked off, the ball was pelted straight into their own net. Kick-off again, another own goal. Then another. This continued until Uruguay were “losing” 10-0 against the Romanians, who could only watch as the scoreline went up. FIFA officials intervened and put a stop to the match, declaring it a forfeit by Uruguay and automatically granting the victory to Romania, changing the score to the standard awarded 2-0 forfeit win.
There were multiple reasons for this protest. The Uruguayans were fed up with having to travel via boat and being unable to train properly in the lead-up to the Cup, as it had always been in Europe. The competition format was cumbersome and unforgiving, as they had to play 4 matches in the group stage despite them being basically through by the third, and the stage could not prepare teams for what the knockout stage would be like. They also found the qualifiers to be needless, as Chile and Paraguay were low-quality teams, but they had to play them multiple times despite their qualification being guaranteed both times. The random draw was also criticised, as they claimed it created incredibly unbalanced groups. In this protest, they were backed by most associations that weren’t from Europe, like their fellows in the Americas Zone and the Rest of the World Zone.
Some trouble had been brewing at FIFA for a while, as many nations weren’t receiving many official fixtures from the federation that didn’t relate to the World Cup or its qualifiers, meaning that some teams would play only 2 or 3 official matches during the year. European associations had their own grievances with the World Cup, especially when it came to the allocation of berths, as, besides Argentina and Uruguay, the knockout stages were always entirely European. They proposed scaling down the berths for the Rest of the World Zone to 2 and the Americas Zone to 3, with Europe receiving 15 berths. Others called for an expansion to 24 teams, which would have 4-team groups instead of 5-team groups, and the best 3rd-place teams would qualify for a 16-team knockout round.
This matter would have to be resolved after the end of the then ongoing World Cup.
As really lucky underdogs, Cornwall had reached their absolute limit. They were going up against massive favourites Denmark, who had demolished every other team before them. The Cornish were no exception. 3 goals from Denmark in the first half would seal their fate, although they did try to come back with one lonely goal, but the Scandinavians widened the gap with 2 more goals. 5-1. The worst thrashing in World Cup semi-final history at that point.
England came to their semi-final with a lot of confidence. Romania had gotten to this point by being the lucky team that Uruguay made their protest in their match against. That confidence from both local fans and the England national team faded as Romania scored the first goal of the match in the 20th minute. The England team followed that up with a frenzy of attempts at goal, none of them succeeding. One of these attempts led directly to a counter-attack from Romania, making it 2-0. The entire second half was goal-less, and by full-time it had settled in: England was out, and Romania was in the final. The Romanians would celebrate their win in a stadium full of angry Englishmen cursing at both the Romanians and their own national team.
The English contingent found the third-place match worthless, so they put on their backup team to see how they would do against the Cornish. Big mistake, as they wasted their shot at the bronze medal against a Cornish team that was laser-focused on victory. The black-and-whites won 2-0, and celebrated their bronze medal as if they had won the Cup itself.
The final. It was an odd one, as neither team was seen as particularly good until recent events. It wouldn’t be a day to forget for either nation. The final kicked off, and, after a tense 18 minutes, the Danish swerved around the Romanians to score a goal in a goalkeeper-less net. Romania tried to use the kick-off to their advantage to make a counter-attack, but they failed. All throughout the first half, the Scandinavians dominated, though they couldn’t put another past the Romanian defence.
That was, until, the 57th minute, where Denmark would widen the gap by scoring another goal. And then, shortly afterwards, another. 3-0. The underdogs were hoping for a comeback, something to remedy this heavy loss, but they weren’t up to it. Denmark were simply too good.
3-0.
Denmark are World Champions!
The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Aftermath
The 1910 England World Cup of Football – Aftermath
The Danish celebrated their win to the small crowd of polite Danes that had made the trip to watch the final. The local English fans were peeved at Cornwall’s loss, and, for the first time, the World Cup would be leaving the United Kingdom. Despite the Cup’s financial success, these celebrations would be cut short due to previously mentioned issues. As was tradition, a few national teams stuck around to play friendlies against local First Division clubs, namely the Cape, Canada, New South Wales, the Philippines, Paraíba and Mexico.Cape 3-0 Bradford City
Cape 1-5 Liverpool
Cape 1-4 Aston Villa
Canada 2-2 Notts County
Canada 1-3 Sunderland
Canada 2-0 Chelsea
New South Wales 0-5 Newcastle United
New South Wales 1-1 Preston North End
New South Wales 3-3 Sheffield United
Philippines 0-10 Middlesbrough
Philippines 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Philippines 2-6 Manchester United
Paraíba 3-1 Everton
Paraíba 4-0 Blackburn Rovers
Paraíba 9-0 Bury
Mexico 1-0 The Wednesday
Mexico 7-2 Woolwich Arsenal
Mexico 2-1 Bristol City
A FIFA meeting was called a month after the World Cup to remedy the issues brought up during Uruguay’s protest. The federation was split between multiple camps, and the meeting frequently devolved into senseless arguing. There was one complaint all camps could agree on, though, and that was the lack of fixtures not relating to the World Cup. There was plenty of space for them to add more in the calendar, after all. Then, the Swiss delegate proposed the idea to hold continental tournaments in the years between World Cups, held during roughly the same time period of May-June, with qualifiers being held during the rest of June and July, and in certain “international break weeks” throughout the rest of the middle year and the early part of the World Cup year. This idea was well-liked at the meeting, and it was put up to a vote. There were 56 delegations present, and the vote passed 45-11.
The three existing zones that had first been used in the 1910 World Cup’s qualifiers (Europe Zone, Americas Zone, Rest of the World Zone) were tweaked:
- The Europe Zone would remain unchanged.
- The Americas Zone would be split into two: the South America Zone and the North America Zone.
- The Rest of the World Zone would be split into three: the Africa Zone, the Asia Zone and the Australasia Zone.
The qualifiers and these championships will run separately. Qualifiers in the early World Cups were done in short periods of time and finished up a few months, weeks or even days before the World Cup, so time won't be an issue.
As for transitioning into a Nations League format later down the line... maybe. That would get rid of the hassle that are qualifiers for continental competitions, at least.
1910, 1911 and 1912 – Slight Turbulence
1910, 1911 and 1912 – Slight Turbulence
The pace at which FIFA was gaining new members was quite steady. There was an influx of regional associations originating from Spain as proper footballing competitions were set up all over the country. The following associations joined the organisation during this time:- Andalusia
- Aragon
- Cantabria
- Castile
- China
- Croatia-Slavonia
- Galicia and Lodomeria
- Hyderabad
- Iceland
- Japan
- Jutland
- León
- Liberia
- Madras
- Portugal
- Punjab
- Russia
- Styria
- United Provinces (Agra and Oudh)
- Valencia
In January 1911, another FIFA meeting was called to discuss the World Cup format. The allocation of groups in qualifiers and the randomness of the World Cup draw were criticised, so a new system was proposed: the seeding of teams into pots based on perceived skill level from previous performances. This type of draw would be used for the World Cup, its qualifiers and the upcoming continental competitions. It was put up to a vote, and the vote passed.
Then, the World Cup format was discussed. 5 team groups were considered too big and had too many dead rubber matches, so they would be cut down into groups of 4. However, the number of teams in the tournament would be expanded to 24, to make qualifying slightly less monstrously difficult. These 24 teams would be split into 6 groups, where the top 2 teams and the 4 best-ranked 3rd-place teams advanced to an expanded 16-team knockout round. In addition, due to previous failures from champions to defend their titles, automatic qualification for the winners would no longer be given out, with only the host nation automatically qualifying from then on.
The last issue that was discussed was who would host the next World Cup. Due to complaints from nations outside of Europe, only nations outside of the Europe Zone were allowed to apply for hosts. Uruguay, the Eastern United States and the 6 Australian associations applied, and the Eastern United States were picked due to their closer position to Europe. This was slightly controversial, as the United States weren’t known for being very good at football, but most didn’t find any issue with this.
With these issues sorted, now all that was left to do was try to decrease the disparity between the best and the worst teams, to prevent ridiculous blowouts like the Denmark 15-0 Cape match in the most recent World Cup. This would take a long time and a lot of time and money that neither FIFA nor the associations had, so a potential development program would be postponed.
When the news of the United States hosting the World Cup in the East Coast hit, many in the country that had never heard of or weren’t interested in football before began paying attention to the sport. This uptick in interest led to new members to the regional associations and expanded leagues, and even the formation of a national league, albeit mostly confined to the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. The regional associations of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont would join forces to create a united New England Football Federation, applying to and joining FIFA. The remaining regional associations in the Mid-Atlantic would essentially be the United States team that would participate in the upcoming World Cup.
What changed so far
FIFA is open to more teams neither countries or regions (like Andalusia , Spain or Mysore , India and many more ... )
The FIFA world cup is expanded earlier in this universe started with 20 teams & in the 1912 edition it will be with 24 nations
and new rules will be coming in this universe
those points are the description of this thread which will be even epic than the actual World Cup
Quite a fair bit!
The World Cup started in 1906 (started in 1930 in our timeline), it's every 2 years (as opposed to 4 like in our timeline), associations are being accepted at an incredibly quick rate (they were glacial until the 50s and then after 2000 in our timeline), regional associations are being accepted into FIFA (as opposed to only the 4 Home Nations and dependencies, who are dubiously "regional") and much, much more! In the future, there'll be new rules and such, but for now the rules are similar to what they were in the appropriate time period.
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The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Qualifiers Draw
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Qualifiers Draw
The 1912 World Cup qualifiers would begin in July 1911. This would be the first test of the new qualification system. The Europe Zone would play nine 5-team groups, with the best of each group and the 5 best-ranked 2nd place teams qualifying. The South America Zone would play two 5-team groups with the top 2 teams in each group qualifying. North America would play two 4-team groups with the best team in each group qualifying. Asia would play two 6-team groups with the best team in each advancing to a play-off for qualification. Africa would play one 5-team group and Oceania would play one 7-team group, with the best teams in both qualifying.These were the pots used in the draws:
And these were the results of the draw:
- Group 1: Switzerland, France, Finland, Alderney, Iceland
- Group 2: England, Austria, Norway, Luxembourg, Cantabria
- Group 3: Basque Country, Germany, Jersey, Isle of Man, Styria
- Group 4: Romania, Wales, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Castile
- Group 5: Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Malta, León
- Group 6: Scotland, Catalonia, Galicia, Russia, Valencia
- Group 7: Sweden, Leinster, Ireland, Portugal, Galicia-Lodomeria
- Group 8: Cornwall, Toledo-La Mancha, Bohemia, Croatia-Slavonia, Andalusia
- Group 9: Denmark, Belgium, Munster, Jutland, Aragon
- Group 10: Uruguay, São Paulo, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, British Guiana
- Group 11: Argentina, Paraíba, Paraguay, Chile, Bahia
- Group 12: Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados
- Group 13: Mexico, Haiti, Quebec, New England
- Group 14: Mysore, Bengal, Bombay, China, Hyderabad, Punjab
- Group 15: Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Madras, United Provinces
- Group 16: Cape, Transvaal, Natalia, Orange Free State, Liberia
- Group 17: New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania
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The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Qualifiers Results
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Qualifiers Results
Europe Zone
Group 1
France 4-0 IcelandFinland 25-0 Alderney
Switzerland 2-0 Iceland
France 4-2 Finland
Switzerland 17-0 Alderney
Finland 1-0 Iceland
France 19-0 Alderney
Switzerland 0-0 Finland
France 3-1 Switzerland
Iceland 8-0 Alderney
Group 2
Cantabria 2-2 AustriaNorway 5-0 Luxembourg
England 3-0 Cantabria
Austria 1-1 Norway
England 7-2 Luxembourg
Norway 2-1 Cantabria
England 4-1 Norway
Austria 8-0 Luxembourg
Austria 0-0 England
Cantabria 6-1 Luxembourg
Group 3
Styria 0-0 GermanyIsle of Man 3-1 Jersey
Basque Country 2-1 Styria
Germany 10-1 Jersey
Basque Country 9-0 Isle of Man
Styria 6-0 Jersey
Basque Country 14-0 Jersey
Germany 7-1 Isle of Man
Basque Country 3-1 Germany
Styria 8-0 Isle of Man
Group 4
Wales 2-1 CastileGibraltar 5-1 Guernsey
Romania 2-0 Castile
Wales 12-0 Guernsey
Romania 4-0 Gibraltar
Castile 6-1 Guernsey
Romania 15-0 Guernsey
Wales 8-2 Gibraltar
Wales 3-3 Romania
Castile 0-0 Gibraltar
Group 5
Hungary 3-0 LeónItaly 6-2 Malta
Netherlands 1-0 León
Italy 3-2 Hungary
Netherlands 5-0 Malta
León 2-0 Italy
Netherlands 3-1 Italy
Hungary 7-0 Malta
Netherlands 2-0 Hungary
León 5-0 Malta
Group 6
Catalonia 3-0 ValenciaGalicia 5-2 Russia
Scotland 1-1 Valencia
Catalonia 0-0 Galicia
Scotland 2-0 Russia
Valencia 4-0 Galicia
Scotland 2-1 Galicia
Russia 1-0 Catalonia
Catalonia 2-2 Scotland
Group 7
Leinster 1-0 Galicia-LodomeriaPortugal 3-1 Ireland
Sweden 4-1 Galicia-Lodomeria
Ireland 2-0 Leinster
Sweden 6-1 Portugal
Ireland 3-0 Galicia-Lodomeria
Sweden 2-2 Ireland
Leinster 1-0 Portugal
Sweden 2-0 Leinster
Galicia-Lodomeria 0-0 Portugal
Group 8
Toledo-La Mancha 8-1 AndalusiaBohemia 3-1 Croatia-Slavonia
Cornwall 2-0 Andalusia
Bohemia 4-2 Toledo-La Mancha
Croatia-Slavonia 1-1 Cornwall
Bohemia 0-0 Andalusia
Cornwall 0-0 Bohemia
Toledo-La Mancha 2-1 Croatia-Slavonia
Cornwall 3-0 Toledo-La Mancha
Croatia-Slavonia 2-0 Andalusia
Group 9
Belgium 1-0 AragonJutland 5-1 Munster
Denmark 6-0 Aragon
Munster 2-1 Belgium
Denmark 7-4 Jutland
Aragon 2-0 Munster
Denmark 8-0 Munster
Jutland 2-2 Belgium
Denmark 9-0 Belgium
Jutland 3-0 Aragon
Finland and Styria would make their World Cup debut. Bohemia would return to the World Cup for the second time after their first appearance back in 1906. Veterans Hungary, Switzerland and Germany shockingly exited during this stage.
South America Zone
Group 10
São Paulo 6-0 British GuianaRio de Janeiro 4-3 Pará
Uruguay 11-0 British Guiana
São Paulo 2-2 Pará
Uruguay 4-0 Rio de Janeiro
Pará 5-1 British Guiana
Uruguay 0-0 Pará
São Paulo 2-1 Rio de Janeiro
Uruguay 3-1 São Paulo
Rio de Janeiro 7-0 British Guiana
Group 11
Bahia 2-0 ParaíbaChile 1-1 Paraguay
Argentina 2-0 Bahia
Paraíba 0-0 Paraguay
Argentina 3-1 Chile
Bahia 3-2 Paraguay
Argentina 0-0 Paraguay
Chile 4-0 Paraíba
Argentina 2-1 Paraíba
Bahia 5-0 Chile
Bahia would make its World Cup debut. Paraíba had a surprisingly poor performance, crashing out with 1 point and 0 wins.
North America Zone
Group 12
Canada 4-1 BarbadosTrinidad and Tobago 1-0 Jamaica
Canada 1-1 Jamaica
Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 Barbados
Canada 5-0 Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaica 2-1 Barbados
Group 13
New England 3-0 MexicoHaiti 3-1 Quebec
Mexico 1-1 Quebec
New England 0-0 Haiti
Mexico 4-0 Haiti
Quebec 2-1 New England
New England would make its World Cup debut at the expense of veterans Mexico in an incredibly equal group.
Asia Zone
Group 14
Punjab 1-1 MysoreHyderabad 2-0 Bengal
China 11-0 Bombay
Mysore 2-2 Hyderabad
China 8-0 Punjab
Bengal 2-1 Bombay
China 6-0 Mysore
Bombay 3-1 Hyderabad
Bengal 0-0 Punjab
Mysore 4-2 Bombay
China 9-0 Bengal
Hyderabad 2-0 Punjab
Bengal 1-1 Mysore
Punjab 1-0 Bombay
China 4-0 Hyderabad
Group 15
United Provinces 0-0 PhilippinesHong Kong 4-3 Madras
Japan 5-0 Singapore
Madras 3-0 Philippines
Japan 7-0 United Provinces
Hong Kong 4-1 Singapore
Japan 6-1 Philippines
Madras 5-2 Singapore
Hong Kong 2-2 United Provinces
Philippines 2-1 Singapore
Japan 4-2 Hong Kong
Madras 1-1 United Provinces
Hong Kong 2-1 Philippines
United Provinces 3-2 Singapore
Japan 3-0 Madras
China would make its World Cup debut after stomping everyone in their group and Japan without conceding a single goal.
Africa Zone
Group 16
Transvaal 3-0 LiberiaOrange Free State 2-2 Natalia
Cape 6-2 Liberia
Natalia 3-0 Transvaal
Cape 3-2 Orange Free State
Natalia 4-1 Liberia
Natalia 1-0 Cape
Orange Free State 2-1 Transvaal
Cape 7-1 Transvaal
Orange Free State 2-0 Liberia
Natalia would make its World Cup debut ahead of veterans the Cape.
Australasia Zone
Group 17
New Zealand 7-2 TasmaniaSouth Australia 0-0 Queensland
Victoria 3-2 Western Australia
New South Wales 8-0 Tasmania
New Zealand 1-1 Western Australia
Queensland 2-0 Victoria
New South Wales 4-1 South Australia
Western Australia 5-1 Tasmania
New Zealand 3-0 Queensland
New South Wales 0-0 Western Australia
Victoria 2-1 South Australia
Queensland 6-0 Tasmania
Victoria 2-2 New South Wales
Western Australia 3-1 Queensland
New Zealand 3-0 South Australia
New South Wales 2-1 Queensland
New Zealand 4-0 Victoria
South Australia 7-1 Tasmania
New Zealand 1-1 New South Wales
Victoria 9-0 Tasmania
Western Australia 8-3 South Australia
New Zealand would make its World Cup debut over veterans New South Wales. This zone showed the most improvement across the board (with the exception of Tasmania), as the previously dominant NSW was knocked out with 3 victories and 3 draws.
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Group Stage
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Group Stage
Now, it was time for the World Cup in America! For the first time, pots were used instead of a random draw. The United States were seeded to Group 1, while the rest were ordered in their pots by their performance in the previous World Cup, qualifiers and regional strength. National teams from all over the world made the trip to the Eastern Coast of the United States. The groups were to all play their games in a certain city: Group 1 played their games in New York City, Group 2 played their games in Philadelphia, Group 3 played their games in Boston, Group 4 played their games in Washington DC, Group 5 played their games in Baltimore and Group 6 played their games in Pittsburgh.These were the pots used in the draw:
And these were the results of the draw:
- Group 1: United States, Basque Country, São Paulo, Styria
- Group 2: Denmark, Scotland, Wales, China
- Group 3: Argentina, Uruguay, Austria, Natalia
- Group 4: Romania, Netherlands, Bohemia, New England
- Group 5: England, France, Canada, Finland
- Group 6: Cornwall, Sweden, Bahia, New Zealand
Group 1
United States 2-1 StyriaSão Paulo 0-0 Basque Country
United States 3-3 São Paulo
Basque Country 4-1 Styria
Basque Country 2-1 United States
São Paulo 1-0 Styria
The Basque Country and São Paulo went unbeaten, as hosts the United States scraped by with a win and a draw, and Styria was eliminated.
Group 2
Denmark 5-2 ChinaScotland 3-0 Wales
Denmark 8-1 Wales
China 2-1 Scotland
Denmark 5-1 Scotland
China 4-0 Wales
The little-known China national team surprised everyone by defeating Scotland and Wales, while Denmark comfortably advanced at the top of the group. Scotland barely managed to edge out a spot in the knockout stages.
Group 3
Argentina 3-0 NataliaUruguay 2-1 Austria
Argentina 2-0 Austria
Uruguay 6-0 Natalia
Argentina 5-3 Uruguay
Natalia 0-0 Austria
Argentina and Uruguay faced each other once again accompanied by Austria. The South Americans dominated the group as Austria and Natalia only managed a draw between the two of them.
Group 4
Romania 1-0 New EnglandNetherlands 4-1 Bohemia
Romania 3-0 Bohemia
New England 2-0 Netherlands
Netherlands 1-0 Romania
New England 1-0 Bohemia
Romania, New England and the Netherlands all advanced with 2 victories and 1 loss each, at the expense of Bohemia.
Group 5
England 3-1 FinlandCanada 0-0 France
England 2-2 Canada
Finland 1-0 France
England 5-0 France
Canada 2-1 Finland
This group showed France slipping back into mediocrity, as Canada advanced over them and Finland, an improvement from their performance in the previous World Cup. England topped the group.
Group 6
New Zealand 1-1 CornwallSweden 2-0 Bahia
Cornwall 3-2 Bahia
New Zealand 1-0 Sweden
Sweden 3-1 Cornwall
Bahia 2-0 New Zealand
The Oceanians impressed by making it through the group stage on roughly equal footing with Cornwall and with only one loss against Bahia, even triumphing against group winners Sweden.
The World Cup was kicking into gear, and many Americans in the host cities went to watch the matches, filling the relatively small stadia to their absolute limit. The tournament began to inspire many young people across the country to create their own football clubs.
Now, it was time for the knockout rounds, featuring the brand new Round of 16.
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Knockout Stage
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Knockout Stage
The round of 16 kicked off with the Basque Country defeating the Netherlands 2-1 with a domineering style of play barely letting the Dutch touch the ball. The plucky underdog New Zealanders were thrown out by the Argentines after being demolished 3-0. Many Englishmen went across the pond to watch their team, but they had to exit early after the Chinese unexpectedly defeated them 4-1. Uruguay was back in their usual form, knocking reigning 3rd-place Cornwall out of the competition with a 2-1 scoreline.Reigning champions Denmark scrapped with the hosts, but they were no match for the Scandinavians and disappointed local fans by losing 3-0. Romania would prove itself worthy of their silver-medal status after thrashing previous World Cup champions Scotland 5-2. The Paulistas would have their first proper World Cup success after just barely beating giants Sweden 1-0 with 2 minutes to go on the clock. Canada and New England didn’t have to make that big of a trip, so they were the most energetic teams in the tournament; Canada defeated the locals 4-2.
For the first time, non-Europeans outnumbered Europeans in the quarter-finals (5 out of 8 teams weren’t from Europe).
The Basque Country continued their streak of incredibly close wins after edging out Argentina 3-2 during a very close 2-2 game. Despite their good showing against Cornwall, nothing could prepare the Uruguayans for China. Their playstyle kept the ball in Uruguay’s half for most of the match, although they were unable to get one past the keeper until the second half. Uruguay couldn’t equalise, and the Chinese advanced to the semi-finals.
Denmark and Romania would meet once more, and Denmark was even more prepared than last time. The defending champions easily dispatched the Romanians 4-0, further cementing their status as best team in the world. São Paulo sent the Canadians packing after putting 6 past them, leaving no hope for the Northerners. Despite crashing out like this, the Canadians were praised for getting this far back home and it revitalized interest in the sport of football in the country.
The Vasconians would have a go at the Chinese, which would lead to a boring 0-0 game for most of the first half. The Basques put themselves ahead with 2 consecutive goals at 39’ and 42’ by exploiting holes in China’s defence, though the Asians quickly patched it up. China was unable to get back into the match, and their campaign ended right there, being sent off to play against whoever lost the other semi-final for scraps.
Denmark and São Paulo hadn't pulled any punches throughout the tournament, and they went all out in their semi-final match. However, the Danes were simply too good for the Brazilians to contain. A goal at 20’, another at 55’ and yet another one at 70’ cemented Denmark’s lead, reaching their second final in a row. The Paulistas would have to play the bronze medal match to salvage some honour after the loss.
The scrap between São Paulo and China was the most vibrant 3rd-place match in any World Cup up to that point. Both teams clearly wanted to take something home with them. China would get ahead with one goal at 35’, but the Paulistas would equalise it in the 50th minute. Local American crowds were split on who to support, as both had been underdogs throughout the tournament, but São Paulo had the most vocal support due to the few Brazilians in the audience. In the end, São Paulo scored at 72’ and finished off the game 2-1, taking their bronze medal home like a badge of honour to show off against all other Brazilian teams.
Now, the final. Denmark had conceded no goals throughout the entire knockout stage and had won every game by a margin of 3 goals or more. As reigning champions, they were the favourites to take it once again. The Basques, on the other hand, had a good time in the group stage but barely made it out of their knockout stage match-ups. Still, their style of play could be the counter against Denmark that the world needed, and, if they won, they would become the first regional team to win a World Cup.
The match kicked off smack dab in the middle of New York City, with tens of thousands of New Yorkers, some of whom had never heard of the World Cup before, going to watch the final. Denmark was rooted for the most, as few knew what the Basque Country was. However, the Basques would get the head start, with a goal 5 minutes into the match. The Basques would try to go for their usual strategy of maintaining possession by all means possible, but this broke down at the 22nd minute after a Danish forward stole the ball from a Basque defender and dribbled it past the goalkeeper, scoring without even kicking the ball. It was 1-1 by the end of the first half.
The draw wouldn’t last long. At the 52nd minute, the Danish would pull another show-off move, by making an attempt at goal from the midfield. The ball was punted up high, and the Basque goalkeeper was unable to catch it in mid-air, allowing the ball to go in and give the Danes the lead. Despite only leading by 1 goal, the Danish had secured their victory. Another, simpler goal from a header at 79’ destroyed any chance the Basque had to recover. They were unable upset the score.
3-1.
Denmark remain World Champions!
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Aftermath
The 1912 United States World Cup of Football – Aftermath
The Danes would lift the trophy once more, as the Basque accepted their silver medals. Many started to speculate how long it would take until Denmark was finally bested. As per usual, a few teams stuck around to play a few matches, but, due to the lack of a proper centralized club scene, the teams simply played the United States. There were only a few this time:Basque Country 3-2 United States
China 2-0 United States
Bahia 1-1 United States
São Paulo 0-0 United States
New Zealand 1-4 United States
Cornwall 5-3 United States
Natalia 0-3 United States
Despite not being as big of a monetary success as the World Cup in England, this tournament had been very successful. The format was well-received, and the tournament led to a significant increase in interest in the sport throughout North America. Things were looking up for FIFA, and they would get an enormous intake of new teams during this period. They began to prepare for the upcoming Olympic tournament.
Football at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics
Football at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics
Mere weeks after the end of the World Cup, it was time for the Olympics in Stockholm. This tournament featured 16 teams, the most ever, all from Europe, including the international debut of Greece and a return of the composite Great Britain team.Like before, most of the strongest sides weren’t brought to the tournament, especially the nations that qualified for the World Cup, but those that had exited early did send their best. In the round of 16, hosts Sweden beat Italy 4-0, the Great Britain combination trumped Finland 6-1, Austria barely beat out Norway 3-2, France crushed first-timers Greece 5-1, Germany demolished Luxembourg 8-0, Denmark thrashed Russia 13-0, Bohemia had a shocking victory against the Netherlands 2-1 and Hungary returned to international competition with a 3-0 over Belgium.
In the quarter-finals, Sweden squared off against the Great Britain combination, losing 4-1 to a crowd of over 20,000 Swedish spectators; Austria continued their run beating France 2-0, Denmark added to their unbeaten run 9-2, and Hungary just barely finished off Bohemia 1-0.
The semi-finals saw Great Britain once again advancing to the final against Austria 2-1, ending the Austrians’ best run in any competition thus far. Denmark successfully dispatched Hungary 5-0, leading to an Austria-Hungary match-up for the bronze medal.
Hungary won the bronze by beating Austria 2-0. Great Britain and Denmark would play each other in the final once again, but the British were still no match for Denmark, as they dominated the game and bested them 6-2. They took their second Olympic gold to add to their trophy collection.
Denmark was an unstoppable force, and they were expected to win the upcoming first edition of the European Championship.
1912 and 1913 – Hosting Duties
1912 and 1913 – Hosting Duties
Newly founded national and regional associations all over the world joined FIFA in the lead-up to the first continental competitions:- Andorra
- Assam
- Bihar and Orissa
- Bukovina
- Bulgaria
- Carinthia
- Carniola
- Cochin
- Colombia
- Congo
- Cuba
- Dalmatia
- Egypt
- Fiume
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Malacca
- Montenegro
- Moravia
- Newfoundland
- Papua
- Penang
- Persia
- Salzburg
- Serbia
- Siam
- Siebenbürgen (a team for Transylvanian Saxons)
- Silesia
- Szeklerland
- Transylvania
- Travancore
- Turkey
- Tyrol
- Vorarlberg
World Cup of Football
- 1914 World Cup of Football: Denmark, Wales, Germany, Sweden
- 1916 World Cup of Football: Canada, Argentina, Uruguay
- 1918 World Cup of Football: Netherlands, Romania, Austria
- 1920 World Cup of Football: United States, Argentina, Bahia
European Championship
- 1913 European Championship: England, Germany, Hungary
- 1915 European Championship: Germany, Belgium, Russia
- 1917 European Championship: Russia, Switzerland, Austria
- 1919 European Championship: Sweden, Italy
South American Championship
- 1913 South American Championship: Argentina
- 1915 South American Championship: Rio de Janeiro, Uruguay
- 1917 South American Championship: Uruguay
- 1919 South American Championship: São Paulo
North American Championship
- 1913 North American Championship: Canada, New England
- 1915 North American Championship: United States, New England, Mexico, Haiti
- 1917 North American Championship: Mexico, New England
- 1919 North American Championship: Jamaica, New England, Haiti
Asian Championship
- 1913 Asian Championship: China, Singapore, Hyderabad
- 1915 Asian Championship: Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Hyderabad
- 1917 Asian Championship: Singapore, Hong Kong, Bengal, Hyderabad
- 1919 Asian Championship: Hong Kong, Bengal, Hyderabad
African Championship
- 1913 African Championship: Cape
- 1915 African Championship: Cape
- 1917 African Championship: Cape
- 1919 African Championship: Cape
Australasian Championship
- 1913 Australasian Championship: New South Wales
- 1915 Australasian Championship: South Australia, New Zealand
- 1917 Australasian Championship: New Zealand
- 1919 Australasian Championship: Western Australia