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FIFA WORLD CUP
GROUPS AND TEAMS
MATCH SCHEDULE
PICTURES
ARCHIVES 1930-1962
ARCHIVES 1966-1990
ARCHIVES 1994-1998
CLASSIC GAMES
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England 1966
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Since its launch in 1930, the FIFA World Cup had grown in stature to become clearly the world's senior international football tournament.
After the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen while on display in London, the hosts triumphed again when it was recovered by a dog called Pickles under a bush in a suburban front garden in south London a few days later.
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Mexico 1970
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Germany 1974
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The ninth FIFA World Cup also became a major TV spectacle and to fit in with television company requests, some matches kicked off at 12 noon. This was an unpopular decision with many players and managers because of the intense heat in Mexico at that time of day. There was none of the violence throughout the tournament that had plagued the two previous competitions. The 1970 FIFA World Cup passed without a single player being sent off, equalling the 1950 FIFA World Cup record. For the first time substitutes were allowed, as well as yellow and red cards being introduced.
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Another host triumph as the West Germans took the new FIFA World Cup for the first time with a quite exceptional display of the hard-running, interchanging style in a tournament remembered for the arrival of "total football".
The Netherlands, with Johan Cruyff outstanding, beat Argentina 4-0 and Brazil 2-0 to announce their arrival, but could not overcome West Germany in the final and went down 2-1, Gerd Müller, "Der Bomber', typically scoring the winner.
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Argentina 1978
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Spain 1982
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Having reached the final in 1930, Argentina had to wait a while before winning the FIFA World Cup, which they eventually did on own soil in 1978. The great support for the home team helped carry them to victory over the Netherlands in the final, Cruyff having turned his back as he refused to travel to Argentina because of the political situation.
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Italy survived the opening round on goal difference and then went on to win the trophy for a third time after a creative Brazilian team had bowed out to them in an astonishing match in the second phase.
Zico, Socrates, Falcao and Eder could not stop attacking and Brazil paid for it when they lost 3-2 to a Paolo Rossi hat-trick. Italy went on to the final and beat West Germany 3-1. Rossi finished top scorer with six goals.
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Mexico 1986
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Italy 1990
A disappointing FIFA World Cup with too much dull defensive football and matches won on penalty kicks. The final itself between West Germany and Argentina was the least inspiring in the history of the competition and ironically decided by a late penalty converted by West Germany's Andreas Brehme. Argentina became the first team not to score in the final and also the first team to have not one, but two players sent off in the final.
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The 13th FIFA World Cup was awarded to Mexico, who thus became the first country to host the competition on two occasions. However, the Mexicans were selected only as replacement hosts after the original choice, Colombia, announced in 1983 that it could no longer afford to stage football's greatest tournament. Terrible earthquakes were the prelude to the tournament, but the stadiums were not affected and it was decided to go ahead with the preparations.
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