| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 June 1949 – 15 April 1950 |
| Teams | 34 (from 3 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 121 (4.65 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | (4 goals each) |
←1938 1954 → | |
A total of 34 teams entered thequalification rounds of the1950 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament.Brazil, as the hosts, andItaly, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
The remaining 32 teams were divided into 10 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:
However, due to the withdrawals ofIndia,Scotland andTurkey after qualifying, only 13 teams actually competed in the final tournament.
A total of 19 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 26 qualifying matches were played, and 121 goals were scored (an average of 4.65 per match).
Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.
The 10 groups had different rules, as follows:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 6 | Qualification for1950 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 17 | −13 | 1 |
| Ireland (IFA) | 2–8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Smyth | Report | Morris Waddell Steel Reilly Mason |
| England | 9–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rowley Froggatt Mortensen Pearson | Report | Smyth Brennan |
England qualified. Scotland also qualified, but declined to participate.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 2 | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 |
Syria withdrew, and remaining match was not played.
Turkey advanced to the Final Round.
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 0 | 0 | Qualified, later withdrew | |
| — | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
Austria withdrew, so Turkey qualified automatically. But Turkey later also withdrew, and FIFA offered the place to Portugal, the runner-up of Group 6, but they declined. FIFA decided not to allow anyone else to qualify, leaving the World Cup two teams short.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 4 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0 |
| Yugoslavia | 6–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pajević Senčar Že. Čajkovski Bobek | Report |
| Israel | 2–5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Glazer | Report | Valok Bobek Zl. Čajkovski Že. Čajkovski |
Yugoslavia advanced to the Final Round.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Yugoslavia | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Že. Čajkovski | Report | Baillot |
| France | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Baillot | Report | Bobek |
France 2–2 Yugoslavia on aggregate, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.
| Yugoslavia | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mihajlović Že. Čajkovski | Report | Walter Luciano |
Yugoslavia qualified while France were also offered a place by FIFA. France initially accepted, but later declined.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 4 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 5–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maillard Fatton Ballaman Antenen | Report | Wagner Reuter |
| Luxembourg | 2–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Muller Kremer | Report | Maillard Friedländer Fatton |
Switzerland advanced to the Final Round.
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 0 | 0 | Qualified | |
| — | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
Belgium withdrew, soSwitzerland qualified automatically.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 4 | |
| 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 3 | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
| Finland | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vaihela | Report | Farrell |
Sweden qualified. Finland withdrew before the group was completed. Ireland (FAI) were subsequently invited to enter competition but declined the opportunity because of travelling costs.[2]
Sweden beat Finland 8–1 on 2 October 1949 in Malmö.[3] However, FIFA's website does not include this match in the list of matches or in the group standings.[4]RSSSF's website lists the match with the note "Sweden played B-team", and does not provide group standings.[5]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 3 | Qualification for1950 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
Spain qualified. Portugal were also invited to take part but they declined.
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Qualified | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
Argentina withdrew, soBolivia andChile qualified automatically.[6]
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Qualified | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 |
Ecuador and Peru withdrew, soUruguay andParaguay qualified automatically.[7]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | +15 | 8 | |
| 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 3 | |
| 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 1 |
| United States | 0–6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Flores Luna de la Fuente Septién |
| Mexico | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Luna Casarín | Report |
| Cuba | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gómez | Report | Wallace |
| Mexico | 6–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ortiz Casarín de la Fuente Ochoa | Report | Souza Wattman |
| Mexico | 3–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Naranjo Flores | Report |
Mexico and theUnited States qualified.
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Qualified | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 |
Burma, Indonesia and the Philippines all withdrew before the draw, soIndia qualified automatically. But India later also withdrew "because of the expense of travelling such a long way to play,"[8] and theAIFF wanted to concentrate onthe 1952 Olympics.[9] Although according to some reports, it was caused by a FIFA ruling that players were not allowed to play barefoot.[10] FIFA decided not to invite anyone else, leaving the World Cup three teams short.


| Team | Finals appearance | Streak | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 1 | 1930 | |
| 4th | 4 | 1938 | |
| 2nd | 1 | 1930 | |
| 1st | 1 | — | |
| 1st | 1 | — | |
| 3rd | 3 | 1938 | |
| 2nd | 1 | 1930 | |
| 2nd | 1 | 1930 | |
| 2nd | 1 | 1934 | |
| 1st | 1 | — | |
| 3rd | 3 | 1938 | |
| 3rd | 3 | 1938 | |
| 1st | 1 | — | |
| 3rd | 1 | 1934 | |
| 2nd | 1 | 1930 | |
| 2nd | 1 | 1930 |