Editing FIFA World Cup (section)

=== World Cups after World War II ===
[[File:Jogo no Estádio do Maracanã, antes da Copa do Mundo de 1950.tif|thumb|The opening game of the [[Maracanã Stadium]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, shortly before the [[1950 FIFA World Cup]]]]
The [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950 World Cup]], held in [[Brazil]], was the first to include British football associations. [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]], [[England national football team|England]], [[Wales national football team|Wales]], and [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] had withdrawn from FIFA in 1920, partly out of unwillingness to play against the countries they had been at war with, and partly as a protest against foreign influence on football.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0001/index.shtml |title=Scotland and the 1950 World Cup |publisher=BBC |access-date=13 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216135901/http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0001/index.shtml |archive-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The teams rejoined in 1946 following FIFA's invitation.{{sfn|Glanville|2005}} The tournament also saw the return of 1930 champions [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]], who had boycotted the previous two World Cups. Uruguay won the tournament again after defeating the host nation Brazil, in the match called "[[Uruguay v Brazil (1950 FIFA World Cup)|Maracanazo]]" (Portuguese: ''Maracanaço'').<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/jonathan_wilson/07/04/uruguay.history/index.html |publisher=CNN |title=Uruguay's 1950 World Cup triumph a testament to the spirit of garra |date=4 July 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707110332/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/jonathan_wilson/07/04/uruguay.history/index.html | archive-date=7 July 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the tournaments between 1934 and [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], 16 teams competed in each tournament, except in 1938, when [[Austria national football team|Austria]] was [[Anschluss|absorbed]] into [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] after qualifying, leaving the tournament with 15 teams, and in 1950, when [[India men's national football team|India]], Scotland, and [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] withdrew, leaving the tournament with 13 teams.{{sfn|Glanville|2005|p=45}} Most of the participating nations were from Europe and South America, with a small minority from North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. These teams were usually defeated easily by the European and South American teams. Until 1982, the only teams from outside Europe and South America to advance out of the first round were: [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], semi-finalists in 1930; [[Cuba national football team|Cuba]], quarter-finalists in 1938; [[North Korea national football team|North Korea]], quarter-finalists in [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]; and [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]], quarter-finalists in [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]].