Why Didn’t the British Home Nations Play in the First Three World Cups?

Описание: Picture this: it’s 1930, and the world’s first-ever FIFA World Cup is about to kick off in Uruguay. A landmark moment for international football—except for one small detail: the country that invented the game wasn’t there. In fact, the British home nations skipped the first three World Cups entirely, while Uruguay and Italy took turns lifting the trophy.

But why? Arrogance? Bureaucracy? A deep-seated fear of long boat journeys? The truth is a mix of all three. This is the story of how England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland / Northern Ireland went from the self-appointed guardians of football to FIFA’s awkward ex; only to come crawling back after two decades in the international wilderness.

It’s a tale of stubbornness, missed opportunities, and a whole lot of rulebook arguments, because if there’s one thing the British football associations loved, it was refusing to compromise on a technicality.

Enjoy the video, and let me know in the comments: Would the British teams have dominated the early World Cups, or would they have been humbled much earlier than 1950?

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