1930 FIFA World Cup

The first Football World Cup was staged in 1930. The games were awarded to Uruguay as they were the Olympic champions at the time and since they were celebrating the centenary of their independence. As well as being the first ever hosts, Uruguay also became the inaugural champions, beating Argentina in the final, 4-2.
The first World Cup was the only one without qualification; teams were invited. Due to the long and costly trip across the Atlantic, very few European teams chose to participate; two months before the tournament started, no team from that continent had officially entered. FIFA's president, Jules Rimet, intervened, along with the Uruguayan government, which promised to pay the travel expenses of any travelling European team. Eventually four teams made the three-week sea trip: Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia.