Germany is a storied football nation and a successful host, having staged the FIFA World Cup in 1974 (as West Germany) and again in 2006. Both tournaments were viewed as organizational successes, with passionate fan engagement and high-quality matches. However, Germany was not the site of the inaugural World Cup. The honor of hosting the very first edition in 1930 belongs to Uruguay. While Germany would later become a four-time champion and one of the sport’s most respected powers, it was not the pioneering host. That distinction belongs to a fellow football-mad nation that both organized and won the inaugural tournament.