World Cup France 1938
| Round Of 16 | ||||
| Switzerland | - | Germany | 1-1 A.E.T | (June 04, Parc Des Princes) |
| Brazil | - | Poland | 6-5 A.E.T | (June 05, Stade de la Meinau) |
| France | - | Belgium | 3-1 | (June 05, Stade Olympique de Colombes) |
| Czechoslovakia | - | Netherlands | 3-0 A.E.T | (June 05, Stade de la Cavée Verte) |
| Cuba | - | Romania | 3-3 A.E.T | (June 05, Stade Chapou) |
| Hungary | - | Dutch East Indies | 6-0 | (June 05, Stade Vélodrome Municipal) |
| Italy | - | Norway | 2-1 A.E.T | (June 05, Velodrome) |
| Cuba | - | Romania | 2-1 | (June 09, Stade Chapou) |
| Switzerland | - | Germany | 4-2 | (June 09, Parc Des Princes) |
| Quarter Final | ||||
| Hungary | - | Switzerland | 2-0 | (June 12, Stade Victor Boucquey) |
| Brazil | - | Czechoslovakia | 1-1 A.E.T | (June 12, Stade Chapou) |
| Italy | - | France | 3-1 | (June 12, Stade Olympique de Colombes) |
| Sweden | - | Cuba | 8-0 | (June 12, Stade du Fort Carré) |
| Brazil | - | Czechoslovakia | 2-1 | (June 14, Stade Chapou) |
| Semi-Final | ||||
| Hungary | - | Sweden | 5-1 | (June 16, Parc Des Princes) |
| Italy | - | Brazil | 2-1 | (June 16, Velodrome) |
| 3rd. / 4th. Placing | ||||
| Brazil |
- |
Sweden |
4-2 |
(June 19, Parc Lescure) |
| Final | ||||
| Italy |
- |
Hungary |
4-2 |
(June 19, Stade Olympique de Colombes) |
The World Cup championship played in France was the last one before World War II and turned out to be the least attended to. Once again British teams and Uruguay didn't enter the qualifiers, Austria didn't participate because of its political situation and Argentina backed out of the competition after the draw. The team from Yugoslavia that had won the bronze at the championship of 1930 didn't qualify in 1938. The defending champion (Italy) and the hosting team (France) were automatically entered in the competition. In all, 15 out of 16 qualified teams showed up in France.
The World Cup was played in the play-off system. In the first round, after a fierce match and additional time Poland, a first-time player in the cup, lost to Brasil 5:6. In the second phase Brasil put up a fight with Czechoslovakia and won the game, only to lose to Italy, the defending champion, in the semi-finals. Even though the German team was strengthened by Austrian players, it failed to defeat Switzerland. The Hungarians did well, beating strong teams from Switzerland and Sweden on its way to the final game. They were then easily defeated by the favourite team from Italy. The Italians won for the second time and defended their title as World Cup champion. The Brazilian team won 3rd. place after a 4:2 victory over Sweden.
Top players of the tournament: Domingos, Leônidas, Martim (Brasil), Plánicka (Czechoslovakia), Aston (France), Sárosi (Hungary), Andreolo, Meazza, Piola, (Italy), Wilimowski (Poland).
| Statistics : | |
| World Cup Champions: | Italy |
| Runners Up: | Hungary |
| Highest Scoring Game: | Brazil vs. Polands 6 - 5 (Round Of 16) |
| Total Goals Scored: | 84 |
| Av. Goals Per Match: | 4.67 |
| Top Scorer: | Leonidas, Brazil - 8 Goals |
| Best Scorers in 1 game: | Ernest Wilimowski, Poland - 4 Goals |
| Highest Attendance: | 59.000 (Italy - France, Quarter Final) |
| Total Attendance: | 376,000 |
| Average Attendance: | 20,888 |
| Debut Appearance: | Norway, Poland, Cuba, Dutch East Indies |
| Stadiums Used: | Parc Des Princes, Stade Olympique de Colombes, Stade Chapou,Velodrome,Stade du Fort Carré,Stade de la Meinau,Stade de la Cavée Verte,Stade Vélodrome Municipal,Stade Victor Boucquey,Parc Lescure |