In 1938 he participated with Hungary at the World Cup in France. After 6-0 and 2-0 wins against Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia) and Switzerland, Hungary, coached by Alfréd Schaffer, defeated Sweden in the semi-final 5–1. Despite of the support of the majority of the crowd, in the final Hungary had little chance against Italy, led by Giuseppe Meazza and Silvio Piola, arguably two of the greatest players of the era, and lost 2–4.