History of the FIFA World Cup would have no hope in a single year of planning and scheduling a 1946 World Cup. In fact, FIFA’s first meeting was on July 1, 1946 – around the time the 1946 World Cup would ordinarily have been played – and when it planned the next World Cup for 1949 no country would host it. The major international tournament in 1946 was the 1946 South American Championship in which Argentina beat Brazil 2–0 on February 10, 1946. Competitions resumed with the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, which was the first to include British participants. British teams withdrew from FIFA in
1938 FIFA World Cup 1950. As a result, Italy were the reigning World Cup holders for a record 16 years, from 1934 to 1950. The Italian Vice-President of FIFA, Dr. Ottorino Barassi, hid the trophy in a shoe-box under his bed throughout the Second World War and thus saved it from falling into the hands of occupying troops. Ten cities were planned to host the tournament; of these, all hosted matches except Lyon, which did not due to Austria's withdrawal. For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see "1938 FIFA World Cup squads". With seven goals, Leônidas is the