A football match. Four days of war. Thousands dead. What if football wasn't the cause? The true story of the 1969 Football War.
In June 1969, Honduras and El Salvador played for a spot in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico in three matches. Weeks later, their armies were at war.
But the so-called Football War had far less to do with football than its name suggests. Behind it lay years of tension over land, immigration, the economy, and nationalism.
We review how things came to July 14, 1969, what happened during those four days, and why peace took eleven years.
Subscribe to Remote Football for more football stories from the most remote places on the planet.
0:00 The myth behind the football war
0:39 The struggle for land and immigration
4:24 The catalyst: the World Cup qualifiers
6:44 Four days of fire and their consequences
9:05 The legacy of an unresolved conflict
A football match. Four days of war. Thousands dead. What if football wasn't the cause? The true story of the 1969 Football War.
In June 1969, Honduras and El Salvador played for a spot in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico in three matches. Weeks later, their armies were at war.
But the so-called Football War had far less to do with football than its name suggests. Behind it lay years of tension over land, immigration, the economy, and nationalism.
We review how things came to July 14, 1969, what happened during those four days, and why peace took eleven years.
Subscribe to Remote Football for more football stories from the most remote places on the planet.
0:00 The myth behind the football war
0:39 The struggle for land and immigration
4:24 The catalyst: the World Cup qualifiers
6:44 Four days of fire and their consequences
9:05 The legacy of an unresolved conflict