MADRID, Spain.- The Cuban soccer team was the first from the Caribbean to participate in the quarterfinals of a World Cup. This happened in the 1938 edition of France. However, Cuba never again managed to qualify for a World Cup, and is currently, along with Indonesia, the team that has not qualified for the longest time.
The Antilleans qualified for the World Cup with very few games played, since the initial qualifying round, corresponding to what was then called the “North American Cup”, which included four teams, ended in a triangular game between Cuba, Costa Rica and Dutch Guiana, which would take place in Havana.
Costa Rica and Dutch Guiana could not travel to the Island for economic reasons and Cuba got a direct pass to the World Cup. Already in the competition, the Antilleans, led by coach José Tapia, faced Romania in the round of 16, on June 5, 1938 at the “Chapou” stadium in the city of Toulouse. The Europeans started winning, the Cuban team managed to come back with goals from Héctor Socorro and José Magriñá. A draw shortly before the end of the game led to overtime, where each team added a score.
As usual in the epoch, where it was still not decided by penalties, a defining match was held, where the Cubans prevailed with a score of 2-1; this being his first and only World Cup victory.
In the quarterfinals, Sweden defeated the Caribbean team with a crushing victory (8-0); one of the biggest wins in World Cup history.
The World Cup in 1938 only featured 16 nations: Cuba, France, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Brazil.
The victory of this World Cup was for Italy, which was proclaimed champion for the second time in a row.
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