FIFA World Cup: 5 teams you didn't know qualified once before

#3 Cuba (1938)

The Cuban team that participated in 1938 World Cup

Only three Caribbean teams have ever graced football's biggest stage. And the first one to do that was Cuba, ironically, the lowest ranked team from the region at the moment (they are on 181!). However, their road to France, which hosted the World Cup then, is interesting.

The decision to stage a second consecutive World Cup in Europe was poorly received by all the nations in the Americas. Resultantly, all except Brazil from the region, pulled out of the competition, while barring Cuba, all other Caribbean outfits too gave it a cold shoulder. So Cuba and Brazil qualified automatically.

The 1938 World Cup didn't have any group games, so the Lions were directly drawn against Romania in the last 16, triumphing on penalties after a pulsating 3-3 draw. But in the quarter-finals, Sweden belted out an 8-0 shellacking that ended Cuba's short stint.

Exactly 80 years have passed since the game, and they could never again return to the World Cups.