This is a record of Cuba's results at the FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.
The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 32 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.[1]
Cuba has appeared in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup on one occasion, in 1938.[2]
Record at the FIFA World Cup
| FIFA World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
 1930 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1934 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1938 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
 1950 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1954 | Entry not accepted[3] | |||||||
 1958 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1962 | ||||||||
 1966 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1970 | Entry not accepted[3] | |||||||
 1974 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1978 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1982 | ||||||||
| 1986 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1990 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1994 | Withdrew | |||||||
 1998 | Did not qualify | |||||||
  2002 | ||||||||
| 2006 | ||||||||
 2010 | ||||||||
 2014 | ||||||||
 2018 | ||||||||
 2022 | ||||||||
 2026 | To be determined | |||||||
  2030 | ||||||||
 2034 | ||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 1/22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
- *Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out
By match
| World Cup | Round | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue | Cuba scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Round of 16 |  Romania | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | D | Toulouse | H. Socorro (2), J. Magriñá |
| Romania | 2–1 | W | Toulouse | H. Socorro, T. Fernández | ||
| Quarter-finals | Sweden | 0–8 | L | Antibes | — |
Record by opponent
| FIFA World Cup matches (by team) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Wins | Draws | Losses | Total | Goals scored | Goals conceded |
| Romania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Sweden | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
Cuba at 1938 FIFA World Cup
Head coach: José Tapia
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | FW | Juan Alonzo | 1911 |  Fortuna Havana | |
| - | MF | Joaquín Arias | 12 November 1914 (aged 23) | Juventud Asturiana | |
| - | GK | Juan Ayra | 23 June 1911 (aged 26) | CD Centro Gallego | |
| - | DF | Jacinto Barquín | 3 September 1915 (aged 22) | CD Puentes Grandes | |
| - | MF | Pedro Berges | 1906 | Iberia Havana | |
| - | GK | Benito Carvajales | 1913 | Juventud Asturiana | |
| - | DF | Manuel Chorens | 22 January 1916 (aged 22) | CD Centro Gallego | |
| - | FW | Tomás Fernández | 1915 | CD Centro Gallego | |
| - | FW | Pedro Ferrer | 1908 | Iberia Havana | |
| - | MF | Arturo Garcelan | Juventud Asturiana | ||
| - | FW | José Magriñá | 14 December 1917 (aged 20) | CD Centro Gallego | |
| * | FW | Carlos Oliveira | Hispano America | ||
| - | MF | José Antonio Rodríguez | CD Centro Gallego | ||
| - | FW | Héctor Socorro | 26 June 1912 (aged 25) | CD Puentes Grandes | |
| - | FW | Mario Sosa | 1910 | Iberia Havana | |
| - | FW | Juan Tuñas | 1 February 1917 (aged 21) | Juventud Asturiana |
First round
First round replay
Quarter-final
| Sweden | 8–0 | Cuba |
|---|---|---|
Keller  9', 80', 81'[4][5][6]Wetterström 32', 37', 44'[7]Nyberg 84'H. Andersson 90'[8] | Report |
Record players
Eight players were fielded in all three matches in 1938, making them record World Cup players for Cuba.
| Rank | Player | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joaquín Arias | 3 |
| Jacinto Barquín | 3 | |
| Pedro Berges | 3 | |
| Manuel Chorens | 3 | |
| Tomás Fernández | 3 | |
| José Rodríguez | 3 | |
| Héctor Socorro | 3 | |
| Juan Tuñas | 3 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Héctor Socorro | 2 |
| 2 | Tomás Fernández | 1 |
| Carlos Oliveira | 1 | |
| Juan Tuñas | 1 |