Documentary: The Crazy Story Of The 1930 World Cup!

TL;DR:
The 1930 World Cup, hosted by Uruguay, was a chaotic and fascinating event. It featured low participation, political interference, fierce rivalries—especially between Argentina and Uruguay—bizarre incidents like a player left stranded in Italy, and culminated in Uruguay's hard-fought victory in an intense final.

Key Takeaways:

• The inception of the 1930 World Cup arose from the outdated amateur status of Olympic football, leading FIFA to create its own open tournament.
• Securing participation proved difficult; many European nations hesitated due to travel challenges, requiring substantial persuasion, including royal intervention from King Carol II of Romania.
• The tournament was characterized by fierce rivalries, particularly the Argentina-Uruguay feud, which sparked on-field brawls and even threats against players.
• Numerous unusual events occurred, such as a player being stranded in Italy due to pneumonia and a referee needing an escape route should violence erupt during the final.
• Despite the obstacles, the tournament featured memorable moments, including the inaugural World Cup goal and penalty, as well as Guillermo Stábile's remarkable scoring achievement, despite having never played for Argentina before.
• Uruguay eventually triumphed in the first World Cup, defeating Argentina in a highly-anticipated and controversial final.