Thefinal tournament of the1938 FIFA World Cup was asingle-elimination tournament involving the 16 teams which qualified for the tournament. The tournament began with the round of 16 on 4 June and concluded with thefinal on 19 June 1938.Italy won the final 4–2 for their second World Cup title.[1]
All times are inWestern European Summer Time (UTC+1).
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 5 June – Marseille | ||||||||||||||
 Italy (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 12 June – Colombes | ||||||||||||||
 Norway | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Italy | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 5 June – Colombes | ||||||||||||||
 France | 1 | |||||||||||||
| France | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 16 June – Marseille | ||||||||||||||
 Belgium | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Italy | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 5 June – Strasbourg | ||||||||||||||
 Brazil | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Brazil (a.e.t.) | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 12 and 14 June – Bordeaux | ||||||||||||||
 Poland | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Brazil (rep.) | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
| 5 June – Le Havre | ||||||||||||||
 Czechoslovakia | 1 (1) | |||||||||||||
| Czechoslovakia (a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 19 June – Colombes | ||||||||||||||
 Netherlands | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Italy | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 5 June – Reims | ||||||||||||||
 Hungary | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Hungary | 6 | |||||||||||||
| 12 June – Lille | ||||||||||||||
| Dutch East Indies | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Hungary | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 and 9 June – Paris | ||||||||||||||
 Switzerland | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Switzerland (rep.) | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||
| 16 June – Paris | ||||||||||||||
 Germany | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||
| Hungary | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 5 June – Lyon | ||||||||||||||
 Sweden | 1 | Third place play-off | ||||||||||||
| Sweden | w/o | |||||||||||||
| 12 June – Antibes | 19 June – Bordeaux | |||||||||||||
 Austria | ||||||||||||||
| Sweden | 8 | Brazil | 4 | |||||||||||
| 5 and 9 June – Toulouse | ||||||||||||||
 Cuba | 0 | Sweden | 2 | |||||||||||
| Cuba (rep.) | 3 (2) | |||||||||||||
 Romania | 3 (1) | |||||||||||||
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Switzerland adopted a precursor version of theCatenaccio system to try stopping the talented German forwards. Thanks to this tactical system, the Swiss managed to frustrate the Germans despite going behind after a goal fromGauchel. Switzerland drew level withAbegglen after a mistake fromWillibald Schmaus. Although the Germans pushed for the win, the game ended with a draw, forcing a replay.[2]
       Switzerland |   Germany
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The difference in strength between the two teams was evident as the game resulted in a humiliation for the Dutch East Indies, which managed to hold out for just 13 minutes. In the second half, although Hungary relaxed their pressure, they were never truly troubled by the opponents.[2]
| Hungary | 6–0 | Dutch East Indies |
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Kohut 13'Toldi 15'G. Sárosi 25',89'Zsengellér 30',76' | Report |
  Hungary |    Dutch East Indies
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Austria did not participate due to theAnschluss, so Sweden advanced directly to the quarter-finals.
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Cuba, who had only qualified because other Latin American selections had withdrawn, impressed against Romania. Romania scored first thanks to a goal that different sources attribute to eitherSilviu Bindea orNicolae Kovács. Cuba drew level throughHéctor Socorro, who converted a cross fromJosé Magriñá and then took the lead with a goal from Magriñá himself. However, equalisers fromIuliu Baratky andȘtefan Dobay forced a replay.[2]
  Cuba |    Romania
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The hosts took the lead with only 35 seconds on the clock thanks to a shot from close range by wingerÉmile Veinante. France doubled their advantage soon after, but the lead was halved before the interval thanks toHendrik Isemborghs, who connected with a free kick fromBernard Voorhoof. In the second half,Jean Nicolas got his brace, sealing the victory for France.[2]
 France |     Belgium
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Mindful of the game played against Norway at the semi-finals of the1936 Summer Olympics, when Italy managed to scrap a win only during extra time,Vittorio Pozzo was not to be overconfident. Italy managed to grab an early lead withPietro Ferraris, but struggle to threaten Norway's goal further besides hitting the post once. In the second half, Norway was the better team, hitting the woodwork thrice and finally drawing level in the 83rd minute. Soon inside the extra time,Silvio Piola converted in goal a rebounded shot. Italy managed to hold out for the remaining time, reaching the quarter-finals.[2]
     Italy |   Norway
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| Brazil | 6–5 (a.e.t.) | Poland |
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| Leônidas 18',93',104' Romeu 25'Perácio 44',71' | Report | Scherfke 23' (pen.) Wilimowski 53',59',89',118' |
  Brazil | Poland
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Finalist at the1934 World Cup, Czechoslovakia faced a modest Dutch team. Czechoslovakia dominated the ball but did not manage to convert their possession into clear-cut chances against a defensively sound Dutch team. In fact, Czechoslovakia managed to take the lead only in extra-time through a long-range effort, scoring a further two goals by the end of the game.[2]
| Czechoslovakia | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | Netherlands |
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| Košťálek 93' Zeman 111'Nejedlý 118' | Report |
Czechoslovakia |  Netherlands
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This replay was five days later. Switzerland used the same line-ups as the first game, while Germany made a few changes.Georges Aeby was injured after a few minutes, forcing Switzerland to play with 10 men. Germany took soon advantage, scoring twice. However, Switzerland reacted well, and with Aeby back on the pitch in the second half, completed a remarkable comeback.[2]
| Switzerland | 4–2 | Germany |
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| Walaschek 42' Bickel 64'Abegglen 75',78' | Report | Hahnemann 8' Lörtscher 22' (o.g.) |
Switzerland | Germany
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The performance of Cuba's replacement goalkeeperJuan Ayra was equally exceptional as the one fromBenito Carvajales in the original match. Romania took the lead withȘtefan Dobay in the first half, but Cuba fought back and scored two goals in rapid succession soon after the beginning of the second and managed to hold on to the score against all odds and reach the quarter-finals.[2]
Cuba | Romania
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Hungary looked like the stronger team as the Swiss were missing key players such asGeorges Aeby andSeverino Minelli. Hungary took the lead with a header fromGyörgy Sárosi. The result was in doubt for most of the second half, untilGyula Zsengellér sealed the game with a long-range effort in the dying minutes. Switzerland's managerKarl Rappan resigned after the game.[2]
| Hungary | 2–0 | Switzerland |
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| G. Sárosi 40' Zsengellér 89'[b] | Report |
Hungary | Switzerland
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The result was never in doubt as Sweden was more accustomed to playing at this level.Gustav Wetterström netted a hat-trick before half-time, with the Cubans unable to deal with the relentless Swedish forward play, especially afterJoaquín Arias was forced to leave the pitch injured.Tomás Fernández missed a penalty for Cuba.[2]
| Sweden | 8–0 | Cuba |
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| H. Andersson 9',81',89'[c] Wetterström 22',37',44'Keller 80'[d]Nyberg 84'[e] | Report |
  Sweden |  Cuba
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Title-holders Italy met hosts France in what was considered one of the most enticing games of the tournament. Italy wore their Fascist affiliated black shirts despite the anti-Fascism protests that the team had received in France. Italy had a better start, scoring within the first nine minutes, but France levelled immediately. In the second half, France tried to control the ball but, in doing so, they left themselves open for the lethal Italian counter-attack.Silvio Piola scored a brace while unmarked, leading Italy to the semi-finals.[2]
 Italy | France
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   Brazil | Czechoslovakia
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Because of the troubling effect of thefirst game, which saw several players getting injured or sent off, both teams had to make many changes to their line-ups (nine for Brazil and five for Czechoslovakia). Czechoslovakia took the lead withVlastimil Kopecký in the 25th minute, but in the second half, stand-in captainLeônidas levelled the score for Brazil. Soon after, the referee disallowed a goal byKarel Senecký, despite the Czechoslovak players stating that it had crossed the line. The European representative continued to attack following that moment, leaving space for the Brazilians to swiftly counter, which debutantRoberto took advantage of to score his nation's second goal.[2]
Brazil | Czechoslovakia
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Sweden took the lead after just 35 seconds, but that remained the only goal scored by them. Hungary quickly settled in control of the game, scoring thrice before half-time. Sweden, who had impressed in previous games, could not resist the vastly superior opponent, who scored two additional goals in the second half, cruising towards the final after a comfortable win.[2]
Hungary | Sweden
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The narrative leading to this highly anticipated match was built around an overconfident Brazil, who had impressed in the previous three matches. However, Italy had a better start to the game, creating the best chances but finding a well-positionedWalter stopping their attacks. In the second half, Italy soon found the net withColaussi, before being awarded a penalty following a foul in the box byDomingos da Guia, his third in the tournament. The penalty was calmly converted byMeazza. At 2–0, Brazil pushed forward to break the Italian defence, but only managed to score a goal in the 87th minute withRomeu scoring from a corner kick. Some tense moments followed, but Italy managed to hold out for the remaining time, reaching their second final in a row.[2]
Italy | Brazil
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Sweden started on the front foot, taking a double lead inside 38 minutes. In the first half, Brazil looked uninspired until they got one back before half-time. In the second half, Brazil was reinvigorated and pushed for the comeback. In the second half,Leônidas scored twice and even letPatesko kick a penalty that he missed.Perácio secured the victory in the 80th minute.[2]
Brazil | Sweden
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Italy | Hungary |
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1938 FIFA World Cup finalists | |
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| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Quarter-finals | |
| First round | |
