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. 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, hence its nickname. Salvadoran troops were withdrawn in early August.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.