[1] Even Italy, the host of the World Cup, had to earn its spot, the only time this has been the case.

[1][2] Of the 32 teams which entered, The first match, between Sweden and Estonia, took place in Stockholm on 11 June 1933, with Swedish player Knut Kroon scoring the first goal.

[b] The last match was played in Rome only three days before the start of the tournament, as late entrant United States beat Mexico to become the final team to qualify.

[1][2] Bulgaria withdrew, and the remaining matches were not played since Hungary and Austria were already assured of the top two spots.

[9] However, the region currently known as Palestine is considered one of the first Asian teams to compete in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Only six of the teams qualifying for the final competition – Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Romania, and the USA – had already attended the World Cup in 1930.