Italy World Cup Rewind: Title No. 2, 1938 Final vs. Hungary

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 7, 2014

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Before beginning, I must once again make a disclaimer.  In the video accompanying this piece a brief glimpse of the Fascist salute commonly associated with Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany can be seen.  These quick images do not reflect the political or philosophical beliefs of the writer or of Bleacher Report.  This image is only seen for a few seconds but if you find it too distasteful I recommend not watching the video.

 

Welcome back to our series of Italy World Cup Rewinds, which takes a look back at Italy's triumphs and failures in World Cup play.  Today, we will look back on the game that gave Italy their second consecutive World Cup title—the 1938 final against Hungary.

 

The Tournament

The 1938 World Cup was the second and final tournament that followed a straight, 16-team knockout format. For the first time in history, the hosts and defending champions were not required to qualify.

The remaining 14 slots were contended almost entirely by European teams.  Most teams from the Americas were under the impression that Europe and the Americas would alternate hosting the tournament.  

When FIFA president Jules Rimet convinced the body to hold the Cup in his home country of France, almost all of the American teams withdrew from qualifying in protest.  In the end the only non-European teams in the tournament were Brazil, Cuba (participating in its only World Cup to date) and the Dutch East Indies—now Indonesia, also participating in its only World Cup to date.

There was more intrigue to come.  In March of 1938, Austria, which had qualified independently for the tournament, was annexed by Nazi Germany in the Anschluss.  

Austria withdrew from the tournament and left FIFA scrambling for a replacement.  After being turned down by England—who were still in the midst of their self-...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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