In terms of international development these Games signalled the first participation in a major Championship of a team from South America, a continent which would provide the main competition to Europe from that moment on.

The Uruguayans had won the 1923 Sudamericano by maximum points in the December of the previous year to qualify for the tournament as their continent's sole participants; defeating rivals Argentina 2–0 in the final game in which Pedro Petrone scored halfway through the first half.

[6] Despite this little was known about them; they had never played outside South America and their international experience had mainly been spent travelling across the harbour from Buenos Aires to Montevideo.

[7] Italy, having remained unbeaten since 1922, found themselves beaten 4–0 by an early incantation of Hugo Meisl's Wunderteam (who would absent themselves from the Games).

Rather than considering dropping players, they had sacked their manager Veljko Ugrinić instead (following a 4–1 defeat by those Austrians in Zagreb) but would find his replacement Todor Sekulić just as hapless.

By marrying short passing to intelligent positional play, they made the ball do all the work, and so kept their opponents on the run wrote Joy.

The Swedish outside-left Rudolf Kock (who would become chairman of the selectors in 1948 working alongside George Raynor), would have another fine game against Egypt where Sweden won 5–0.

There was further dispute in the semi-final where Holland (coached by the former Blackburn Rovers' player William Townley) took a first half lead against Uruguay through Feyenoord's Kees Pijl.

With twenty minutes to go Pedro Cea scored an equaliser and with less than ten Georges Vallat, the French referee, awarded Uruguay a penalty.

In the final the Swiss were defeated by the Uruguayans whose two goals in the second half put paid to their opponent's ambitions, Uruguay eventually prevailing 3–0.

José Leandro AndradePedro ArispePedro CasellaPedro CeaLuis ChiapparaPedro EtchegoyenAlfredo GhierraAndrés MazaliJosé NasazziJosé NayaPedro PetroneÁngel RomanoZoilo SaldombideHéctor ScaronePascual SommaHumberto TomasinaAntonio UrdinaránSantos UrdinaránFermín UriarteJosé VidalAlfredo ZibechiPedro Zingone Max AbegglenFélix BédouretCharles BouvierWalter DietrichKarl EhrenbolgerPaul FässlerGustav GottenkienyJean Haag Marcel KatzEdmond KramerAdolphe MengottiAugust OberhauserRobert PacheAron PollitzHans PulverRudolf RamseyerAdolphe ReymondLouis RichardTeo Schär Paul SchmiedlinPaul SturzeneggerWalter Weiler Axel AlfredssonCharles BrommessonGustaf CarlssonAlbin DahlSven FribergKarl GustafssonFritjof HillénKonrad HirschGunnar HolmbergPer KaufeldtTore KellerRudolf KockSigfrid LindbergVigor LindbergSven LindqvistEvert LundqvistSten MellgrenGunnar OlssonSven RydellHarry SundbergThorsten SvenssonRobert Zander