In the 1934 World Cup, for the first time qualifying rounds were conducted. From the initial entry of 32 Nations, 16 reached the Finals which were conducted on a knock out basis. Brazil & Argentina travelled 10000 miles to Italy only to be beaten in the first round.
Unlike in 1930, when all the games were played in one centre, Montevideo, 8 venues were used in Italy - Rome, Naples, Milan, Turin, Florence, Bologna, Geneo and Trieste.
It was decided that extra time would be played in the finals in the case of a draw at the end of 90 minutes. If there was still no result then a replay would take place.
In the opening match of 1934, Angelo Schiavo became the first European Player to score a World Cup hat-trick as host Italy beat USA 7-1.