Why do Uruguay’s national soccer team jerseys have four stars?

National Team Uniform knows everything

The jersey of a country’s national soccer team contains a lot of information. Information that tells you who the player is, such as their name and number, is basic. In addition, the colors that represent the country are also incorporated into the jerseys. Take a look at the photo below.

The back of the jersey features Son’s number, 7, and his English name above it. The large player number is intended to distinguish each player from other players on the team, such as defenders and goalkeepers, and to make it easier for spectators and broadcasters to identify players on the field.

The front of the jersey is more colorful than the back. You can see the logo of the jersey manufacturer (Nike in Korea) and the player’s number in small print. On the left chest is the logo of the Korean Football Association and the country’s name, KOREA. Finally, red, the national color of South Korea, is the main color of the jersey.

Why stars exist?

If you’re a fan of soccer, you’re probably familiar with the stars on the jerseys of other countries’ national teams. Some countries have five stars, some have four, some have two, and some have one (there are currently no national team jerseys with three stars). What do these stars mean? It’s not a military rank, it’s not discrimination, and why do some countries have stars while we don’t?

If you’re more interested in soccer, you’ll know that the number of stars on a jersey is the number of World Cups won. That’s why Brazil has five, Italy and Germany have four, Argentina has three, France has two, and England and Spain have one. No country except Argentina has won three World Cups, so there is only one three-star jersey.

Uruguay has 4 stars

However, there is one exception to this rule. Uruguay. Why do Uruguay’s jerseys have four stars? A country that has only won two World Cups (?) wears the stars as a badge of honor. Did Uruguay get two bonus stars for looking pretty to FIFA?

Uruguay is the first world champion. They won one in 1930 and four in 1950 (there were no tournaments in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II). They won the 1950 tournament by beating the hosts, Brazil, at home, in a game that would go down as the greatest tragedy in Brazilian soccer history, the Maracanã tragedy. Uruguay is a small country with a population of 3 million, but it has a huge passion for soccer and a history of winning the World Cup.

So why do they have two extra stars on their jerseys? The answer is that Uruguay won two Olympic gold medals before the World Cup. Now, an Olympic gold medal is not an international tournament win recognized by FIFA. There’s quite a complicated history behind this.

History of FIFA & IOC

FIFA was founded in 1904, well over 100 years ago, in the early 19th century. However, it didn’t have much power and couldn’t afford to organize world competitions. The International Olympic Committee, or IOC, which organizes the Olympics, was founded in 1894, a decade before FIFA. The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. The Olympics, as we all know, feature a variety of famous sports, including track and field, swimming, and other basic disciplines.

The first appearance of soccer at the Games was in 1920, a bit later than the first edition, when FIFA finally got its foot in the door. FIFA agreed with the IOC to organize the soccer event at the Games. In 1914, FIFA recognized the soccer competition at the Olympics as an amateur world championship. The gold medal was won by Belgium, but unfortunately, because it was an amateur victory (the Olympics is all about amateurism), it wasn’t recognized as an official international championship.

After that, FIFA announced in 1928 that the World Cup would be held in 1930, and Uruguay was chosen to host the first edition. Uruguay was chosen because it had won the soccer gold medal at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. Coincidentally, 1924 was the FIFA-declared professional era, so Uruguay had already won two professional-level tournaments. Naturally, it was natural for Uruguay to host the World Cup, and they had the full support of the government, including paying for the tournament.

Everything is clear

Now the question is answered. In addition to their two World Cup titles, Uruguay had two Olympic gold medals. Having won four professional-level tournaments for the first time, FIFA allowed them to wear four stars (since the World Cup, Olympic gold medals are not recognized by FIFA as an international tournament win for a national team, and players are limited to those under the age of 23).

Although Uruguay hasn’t won a World Cup since 1950, it was a dominant force in world soccer from 1924 to 1950, when it won four international tournaments involving the entire world. That’s why there have been 22 World Cups, but the total number of stars on the national teams is 24, with four stars on the Uruguayan national team jersey.

I envy the stars on foreign national teams and have a personal wish. I want my national soccer team to have stars on their jerseys.