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,
1970 FIFA World Cup in Tokyo on 8 October, ahead of the only other submitted bid from Argentina. The tournament became the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first to be staged outside South America and Europe; Mexico later became the first country to host the FIFA World Cup twice when it stepped in to stage the 1986 event after the original host selection, Colombia, suffered financial problems. A total of 75 teams entered the 1970 FIFA World Cup, and 73 were required to qualify. Due to rejected entries and withdrawals, 68 teams eventually participated in the qualifying stages, including eight