FIRST EVER WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

On October 15th 1949, England and Wales played out their first ever World Cup qualifier at Ninian Park, in what was also the British Home Championship. Having joined FIFA when it was founded in 1906, the home nations withdrew in 1929 from the world wide organisation of football over the payment to amateur players.
So the four home nations missed the first three FIFA competitions, then the war got in the way and eventually the home nations used their own tournament to decide who would play in Brazil in the 1950 World Cup Finals.
England came first and Scotland second, but the Scots decided not to play because they had not WON the home championship!
Stan Mortenson and Jackie Milburn, with a hat trick, scored in the 4-1 defeat of the Welsh.
England went on to Brazil and were famously humiliated by the USA "amateurs". See also:
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/1950-beginning-of-end.html