Italy Defeats Czechoslovakia to Win Second FIFA World Cup

The 1934 FIFA World Cup, or the World's Cup as it was known then, was the second football World Cup staged, and hosted by Italy from 27 May to 10 June.

Italy was chosen as hosts by FIFA at the Stockholm congress of October 1932. It was the first World Cup for which teams would have to qualify in order to take part. 32 nations entered the competition, and after qualification, 16 teams participated in the finals tournament. Italy became the second World Cup champions, beating Czechoslovakia in the final, 2–1.

Guided by the renowned coach Vittorio Pozzo, Italy won the World Cup for the first time on 10 June 1934 when beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 after extra time. Players such as Giampiero Combi, Angelo Schiavio, Giuseppe Meazza, Eraldo Monzeglio and Ramondo Orsi were the guarantors of the victory on home soil in Rome.