- The UEFA preliminary draw for Qatar 2022 takes place on Monday 7 December
- FIFA.com sets the scene by reflecting on ten legendary European qualifiers
- Part one includes a Scottish legend, a Polish “clown” and a Bulgarian miracle
1. Sweden-Estonia, 1933: The first one of them all
The success of the inaugural FIFA World Cup™ in Uruguay in 1930 led FIFA to organise a qualifying competition for Italy 1934. Some 32 teams from three continents took part in the preliminaries, with Sweden and Estonia having the honour of contesting the very first World Cup qualifying match.
11 June 1933, Olympiastadion, Stockholm, Sweden 6-2 Estonia
Goals: Knut Kroon 7’, Lennart Bunke 10’, Bertil Ericsson 13’, Torsten Bunke 43’, Bertil Eriksson 70’, Sven Andersson 79’ pen (Sweden); Leonhard Kaas 47’, Richard Kuremaa 61’ (Estonia)
Sweden forward Knut Kroon went down in history as the first player to score in a FIFA World Cup™ qualifying match. The home side…