Ranking every World Cup, from worst to best

Uruguay 1930

Rating: 5/10

Champion: Uruguay

The South Americans, winners of the 1924 and ’28 Olympic gold medals, won the inaugural World Cup, defeating Argentina 4-2 in the final.

Host nation: Uruguay

Uruguay hosted the first-ever World Cup, which featured just 13 nations, after FIFA decided to organize an international soccer championship. All games were played in the capital Montevideo, the majority of which taking place at the Centenario. The venue was built for the tournament.

Best player: Guillermo Stabile (Argentina)  

The Argentine striker was the World Cup’s first top scorer. His eight goals, including hat-trick against Mexico in the first round, came in a span of just four matches. For Stabile, the loss to Uruguay in the final would turn out to be his last appearance for Argentina.

Iconic moment: 

The very first iconic moment in the tournament’s history was Uruguay lifting the trophy. After winning two gold medals during the 1920s, the South Americans were officially the greatest team in the world and one of the best in history.

Quality of play: 

The first tournament had several strong teams, but Uruguay were the most talented. Uruguay utilized a 2-3-5 lineup, like most of the teams at the tournament. As soccer tactics evolved, the growth of the center-half changed the way teams played. Part defender and part attacker, this position was meant to generate creativity. Uruguay’s superior defending and great passing dominated Argentina’s reliance on individual flair from player such as Luis Monti. Emphasis on attack over defending helped generate a total of 70 goals at the tournament (an average of 3.89 per match), with Argentina tallying the most with 18.

Kits:

Argentina used their blue-and-white stripped shirt, which is used to this day. It remains one of the best-looking uniforms in the game’s history.

Miscellaneous:

The first round game between Argentina and France ended six minutes early due to an error by the referee with Argentina leading 1-0. Following a 30-minute delay, the game resumed, but no more goals were recorded.