Fewest matches at a FIFA World Cup tournament

The fewest matches at a FIFA World Cup tournament is 17, achieved by the 1934 FIFA World Cup in Italy.

The second World Cup tournament in 1934 in Italy was the first to feature a qualification process and was affected by a number of withdrawals. Having seen just four European teams make the journey to South America for the 1930 World Cup, reigning champions Uruguay boycotted the competition, while the Home Nations of the United Kingdom preferred to focus on the Home Nations Championship. The tournament was arranged in a straight knockout format with no group stage and featured one replay, after Italy’s quarter-final tie with Spain ended 1–1. The hosts went on to lift the trophy, beating Czechoslovakia 2–1 in the final after extra time.