FIFA World Cup competitions, which Germany and Brazil sought to host, were cancelled due to World War II and its aftermath. The 1950 World Cup, held in Brazil, was the first to include British participants. British teams withdrew from FIFA in 1920, partly out of unwillingness to play against the countries they had been at war with, and partly as a protest against foreign influence on football, but rejoined in 1946 following FIFA's invitation. The tournament also saw the return of 1930 champions Uruguay, who had boycotted the previous two World Cups. Uruguay won the tournament again after defeating the host nation Brazil,
New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup the 2018 FIFA World Cup. <section begin=playoff2 /> <section end=playoff2 /> New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup The New Zealand national football team has participated in 12 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns between 1970 and 2014, qualifying for two; the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Seven teams were involved in the AFC/OFC qualification process; Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, North Korea, South Korea and Rhodesia, however, North Korea withdrew before any matches were played as they refused to play Israel. Due to North Korea's withdrawal, New Zealand, along with