In the late 1960s, Honduras and its neighbor El Salvador were not on friendly terms. Disputes arose over the two nations’ common border and the thousands of people from El Salvador who had moved into Honduras.
In July, 1969, when the national teams of the two countries met in a soccer match, fights broke out between supporters of the two teams. The fights led to a war in which El Salvador invaded Honduras.
The war lasted 4 days and cost the lives of 2,000 people. Because it began after a soccer match, the conflict is still known as the “soccer war!”
