The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the first World Cup for which teams had to qualify, after the finalists in the inaugural 1930 World Cup had participated by invitation from FIFA. With 32 teams having entered the 1934 competition, FIFA organized qualification rounds to select 16 teams for the finals. Even Italy, the host of the World Cup, had to earn its spot, the only time this has been the case. The previous champion Uruguay refused to defend its title because many European nations had declined to take part in the 1930 World Cup, held in Uruguay. Of the 32 teams which entered, Chile, Peru and Turkey all withdrew before qualifying began. Brazil and Argentina qualified without playing any matches owing to the withdrawal of their opponents. The other 27 teams played at least one qualifying match. Greece, Bulgaria and Poland withdrew partway through the planned schedule of qualifying matches. The first match, between Sweden and Estonia, took place in Stockholm on 11 June 1933, with Swedish player Knut Kroon scoring the first goal. 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. Format The 32 teams were divided into 12 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows: Groups 1 to 8 – Europe: 12 places, contested by 21 teams. Groups 9, 10 and 11 – Americas: 3 places, contested by 8 teams. Group 12 – Africa and Asia: 1 place, contested by 3 teams (including Turkey). The 12 groups had different rules, as follows: Group 1 had 3 teams. The teams played against each other once. The group winner would qualify. Groups 2, 3 and 5 had 2 teams each. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. Group 4 had 3 teams. The teams played against each other twice. The group winner and runner-up would qualify. Groups 6, 7 and 8 had 3 teams each. The teams played against each other once. The group winners and runners-up would qualify. Groups 9 and 10 had 2 teams each. The group winners would qualify. Group 11 had 4 teams. There would be three rounds of play: First Round: Haiti played against Cuba thrice. The winner would advance to the Second Round. Second Round: Mexico played against the winner of the First Round