Pozzo pulled off a masterstroke by moving Meazza from centre-forward to inside-forward, and the goals flowed.
Italy were forced to qualify for the tournament they hosted in 1934, sweeping past Greece 4-0 to set up a first-round clash with the United States.
The second World Cup finals saw 16 teams compete in a knockout system and Italy began in style, Meazza scoring the final goal in a 7-1 win over the US.
A brutal clash with Spain followed in the quarter-finals and after a 1-1 draw in Florence, a solitary strike from Meazza took Italy through.
He did the same again in the semi-final with Austria, played in torrential rain at Milan's San Siro stadium.
Goalkeeper Giampero Combi was another of Italy's star players and he was captain for the final against Czechoslovakia in Rome.
Things looked bleak for the home side when Antonio Puc put the Czechs ahead after 70 minutes with a fierce shot.
But Raimundo Orsi equalised soon after and Schiavio put the home crowd out of their misery with an extra-time winner.
Mussolini's propaganda gamble had paid off, although not without a few scares along the way.
Fifa's decision to take the 1938 World Cup to France did not go down well with the South American countries, who felt it was their turn.
As a result only Brazil made the trip to France from South America, and they made quite an impact by beating Poland 6-5 in a dramatic first-round match.
Italy also made hard work of their initial encounter, coming through 2-1 in extra-time despite a late disallowed effort from Norway.