1950 FIFA World Cup — Brazil
The 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil (24 June – 16 July). Instead of a single final, the tournament concluded with a final round-robin among the four group winners. The decisive match — Uruguay 2–1 Brazil at the Maracanã — is one of football’s most famous upsets (“Maracanazo”).
Group Stage — Standings & match results
Each group’s standings are shown first (colored table). Expand the match lists for full match-by-match results.
Group 1 — Brazil, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Mexico
| Pos | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 5 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 4 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
| 4 | Mexico | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
Match results (Group 1)
Brazil 4–0 Mexico
24 Jun — Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
Scorers: Ademir (2), Jair, Baltazar
Yugoslavia 3–0 Switzerland
25 Jun — Belo Horizonte
Scorers: Mitić, Tomašević, Ognjanov
Brazil 2–2 Switzerland
28 Jun — São Paulo
Brazil scorers: Ademir, Baltazar — Switzerland: Fatton (2)
Yugoslavia 4–1 Mexico
28 Jun — Porto Alegre
Scorers: Bobek, Čajkovski (2), Tomašević — Ortiz
Brazil 2–0 Yugoslavia
1 Jul — Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
Scorers: Ademir, Zizinho
Switzerland 2–1 Mexico
28 Jun — São Paulo
Switzerland scorers: Fatton, Tamini — Mexico: Casarín
Brazil topped the group with a strong attack and home advantage; Yugoslavia were solid but could not outrun Brazil. Switzerland and Mexico failed to qualify.
Group 2 — Spain, England, Chile, USA
| Pos | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| 2 | England | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Chile | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 2 |
| 4 | United States | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 2 |
Match results (Group 2)
England 2–0 Chile
25 Jun — Rio de Janeiro
Scorers: Mortensen, Mannion
Spain 3–1 USA
25 Jun — Curitiba
Spain scorers: Basora, Zarra, Igoa — USA: Pariani (own)
Spain 2–0 Chile
29 Jun — Rio de Janeiro
Scorers: Basora, Zarra
USA 1–0 England
29 Jun — Belo Horizonte
Scorer: Joe Gaetjens — famous upset
Spain 1–0 England
2 Jul — Rio de Janeiro
Scorer: Zarra
Chile 5–2 USA
2 Jul — Recife
High-scoring finish to group stage
Spain were perfect in the group and qualified convincingly. The major shock was USA’s 1–0 win over England — one of the World Cup’s most storied upsets.
Group 3 — Sweden, Italy, Paraguay (India withdrew)
| Pos | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 |
| 2 | Italy | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 2 |
| 3 | Paraguay | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
Match results (Group 3)
Sweden 3–2 Italy
25 Jun — São Paulo
Scorers: Jeppson, Andersson; Italy: Carapellese, Muccinelli
Sweden 2–2 Paraguay
29 Jun — Curitiba
Tight draw; Paraguay fought hard
Italy 2–0 Paraguay
2 Jul — São Paulo
Italy recovered but failed to qualify
Sweden topped the group and progressed; Italy, the defending champions, were eliminated early after a shock loss.
Group 4 — Uruguay, Bolivia (France withdrew)
| Pos | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 2 |
| 2 | Bolivia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 |
Match results (Group 4)
Uruguay 8–0 Bolivia
2 Jul — Belo Horizonte
Scorers: Míguez (3), Vidal, Schiaffino, Pérez, Ghiggia
Uruguay advanced after a single emphatic win — a consequence of withdrawals in other groups — and arrived to the final round with strong momentum.
Final round (four-team round-robin)
Note: in 1950 there was no knockout bracket — the four group winners played a final round-robin; the top team won the World Cup.
| Pos | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uruguay | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 5 |
| 2 | Brazil | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 4 |
| 3 | Sweden | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 2 |
| 4 | Spain | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 |
Final round — match-by-match
Uruguay 2–2 Spain
9 Jul — São Paulo (Pacaembu)
Tightly contested draw
Brazil 7–1 Sweden
9 Jul — Rio de Janeiro (Maracanã)
Ademir scored four; huge home win
Brazil 6–1 Spain
13 Jul — Maracanã
Brazil extended offensive dominance
Uruguay 3–2 Sweden
13 Jul — São Paulo (Pacaembu)
Close win — kept Uruguay in title race
Sweden 3–1 Spain
16 Jul — São Paulo (Pacaembu)
Sweden won final group game but not enough
Uruguay 2–1 Brazil — decisive match
16 Jul — Rio de Janeiro (Maracanã)
Schiaffino 66′, Ghiggia 79′ — Friaça 47′ (Brazil)
Short overview:
The match Uruguay 2–1 Brazil at the Maracanã (16 July) — known as the “Maracanazo” — was the tournament’s climax. Official attendance was reported at 173,850 (many estimates higher). Brazil only needed a draw to win the title, but Uruguay’s tactical discipline and calm finishing (Ghiggia) produced one of the biggest upsets in football history.
The match Uruguay 2–1 Brazil at the Maracanã (16 July) — known as the “Maracanazo” — was the tournament’s climax. Official attendance was reported at 173,850 (many estimates higher). Brazil only needed a draw to win the title, but Uruguay’s tactical discipline and calm finishing (Ghiggia) produced one of the biggest upsets in football history.
Champion
🏆 Uruguay — 1950 World Cup winners
Sources (for match lists & dates)
- RSSSF — Full match lists and statistics for 1950.
- Wikipedia — 1950 FIFA World Cup and final round pages.
- FIFA — article on Uruguay vs Brazil (Maracanazo) & tournament archive.