The 1950 World Cup was a landmark tournament.
After world war two had meant that no competition could take place in 1942 or 1946,
the fourth ever World Cup had to wait for the start of a new decade.
The shadow of war loomed over it with occupied, partitioned Germany and occupied Japan ineligible
for consideration.
Many teams from behind the Iron Curtain also chose not to attend—meaning the
powerhouse of European football that was Hungary were missing.
England though, deigned to join in with global football's main event for the first time ever.
Brazil is, of course, the country most synonymous with the World Cup, and 1950 was their first chance to host.
They expected to win it, too, but a collective psyche-shattering defeat in the final
would lead to wholesale changes in the national team set up.
Argentina would have been in with a decent shot at upsetting their biggest rivals on
their own soil, but they never made it to the tournament.
They had fallen out with the Brazillian football federation
over their decision not to defend their Copa America title in Brazil a year earlier.
A pay dispute had decimated their ranks.
In 2014, former Argentina goalkeeper Amadeo Carrizo told Reuters "“Di
Stefano, Pipo Rossi, (Adolfo) Pedernera left.
It showed a lot that they were missing, Rossi was the midfield general and Di Stefano was in his moment of glory."
It would not be until 1958 that Argentina joined a World Cup again.
The structure of the tournament was markedly different to the current affair.
One team qualified from each of four groups of four, and those
teams played off in a final group round.
England failed to make it out of the group stages.
Though they won their opening game, over confidence cost them dearly in the second
and their World Cup bid was derailed by virtue of a 1-0
loss to a United States of America side filled with amateurs, or semi-pros at best.
According to Geoffrey Douglas' book "The Game of Their
Lives: The Untold Story of the World Cup's Biggest
Upset" Frank Borghi, the U.S 'keeper "had been a minor-league catcher for a St. Louis
farm team who now drove a hearse for his uncle's funeral home."
The goalscorer, Haitan born Joe Gaetjens, "washed dishes in New York."
It was a blow to the national psyche for England, but nothing compared to what happened to the hosts.
The Maracanazo, or "Maracana blow" which saw Brazil lose 2-1 to Uruguay in their national
stadium was the last game of the campaign but was
only decisive by dint of fate, rather than being an actual final.
It so happened that the points Uruguay earned in the game took them above Brazil in the
table, seeing them win the tournament for the second and final time (so far).
In their first two final-group fixtures, Brazil had beaten Sweden 7-1, and Spain 6-1, brushing
aside the best Europe had served up in the tournament with ease.
Uruguay had drawn 2-2 with Spain and scraped a 3-2 win over Sweden.
Star striker Ademir topped the tournament goalscoring tables with
eight and with a draw good enough for Brazil, the locals thought the tournament was as good as won.
This was even more obviously the case once Brazil had taken the lead in the final game
through right winger Friaça, but Uruguay hit back with two second-half goals.
That shot them to the top of the table and earned them the title.
It was such a shock, such an upset that there were suicides in Rio.
Almost everything changed in Brazillian football after that.
The team switched from blue shirts with white shorts to the now
famous yellow and green and ensemble.​ Eight years later, the rebuilding job would
pay dividends in large part thanks to a 17 year old who
went by the name Pele, but the scars of 1950 took a very long time to heal.