1954 FIFA World Cup qualification Group 2

The three teams in this group played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner Belgium qualified for the fifth FIFA World Cup held in Switzerland.

Table and Matches

Final table Home Away
Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Belgium Sweden Finland Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pld W D L GF GA Pts
1.  Belgium 4 3 1 0 11 6 +5 7 X 2:0 2:2 2 1 1 0 4 2 3 2 2 0 0 7 4 4
2.  Sweden 4 1 1 2 9 8 +1 3 2:3 X 4:0 2 1 0 1 6 3 2 2 0 1 1 3 5 1
3.  Finland 4 0 2 2 7 13 -6 2 2:4 3:3 X 2 0 1 1 5 7 1 2 0 1 1 2 6 1
25 May 1953 Finland  2 – 4  Belgium Helsinki, Finland
Lehtovirta 49', 75' Report Coppens 4', 26', 83'
Anoul 9'
Stadium: Olympiastadion
Referee: Helge (Denmark)

28 May 1953 Sweden  2 – 3  Belgium Stockholm, Sweden
Bengtsson 20'
Selmosson 26'
Report Anoul 28'
Straetmans 37'
Lemberechts 40'
Stadium: Råsunda Stadion
Referee: Mowat (Scotland)

5 August 1953 Finland  3 – 3  Sweden Helsinki, Finland
Lehtovirta 63'
Lahtinen 67'
Rikberg 70'
Report Sandell 9', 71'
Persson 23'
Stadium: Olympiastadion
Referee: Baalstad (Norway)

16 August 1953 Sweden  4 – 0  Finland Stockholm, Sweden
Sandberg 22'
Sandell 24', 61'
Sandin 56'
Report Stadium: Råsunda Stadion
Referee: Asmussen (Denmark)

23 September 1953 Belgium  2 – 2  Finland Brussels, Belgium
Bollen 25' 75' Report Lahtinen 83'
Vaihela 90'
Stadium: Heysel Stadion
Referee: Baumberger (Switzerland)

8 October 1953 Belgium  2 – 0  Sweden Brussels, Belgium
Coppens 23'
Mees 49'
Report Stadium: Heysel Stadion
Referee: Schipper (Netherlands)

Belgium qualified.

Team stats

Head coach: England Bill Gormlie (first and second match); Scotland Doug Livingstone (third and fourth match)

Pos. Player DoB Games
played
Goals Minutes
played
Sub off Sub on Finland Sweden Finland Sweden Club
FW Léopold Anoul August 19, 1922 4 2 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Belgium FC Liégeois
MF Fernand Blaise February 7, 1925 1 0 90 0 0 90 B - - Belgium Standard Liège
FW Mathieu Bollen December 31, 1928 2 2 180 0 0 - - 90 90 Belgium Waterschei Thor
MF Louis Carré January 7, 1925 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Belgium FC Liégeois
FW Henri Coppens April 29, 1930 4 4 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Belgium Beerschot VAV
GK François Daenen August 18, 1919 2 0 180 0 0 B 90 90 B Belgium FC Tilleur
DF Henri Dirickx July 7, 1927 2 0 180 0 0 90 B B 90 Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise
DF Marcel Dries September 19, 1929 2 0 180 0 0 B 90 90 B Belgium Berchem Sport
GK Léopold Gernaey February 25, 1927 1 0 90 0 0 - - B 90 Belgium AS Oostende
MF Joseph Givard May 7, 1923 1 0 90 0 0 - - - 90 Belgium Standard Liège
FW Augustin Janssens September 24, 1930 3 0 270 0 0 90 90 90 - Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise
FW Victor Lemberechts May 18, 1924 2 1 180 0 0 90 90 - - Belgium KV Mechelen
MF Robert Maertens January 24, 1930 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Belgium FC Antwerp
MF Victor Mees January 27, 1927 3 1 270 0 0 B 90 90 90 Belgium FC Antwerp
FW Joseph Mermans February 16, 1922 1 0 90 0 0 90 B B B Belgium RSC Anderlecht
GK Armand Seghers June 21, 1926 1 0 90 0 0 90 B - - Belgium AA Gent
FW Jean Straetmans June 13, 1930 1 1 90 0 0 B 90 - - Belgium White Star AC
DF Alfons Van Brandt June 24, 1927 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Belgium Lierse SK
FW Fernand Van Gestel January 20, 1930 2 0 180 0 0 - - 90 90 Belgium Lyra TSV
MF Robert Van Kerkhoven October 1, 1924 0 0 0 0 0 B B B B Belgium Daring Bruxelles

Head coach: Sweden Putte Kock

Pos. Player DoB Games
played
Goals Minutes
played
Sub off Sub on Belgium Finland Finland Belgium Club
FW Hans Andersson 2 0 180 0 0 90 - - 90
Jan Aronsson 1 0 90 0 0 - - - 90 Sweden Degerfors IF
FW Sylve Bengtsson July 2, 1930 1 1 90
90
Halmstad BK
DF Orvar Bergmark November 16, 1930 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Sweden Örebro SK
FW Lars Eriksson 2 0 180 0 0 90 90 - - Sweden Degerfors IF
MF Bengt Gustavsson January 13, 1928 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Sweden IFK Norrköping
FW Kurt Hamrin November 19, 1934 1 0 90 0 0 - - - 90 Sweden AIK
FW Lennart Holmqvist 1 0 90 0 0 - 90 - - Sweden IFK Norrköping
DF Gösta Lindh August 8, 1924 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Sweden Örebro SK
FW Gösta Löfgren August 29, 1923 2 0 180 0 0 - - 90 90 Sweden Motala AIF
FW Hans Persson 1929 1 1 90 0 0 - 90 - - Sweden Helsingborgs IF
DF Lennart Samuelsson July 7, 1924 3 0 270 0 0 90 - 90 90 Sweden IF Elfsborg
FW Gösta Sandberg August 6, 1932 3 1 270 0 0 90 - 90 90 Sweden Djurgårdens IF
DF Sune Sandbring April 10, 1928 1 0 90 0 0 - 90 - - Sweden Malmö FF
FW Nils-Åke Sandell February 5, 1927 2 4 180 0 0 - 90 90 - Sweden Malmö FF
FW Herbert Sandin 1 0 90 0 0 - - 90 - Sweden IFK Norrköping
FW Arne Selmosson March 29, 1931 1 1 90 0 0 90 - - - Sweden Jönköpings Södra IF
GK Kalle Svensson November 11, 1925 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Sweden Hälsingborgs IF
MF Sven-Ove Svensson 1922 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Sweden Hälsingborgs IF
MF Henry Tillberg 2 0 180 0 0 - 90 90 Sweden Malmo FF

Head coach: Finland Aatos Lehtonen

Pos. Player DoB Games
played
Goals Minutes
played
Sub off Sub on Belgium Sweden Sweden Belgium Club
FW Rainer Forss October 20, 1930 3 0 270 0 0 90 90 90 - Finland Pyrkivä Turku
FW Matti Hiltunen January 26, 1933 1 0 90 0 0 90 - - - Finland Koparit
GK Matti Jokinen November 8, 1928 1 0 90 0 0 90 - - - Finland Vasa IFK
GK Aarre Klinga March 20, 1930 2 0 180 0 0 - 90 90 - Finland KIF Helsinki
DF Pekka Kupiainen November 25, 1929 1 0 90 0 0 - - - 90 Finland KTP Kotka
FW Olavi Lahtinen January 5, 1929 4 1 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Finland HJK Helsinki
MF Martti Laitinen August 2, 1925 1 0 90 0 0 90 - - - Finland Helsingin Ponnistus
MF Lauri Lehtinen August 19, 1927 3 0 270 0 0 90 90 90 - Finland HJK Helsinki
FW Kalevi Lehtovirta February 20, 1928 4 3 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Finland/2[1] TPS Turku
DF Åke Lindman January 11, 1928 3 0 270 0 0 - 90 90 90 Finland/2[1] HIFK
DF Kurt Martin March 13, 1923 4 0 360 0 0 90 90 90 90 Finland Vasa IFK
FW Stig-Göran Myntti August 6, 1925 3 0 270 0 0 90 90 90 - Finland Vasa IFK
DF Sulo Parkkinen April 24, 1930 1 0 90 0 0 90 - - - Finland KTP Kotka
MF Seppo Pelkonen March 13, 1930 3 0 270 0 0 - 90 90 90 Finland KuPS
DF Aimo Pulkkinen June 14, 1928 2 0 180 0 0 - 90 90 - Finland FC Haka
FW Nils Rikberg March 29, 1928 3 1 270 0 0 - 90 90 90 Finland/2[1] ÅIFK Turku
GK Mauno Rintanen November 28, 1925 1 0 90 0 0 - - - 90 Finland HJK Helsinki
FW Aulis Rytkönen January 5, 1929 1 1 90 0 0 - - - 90 France Toulouse FC
DF Reino Suojanen September 3, 1925 1 0 90 0 0 - - - 90 Finland Pyrkivä Turku
FW Jorma Vaihela September 30, 1925 2 1 180 0 0 90 - - 90 Finland RU-38 Pori
  1. ^ a b c The number indicates the league the team played in that year.