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1938 FIFA World Cup qualification

Qualification rounds for the 1938 FIFA World Cup

Top 10 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification related articles
1 1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and was held in France from 4-19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, beating Hungary 4–2. Italy's 1934 and 1938 teams hold the distinction of the sole World Cup champions under the same coach, Vittorio Pozzo.More
2 FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the final tournament of the FIFA World Cup. The qualification reduces the large field of eligible entrants from 211 to just 32 for the finals as of the 2022 edition.More
3 France national football team
The France national football team represents France in men's international football and is controlled by the French Football Federation, also known as FFF, or in French: Fédération française de football. The team's colours are blue, white and red, and the coq gaulois its symbol. France are colloquially known as Les Bleus. They are the reigning world champions, having won the most recent World Cup final in 2018.More
4 Italy national football team
The Italy national football team has officially represented Italy in international football since their first match in 1910. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA—the latter of which was co-founded by the Italian team's supervising body, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Italy's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Italy, and their primary training ground, Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano, is located at the FIGC technical headquarters in Coverciano, Florence.More
5 Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a civil war in Spain fought from 1936 to 1939. Republicans loyal to the left-leaning Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic, in alliance with anarchists, of the communist and syndicalist variety, fought against a revolt by the Nationalists, an alliance of Falangists, monarchists, conservatives and traditionalists, led by a military group among whom General Francisco Franco soon achieved a preponderant role. Due to the international political climate at the time, the war had many facets and was variously viewed as class struggle, a war of religion, a struggle between dictatorship and republican democracy, between revolution and counterrevolution, and between fascism and communism. According to Claude Bowers, U.S. ambassador to Spain during the war, it was the "dress rehearsal" for World War II. The Nationalists won the war, which ended in early 1939, and ruled Spain until Franco's death in November 1975.More
6 Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international men's football competitions since 1920. It is governed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for Football in Spain.More
7 Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia and is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east. Europe is commonly considered to be separated from Asia by the watershed of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus, the Black Sea, and the waterways of the Turkish Straits. Although much of this border is over land, Europe is generally accorded the status of a full continent because of its great physical size and the weight of history and tradition.More
8 Egypt national football team
The Egypt national football team, known colloquially as The Pharaohs, represents Egypt in men's international football, and is governed by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), the governing body of football in Egypt. The team's historical stadium is Cairo International Stadium, although they have played at Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria in recent years. In 2019, and during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the Pharaohs returned to their historical stadium once again after renovations.More
9 Mandatory Palestine national football team
The Mandatory Palestine national football team, also known as the Eretz Israel national football team, represented the British Mandate of Palestine in international football competitions, and was managed by the Palestine Football Association.More
10 Americas
The Americas is a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.More
1938 FIFA World Cup Qualification
Tournament details
Teams37 (from 3 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played22
Goals scored96 (4.36 per match)
Top scorer(s) Fricis Kaņeps
Gyula Zsengellér
(5 goals each)
← 1934
1950 →

A total of 37 teams entered the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. For the first time the title holders and the host country were given automatic qualification. Therefore, France, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.

Due to the Spanish Civil War, Spain withdrew from the competition. The remaining 34 teams were divided into 12 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:

  • Groups 1 to 9 - Europe: 11 places, contested by 23 teams (including Egypt and Palestine).
  • Groups 10 and 11 - The Americas: 2 places, contested by 9 teams.
  • Group 12 - Asia: 1 place, contested by 2 teams.

However, due to the withdrawal of Austria after qualifying (they had been annexed by Germany), only 15 teams actually competed in the final tournament. FIFA did not offer participation to the runner-up of the group that Austria had played in, Latvia.

A total of 21 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 22 qualifying matches were played, and 96 goals were scored (an average of 4.36 per match).

1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Intro articles: 4
1 Asia
Asia is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It shares the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe and the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. Asia covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometres (17,212,000 sq mi), about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of the first civilizations. Asia is notable for not only its overall large size and population, but also dense and large settlements, as well as vast barely populated regions. Its 4.5 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the world's population.More
2 Austria national football team
The Austria national football team represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association . Austria has qualified for seven FIFA World Cups, most recently in 1998. The country played in the UEFA European Championship for the first time in 2008, when it co-hosted the event with Switzerland, and most recently qualified in 2016.More
3 Germany national football team
The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East German team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.More
4 Latvia national football team
The Latvia national football team represents Latvia in international football and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia. They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, however, they qualified for the European Championship in 2004 under head coach Aleksandrs Starkovs.More

Format

The 12 groups had different rules, as follows:

  • Group 1 had 4 teams. The teams played against each other once. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
  • Groups 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 had 2 teams each. The teams, except in Group 5, played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. In Group 5, Switzerland and Portugal were to play only one match on a neutral ground with the winner to qualify.
  • Groups 6 and 8 had 3 teams each. The strongest team of each group was seeded. There would be two rounds of play:
    • First Round: The seeded team received a bye and advanced to the Final Round directly. The remaining 2 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the Final Round.
    • Final Round: The seeded team played against the winner of the First Round at home. The winner would qualify.
  • Group 9 had 3 teams. The teams played against each other once. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
  • Group 10 had 2 teams. The group winner would qualify.
  • Group 11 had 7 teams. The group winner would qualify.
  • Group 12 had 2 teams. The group winner would qualify.

Key:

  • Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finals.
  • Teams highlighted in Orange qualified for the final phase of their group.

Group 1

Main article: 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 1
Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Germany 3 3 0 0 11 1 11.0 6
2  Sweden 3 2 0 1 11 7 1.57 4
3  Estonia 3 1 0 2 4 11 0.36 2
4  Finland 3 0 0 3 0 7 0.00 0
16 June 1937 Sweden  4 – 0  Finland Stockholm, Sweden
Bunke  60', 82'
Persson  65'
Svanström  68'		 Report Stadium: Solna Råsunda Stadion
Attendance: 19,544
Referee: Kolbjørn Daehlen (Norway)
20 June 1937 Sweden  7 – 2  Estonia Stockholm, Sweden
Josefsson  7', 41'
Bunke  40'
Jonasson  49' (pen.)
Wetterström  73', 77', 84'		 Report Siimenson  2'
Uukkivi  3'		 Stadium: Solna Råsunda Stadion
Attendance: 18,270
Referee: Otto Remke (Denmark)
29 June 1937 Finland  0 – 2  Germany Helsinki, Finland
Report Lehner  26'
Urban  38'		 Stadium: Pallokenttä
Attendance: 6,619
Referee: Otto Remke (Denmark)
19 August 1937 Finland  0 – 1  Estonia Turku, Finland
Report Kuremaa  56' Stadium: Urheilupuisto
Attendance: 4,797
Referee: Ivan Eklind (Sweden)
29 August 1937 Germany  4 – 1  Estonia Königsberg, Germany
Lehner  50', 65'
Gauchel  53', 86'		 Report Siimenson  34' Stadium: Horst-Wessel Stadion
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Bruno Pfützner (Czechoslovakia)
21 November 1937 Germany  5 – 0  Sweden Hamburg, Germany
Siffling  2', 57'
Szepan  8'
Schön  48', 63'		 Report Stadium: Altonaer Stadion
Attendance: 51,000
Referee: Bruno Pfützner (Czechoslovakia)

Germany and Sweden qualified.

Group 2

Main article: 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 2
Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Norway 2 1 1 0 6 5 1.20 3
2  Irish Free State 2 0 1 1 5 6 0.83 1
10 October 1937 Norway  3 – 2  Irish Free State Oslo, Norway
Kvammen  30', 64'
Martinsen  78'		 Report Geoghegan  37'
Dunne  49'		 Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion
Attendance: 19,000
Referee: Peco Bauwens (Germany)
7 November 1937 Irish Free State  3 – 3  Norway Dublin, Irish Free State
Dunne  10'
O'Flanagan  62'
Duggan  88'		 Report Kvammen  16', 33'
Martinsen  49'		 Stadium: Dalymount Park
Attendance: 27,000
Referee: Thomas Gibbs (England)

Norway qualified.

Group 3

Main article: 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 3
Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Poland 2 1 0 1 4 1 4.00 2
2  Yugoslavia 2 1 0 1 1 4 0.25 2
10 October 1937 Poland  4 – 0  Yugoslavia Warsaw, Poland
Piatek  3', 20'
Wostal  59'
Wilimowski  78'		 Report Stadium: Stadion Wojska Polskiego
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Lucien Leclercq (France)
3 April 1938 Yugoslavia  1 – 0  Poland Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Marjanović  61' Report Stadium: Stadion BSK
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: Rinadlo Barlassina (Italy)

Poland finished above Yugoslavia on goal average, and thus qualified.

Overview of "Goal average" article
Goal difference
Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches are scored by goals or by points.More

Group 4

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
—  Romania qualified
—  Egypt withdrew

Egypt were to play Romania on 17 December 1937, but Egypt refused to play Romania during the Ramadan month, with Egyptian officials arguing that it was "impossible" to play football during that time period.
After Egyptian officials invited Austrian club side First Vienna FC to Egypt to participate in a friendly game against the national team during the holy month, Egypt were withdrawn by FIFA, and Romania qualified automatically.[1]

1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 4 articles: 3
Ramadan (calendar month)
The month of Ramadan, also spelled Ramadhan or Ramazan, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.More
Austria
Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked East Alpine country in the southern part of Central Europe. It is composed of nine federated states (Bundesländer), one of which is Vienna, Austria's capital and its largest city. It is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. Austria occupies an area of 83,879 km2 (32,386 sq mi) and has a population of nearly 9 million people. While German is the country's official language, many Austrians communicate informally in a variety of Bavarian dialects.More
First Vienna FC
First Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there. It is familiarly known to Austrians by the English name Vienna.More

Group 5

Main article: 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 5

First round

USSR withdrew, so Portugal qualified automatically to the final round.

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Portugal Bye
2  Russia Withdrew

Final round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1   Switzerland 1 1 0 0 2 1 2.00 2
2  Portugal 1 0 0 1 1 2 0.50 0
1 May 1938 Switzerland   2 – 1  Portugal Milan, Italy
Aeby  24'
Amado  29'		 Report Peyroteo  72' (pen.) Stadium: Stadio Civico Arena
Attendance: 16,000
Referee: Francesco Mattea (Italy)

Switzerland qualified.

1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 5 articles: 11
1 Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team has represented Portugal in international men's football competition since 1921. It is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal.More
2 Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russian Federation in men's international football and it is controlled by the Russian Football Union, the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home ground is the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and their current head coach is Stanislav Cherchesov.More
3 Switzerland national football team
The Switzerland national football team represents Switzerland in international football. The national team is controlled by the Swiss Football Association.More
4 Milan
Milan is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city in Italy after Rome. Milan served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire, the Duchy of Milan and the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million while its metropolitan city has 3.26 million inhabitants. Its continuously built-up urban area, that stretches well beyond the boundaries of the administrative metropolitan city, is the fourth largest in the EU with 5.27 million inhabitants. The population within the wider Milan metropolitan area, also known as Greater Milan, is estimated at 8.2 million, making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and the 3rd largest in the EU.More
5 Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and several islands surrounding it. Italy is located in South-Central Europe, and is considered part of Western Europe. A unitary parliamentary republic with Rome as its capital, the country covers a total area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial enclave in Switzerland (Campione) and a maritime exclave in Tunisian waters (Lampedusa). With around 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the third-most populous member state of the European Union.More
6 Georges Aeby
Georges Aeby was a Swiss footballer who played for Switzerland in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He also played for FC Biel-Bienne, Servette FC, FC Lausanne-Sport, and Urania Genève Sport. He was Paul Aeby's younger brother.More
7 Lauro Amadò
Lauro Amadò, also known as Lajo, was a Swiss football player.More
8 Fernando Peyroteo
Fernando Baptista de Seixas Peyroteo de Vasconcelos was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker.More
9 Penalty kick (association football)
A penalty kick is a method of restarting play in association football, in which a player is allowed to take a single shot on the goal while it is defended only by the opposing team's goalkeeper. It is awarded when a foul punishable by a direct free kick is committed by a player in their own penalty area. The shot is taken from the penalty mark, which is 11 m from the goal line and centred between the touch lines.More
10 Arena Civica
Arena Civica, officially Arena Gianni Brera, is a multi-purpose stadium in Milan, Italy, which was opened on 18 August 1807. One of the city's main examples of neoclassical architecture, today it mainly hosts football and rugby union games, concerts and cultural events. The stadium can hold 18,000–30,000 spectators.More
11 Italian Football Federation
The Italian Football Federation, known colloquially as Federcalcio, is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.More

Group 6

Main article: 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 6

First round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Greece 2 2 0 0 4 1 4.00 4
2  Palestine, British Mandate 2 0 0 2 1 4 0.25 0
22 January 1938 Palestine, British Mandate  1 – 3  Greece Tel Aviv, Palestine/Eretz Israel
Neufeld  36' Report Vikelidis  15', 30'
Migiakis  73'		 Stadium: Maccabiah Stadium
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Mohammed Youssef (Egypt)
20 February 1938 Greece  1 – 0  Palestine, British Mandate Athens, Greece
Vikelidis  88' (pen.) Report Stadium: Stadio Leoforos Alexandras
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Mika Popovic (Yugoslavia)

Greece qualified for the final round.

Final round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Hungary 1 1 0 0 11 1 11.0 2
2  Greece 1 0 0 1 1 11 0.09 0
25 March 1938 Hungary  11 – 1  Greece Budapest, Hungary
Zsengellér  15', 23' (pen.), 25', 65', 81'
Titkos  18', 75'
Vincze  26'
Nemes  34', 40', 52'		 Report Makris  89' Stadium: Hungária
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Denis Xifando (Romania)

Hungary qualified.

1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 6 articles: 9
1 Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in men's international football and it is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made nine appearances in the FIFA World Cup finals and four appearances in the European Championship, and plays its home matches at the Puskás Aréna, which opened in November 2019.More
2 Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in men's international football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece play most of their home matches in or near Athens, either in Athens at the Olympic Stadium in the Maroussi section of the city or in the port city of Piraeus at the Karaiskakis Stadium just outside Athens. Greece is one of only ten national teams to have been crowned UEFA European Champions.More
3 Budapest
Budapest is the capital and the most populous city of Hungary, and the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits. The city has an estimated population of 1,752,286 over a land area of about 525 square kilometres. Budapest is both a city and county, and forms the centre of the Budapest metropolitan area, which has an area of 7,626 square kilometres and a population of 3,303,786, comprising 33% of the population of Hungary.More
4 Hungary
Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres (35,920 sq mi) in the Carpathian Basin, it borders Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the European Union. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken Uralic language in the world, and among the few non-Indo-European languages to be widely spoken in Europe. Hungary's capital and largest city is Budapest; other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs, and Győr.More
5 Gyula Zsengellér
Gyula Zsengellér was a Hungarian footballer who played as a striker. A legend of Újpest FC, he is most famous for his part in taking the Hungarian national team to the 1938 World Cup Final. He was that tournament's second-highest scorer, behind Leonidas of Brazil.More
6 Pál Titkos
Pál Titkos was a Hungarian footballer. He played for MTK Hungária FC and the Hungary national football team. He scored two goals in the 1938 FIFA World Cup, including one in the final itself.More
7 Jenő Vincze
Jenő Vincze was a Hungarian footballer and a legend of Újpest FC, most famous for playing for the Hungarian national team in the 1938 World Cup Final.More
8 Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion
Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Józsefváros, Budapest, Hungary. The stadium was opened on 13 October 2016. It was renamed after the MTK Budapest and Hungary footballer Nándor Hidegkuti. It is currently used for football matches and is the home stadium of MTK and Honvéd.More
9 Romanian Football Federation
The Federația Română de Fotbal, also known by its acronym FRF, is the governing body of football in Romania. They are headquartered in the capital city of Bucharest and affiliated to FIFA and UEFA since 1923 and 1955 respectively. The Federation organizes the national team and the women's national team, as well as most of the Romanian football competitions.More

Group 7

Main article: 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 7
Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Czechoslovakia 2 1 1 0 7 1 7.00 3
2  Bulgaria 2 0 1 1 1 7 0.14 1
7 November 1937 Bulgaria  1 – 1  Czechoslovakia Sofia, Bulgaria
Panchediev  89' (pen.) Report Ríha  44' Stadium: Junak Stadion
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy)
24 April 1938 Czechoslovakia  6 – 0  Bulgaria Prague, Czechoslovakia
Šimůnek  21', 79', 89'
Nejedlý  57', 77'
Ludl  73'		 Report Stadium: AC Sparta Stadion
Attendance: 28,000
Referee: Pál von Hertzka (Hungary)

Czechoslovakia qualified.

Group 8

First round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Latvia 2 2 0 0 9 3 3.00 4
2  Lithuania 2 0 0 2 3 9 0.33 0
29 July 1937 Latvia  4 – 2  Lithuania Riga, Latvia
Kaņeps  19', 52', 83'
Vestermans  50'		 Report Gudelis  79'
Paulionis  90'		 Stadium: ASK stadions
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Gustav Krist (Czechoslovakia)
3 September 1937 Lithuania  1 – 5  Latvia Kaunas, Lithuania
Paulionis  72' Report Kaņeps  4', 45' (pen.)
Borduško  11', 30'
Vestermans  67'		 Stadium: Valstybinis stadionas
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Hans Frankenstein (Austria)

Latvia qualified for the final round.

Final round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Austria 1 1 0 0 2 1 2.00 2
2  Latvia 1 0 0 1 1 2 0.50 0
5 October 1937 Austria  2 – 1  Latvia Vienna, Austria
Jerusalem  15'
Binder  33'		 Report Vestermans  6' Stadium: Stadion Prater
Attendance: 16,000
Referee: Pál von Hercka (Hungary)

Austria qualified, but was later incorporated by Germany during the Anschluss. FIFA offered the place to England (winner of the 1937–38 British Home Championship), who had opted not to enter the competition, but they declined the offer; FIFA decided not to allow anyone else to qualify, leaving the World Cup one team short.

1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 7 articles: 10
1 Vienna
Vienna is the national capital, largest city, and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city, with about 1.9 million inhabitants, and its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the 6th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union.More
2 Camillo Jerusalem
Camillo Jerusalem was an Austrian football player.More
3 Franz Binder
Franz Binder was an Austrian football player and coach who played as a forward.More
4 Iļja Vestermans
Iļja Vestermans (1915–2005) was a Latvian football forward of Jewish origin.More
5 Ernst-Happel-Stadion
The Ernst-Happel-Stadion ( Ernst-Happel-Stadion  ), known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Austrian footballer Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium hosted seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany.More
6 Hungarian Football Federation
The Hungarian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Hungary. It organizes the Hungarian league and the Hungarian national team. It is based in Budapest.More
7 Anschluss
The Anschluss, also known as the Anschluss Österreichs, refers to the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.More
8 FIFA
FIFA is a non-profit organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football, fútsal and beach soccer. It is the highest governing body of football.More
9 England national football team
The England national football team represents England in men's international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affiliated with UEFA and comes under the global jurisdiction of world football's governing body FIFA. Also known as The Three Lions, England competes in the three major international tournaments contested by European nations; the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League. England is one of only eight nations to have been crowned world champions, having won the 1966 edition of the World Cup.More
10 1937–38 British Home Championship
The 1937–38 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1937–38 season. The competition was won by England after they defeated Ireland and Wales in their opening games. Even though Scotland won the final game at Wembley Stadium, England were able to hold their lead, thanks to the Welsh victory over Scotland in their opening match. Wales however were unable to continue this form, losing to England and Ireland in their subsequent matches. The Scots and Irish drew, and thus shared second place.More

Group 9

Pos. Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Netherlands 2 1 1 0 5 1 5.00 3
2  Belgium 2 1 1 0 4 3 1.33 3
3  Luxembourg 2 0 0 2 2 7 0.29 0
28 November 1937 Netherlands  4 – 0  Luxembourg Rotterdam, Netherlands
Smit  29'
de Boer  68', 78', 82'		 Report Stadium: Stadion Feyenoord
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Karl Weingarter (Austria)
13 March 1938 Luxembourg  2 – 3  Belgium Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Libar  4'
Kemp  33'		 Report Voorhoof  19'
Braine  55'
de Vries  59'		 Stadium: Stade Municipal
Attendance: 11,200
Referee: Georges Capdeville (France)
3 April 1938 Belgium  1 – 1  Netherlands Antwerp, Belgium
Isemborghs  53' Report van Spaandonck  37' Stadium: Bosuil Stadion
Attendance: 47,660
Referee: Arthur Jewell (England)

Netherlands and Belgium qualified.

Group 10

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Brazil Bye
2  Argentina Withdrew

Argentina withdrew, so Brazil qualified automatically.

Group 11

First round

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Cuba Bye
2  Costa Rica Withdrew
 Dutch Guiana
 El Salvador
 Colombia
 Mexico
 United States

Costa Rica, Dutch Guiana, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia and the United States all withdrew, so Cuba qualified automatically.

Group 12

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
1  Indonesia Bye
2  Japan Withdrew

Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and the Phillipines all withdrew, so Indonesia qualified automatically.

Qualified teams

FIFA World Cup qualification 1938
Qualifying countries
Team Finals Appearance Streak Last Appearance
 Austria 2nd 2 1934
 Belgium 3rd 3 1934
 Brazil 3rd 3 1934
 Cuba 1st 1 –
 Czechoslovakia 2nd 2 1934
 Dutch East Indies 1st 1 –
 France (h) 3rd 3 1934
 Germany 2nd 2 1934
 Hungary 2nd 2 1934
 Italy (c) 2nd 2 1934
 Netherlands 2nd 2 1934
 Norway 1st 1 –
 Poland 1st 1 –
 Romania 3rd 3 1934
 Sweden 2nd 2 1934
  Switzerland 2nd 2 1934
  •  Austria withdrew after qualifying due to the Anschluss.
  • (h) - qualified automatically as hosts
  • (c) - qualified automatically as defending champions

11 of the 15 teams subsequently failed to qualify for the 1950 finals: Belgium, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dutch East Indies, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Romania.

Goalscorers

5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal

1938 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 9 articles: 57
1 Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe whose mainland territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency of Norway; it also lays claims to the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land.More
2 Reidar Kvammen
Reidar Kvammen was a Norwegian footballer. Kvammen was an inside-forward who played his entire career for Viking, and is regarded as one of Norway's greatest footballers of all time. Kvammen was the first Norwegian footballer to reach 50 caps. Overall, he played 51 internationals and scored 17 goals for Norway.More
3 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia, or Czecho-Slovakia, was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993.More
4 Ladislav Šimůnek
Ladislav Šimůnek was a Czech football player.More
5 Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country at the intersection of Central and Western Europe. It is situated between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west, and covers an area of 357,022 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi).More
6 Ernst Lehner
Ernst Lehner was a German footballer. He was born in Augsburg and died in Aschaffenburg.More
7 Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic and also known as Hellas, is a country located in Southeast Europe. Its population is approximately 10.7 million as of 2018; Athens is its largest and capital city, followed by Thessaloniki. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length, featuring many islands, of which 227 are inhabited. Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres (9,573 ft). The country consists of nine traditional geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands, Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands.More
8 Kleanthis Vikelidis
Kleanthis Vikelides was a Greek footballer who played for Aris Thessaloniki and the Greece national football team. He was also a manager, taking charge of Aris Thessaloniki, PAOK and Apollon Kalamaria.More
9 Latvia
Latvia, officially known as the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Since Latvia's independence in 1918, it has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi). Its capital and largest city is Riga; other notable major cities in Latvia are Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava, Valmiera, Ventspils and Jūrmala. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. The Baltic Sea moderates the climate, although the country has four distinct seasons and snowy winters.More
10 Netherlands
The Netherlands, informally Holland, is a country primarily located in Western Europe and partly in the Caribbean, forming the largest constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In Europe, it consists of 12 provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, with maritime borders in the North Sea with those countries and the United Kingdom. In the Caribbean, it consists of three special municipalities: the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The country's official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in the province of Friesland, and English and Papiamentu as secondary official languages in the Caribbean Netherlands. Dutch Low Saxon and Limburgish are recognised regional languages, while Sinte Romani and Yiddish are recognised non-territorial languages.More
11 Piet de Boer
Piet de Boer was a Dutch football forward who was part of the Netherlands squad in the 1938 FIFA World Cup.More
12 Sweden
Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund Strait. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the largest country in Northern Europe, the third-largest country in the European Union and the fifth largest country in Europe by area. The capital city is Stockholm. Sweden has a total population of 10.4 million and a low population density of 25 inhabitants per square kilometre (65/sq mi). 87% of Swedes live in urban areas, which cover 1.5% of the entire land area. The highest concentration is in the central and southern half of the country.More
13 Lennart Bunke
Lennart Bunke was a Swedish football forward who played for Sweden in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Helsingborgs IF.More
14 Gustav Wetterström
Gustav Wetterström was a Swedish football striker.More
15 Oldřich Nejedlý
Oldřich Nejedlý was a Czech footballer, who spent his entire career at Sparta Prague as an inside-forward. He is considered as one of Czechoslovakia's greatest players. He was the top goalscorer of the 1934 World Cup.More
16 Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland and of 2,222 islands in the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,227 km2 (17,462 sq mi), and is influenced by a humid continental climate. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and Tartu are the largest cities and urban areas in the country. Other notable cities include Narva, Pärnu, Kohtla-Järve and Viljandi. The official language of the country, Estonian, is the second-most-spoken Finnic language.More
17 Georg Siimenson
Georg Siimenson was an Estonian international footballer who scored 13 goals in 42 games for the Estonian national side.More
18 Josef Gauchel
Josef "Jupp" Gauchel was a German football striker.More
19 Helmut Schön
Helmut Schön was a German football player and manager. He is best remembered for his exceptional career as manager of the West German national team in four consecutive World Cup tournaments, including winning the title in 1974, losing in the final in 1966, and coming in third in 1970. In addition, his teams won the European Championship in 1972 and lost in the final in 1976.More
20 Otto Siffling
Otto Siffling was a German footballer. He was a player for the club SV Waldhof Mannheim. He also played for the Germany national football team, making 31 appearances and scoring 17 goals between 1934 and 1938. He was a participant in the 1934 FIFA World Cup, where he scored a goal. He was the centre forward of the Breslau Eleven that beat Denmark 8–0 in Breslau in 1937 and went on to win 10 out 11 games played during that year.More
21 Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was a state established in 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. That treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between the forces of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and British Crown forces.More
22 Jimmy Dunne
James Dunne was an Irish footballer who played for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Southampton. Dunne was also a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams: the FAI XI and the IFA XI. Dunne holds the all-time record of consecutive goals scored at the elite level of English football.More
23 Vaclavs Borduško
Vaclavs Borduško was a Latvian international footballer, a two-time champion of Latvia.More
24 Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Northern and Baltic region of Europe. Lithuania is one of the Baltic states. Situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the southeast of Sweden and to the east of Denmark, Lithuania is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 2.8 million people as of 2019. The capital and largest city is Vilnius and other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipėda. Lithuanians are Balts. The official language, Lithuanian, is one of only two living languages in the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family, the other being Latvian.More
25 Alf Martinsen
Alf "Kaka" Martinsen was a Norwegian football (soccer) player.More
26 Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country located in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces, covering an area of 312,696 square kilometres (120,733 sq mi), and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With a population of nearly 38.5 million people, Poland is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union. Poland's capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw. Other major cities include Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, and Szczecin.More
27 Leonard Piontek
Leonard Franciszek Piątek was a Polish footballer who played as a forward in the interwar period. His son is Sepp Piontek, who coached the famous Danish Dynamite team.More
28 Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of 376 per square kilometre (970/sq mi). The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.More
29 Raymond Braine
Raymond "Ray" Ernest Michel Braine was a Belgian football striker. He was also the first Belgian professional player, when he obtained a transfer to Sparta Prague in 1930.More
30 Hendrik Isemborghs
Hendrik Victor "Rik" Isemborghs was a Belgian footballer. He played for Royal Beerschot AC and the Belgium national football team. He appeared in the 1938 FIFA World Cup, and scored a goal in Belgium's only game.More
31 Bernard Voorhoof
Bernard Voorhoof was a Belgian footballer, the Belgium national team top scorer since 1940 with 30 goals in 61 matches. He was joined by Paul Van Himst in 1974 who needed 81 matches to score the same number of goals. Both are now surpassed by Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard.More
32 Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's sixteenth-largest country.More
33 Josef Ludl
Josef Ludl, was a Czech football player. He played for Czechoslovakia, for which he played 16 matches and scored six goals.More
34 Richard Kuremaa
Richard Kuremaa was an Estonian footballer - one of the most famous before World War II. He played 42 times for Estonia national football team scoring 19 goals. He debuted on 11 June 1933 in game versus Sweden. Until 1995 he was the all-time top scorer in Estonian premier division with 65 goals, but oddly he never won the top scorer award.More
35 Heinrich Uukkivi
Heinrich Uukkivi was an Estonian association football, bandy and ice hockey player. He won the Estonian Football Championship five times, the Estonian Bandy Championship three times and the Estonian Ice Hockey Championship twice.More
36 Fritz Szepan
Friedrich "Fritz" Szepan was a German footballer in the period leading up to and including World War II. He spent his entire career with Schalke 04 where he won six national championships and one German Cup. He is commonly regarded as one of the greatest Schalke players of all time. To celebrate the 100th birthday of the club, the supporters voted the Schalker Jahrhundertelf, the "Team of the century": he was included in the midfield. From 1929 to 1938 he played for the German national team which he led as captain in 30 matches and during two World Cups.More
37 Adolf Urban
Adolf Urban was a German footballer. Urban, a forward, played for Schalke 04, among others, and made 21 appearances for Germany between 1935 and 1941, scoring 11 goals. He died in 1943 in Staraya Russa, from wounds while fighting in World War II. He was the only member of the Breslau Eleven to die in combat.More
38 Antonis Migiakis
Antonis Migiakis was a star forward for Greek football team Panathinaikos in the 1930s. He is probably best remembered for his memorable performance in his team's 8–2 victory over Olympiakos. During his career he was capped 17 times, scoring 3 goals, for the national football team of Greece. He was the Coach of the national side for the 1952 Olympic Games.More
39 Harry Duggan
Henry Anthony Duggan (1903–1968), commonly referred to as Harry Duggan, is an Irish former footballer. Described as a talented and speedy right winger, he played for both Leeds United and Newport County. Duggan was a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI.More
40 Matty Geoghegan
Matthew Geoghegan was a Republic of Ireland international footballer.More
41 Kevin O'Flanagan
Kevin Patrick O'Flanagan, also referred to as Dr. Kevin O'Flanagan, is an Irish former sportsman, physician and sports administrator. An outstanding all-rounder, he represented his country at both soccer and rugby union. He was also a noted sprinter and long jumper and as a youth played Gaelic football. In his spare time he also played golf and tennis at a decent level. O'Flanagan played soccer for among others, Bohemian and Arsenal, and as an international he played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. O'Flanagan also played rugby union for UCD, London Irish and Ireland.More
42 Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the four official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority in the EU. Its culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it a mixture of French and German cultures. It has three official languages: French, German, and the national language of Luxembourgish.More
43 Gusty Kemp
Gustave "Gusty" Kemp was a Luxembourger footballer who played as a midfielder for the Luxembourg national football team. He also represented his nation at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.More
44 Camille Libar
Camille Libar was a football player and manager from Luxembourg.More
45 Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 in the region of Palestine under the terms of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine.More
46 Peri Neufeld
Franz "Peri" Neufeld, also known as Kfir Neufeld, was an Israeli footballer who played as a forward.More
47 Kick Smit
Johannes Chrishostomus "Kick" Smit was a Dutch football player. He earned 29 caps and scored 26 goals for the Netherlands national football team, and played in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. He is the first Netherlands football player who scored a goal in a World Cup. During his club career, he played for HFC Haarlem.More
48 Henk van Spaandonck
Henricus Josephus van Spaandonck was a Dutch football forward who played for the Netherlands in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Neptunus Rotterdam.More
49 Ernst Wilimowski
Ernest Willimowski was a German–Polish football player, who played as a forward. He ranks among the best goalscorers in the history of both the Poland national team and Polish club football. After re-taking German citizenship following the invasion of Poland, he also played for the Germany national team.More
50 Jerzy Wostal
Jerzy Adolf Wostal was a Polish association football player, one of the best forwards of interwar Poland. He was born in 1914 in Königshütte.More
51 Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe, being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. The official and national language is Portuguese.More
52 Sven Jonasson
Sven Jonasson was a Swedish football striker and manager. He was born in Borås and died in Varberg.More
53 Erik Persson (footballer)
Erik Persson was a Swedish football forward who played for Sweden in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He also played for AIK Fotboll.More
54 Kurt Svanström
Kurt Svanström was a Swedish football midfielder who played for Sweden in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Örgryte IS.More
55 Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country situated at the confluence of Western, Central, and Southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern. Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps, and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi), and land area of 39,997 km2 (15,443 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities and economic centres are located, among them Zürich, Geneva and Basel. These cities are home to several offices of international organisations such as the headquarters of FIFA, the UN's second-largest Office, and the main building of the Bank for International Settlements. The main international airports of Switzerland are also located in these cities.More
56 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" was its colloquial name due to its origins. The official name of the state was changed to "Kingdom of Yugoslavia" by King Alexander I on 3 October 1929.More
57 Blagoje Marjanović
Blagoje "Moša" Marjanović was a Yugoslav football player and manager.More

Notes

References

  1. ^ Dietschy, Paul (6 June 2013). "Making football global? FIFA, Europe, and the non-European football world, 1912–74". Journal of Global History. 8 (02): 288. doi:10.1017/S1740022813000223.

External links