Football War
| Football War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Map illustrating the territories seized by El Salvador at the height of the conflict, prior to their eventual withdrawal. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Fidel Sánchez Hernández | Oswaldo López Arellano | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
8,000 (ground forces) 11 combat aircraft |
2,500 (ground forces) 23 combat aircraft | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Per El Salvador:
|
Per Honduras:
Per Parish priest:
| ||||||||
| +2,000 civilians killed | |||||||||
The Football War (Spanish: guerra del fútbol), also known as the Soccer War or the 100 Hour War, was a brief military conflict fought between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. Existing tensions between the two countries coincided with rioting during a 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier, hence its nickname. The war began on 14 July 1969 when the Salvadoran military launched an attack against Honduras. The Organization of American States (OAS) negotiated a cease-fire on the night of 18 July. Salvadoran troops were withdrawn in early August.
The war, while brief, had major consequences for both countries and was a major factor in starting the Salvadoran Civil War a decade later.