The 1938 World Cup took place a year before World War II broke out.
During the match against France in Paris, the Italian team walked onto the field amid boos protesting Mussolini’s fascist regime.
Italy won 3-1 against France and defended its world title in the final against Hungary at the third FIFA World Cup, the last World Cup before the tournament was interrupted for two years.
Player Alfredo Foni of the Italian team (left) in the final match against the Hungarian team in France in 1938. Photo: AP
The 1974 World Cup in West Germany also witnessed a historic match.
This is considered the `Battle between two brothers`, which took place at the height of the Cold War.
Due to fears of terrorist activities, the match was considered a `high-risk event` and armed forces were deployed heavily around the stadium.
This was the first World Cup and the last time East Germany participated.
Ball fight between players from East Germany (blue shirt) and West Germany (white shirt) in Hamburg on June 22, 1974.
The quarter-final match between England and Argentina at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico took place four years after Argentina was defeated by England in the Falklands War.
The match was considered a `revenge` event for Argentina, when they won 2-1 against England thanks to two goals from Diego Maradona.
Maradona’s first goal went down in history as the `Hand of God`, when he appeared to punch the ball past English goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
`We consider it a final. It’s not about winning a match, it’s about beating the English,` Maradona said.
The moment Maradona jumped up to dispute with goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
At the 1998 World Cup in France, the match between Iran and the United States was considered one of the most politically charged events in the tournament’s history.
According to FIFA regulations, the two teams in a match are called team A and team B, in which team B will usually step towards team A to shake hands before the ball rolls.
But according to a 2014 article in British football magazine FourFourTwo, then-Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei `ordered the Iranian team not to step towards the US team` to perform the handshake ceremony first.
Mehrdad Masoudi, an Iranian media officer for FIFA during the 1998 World Cup, negotiated with the US team to come forward and shake hands with the Iranian team.
`The President of the Iran Football Federation wanted to use the match to promote the country’s image. He asked the person in charge of the outfit to buy flowers for each player to bring onto the field. White roses are a symbol of peace in Iran
Iranian player (red shirt) gives flowers to American player before starting the match at the 1998 World Cup. Photo: AP
The match ended with a 2-1 victory for Iran.
`What we did in 90 minutes was more than what politicians did in 20 years,` US team defender Jeff Agoos said after the match.
The match between Switzerland and Serbia at the 2018 World Cup taking place in Russia caused an outcry in Serbia after two Swiss players of Albanian origin celebrated a goal with a double eagle gesture to simulate two eagles.
The image of the double eagle is seen as a symbol of resistance in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 but Serbia refuses to recognize.
Xherdan Shaqiri repeated the move after scoring a 2-1 victory for Switzerland.
Granit Xhaka (center) performs a simulation of the double eagle symbol after scoring the first goal in the match against Serbia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
