Global Information1978 FIFA World Cup information
| Copa Mundial de Fútbol Argentina '78 (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Argentina |
| Dates | 1–25 June |
| Teams | 16 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Argentina (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Netherlands |
| Third place |  Brazil |
| Fourth place |  Italy |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 38 |
| Goals scored | 102 (2.68 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,545,791 (40,679 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Mario Kempes (6 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Mario Kempes[1] |
| Best young player | Antonio Cabrini[2] |
| Fair play award | Argentina[2] |
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by the host nation, Argentina, who defeated the Netherlands 3–1 in the final, after extra time. The final was held at River Plate's home stadium, Estadio Monumental, in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth team (after Uruguay, Italy, England, and West Germany) to be both hosts and world champions and the third South American team to win a World Cup. Argentina, the Netherlands, and Brazil were the gold, silver, and bronze medalists, respectively. Iran and Tunisia made their first appearances in the tournament. The defending champions, West Germany were eliminated in the second round (finishing third in their group). This was also the last World Cup tournament to use the original inclusion of 16 teams. Since the first World Cup in 1930, only 15 teams (plus the host, who automatically qualified) had been allowed to qualify (the reigning title holders also received automatic qualification from 1934 through 2002); but for the next World Cup, in Spain, FIFA expanded that tournament to 24 teams.
This tournament was marred by flagrant controversy, domestic politics, and alleged interference and match-fixing by the Argentine authoritarian military junta government, who were using this tournament as an opportunity for nationalistic propaganda, and for the relatively new military junta to seek legitimacy on the world stage.[3] During the months before the start of the World Cup, the junta was intending to dismantle those who were against them and mitigate criticism from the public on their policies.[4]
The official match ball was the Adidas Tango.
- ^ "1982 FIFA World Cup Technical Report" (PDF). FIFA Technical Group. 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2010.
- ^ a b "1978 FIFA World Cup Argentina - Awards". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ Forrest, David (5 July 2017). "The political message hidden on the goalposts at the 1978 World Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ Smith, B.L. (March 2002). "The Argentinian Junta and the Press in the Run-up to the 1978 World Cup". Soccer & Society. 3 (1): 69–78. doi:10.1080/714004869. ISSN 1466-0970.