It was on this day in 1950 that the deciding game for the World Cup was played at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.  The paid attendance for the match was a staggering 199,854 – the largest ever crowd to watch a live sporting event in history.

The 1950 World Cup was won by Uruguay, who also won the inaugural tournament back in 1930.  They beat Brazil 2-1 in the deciding match of the four-team final group.  This was the only World Cup in history that was not decided by a final match.  Instead, the champion was determined via a four-team group that saw each team play each other once.  The team with the most points at the conclusion of those games was crowned World Champions.

In 2004 it was announced that Brazil will host the World Cup for the second time in 2014.  Brazil joins Mexico, Italy, France and Germany as the only countries to host the world’s biggest sporting event for a second time.

Here are highlights from the 1950 World Cup final.

Notable Birthdays

Gary Anderson, NFL – Born July 16^th 1959 (age 53) in Parys, South Africa

Claude Lemieux, NHL – Born July 16^th 1965 (age 47) in Buckingham, Quebec

Barry Sanders, NFL – Born July 16^th 1968 (age 44) in Wichita, Kansas