a brief history of the World Cup
- The United States had its best performance in the first World Cup; it's only gone downhill from there.
- In 1930, the teams were split into four groups, with the winners going on to the semi-finals.
- Few European teams attended in 1930, as travel to Uruguay was difficult.
In return, Uruguay refused participation in the 1934 Cup held in Italy out of protest.
- Austria withdrew in'38 as a result of Nazi Germany's annexation of the country.
- Germany and Japan were banned during the 1950 games.
- A unique format was used in the 1954 Cup; hence, there were no quarterfinals.