On July 13, 1930, France beat Mexico by a score of 4-1 and the United States beat Belgium by a score of 3-0 in the first World Cup soccer matches , played simultaneously in the host nation of Montevideo, Uruguay. Since then the World Cup has become the most watched sporting event in the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay After soccer was dropped from the program of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, FIFA President Jules Rimet helped organize an international tournament in 1930. Much to the dismay of European soccer players, medal-winning Uruguay With consecutive gold medals at the 1924 Paris Olympics and the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, it was chosen to host the inaugural World Cup. As the Depression reigned in Europe, many players feared that their day jobs would be lost upon their return. They could not or did not want to participate in the tournament. As a result, some of Europe's most accomplished teams, including three-time Olympic gold medalists England, and football fans from Italy, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands did not appear at the first World Cup. However, when Uruguay agreed to help pay for the travel expenses, Rimet managed to convince Belgium, France, Romania and Yugoslavia to undertake the trip. In Romania, King Carol personally selected the team members and gave them three months off from work and guaranteed that the players would be hired upon their return. At the start of the tournament Uruguay and Argentina were the favourites, while France and the United States were also two competitive teams in the tournament. In the first round, Frenchman Lucien Laurent scored the first ever World Cup goal. In the second match, France lost to Argentina 1–0 amid controversy over the referees finishing the match six minutes early. Once the problem was discovered, the referees had to bring the Argentine players back onto the field to play the final minutes. After beating Belgium, the United States beat Paraguay and set up a semifinal against Argentina, which they lost 6-1. However, the semifinal finish was the United States' best World Cup finish to date. In the first World Cup final, held on 30 July 1930, 93,000 spectators watched Uruguay defeat Argentina 4–2 in a rematch of the 1928 Olympic gold medal. Uruguay won their second World Cup in 1950 beating Brazil 2-1 in Rio de Janeiro. The success of the Olympic Football Tournament intensified the FlFa's desire to have its own world championship. Questionnaires were sent to affiliated federations asking whether they agreed to organizing a tournament and under what conditions. A special commission examined the issue, headed by President Jules Rimet. He was helped by the tireless secretary of the French Football Federation, Henri Delaunay. Following an important proposal from the Executive Committee, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam on 28 May 1928 decided to organize a world championship organized by FIFA. Now it was time to choose the organizing country. Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden have submitted their applications. From the beginning Uruguay was the favorite and not only because of the Olympic gold medals won in 1924 and 1928: in 1930 the country celebrated its centenary of independence at great cost. Furthermore, its national association was willing to cover all costs, including travel and accommodation for the participating teams. Any profits would be shared, while Uruguay would shoulder the deficit. These arguments were decisive. The FIFA Congress.