An Alternate History of FIFA, the World Cup, and International Football.

Jesus, look how many there are here! Wonder if the amount of teams from a country E.G Catalonia and Brittany might see a rise in nationalism ITTL? Going to be pretty much border gore on the football map regardless though.
Oh, I am definitely willing to introduce some alt history elements like that into the TL. I have something special planned for when WW2 ends.

I have absolutely no clue how all of this would be displayed on a map. I'll try to conjure up a classic Wikipedia-style gray map... someday.
 
Oh, I am definitely willing to introduce some alt history elements like that into the TL. I have something special planned for when WW2 ends.

I have absolutely no clue how all of this would be displayed on a map. I'll try to conjure up a classic Wikipedia-style gray map... someday.
No problem mate , i will deal with the map which will be weird , some teams will be in the Autonomous circle (like the German regions ... as there is a German main team ) and the Federated circle (like the Spanish regions)
 
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1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – European Qualifiers

1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – European Qualifiers​

1922euro.png

Group 1​

Belgium 3-0 Provence
Bavaria 2-1 Finland
Transylvania 5-1 Fiume
Belgium 2-2 Bavaria
Provence 0-0 Fiume
Finland 2-0 Transylvania
Belgium 2-1 Fiume
Transylvania 1-1 Bavaria
Finland 0-0 Provence
Belgium 0-0 Transylvania
Finland 3-1 Fiume
Provence 3-0 Bavaria
Finland 1-1 Belgium
Provence 2-0 Transylvania
Bavaria 6-0 Fiume

Group 2​

Bukovina 3-2 East Prussia
Halychyna 8-0 Liechtenstein
Tyrol 5-1 Gibraltar
Bukovina 6-0 Liechtenstein
East Prussia 2-1 Gibraltar
Halychyna 0-0 Tyrol
Bukovina 3-1 Gibraltar
Tyrol 7-1 Liechtenstein
Halychyna 2-2 East Prussia
Tyrol 2-0 Bukovina
Halychyna 4-0 Gibraltar
East Prussia 3-0 Liechtenstein
Bukovina 3-1 Halychyna
East Prussia 2-1 Tyrol
Gibraltar 4-2 Liechtenstein

Group 3​

Normandy 2-0 Switzerland
Saxony 1-1 Jutland
Carinthia 7-0 Jersey
Switzerland 3-1 Saxony
Normandy 4-2 Carinthia
Jutland 5-1 Jersey
Carinthia 2-2 Switzerland
Saxony 4-0 Jersey
Jutland 2-1 Normandy
Switzerland 13-0 Jersey
Jutland 3-0 Carinthia
Saxony 1-1 Normandy
Jutland 2-0 Switzerland
Normandy 7-0 Jersey
Saxony 1-1 Carinthia

Group 4​

Wales 2-0 Subcarpathia
Germany 3-0 Lithuania
Munster 8-2 Luxembourg
Wales 1-0 Lithuania
Subcarpathia 2-2 Munster
Germany 14-0 Luxembourg
Wales 6-2 Munster
Lithuania 4-1 Luxembourg
Germany 1-0 Subcarpathia
Wales 10-0 Luxembourg
Germany 5-0 Munster
Lithuania 1-1 Subcarpathia
Wales 4-3 Germany
Subcarpathia 3-0 Luxembourg
Munster 2-1 Lithuania

Group 5​

England 9-0 Danzig
Gascony 3-3 Galicia
Cantabria 2-1 Siebenbürgen
England 4-1 Gascony
Siebenbürgen 3-0 Danzig
Galicia 0-0 Cantabria
England 6-3 Siebenbürgen
Cantabria 2-0 Gascony
Galicia 2-2 Danzig
England 2-0 Cantabria
Siebenbürgen 4-4 Galicia
Gascony 3-0 Danzig
Galicia 2-2 England
Cantabria 5-1 Danzig
Gascony 0-0 Siebenbürgen

Group 6​

Catalonia 5-2 Schleswig-Holstein
Austria 2-1 Saarland
Isle of Man 2-0 Andorra
Catalonia 3-0 Saarland
Schleswig-Holstein 6-1 Isle of Man
Austria 9-2 Andorra
Catalonia 17-0 Isle of Man
Saarland 4-0 Andorra
Austria 3-1 Schleswig-Holstein
Catalonia 7-1 Andorra
Austria 3-0 Isle of Man
Schleswig 2-0 Saarland
Austria 1-1 Catalonia
Schleswig-Holstein 5-0 Andorra
Saarland 3-2 Isle of Man

Group 7​

Amikejo 1-0 Netherlands
Serbia 12-0 Monaco
Salzburg 3-1 Portugal
Netherlands 8-1 Monaco
Salzburg 2-0 Amikejo
Portugal 3-0 Serbia
Netherlands 2-0 Salzburg
Portugal 6-0 Monaco
Serbia 1-1 Amikejo
Netherlands 5-1 Portugal
Serbia 2-0 Salzburg
Amikejo 14-0 Monaco

Group 8​

Bulgaria 3-1 Hesse
Slovakia 0-0 Castile
Aragon 4-1 Szeklerland
Bulgaria 2-0 Slovakia
Hesse 1-0 Szeklerland
Castile 4-2 Aragon
Szeklerland 2-1 Bulgaria
Slovakia 3-0 Aragon
Castile 1-1 Hesse
Bulgaria 3-2 Aragon
Castile 1-0 Szeklerland
Slovakia 5-1 Hesse
Bulgaria 2-1 Castile
Aragon 4-0 Hesse
Szeklerland 1-0 Slovakia

Group 9​

Hungary 3-0 Lower Silesia
Latvia 1-1 Styria
Valencia 5-0 Malta
Hungary 8-3 Latvia
Lower Silesia 2-0 Malta
Styria 4-2 Valencia
Hungary 11-1 Malta
Valencia 2-0 Latvia
Styria 4-0 Lower Silesia
Valencia 1-0 Hungary
Styria 3-0 Malta
Latvia 2-2 Lower Silesia
Hungary 3-1 Styria
Valencia 2-1 Lower Silesia
Latvia 6-2 Malta

Group 10​

Romania 4-2 Thuringia
Italy 13-0 Alderney
Vorarlberg 0-0 Northern Ireland
Romania 10-0 Alderney
Thuringia 2-0 Vorarlberg
Italy 3-2 Northern Ireland
Romania 6-0 Vorarlberg
Northern Ireland 8-0 Alderney
Italy 3-1 Thuringia
Romania 4-0 Northern Ireland
Vorarlberg 2-0 Italy
Thuringia 7-0 Alderney
Italy 0-0 Romania
Thuringia 2-1 Northern Ireland
Vorarlberg 5-0 Alderney

Group 11​

Toledo-La Mancha 1-0 Oldenburg
Moravia 3-2 Estonia
Montenegro 4-2 Upper Silesia
Toledo-La Mancha 5-0 Estonia
Oldenburg 0-0 Montenegro
Moravia 2-1 Upper Silesia
Montenegro 1-1 Toledo-La Mancha
Upper Silesia 3-0 Estonia
Moravia 6-1 Oldenburg
Toledo-La Mancha 2-2 Upper Silesia
Montenegro 3-1 Moravia
Estonia 1-0 Oldenburg
Moravia 0-0 Toledo-La Mancha
Oldenburg 1-1 Upper Silesia
Montenegro 3-1 Estonia

Group 12​

Norway 3-0 Sudetenland
Brittany 2-1 France
Andalusia 3-3 Leinster
Norway 3-2 Brittany
Andalusia 4-0 Sudetenland
Leinster 1-0 France
Andalusia 2-0 Norway
Brittany 3-1 Leinster
France 4-2 Sudetenland
Leinster 1-0 Norway
France 2-0 Andalusia
Sudetenland 4-1 Brittany
Norway 8-0 France
Sudetenland 1-1 Leinster
Brittany 0-0 Andalusia

Group 13​

Cornwall 3-0 Pomerania
Irish Free State 1-1 Croatia-Slavonia
Dalmatia 0-0 León
Cornwall 2-2 Irish Free State
Dalmatia 1-0 Pomerania
León 6-0 Croatia-Slavonia
Cornwall 2-1 Dalmatia
León 4-1 Irish Free State
Croatia-Slavonia 1-0 Pomerania
Cornwall 0-0 León
Croatia-Slavonia 3-1 Dalmatia
Irish Free State 4-2 Pomerania
Croatia-Slavonia 1-1 Cornwall
León 5-2 Pomerania
Irish Free State 3-1 Dalmatia

Group 14​

Corsica 1-1 Sweden
Scotland 4-1 Württemberg
Greece 15-0 Guernsey
Sweden 6-1 Württemberg
Corsica 11-0 Guernsey
Scotland 2-2 Greece
Sweden 9-0 Guernsey
Württemberg 1-0 Greece
Scotland 0-0 Corsica
Sweden 4-1 Greece
Scotland 15-0 Guernsey
Württemberg 2-0 Corsica
Sweden 2-1 Scotland
Corsica 2-2 Greece
Württemberg 7-0 Guernsey

Group 15​

Basque Country 5-1 Baden
Bohemia 3-2 Rhineland
Slovenia 6-2 Iceland
Basque Country 2-0 Rhineland
Baden 4-0 Iceland
Bohemia 1-1 Slovenia
Basque Country 8-3 Iceland
Slovenia 0-0 Rhineland
Baden 3-1 Bohemia
Basque Country 6-4 Slovenia
Bohemia 2-0 Iceland
Rhineland 3-0 Baden
Basque Country 4-2 Bohemia
Baden 1-1 Slovenia
Iceland 1-0 Rhineland

Bukovina, Jutland, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Norway and León would make their World Cup debut in 1922.
 
1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Rest of the World Qualifiers

1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Rest of the World Qualifiers​

CONMEBOL​

1922conmebol.png

Group 16​

Bahia 4-1 Rio Grande do Norte
Bolivia 8-1 Venezuela
Bahia 2-1 Venezuela
Bolivia 3-2 Rio Grande do Norte
Bolivia 0-0 Bahia
Rio Grande do Norte 2-2 Venezuela

Group 17​

Pará 3-1 Piauí
Peru 4-0 Paraná
Pará 5-1 Paraná
Piauí 1-1 Peru
Peru 1-1 Pará
Paraná 2-0 Piauí

Group 18​

Chile 15-1 Acre
Paraíba 2-0 Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais 3-0 Chile
Paraíba 6-0 Acre
Chile 5-1 Paraíba
Minas Gerais 4-0 Acre

Group 19​

Rio de Janeiro 4-2 Sergipe
Paraguay 7-0 Amazonas
Rio de Janeiro 5-0 Amazonas
Sergipe 2-1 Paraguay
Rio de Janeiro 3-0 Paraguay
Amazonas 1-0 Sergipe

Group 20​

São Paulo 4-1 Espírito Santo
Pernambuco 2-0 Ecuador
São Paulo 1-0 Pernambuco
Espírito Santo 0-0 Ecuador
São Paulo 6-0 Ecuador
Espírito Santo 1-1 Pernambuco

Group 21​

Uruguay 7-2 Ceará
Rio Grande do Sul 3-3 Colombia
Uruguay 2-0 Rio Grande do Sul
Ceará 0-0 Colombia
Ceará 1-1 Rio Grande do Sul

Group 22​

Argentina 3-2 Maranhão
Surinam 4-1 British Guiana
Argentina 3-0 Surinam
Maranhão 5-2 British Guiana
Argentina 8-0 British Guiana
Maranhão 2-1 Surinam

Rio de Janeiro would make its World Cup debut.

CONACACAF​

1922conacacaf.png

Group 23​

Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 Honduras
Cuba 4-1 Guatemala
Mexico 7-1 Honduras
Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 Guatemala
Cuba 2-2 Mexico
Guatemala 9-0 Honduras
Mexico 5-3 Guatemala
Cuba 1-1 Trinidad and Tobago
Mexico 4-0 Trinidad and Tobago
Cuba 3-1 Honduras

Group 24​

Costa Rica 5-1 New England
Jamaica 3-0 Barbados
Canada 2-0 Costa Rica
New England 3-2 Jamaica
Canada 8-0 Barbados
Jamaica 0-0 Costa Rica
Jamaica 2-0 Canada
New England 4-0 Barbados
New England 1-1 Canada
Costa Rica 3-0 Barbados

Group 25​

Quebec 11-2 El Salvador
Newfoundland 1-1 Haiti
United States 8-2 El Salvador
Haiti 3-1 Quebec
United States 4-2 Newfoundland
Haiti 0-0 El Salvador
United States 1-0 Haiti
Quebec 5-0 Newfoundland
Quebec 2-2 United States
Newfoundland 3-0 El Salvador

All 3 top seeds won in CONACACAF, but Costa Rica and Cuba were close to debuting.

CFA​

1922cfa.png

Group 26​

Hyderabad 4-0 Perak
Hong Kong 3-0 French India
Baluchistan 2-2 Philippines
Persia 5-1 Bihar and Orissa
Hyderabad 0-0 French India
Baluchistan 2-1 Perak
Hong Kong 4-3 Bihar and Orissa
Persia 5-2 Philippines
Baluchistan 0-0 Hyderabad
Bihar and Orissa 3-1 French India
Persia 2-0 Perak
Hong Kong 6-2 Philippines
Bihar and Orissa 2-1 Hyderabad
Baluchistan 0-0 Persia
Philippines 1-0 French India
Hong Kong 5-1 Perak
Hyderabad 4-2 Persia
Philippines 3-2 Bihar and Orissa
Hong Kong 1-1 Baluchistan
Perak 3-2 French India
Hyderabad 3-0 Philippines
Persia 2-0 Hong Kong
Bihar and Orissa 1-1 Perak
French India 2-1 Baluchistan
Hong Kong 3-1 Hyderabad
Perak 0-0 Philippines
French India 1-1 Persia
Bihar and Orissa 2-1 Baluchistan

Group 27​

China 15-0 Pahang
Mandatory Palestine 1-1 Singapore
Bombay 3-0 Afghanistan
Penang 4-2 Travancore
China 11-0 Mandatory Palestine
Pahang 2-1 Afghanistan
Singapore 0-0 Penang
Bombay 4-1 Travancore
China 23-0 Afghanistan
Mandatory Palestine 3-1 Penang
Travancore 2-2 Pahang
Singapore 3-2 Bombay
China 21-0 Penang
Travancore 5-1 Afghanistan
Bombay 2-0 Mandatory Palestine
Pahang 1-1 Singapore
China 16-0 Travancore
Bombay 3-3 Penang
Singapore 2-0 Afghanistan
Pahang 1-0 Mandatory Palestine
China 8-0 Bombay
Singapore 2-1 Travancore
Penang 3-1 Pahang
Mandatory Palestine 5-1 Afghanistan
China 7-0 Singapore
Pahang 0-0 Bombay
Mandatory Palestine 1-1 Travancore
Penang 12-1 Afghanistan

Group 28​

Japan 7-0 Negeri Sembilan
Bengal 3-1 Korea
Punjab 2-0 Dutch East Indies
Malacca 4-1 Siam
Japan 9-1 Korea
Negeri Sembilan 2-1 Dutch East Indies
Bengal 3-0 Siam
Punjab 2-2 Malacca
Japan 11-1 Dutch East Indies
Siam 0-0 Korea
Malacca 3-3 Negeri Sembilan
Bengal 2-0 Punjab
Japan 4-1 Siam
Dutch East Indies 1-0 Malacca
Korea 1-1 Punjab
Bengal 3-0 Negeri Sembilan
Japan 5-0 Malacca
Punjab 2-2 Siam
Bengal 3-0 Dutch East Indies
Negeri Sembilan 2-0 Korea
Japan 2-1 Punjab
Malacca 3-0 Bengal
Siam 4-1 Negeri Sembilan
Korea 5-2 Dutch East Indies
Bengal 1-1 Japan
Punjab 2-0 Negeri Sembilan
Malacca 3-0 Korea
Dutch East Indies 1-0 Siam

Group 29​

United Provinces 5-0 Portuguese India
Eretz Israel 2-2 Mysore
Madras 1-0 Burma
Assam 2-1 Cochin
United Provinces 3-1 Eretz Israel
Portuguese India 4-0 Burma
Mysore 1-1 Assam
Madras 2-0 Cochin
United Provinces 1-0 Burma
Eretz Israel 4-2 Assam
Cochin 5-1 Portuguese India
Madras 3-2 Mysore
United Provinces 3-1 Assam
Burma 1-1 Cochin
Madras 3-0 Eretz Israel
Mysore 4-1 Portuguese India
United Provinces 7-2 Cochin
Madras 1-1 Assam
Mysore 2-0 Burma
Portuguese India 1-0 Eretz Israel
Madras 2-0 United Provinces
Cochin 2-2 Mysore
Assam 3-2 Portuguese India
Eretz Israel 4-3 Burma
United Provinces 3-0 Mysore
Portuguese India 1-1 Madras
Eretz Israel 0-0 Cochin
Assam 4-0 Burma

Japan and the United Provinces would make their World Cup debut.

Africa Zone​

1922africa.png

Group 30​

Transvaal 2-1 Uganda
Mozambique 0-0 Natalia
Cape 3-0 Uganda
Transvaal 4-4 Natalia
Cape 2-0 Mozambique
Natalia 7-1 Uganda
Cape 1-1 Natalia
Mozambique 2-1 Transvaal
Transvaal 1-0 Cape
Mozambique 3-2 Uganda

Group 31​

Orange Free State 4-2 Zanzibar
Liberia 1-0 Congo
Egypt 3-1 Zanzibar
Orange Free State 2-0 Congo
Liberia 1-1 Egypt
Zanzibar 3-0 Congo
Egypt 4-1 Congo
Liberia 1-1 Orange Free State
Orange Free State 2-2 Egypt
Liberia 2-1 Zanzibar

Egypt would make its World Cup debut.

PAFC​

1922pafc.png

Group 32​

New Zealand 6-1 Tasmania
South Australia 2-2 Victoria
New Zealand 0-0 South Australia
Victoria 4-1 Tasmania
New Zealand 3-1 Victoria
Tasmania 1-1 South Australia

Group 33​

New South Wales 12-0 Papua
Queensland 3-2 Western Australia
New South Wales 2-0 Queensland
Western Australia 6-1 Papua
New South Wales 4-2 Western Australia
Queensland 7-0 Papua

New Zealand would re-appear at the World Cup.
 
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1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Group Stage

1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Group Stage​

The 28 qualifying teams made the trip to Denmark to play in the first World Cup in a decade. Much like in 1912, groups were to play in certain zones in and around major cities in the host nation. Groups 1 and 2 played their games in Copenhagen, Groups 3 and 4 played their games in Aarhus, Group 5 played their games in Odense, Group 6 played their games in Aalborg, and Group 7 played their games in Esbjerg.

These were the pots used in the draw:
1922draw.png


And these were the results of the draw:
  • Group 1: Denmark, New Zealand, Mexico, Egypt
  • Group 2: São Paulo, Sweden, Hungary, Bukovina
  • Group 3: China, Netherlands, Japan, Montenegro
  • Group 4: Romania, Wales, Belgium, Jutland
  • Group 5: Argentina, England, Catalonia, Bulgaria
  • Group 6: Basque Country, Canada, Rio de Janeiro, León
  • Group 7: Uruguay, United States, United Provinces, Norway
There was some controversy around the results of this draw. There were claims that Denmark had been given an easy route out of the group stage, due to getting drawn with quite weak teams. Other complaints about the draw included China and Japan being drawn into the same group instead of spacing the Asian teams out, and the all-European Group 4 complaining about the lack of varied opposition. These protests were heard, though no solutions were given.

Group 1​

Denmark 3-0 Egypt
Mexico 1-1 New Zealand
Denmark 5-1 Mexico
Egypt 2-2 New Zealand
New Zealand 0-0 Denmark
Mexico 2-1 Egypt
1922g1.png

As expected, this group was dominated by Denmark. Remarkably, New Zealand drew all of their games, including the one with the hosts. Mexico and Egypt were both demolished by Denmark and drew with New Zealand, but Mexico managed to edge out Egypt with an insignificant win over them.

Group 2​

São Paulo 6-0 Bukovina
Sweden 3-2 Hungary
Hungary 1-0 São Paulo
Sweden 2-0 Bukovina
São Paulo 2-1 Sweden
Hungary 4-0 Bukovina
1922g2.png

São Paulo, Hungary and Sweden all took advantage of being drawn with minnows Bukovina to end up with the same point total. All 3 advanced to the knockout round.

Group 3​

China 4-1 Montenegro
Japan 0-0 Netherlands
China 2-0 Japan
Netherlands 1-0 Montenegro
Netherlands 2-2 China
Japan 4-2 Montenegro
1922g3.png

China impressed once more by topping out the group, although not as flawlessly as they had done before, drawing against 2nd place Netherlands. Their rivals Japan barely missed out on qualification, while Montenegro ended up at the very bottom losing all of their games.

Group 4​

Jutland 3-3 Romania
Belgium 1-1 Wales
Romania 4-1 Belgium
Jutland 2-1 Wales
Wales 3-1 Romania
Belgium 2-0 Jutland
1922g4.png

All 4 teams were tied on points, so the group was decided on goal average. Wales and Romania advanced, while pseudo-hosts Jutland and returning veterans Belgium were unlucky and crashed out of the tournament.

Group 5​

Argentina 3-0 Bulgaria
England 4-3 Catalonia
Argentina 1-1 Catalonia
Bulgaria 1-1 England
Argentina 2-1 England
Catalonia 2-0 Bulgaria
1922g5.png

This was a group of death. Argentina won out, despite a poor draw against Catalonia. Newcomers Bulgaria were dealt a tough hand against three favourites. England advanced as the 2nd-best 3rd-place team by the skin of their teeth.

Group 6​

León 0-0 Basque Country
Canada 3-1 Rio de Janeiro
Basque Country 3-1 Rio de Janeiro
León 2-2 Canada
Canada 1-1 Basque Country
Rio de Janeiro 2-1 León
1922g6.png

The Basque Country and Canada were both undefeated, benefitting from a mediocre Fluminense performance and a Leonese team that drew against the group toppers but lost against Rio de Janeiro.

Group 7​

Uruguay 7-0 Norway
United States 5-2 United Provinces
Uruguay 1-0 United Provinces
United States 3-1 Norway
Uruguay 2-1 United States
Norway 1-1 United Provinces
1922g7.png

This was the group most dominated by its winners, with the United Provinces and Norway barely managing a draw against each other for 1 point each, while Uruguay 7-0 Norway was the biggest blowout of the tournament and the United States had its own heavy victories against the losers.

For the first time ever, there was a draw for the Round of 16. The 7 group winners plus the best 2nd-placed team (Hungary) were seeded, while the other 6 2nd-place teams plus the 2 best 3rd-placed teams would be drawn with their top seed opponents. The only condition for the draw was that 2 teams that had faced each other in the group stage would not be matched with each other in the Round of 16.

These were the results of the draw:
1922ko.png
 
1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Knockout Stage

1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Knockout Stage​

The 10-year gap between the 1912 and 1922 World Cups was significant in many ways, not only for the world but also for football. Many players from European squads had gone to fight in the war and either died or sustained career-ending injuries. Others didn’t play due to psychological reasons. Still, for the European teams in the Round of 16, this wasn’t much of an issue, as England, Wales and Hungary managed to retain their best players while the rest were neutral during the Great War. If they weren’t caught up by the big war, then they could’ve been caught up in the myriad of conflicts during the Interwar period.

However, most European star players at the tournament were very close to retiring, playing just for their last shot at winning the World Cup in their careers after having 3 straight tournaments pushed back far beyond their footballing years. The squads from the rest of the world, and especially the Americas, were going through a sort of “golden age” where their older players which had accrued far more experience in the past 10 years playing in the continental and Pan-American tournaments and their younger players who had the chance to play some national team football in the war years were better than ever.

This is to be kept in mind for the rest of the tournament, and this particular period in international football history.

In Copenhagen, Hosts Denmark were showing signs of slowing down against England, who gave them a tough time but couldn’t quite make it as Denmark finished them off 2-1. The United States and São Paulo had a heated game, where the Brazilians ran circles around the Americans, getting ahead 2-0 in the first half. The Americans had an impressive second half turnaround and ended the game 3-2 in their favour, sending the Paulistas packing.

Continuing the streak of close games, in Aarhus, Canada faced a significant challenge against China, being 1-1 for most of the match, but they managed to come out on top to crush the Chinese’s dreams of reaching the semi-finals as they had done before. Meanwhile, New Zealand and Wales did not have a close game. Although they did try scoring 2 goals, the Welsh were no match for the much younger Kiwis, who put 4 past the Welshmen’s net and sent them home.

Over in Odense, Romania was having an incredibly bad time against Argentina. The former Cinderellas could not catch up to an over-prepared Argentina side, who tore them to shreds 5-1. In a stadium close by, the Basque Country and Catalonia would have their first World Cup meeting. The two had accrued a football rivalry akin to Argentina-Uruguay, playing a couple dozen friendly tournaments between each other. On this occasion, it was the Basques that came out on top, beating the Catalans back 3-1 and securing their place in the quarter-finals once more.

Finally, those in Aalborg bore witness to two dull games between World Cup regulars. Uruguay had their fun toying with the Swedes, defeating them 2-0. On the other side of the city, the Netherlands was scoring a last-minute winner against Hungary in a quite drab 0-0 game up until that point. At least they’d get a taste of the quarter-finals.

Non-Europeans had once again out-numbered Europeans in the quarter-finals, with 3 Europeans against 5 not.
1922r16.png

3 days later, back in Copenhagen, there was suspense. The close call against England had made local fans weary of any subsequent matches, and that Denmark might not be able to protect their double-crown. However, their next opponent was the Americans. And oppose them they did: with heavy kicks and hard attacks, the Americans pulled in everything they had against the reigning champions. A ball smashed into the back of the Danish net sealed their fate. They were unable to get back into the game, and Denmark was eliminated, at home, in front of record attendances.

While this was going on, the completely unaware fans in Aarhus were treated to what they christened the “Aarhus final” between Canada and New Zealand. And what a match it was, for the Canadians. New Zealand tried to get the head start, with a phantom goal that was never counted despite barely making it over the goal line. Even if this goal was scored, it wouldn’t have deterred the flurry of Canadian goals to follow. 3-0. Kiwis out, Canucks in.

In Odense, the Argentine fans were treated to a small contingent of fans that had come to see them play and try to win the World Cup. This definitely boosted their morale over the scarcely supported Basque team, in a particularly empty stadium as most fans lacked interest and had made travel arrangements to go to Copenhagen to watch the semi-finals and final. Both teams adopted their usual attacking strategy, which led to a high-scoring 3-3 draw near the end of the match. One scruffy shot from a desperate Argentine defender made it in, ending the game 4-3 to the delight of the Argentine contingent.

In spite of Aalborg’s greater distance to Copenhagen, even more fans had arranged to travel to Copenhagen, probably due to the low quality of the previous matches. Although they didn’t miss an amazing match, the bout between Uruguay and the Netherlands was still somewhat entertaining. A few good shots here and there led to a 2-1 win for Uruguay, leading them to face their biggest rivals Argentina in the semi-finals.

For the first time ever, the semi-finals were entirely non-European. Both matches were significant derbies, to boot.
1922qt.png

The United States and Canada, not-quite-bitter rivals, met in a World Cup match for the first time. Despite both ending 2nd in their group, they had made the most of it and were ready to throw down in Copenhagen. A Canadian head-start of 2 goals in quick succession did not deter the Americans, who struck back to make it 2-1 by the end of the first half. What followed was constant American attacks, while the “Canadian Shield” of defenders, named after the geological region, stopped any good advances their southern neighbours made. The Canucks snuck in an extra goal to finish their opponents off 3-1 and secure their spot in the final of the World Cup.

2 hours later, in the same Copenhagen stadium, Argentina and Uruguay would shake off any remaining seasickness to see which South American team would step up to attempt to take the crown that was now up for grabs. Both teams refused the local Danish balls for the derby, instead getting balls in the two different Argentine and Uruguayan styles made to play their match. FIFA officials were slightly peeved, but let it happen anyways, as it was the World Cup semi-finals after all. A coin toss decided which ball would be played first; Uruguay won the coin toss. This led them to a significant 2-0 advantage in the first half. The Argentine fans complained that the ball was giving them an advantage, but both teams had agreed to the ball exchange, and it was too late to go back now. Argentina would make the comeback of the decade by sticking 4 past the Uruguayan defenders, keeper and net, striking the Orientals out and keeping the Argentines in for the grand final.
1922sf.png

The 3rd place match was nothing to write home about. As always, neither team really wanted to be there. However, Uruguay took the opportunity to vent out their frustrations from the Argentina game, thrashing the American defence very physically, but also mentally as they put 6 past them while they could only manage 1. Uruguay took their bronze and went back home as soon as they could.

The final was upon Copenhagen. Although the locals were saddened by the loss of their national team, they still celebrated the occasion, with the colours of Argentina and Canada adorning the area around the stadium. Some Danes had even tried their hand at making traditional foods from the two countries, with mixed results. On 4 June, at 15 PM, the World Cup final, Canada v Argentina, began.

The Canadians tried out their usual strategy of immediate lethal attack, then folding back and defending. However, they were incapable of breaking through Argentina. On the other side of things, the South Americans were having a hard time trying to do anything but defend against the constant forward push of the Canucks. Classic case of unstoppable force vs. unmovable object. Things remained as they did for the entirety of the first half.

Canada caught Argentina lacking. Straight off the bat, a 47th minute header from a corner would put the Canadians ahead 1-0. Not yet satiated, Canada would ride this high until their 2nd goal at 58’ to secure the scoreline and fall back as they always did. Despite having more fans than Canada, the Argentines weren’t quite doing it. It was clear exhaustion had set in for them, at the worst possible moment. The Canadian Shield secured the Canadian goal as Argentina were unable to make any significant advances. Full time.

2-0.

Canada are World Champions!
1922f.png
 
1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Aftermath

1922 Denmark World Cup of Football – Aftermath​

The Canadians held the trophy up high, celebrating their first ever championship won outside of North America. They had become the first non-European winners of the World Cup, in an all non-European semi-final. The Argentines accepted their silver medals with a mix of sadness yet satisfaction for having gotten this far for the first time in their history. As was tradition, a couple of teams stuck around to play local clubs from all around Denmark’s regional leagues:

Canada 2-0 Kjøbenhavns Boldklub
Argentina 4-1 Boldklubben Frem
United States 0-2 Akademisk Boldklub
New Zealand 3-1 Skovshoved IF
China 2-2 Boldklubben 1903
São Paulo 7-2 Aarhus Gymnastikforening
United Provinces 0-1 Boldklubben af 1893
Japan 6-0 Boldklubben 1909

Once the news of the World Cup results got out, many Europeans, both those who had been at the matches and those who hadn’t, were frustrated by the performance of their national teams. There wasn’t much that could be done, as most athletes had been killed or maimed in the Great War, and those left were old and only willing to play this one last World Cup. The future didn’t look bright for Europe’s footballing prospects, but the Americas looked stronger than ever.

FIFA promised to make significant changes to the World Cup draw, and change the berths to give less leeway to European teams as nearly all out of the 16 of them had crashed out before the quarter-finals. The World Cup had been a moderate success; audiences weren’t the same in Denmark as they were in England and Scotland, but they were still decently sized. Canada’s victory had made their hosting duty in 1924 seem much more justified, despite them being a mediocre team when they were picked for 1916.
 
1922 and 1923 – Clashing with Clubs

1922 and 1923 – Clashing with Clubs​

FIFA would receive another intake of teams during this period, but obviously a much smaller one than last time. All regional Danish FAs had garnered enough popularity in their home country to submit themselves as separate members of FIFA:
  • Aruba
  • Asturias
  • Balearic Islands
  • Bornholm
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • British Honduras
  • Byelorussia
  • Canary Islands
  • Córdoba
  • Curaçao
  • Extremadura
  • Florida
  • Funen
  • Grenada
  • Lolland-Falster
  • Macau
  • Murcia
  • Navarre
  • New Caledonia
  • Poland
  • Santa Catarina
  • Ukraine
  • Vojvodina
International football had now breezed past club competitions in terms of attendance records and profitability. Players were putting their international duties over their clubs, and international breaks became more and more common, sometimes even conflicting with club match dates. Increasing anger from the clubs due to this issue eventually reached FIFA. At the time, the Federation did not interact much with club football, being entirely pre-occupied with national teams, but the associations had forwarded the complaints to FIFA and they proved difficult to ignore. Many European clubs were calling for an organisation like CONMEBOL that could organise the associations into one neat confederation instead of them having to answer directly to the big one.

FIFA allowed this, under the condition that they would absolutely have to get involved in the club scene, and that their Laws of the Game had to apply to all clubs under its jurisdiction. The national associations of Europe agreed to their terms, and joined to create the Union of European Football Associations or UEFA. Then-president of FIFA Jules Rimet took charge of the organisation while also presiding over the Federation. As Africa was the last continent left under direct FIFA administration, they decided to give their hold away to the African teams to form the African Association Football Union or AAFU.

A minor decision made during this time was the renaming of the World Cup Trophy. Its generic name was dropped in favour of naming it the Woolfall Trophy, in honour of the late Daniel Burley Woolfall, second president of FIFA.

1923 Germany European Championship​

  1. Netherlands
  2. Denmark
  3. England
  4. Bulgaria

1923 São Paulo South American Championship​

  1. Uruguay
  2. Argentina
  3. Bahia
  4. São Paulo

1923 Jamaica North American Championship​

  1. Canada
  2. United States
  3. New England
  4. Jamaica

1923 Japan Asian Championship​

  1. United Provinces
  2. China
  3. Japan
  4. Hong Kong

1923 Cape African Championship​

  1. Egypt
  2. Cape
  3. Natalia
  4. Orange Free State

1923 South Australia Australasian Championship​

  1. New Zealand
  2. New South Wales
  3. South Australia
  4. Victoria
 
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1924 Canada World Cup of Football – Introduction of the International Cup and Qualifiers Draw

1924 Canada World Cup of Football – Introduction of the International Cup and Qualifiers Draw​

In 1923, many associations began to complain, as they always did. This time, many saw the qualifiers as too brutal and unequal; Mexico played only 4 matches in a 5-team to qualify for the World Cup, yet Hong Kong played 7 matches in an 8-team group and an extra play-off, winning nearly all of them, and yet still couldn’t qualify for an international tournament. There was no possible solution to this. As the Federation got bigger and bigger, qualifying groups became larger and larger, and the process became more complicated. One day, while reading a newspaper from London called The Fulham Constant, which featured a proposal for a hypothetical 2nd-tier World Cup including which teams would’ve qualified for it, Jules Rimet had found his solution: teams that just barely miss out on qualifying for the World Cup would be granted qualification to the so-called International Cup, to be held concurrently with and in the biggest footballing nation that failed to qualify for the main World Cup. All travel arrangements would be paid out by the host nation. FIFA hoped this would give teams that don’t ever qualify for the World Cup the chance to get some opponents outside of their usual continental opponents.

The following teams withdrew from the qualifiers: Siebenbürgen, due to a lack of players willing to make the qualifiers trip, Aruba due to financial issues, Selangor, due to their association going bankrupt, and Baluchistan, due to pay disputes between the players and the association.

Both the World Cup and the International Trophy had the same amount of teams and berth allocation. There was 1 guaranteed qualifying spot for the hosts. In UEFA, there were 15 groups of 7 where the 1st-placed teams qualified for the World Cup and the 2nd-placed teams qualified for the International Cup. In CONMEBOL, there were 5 groups of 6, where the 3 best group winners qualified for the World Cup automatically while the worst 2 winners went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup, accompanied by the 3 best 2nd-placed teams. In CONACACAF, there were 6 groups of 3, where the 2 best group winners qualified for the World Cup automatically while the worst 4 winners went to a play-off tournament; the winner of the final went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup, accompanied by the other 2 group winners. FCA had 4 groups of 8, where the 2 best group winners automatically qualified for the World Cup while the 2 worst winners went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup, accompanied by the 2 best 2nd-placed teams. AAFU had 2 groups of 5, where the winner of each group went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup. PAFC had 2 groups of 5, where the winner of each group went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup.

These were the pots used in the draws:
1924draw.png

And these were the results of the draws:
  • Group 1: Wales, Scotland, Irish Free State, Halychyna, Isle of Man, Fiume, Ukraine
  • Group 2: Belgium, Austria, Slovakia, Vorarlberg, Gascony, Jersey, Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Group 3: Catalonia, Cantabria, Switzerland, Latvia, Dalmatia, Guernsey, Turkey
  • Group 4: Norway, Normandy, Württemberg, Saarland, Lower Silesia, Oldenburg, Asturias
  • Group 5: Bulgaria, Cornwall, Galicia, Corsica, Portugal, Luxembourg, Byelorussia
  • Group 6: Netherlands, Valencia, Leinster, Serbia, Greece, Hesse, Vojvodina
  • Group 7: Denmark, Bukovina, Styria, Aragon, France, Liechtenstein, Murcia
  • Group 8: Romania, Italy, Schleswig-Holstein, Subcarpathia, Szeklerland, Pomerania, Lolland-Falster
  • Group 9: Sweden, Toledo-La Mancha, Slovenia, Saxony, Northern Ireland, Alderney, Navarre
  • Group 10: Jutland, Amikejo, Moravia, Baden, Rhineland, Monaco, Russia
  • Group 11: Hungary, Finland, Provence, Bavaria, Lithuania, Sudetenland, Bornholm
  • Group 12: Basque Country, Castile, Thuringia, Croatia, Transylvania, Malta, Balearic Islands
  • Group 13: Montenegro, Andalusia, Tyrol, Upper Silesia, Carinthia, Andorra, Extremadura
  • Group 14: England, East Prussia, Salzburg, Brittany, Estonia, Iceland, Canary Islands
  • Group 15: León, Germany, Bohemia, Munster, Gibraltar, Danzig, Funen
  • Group 16: Uruguay, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Espírito Santo, British Guiana
  • Group 17: São Paulo, Chile, Sergipe, Ceará, Ecuador
  • Group 18: Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Colombia, Paraná, Córdoba
  • Group 19: Argentina, Pernambuco, Paraguay, Rio Grande do Norte, Venezuela
  • Group 20: Bolivia, Maranhão, Surinam, Piauí, Acre
  • Group 21: Pará, Peru, Rio Grande do Sul, Amazonas, Santa Catarina
  • Group 22: Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba
  • Group 23: Cuba, New England, Curaçao
  • Group 24: Mexico, Newfoundland, British Honduras
  • Group 25: Quebec, Guatemala, Grenada
  • Group 26: United States, El Salvador, Barbados
  • Group 27: Jamaica, Haiti, Florida
  • Group 28: Japan, Bengal, Malacca, Penang, Eretz Israel, Cochin, Portuguese India, Macau
  • Group 29: United Provinces, Madras, Bombay, Bihar and Orissa, Philippines, Mandatory Palestine, Travancore, Burma
  • Group 30: Hong Kong, Singapore, Assam, Mysore, Pahang, French India, Perak, Dutch East Indies
  • Group 31: China, Persia, Hyderabad, Punjab, Negeri Sembilan, Siam, Korea, Afghanistan
  • Group 32: Cape, Liberia, Transvaal, Zanzibar, Congo
  • Group 33: Egypt, Orange Free State, Natalia, Mozambique, Uganda
  • Group 34: New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Papua, New Caledonia
  • Group 35: New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea
 

1924 Canada World Cup of Football – Introduction of the International Cup and Qualifiers Draw​

In 1923, many associations began to complain, as they always did. This time, many saw the qualifiers as too brutal and unequal; Mexico played only 4 matches in a 5-team to qualify for the World Cup, yet Hong Kong played 7 matches in an 8-team group and an extra play-off, winning nearly all of them, and yet still couldn’t qualify for an international tournament. There was no possible solution to this. As the Federation got bigger and bigger, qualifying groups became larger and larger, and the process became more complicated. One day, while reading a newspaper from London called The Fulham Constant, which featured a proposal for a hypothetical 2nd-tier World Cup including which teams would’ve qualified for it, Jules Rimet had found his solution: teams that just barely miss out on qualifying for the World Cup would be granted qualification to the so-called International Cup, to be held concurrently with and in the biggest footballing nation that failed to qualify for the main World Cup. All travel arrangements would be paid out by the host nation. FIFA hoped this would give teams that don’t ever qualify for the World Cup the chance to get some opponents outside of their usual continental opponents.

The following teams withdrew from the qualifiers: Siebenbürgen, due to a lack of players willing to make the qualifiers trip, Aruba due to financial issues, Selangor, due to their association going bankrupt, and Baluchistan, due to pay disputes between the players and the association.

Both the World Cup and the International Trophy had the same amount of teams and berth allocation. There was 1 guaranteed qualifying spot for the hosts. In UEFA, there were 15 groups of 7 where the 1st-placed teams qualified for the World Cup and the 2nd-placed teams qualified for the International Cup. In CONMEBOL, there were 5 groups of 6, where the 3 best group winners qualified for the World Cup automatically while the worst 2 winners went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup, accompanied by the 3 best 2nd-placed teams. In CONACACAF, there were 6 groups of 3, where the 2 best group winners qualified for the World Cup automatically while the worst 4 winners went to a play-off tournament; the winner of the final went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup, accompanied by the other 2 group winners. FCA had 4 groups of 8, where the 2 best group winners automatically qualified for the World Cup while the 2 worst winners went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup, accompanied by the 2 best 2nd-placed teams. AAFU had 2 groups of 5, where the winner of each group went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup. PAFC had 2 groups of 5, where the winner of each group went to a play-off; the winner went to the World Cup and the loser to the International Cup.

These were the pots used in the draws:
View attachment 675875
And these were the results of the draws:
  • Group 1: Wales, Scotland, Irish Free State, Halychyna, Isle of Man, Fiume, Ukraine
  • Group 2: Belgium, Austria, Slovakia, Vorarlberg, Gascony, Jersey, Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • Group 3: Catalonia, Cantabria, Switzerland, Latvia, Dalmatia, Guernsey, Turkey
  • Group 4: Norway, Normandy, Württemberg, Saarland, Lower Silesia, Oldenburg, Asturias
  • Group 5: Bulgaria, Cornwall, Galicia, Corsica, Portugal, Luxembourg, Byelorussia
  • Group 6: Netherlands, Valencia, Leinster, Serbia, Greece, Hesse, Vojvodina
  • Group 7: Denmark, Bukovina, Styria, Aragon, France, Liechtenstein, Murcia
  • Group 8: Romania, Italy, Schleswig-Holstein, Subcarpathia, Szeklerland, Pomerania, Lolland-Falster
  • Group 9: Sweden, Toledo-La Mancha, Slovenia, Saxony, Northern Ireland, Alderney, Navarre
  • Group 10: Jutland, Amikejo, Moravia, Baden, Rhineland, Monaco, Russia
  • Group 11: Hungary, Finland, Provence, Bavaria, Lithuania, Sudetenland, Bornholm
  • Group 12: Basque Country, Castile, Thuringia, Croatia, Transylvania, Malta, Balearic Islands
  • Group 13: Montenegro, Andalusia, Tyrol, Upper Silesia, Carinthia, Andorra, Extremadura
  • Group 14: England, East Prussia, Salzburg, Brittany, Estonia, Iceland, Canary Islands
  • Group 15: León, Germany, Bohemia, Munster, Gibraltar, Danzig, Funen
  • Group 16: Uruguay, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Espírito Santo, British Guiana
  • Group 17: São Paulo, Chile, Sergipe, Ceará, Ecuador
  • Group 18: Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Colombia, Paraná, Córdoba
  • Group 19: Argentina, Pernambuco, Paraguay, Rio Grande do Norte, Venezuela
  • Group 20: Bolivia, Maranhão, Surinam, Piauí, Acre
  • Group 21: Pará, Peru, Rio Grande do Sul, Amazonas, Santa Catarina
  • Group 22: Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba
  • Group 23: Cuba, New England, Curaçao
  • Group 24: Mexico, Newfoundland, British Honduras
  • Group 25: Quebec, Guatemala, Grenada
  • Group 26: United States, El Salvador, Barbados
  • Group 27: Jamaica, Haiti, Florida
  • Group 28: Japan, Bengal, Malacca, Penang, Eretz Israel, Cochin, Portuguese India, Macau
  • Group 29: United Provinces, Madras, Bombay, Bihar and Orissa, Philippines, Mandatory Palestine, Travancore, Burma
  • Group 30: Hong Kong, Singapore, Assam, Mysore, Pahang, French India, Perak, Dutch East Indies
  • Group 31: China, Persia, Hyderabad, Punjab, Negeri Sembilan, Siam, Korea, Afghanistan
  • Group 32: Cape, Liberia, Transvaal, Zanzibar, Congo
  • Group 33: Egypt, Orange Free State, Natalia, Mozambique, Uganda
  • Group 34: New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Papua, New Caledonia
  • Group 35: New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea
My Predictions

World Cup :
Scotland, Austria, Catalonia, Saarland, Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Romania, Sweden, Jutland, Hungary, Basque, Andalusia, England, Germany, Uruguay, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Argentina, Cuba, America, Mexico, Japan, China, Cape, New South Wales

World Cup 2 :
Wales, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Galicia, Valencia, France, Italy, Northern Ireland, Rhineland, Bavaria, Castile, Montenegro, East Prussia, Bohemia, Bolivia, Peru, Para, Chile, Costa Rica, Quebec, Jamaica, Hong Kong, Agra & Oudh, Egypt, New Zealand
 
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This is incredible. Really good job. The presentation, hypothetical countries, even flags. Unfamothably detailed and well-thought-out.
Had my own idea for such a scenario with an earlier World Cup, before discovering this or even knowing such a football community existed.
Shame you seem to have stopped, but it's understandable if you ran out of steam.
 
Hello, everyone, I don't know how many people will see this, but my deepest apologies for leaving you in the dark these past few months. As one poster above theorized, I ran out of steam. I think it was because I added far too many teams, which made the process of continuing this TL unbearably long. I once spent 6 hours straight on the graphics for 1 post and it was mentally exhausting. I also briefly lost my ability to care about football, though my interest in the sport has since reinvigorated. I also started to work on other, much more fulfilling projects after this.

With a clearer mind, I think I might start this up again, for the third time, from the top. After visiting this site for the first time in a while, I was alerted to @NTF aka Seb's post about the possibility of having international football start to pick up steam way earlier, in the 1800s. I might do something like that, though I could make it easier for myself and start in 1906 again.

I will put in the effort to make and finish a 3rd attempt at this concept, though I won't be posting it to this forum while I'm making it, at least not in the beginning. I don't wish to disappoint with another unfinished thread. I'll try to make as much of it as I can in bursts, then post it in daily(?) chunks afterwards while I take a break. If I don't make a thread about this in 3 months and forget to keep you posted, it's probably real life responsibilities keeping me from working on the project, as I have entered college and don't have as much free time anymore.

Again, I apologize for just leaving this without warning or notice, and I promise to come back with a much better, hopefully final version of this TL. Cheers.
 
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