The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras | OneFootball

The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras | OneFootball

Icon: Attacking Football

Attacking Football

·19 de enero de 2025

The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras

Imagen del artículo:The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras

It’s hard to imagine football, a sport known for bringing people together, igniting an actual war. But in 1969, that’s exactly what happened between El Salvador and Honduras in what became known as the Football War. While the matches during the 1970 World Cup qualifiers were the spark, this was no ordinary clash between rival footballing nations. Beneath the surface lay decades of simmering tensions over economics, migration, and political instability.

The Tensions Beneath the Surface

To understand why football matches could ignite such chaos, it’s vital to grasp the underlying issues as to how this could cause the Football War. El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, faced significant population pressure in the 20th century. By the late 1960s, overpopulation in El Salvador meant many Salvadorans sought opportunities in neighbouring Honduras, a larger nation with more agricultural land but fewer people.


OneFootball Videos


However, this migration created resentment among Hondurans, especially rural farmers. Salvadorans, often seen as outsiders, were accused of taking land and jobs, leading to hostility between the communities. Meanwhile, Honduran authorities, under pressure from nationalist movements, enacted agrarian reforms targeting Salvadoran migrants, often dispossessing them of land and leaving them vulnerable to violence.

At the same time, both El Salvador and Honduras were grappling with political instability. Military-led governments used nationalist rhetoric to distract from domestic problems. When the two nations met on the football pitch in 1969, these long-simmering issues came to a head.

The 1970 World Cup Qualifiers: Football as a Flashpoint

The football rivalry between El Salvador and Honduras intensified during the qualifiers for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. The format of the qualifiers meant the two nations had to face each other in a two-legged tie, with a potential third match if the aggregate score was tied. These matches, held in June 1969, would prove far more consequential than anyone could have predicted. Rinus Michels, once said “Professional football is something like war. Whoever behaves too properly, is lost”, little did he know that these two sides would take it this seriously.

The First Match: Honduras 1-0 El Salvador (June 8, Tegucigalpa)

The opening fixture took place in Honduras’s capital, Tegucigalpa. The hosts emerged victorious with a 1-0 win, but the match was marred by hostility and unrest. Salvadoran players reported being harassed during their stay, with fans surrounding their hotel and honking car horns throughout the night to disrupt their sleep.

Imagen del artículo:The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras
Imagen del artículo:The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras

The tension spilt into the stands and streets after the final whistle, with Salvadoran fans and players reportedly subjected to abuse. Riots erupted, setting the tone for what was to follow.

The Second Match: El Salvador 3-0 Honduras (June 15, San Salvador)

A week later, the return leg in El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador, took place under even more volatile conditions. This time, it was Honduran players and fans who bore the brunt of hostility. Reports emerged of death threats, objects thrown at the visiting players, and a highly charged atmosphere in the stadium.

“We’re awfully lucky that we lost; otherwise we would have been dead.” Said Honduran coach Mario Griffin as his team fled home.

El Salvador convincingly won 3-0, levelling the series on aggregate, but the victory only inflamed tensions. Back in Honduras, Salvadorans were targeted in violent attacks. Homes were burned, families were displaced, and reports of beatings became widespread.

The Deciding Match: El Salvador 3-2 Honduras (June 27, Mexico City)

With the series tied, the decisive match was held on neutral ground in Mexico City. Both nations had everything to play for, with a place in the 1970 World Cup on the line. The game itself was a dramatic affair, with El Salvador clinching a 3-2 victory after extra time.

“We felt we had a patriotic duty to win for El Salvador,” Rodríguez said. “I think we were all afraid of losing, because in those circumstances it would have been a dishonour that followed us for the rest of our lives. “What we didn’t know was the significance of that win and the historical importance of that goal—that it would be used as a symbol of a war.”

Yet, the result did little to cool tensions. In fact, on the very same day as the match, El Salvador severed diplomatic relations with Honduras, citing the violence against Salvadorans living there as the key reason.

The Four Days of the Football War

On July 14, just over two weeks after the deciding football match, El Salvador launched a military offensive against Honduras. Salvadoran forces quickly advanced into Honduran territory, targeting strategic locations in a bid to pressure the government into addressing the mistreatment of Salvadoran migrants.

Imagen del artículo:The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras
Imagen del artículo:The Football War: How a World Cup Qualifier Sparked a Military Conflict between El Salvador and Honduras

The Football War, however, was short-lived. Lasting just four days, it resulted in significant destruction and loss of life on both sides. Estimates suggest that around 4,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced, with Salvadoran migrants bearing the brunt of the suffering.

International bodies, including the Organisation of American States (OAS), stepped in to mediate the crisis. A ceasefire was brokered on July 18, and Salvadoran troops withdrew from Honduras shortly thereafter. However, the damage (both physical and psychological) had already been done.

The Aftermath of the Football War

Although the Football War lasted only a matter of days, its impact reverberated for years. The conflict deepened the animosity between the two nations and exacerbated internal challenges in both countries.

For El Salvador, the war was a prelude to an even more devastating conflict: the Salvadoran Civil War, which erupted in 1979. Meanwhile, Honduras also faced political and economic challenges in the years that followed, struggling to recover from the war’s toll.

On the football front, El Salvador’s hard-fought World Cup qualification ended in disappointment. In the 1970 tournament, held in Mexico, the Salvadorans lost all three of their group matches, failing to score a single goal.

A Conflict Beyond Football

The Football War may carry a name that links it to the beautiful game, but the truth is far more complex. The matches between El Salvador and Honduras were not the cause of the war but rather the trigger for long-standing issues rooted in migration, inequality, and political unrest.

“People abroad stigmatised it as the goal that started the war,” said Rodríguez. “The war would have happened with or without that goal.”

This brief, horrible, intense conflict is a reminder of how sport, while often a unifying force, can sometimes become entangled with the socio-political struggles of nations. In this case, football didn’t just reflect the passions of the people; it became the spark that ignited a football war. This is one scenario where I’d agree: you should keep politics out of football.

Ver detalles de la publicación