Football War

Football War
A painting of Fidel Sánchez Hernández (center) in El Amarillo at the Military Museum of El Salvador
Date 14–18 July 1969 (About 100 hours) Location El Salvador and Honduras Result Ceasefire by OAS intervention Territorial changes Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
El Salvador	Honduras
Commanders and leaders
Fidel Sánchez Hernández	Oswaldo López Arellano
Strength
30,000 (ground forces) 1,000 (aerial forces)	23,000 (ground forces) 600 (aerial forces)
Casualties and losses
900 (including civilians) 3 aircraft destroyed[citation needed]	2,100 (including civilians)[citation needed]

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.^[1] 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, which took full effect on 20 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 Salvadoran troops were withdrawn in early August.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.