The 1970 FIFA World Cup was the ninth edition of the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
, the quadrennial international
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
championship for
men's senior national teams. Held from 31 May to 21 June in Mexico, it was the first World Cup tournament held outside Europe and South America, and it was also the first held in North America. Teams representing 75 nations from all six populated continents entered the competition, and its
qualification rounds began in May 1968. Fourteen teams qualified from this process to join host nation
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and defending champions
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the 16-team final tournament.
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
made their debut appearances at the final stage.
The
tournament final had
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
battle
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, another FIFA two-time champion (and
UEFA Euro 1968
The 1968 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Italy. This was the third UEFA European Championship, an event held every four years and organised by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 5 and 10 June 1968.
It ...
winner), 4–1. Furthermore, during the tournament, Brazil also had to defeat another two-time champion (who were)
South American champions Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, by 3–1 in the semi-final, and
defending champions England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
1–0 in the group stage. This is currently the only time that the winning team defeated the European and South American champions alongside the tournament's defending champions.
The win gave Brazil its third World Cup title, which allowed them to permanently keep the
Jules Rimet Trophy
The World Cup is a solid gold trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup association football tournament. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have been used: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, before ...
, and a
new trophy was introduced in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
. The victorious team, led by
Carlos Alberto and featuring players such as
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
,
Gérson
Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson (; born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nicknamed ''Canhotinha de ouro'' (literally: Golden left foot), is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous ...
,
Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
,
Rivellino
Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, ; ; born 1 January 1946) is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cult ...
, and
Tostão
Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade (born 25 January 1947), generally known as Tostão, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward or attacking midfielder.
Tostão was an intelligent, hardworking and prolific left-footed f ...
, is often cited as the greatest-ever football team.
They achieved a perfect record of wins in all six games in the finals, as well as winning all
their qualifying fixtures.
Despite the issues of altitude and high temperature, the finals largely produced attacking football which created an average goals per game record not since bettered by any subsequent World Cup Finals.
With the advancements in satellite communications, the 1970 Finals attracted a new record television audience for the FIFA World Cup as games were broadcast live around the world and, in a few cases, in colour—the first time that this was the case.
Host selection
Mexico was chosen as the host nation on 8 October 1964 vote at the
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
congress in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, where the only other bid submitted was by Argentina. The latter would host the
1978 World Cup
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 1970 selection of Mexico as host would mark several distinctions. It was the first World Cup that was staged in North America and the first to be staged outside of South America and Europe. Further distinction would come to Mexico at the
1986 World Cup when it was the only country that twice staged a World Cup when it stepped in as a substitute after Colombia was struggling financially.
Qualification
A total of 75 teams entered the 1970 FIFA World Cup, and 73 were required to qualify. Due to rejected entries and withdrawals, 68 teams eventually participated in the qualifying stages, including eight for the first time.
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
as the host nation and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
as reigning World Cup champions were granted automatic qualification, with the remaining 14 finals places divided among the continental confederations.
Eight places were available to teams from
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
(Europe), three for
CONMEBOL
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
(South America), one for
CAF (Africa), one for a team from either the
AFC or the
OFC (Asia/Oceania), and one for
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typese ...
(North and Central America and Caribbean).
A place in the finals for an African representative was guaranteed for the first time, as a response to the mass boycott of the qualifying process for 1966 by the African entrants after FIFA
linked Africa, Asia and Oceania together with only one qualifying place on offer.
The draw for the qualifying stages was conducted on 1 February 1968 in
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
,
with matches beginning in May 1968 and the final fixtures being concluded in December 1969.
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
, quarter-finalists at the
previous tournament, were disqualified during the process after refusing to play in Israel for political reasons.
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
qualified for the finals after beating
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
in a
play-off match
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
, which was the catalyst for a four-day conflict in July 1969 known as the
Football War
The Football War ( es, La guerra del fútbol; colloquial: Soccer War), also known as the Hundred Hours' War or 100 Hour War, was a brief military conflict fought between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. Existing tensions between the two countr ...
.
Half of the eventual qualifying teams had also been present at the previous World Cup, but three teams qualified for the first time:
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, while
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
made their first World Cup appearances since
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
,
1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
,
1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
and
1958 respectively. Czechoslovakia returned to the World Cup stage after missing out in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
.
As of 2022, this was the only time Israel qualified for a FIFA World Cup finals, and also the only time
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
failed to qualify (they declined to participate in 1938,
1950 and 1954).
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
all did not qualify for the first time since 1958, while
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
did not qualify for the first time since 1950.
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
also failed to qualify, as did
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
after finishing in third place at the 1966 tournament.
List of qualified teams
The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.
;
AFC (1)
*
;
CAF (1)
*
;
OFC (0)
* ''None qualified''
;
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typese ...
(2)
*
* (hosts)
;
CONMEBOL
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
(3)
*
*
*
;
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
(9)
*
*
*
* (holders)
*
*
*
*
*
Venues
Five stadiums in five cities were selected to host the World Cup matches. Alternative venues in
Hidalgo state and the port city of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
were also considered. Each group was based solely in one city with exception of Group 2, which was staged in both
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
and
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...
. Aside from the
Estadio Luis Dosal
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
, all the stadia had only been constructed during the 1960s, as Mexico prepared to host both the World Cup and the
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
. The stadium construction cost for the four smaller venues were around US$11 million, while the final stadium in Mexico City cost US$20 million.
The altitude of the venues varied and
the importance of acclimatisation was strongly considered by all the participating teams. As a result, in contrast to the previous tournament staged in England, most teams arrived in the region well in advance of their opening fixtures
to prepare for this factor. Some teams had already experienced the local conditions when competing in the
football competition at 1968 Summer Olympics.
At an elevation in excess of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
,
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...
was the highest of the venues;
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
was the lowest at . In addition to the altitude, all five locations had hot and rainy weather where temperatures would regularly go past 32 °C (90 °F).
Of the five stadia used for the 32 matches played, the largest and most utilised venue was the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which hosted 10 total matches including the final and third place matches, and all of Group 1's matches (which included all of host Mexico's matches). The Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara hosted eight matches including all of Group 3's matches and a semi-final. The Nou Camp Stadium in Leon hosted seven matches, which consisted of all of Group 4's matches and a quarter-final match. The Luis Dosal stadium in Toluca hosted four matches, and Cuauhtémoc stadium in Puebla hosted three matches and was the only stadium of the five used for this tournament not to host any knockout rounds.
Format
The 16 qualified teams were divided into four groups of four. Each group was played as a
single round-robin in which each team would play each of the others in their group once. Teams were ranked by the number of points earned from their matches (two points were awarded for a win and one for a draw), and goal difference was used as the primary tie-breaker; if two teams finished level on both points and goal difference, lots were drawn to separate them. This method was used to separate the top two teams in Group 1 (Soviet Union and Mexico), but it was not used to separate Bulgaria and Morocco in Group 4, despite them finishing level on points and goal difference, as their final positions did not have any implications for the knockout stage.
The top two teams from each group progressed to the knockout stage. In all knockout matches, extra time was played if the teams were drawn after 90 minutes. If teams were still tied after extra-time, drawing of lots would have been used in all matches other than the final. FIFA did not announce in advance what would happen if the final itself were to be drawn after extra time. In the event, all knockout matches were decided in either regular time or extra time.
Final draw
Although it was reported in the build-up to the final draw that seedings would be used, as had been the case at the previous two World Cup Finals,
the
FIFA Organising Committee ultimately announced on the same day of the draw, that there would be no seeding of teams due to failed attempts to reach a compromise for the seeding criteria.
Instead, the 16 qualified teams were divided into four pots comprising 'geographical groupings' decided by a vote of the FIFA Organising Committee, which for the composition of pot 1, 3 and 4 also took into account the teams' strengths and even political considerations.
The tournament structure ensured that teams grouped within the same pot would not meet each other before the quarterfinals at the earliest. The system of politically decided pots hereby ensured that Israel and Morocco would not be drawn to face each other after Morocco had earlier threatened to withdraw from the tournament, as they had done from the Olympic football tournament two years earlier, if that were the case.
The draw was staged in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, Mexico on 10 January 1970 in the
Maria Isabel Hotel, which served as FIFA's headquarters during the competition.
The teams were drawn into the four groups, which had their locations defined in advance: Group 1 being staged in Mexico City, Group 2 in
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
and
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...
, Group 3 in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
and Group 4 in
León. Ahead of the draw, the FIFA regulations had predetermined that the hosts
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
would be in Group 1 and so based in the capital city, and that
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
as holders would be based together with Group 3 in Guadalajara,
the tournament's second largest stadium.
Keeping the defending champion (
holders) apart from meeting the hosts in the group stage either by seeding or predetermined group positions, was a practiced tradition troughout the history of the FIFA World Cup, with
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
and
1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
being the only two exceptions.
The 10-year-old daughter of
Guillermo Cañedo, president of the
Mexican Football Federation
The Mexican Football Federation (; abbreviated as Femexfut or FMF) is the governing body of association football in Mexico. It adm the Mexico national team, the Liga MX and all affiliated amateur sectors, and controls promoting, organizing, direc ...
and chief of the
FIFA Organising Committee, drew out the teams from four silver cups, so that each of the four groups featured one drawn team respectively from pot 1, pot 2, pot 3 and pot 4.
Match officials
AFC
*
Abraham Klein
CAF
*
Seyoum Tarekegn
*
Ali Kandil
Ali Hussein Kandil ( ''ʿAlī Qandīl'') is an Egyptian former football referee. He directed the match between Korea DPR and Chile in the 1966 FIFA World Cup which ended in a 1-all draw.
He was also the referee for the controversial Mexico
...
CONCACAF
*
Werner Winsemann
Werner Winsemann was a German-born former football referee. He officiated at the 1974 FIFA World Cup as a referee and linesman. At the 1978 FIFA World Cup he officiated as a linesman (now called assistant referee) only. He is the only Canadia ...
*
Abel Aguilar Elizalde
Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd wh ...
*
Diego De Leo
*
Henry Landauer
Henry may refer to:
People
* Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal ...
CONMEBOL
*
Ángel Norberto Coerezza
Angel is a given name meaning "angel", " messenger". In the English-speaking world Angel is used for both boys and girls.
From the medieval Latin masculine name ''Angelus'', which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived ...
*
Antônio de Moraês
*
Rafael Hormázabal
*
Arturo Yamasaki
Arturo Maximo Yamasaki Maldonado also known as ''Arturo Yamasaki'' (11 May 1929 Lima, Peru - 23 July 2013 Mexico City, Mexico) was a Peruvian-Mexican international football referee. He represented the Peruvian Football Association from 1960 to 1 ...
*
Ramón Barreto
Ramón Ivanoes Barreto Ruiz (14 September 1939 – 4 April 2015) was a Uruguayan professional association football referee. He is the only referee in the history of the FIFA World Cup to have been appointed to two consecutive Final matches: in 19 ...
UEFA
*
Ferdinand Marschall
Ferdinand Marschall (19 February 1924 – 14 November 2006) was an Austrian football referee.
Refereeing career
In 1953 Marschall became a referee in the Austrian football championship, and in 1967 he was appointed as a FIFA referee.
Marschal ...
*
Vital Loraux
Vital or Vitals may refer to:
Places
* Vital Creek, a creek located in the Omineca Country region of British Columbia
* Vital Range, a subrange in the Omineca Mountains in British Columbia
People
* Vital (given name)
*Vital (surname)
Arts, ent ...
*
Rudi Glöckner
Rudolf Glöckner (20 March 1929, in Markranstädt – 25 January 1999, in Markranstädt) was the first German to referee a football World Cup final when he took charge of the 1970 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Italy in Mexico City.
Glö ...
*
Jack Taylor
*
Roger Machin
*
Antonio Sbardella
Antonio Sbardella (17 October 1925 – 14 January 2002) was an Italian football player, referee and sports official. He is best known for refereeing at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Career
Born in Palestrina near Rome, Sbardella first got involve ...
*
Laurens van Ravens
Laurens "Lau" van Ravens (18 September 1922 – 23 October 2018) was a Dutch international football referee, who featured at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He officiated in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, becoming an international referee in 1966.
He infamousl ...
*
Antonio Ribeiro Saldanha
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
*
Andrei Rădulescu
Andrei Rădulescu (28 November 1880 – 30 September 1959) was a Romanian jurist. He served as President of the High Court of Cassation and Justice from 1938 to 1940, and as president of the Romanian Academy from 1946 to 1948.
Early life
He was ...
*
Bob Davidson
*
Ortiz de Mendíbil
*
Tofik Bakhramov
Tofiq Bahramov ( az, Tofiq Bəhramov; ; russian: Тофик Бахрамов; 29 January 1925 – 26 March 1993) was a Soviet footballer and football referee from Azerbaijan.
He was notable for being the linesman who helped to award a cont ...
*
Rudolf Scheurer
Rudolf Scheurer (May 25, 1925 – November 1, 2015) was a football (soccer) referee from Bettlach, most remembered for supervising four matches at the FIFA World Cup: two in 1970 and 1974. During his peak times, Scheurer was a high-profile refe ...
*
Kurt Tschenscher
Kurt Waldemar Tschenscher (5 October 1928 – 13 August 2014) was a German football referee.
Born in Schimischow, Weimar Germany (today Szymiszów, Poland), Tschenscher took up refereeing in 1948 and by 1953 he was part of the German Football A ...
Squads
A tournament squad was limited to no more than 22 players; Morocco named only 19 players in their squad.
Tournament review
Group stage
Following the opening ceremony host nation
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
faced the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
; this was the last time until the
2006 World Cup that the host nation's first match rather than the World Cup holders' began the tournament. Both this opening match of Group 1 and many others during the competition kicked off at noon for the benefit of European television schedules, meaning play under the midday sun.
The match produced a goalless draw, prompting some media to predict the entire tournament would be played at the slow tempo that featured in this game given the conditions involved. Following the half-time interval
Anatoliy Puzach
Anatoliy Kyrylovych (or Anatoli Kirillovich) Puzach ( uk, Анатолій Кирилович Пузач, russian: Анатолий Кириллович Пузач; 3 June 1941 – 19 March 2006) was a Ukrainian football player and coach.
Earl ...
became the first substitute to be used in FIFA World Cup history as the Soviets made use of the new competition rule.
Both teams won their remaining two games to progress from the group at the expense of
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and World Cup debutants
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
.
Group 2 was the lowest-scoring of the groups with only six goals in its six matches as
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
,
reigning South America champions, and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, the
reigning European champions, edged past
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Sweden would have progressed if they had produced a two-goal victory against Uruguay in their final game, but it was not until the final minute that they scored the only goal of the game. Hours before the game FIFA elected to replace the scheduled referee after bribery rumours – later dismissed by FIFA
– arose in Mexico. The 1–0 result meant Uruguay advanced, to be joined by Italy after they avoided defeat in the group finale against Israel.
Owing to the lack of a seeding system, Group 3 allowed the reigning World Cup holders
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
to be paired together with the two-time former champion
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, considered by many the pre-tournament favourites for the trophy.
England's preparations were hampered by the arrest of their captain
Bobby Moore in Colombia for
allegedly stealing a bracelet from a jeweller's shop; the charges were later dropped. The attitude of their manager
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (22 January 1920 – 28 April 1999) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager fr ...
and the English media in general was perceived by many locals as unfriendly and xenophobic toward Mexico's hosting of the competition, which meant the English team received a largely hostile response during the competition.
With both having won their opening games – against
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, respectively
– Brazil met England in the group's most famed match. Although
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks (30 December 1937 – 12 February 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he made 679 appearances during a 20-year professional caree ...
in the English goal denied
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
from close range with a reflex save that Pelé himself cited as the greatest of his career, a second half goal from
Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
won the match for Brazil, after which England squandered several excellent opportunities to equalise. Both teams then won their final group games to progress to the knockout stage.
Play in Group 4 began with
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
taking a two-goal lead against
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, but a second half comeback gave the South Americans a 3–2 victory.
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, the first
African World Cup representatives since 1934,
also began strongly by taking the lead against the 1966 runners-up
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, but the Germans came back to win 2–1.
West Germany also went behind against Bulgaria in their second match, but a
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional footballer. A striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalsco ...
hat-trick helped them recover and win 5–2; the eventual
Golden Boot winner Müller hit another
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
– the only hat-tricks of the entire tournament. – to win the group against Peru.
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals
Mexico and the Soviet Union had finished tied at the top of Group 1 on both points and goal difference, meaning that the drawing of lots was required to rank them. On 12 June, the draw allocated the Soviet Union the group winners' berth, meaning that they would face Uruguay at the
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of above sea level. Wit ...
, while the host nation were paired against Italy in the smaller
Toluca venue.
Mexican officials unsuccessfully appealed to FIFA to stage their game in the capital to avoid traffic problems.
The hosts took the lead against Italy with a
José Luis González goal, but his teammate
Javier Guzmán
Javier Guzmán Colin (January 9, 1945 – August 14, 2014) was a Mexican football defender, who played for the Mexico national team between 1970 and 1977. He was part of the Mexico squad for the 1970 World Cup on home soil.
At club level, Gu ...
equalised with an
own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
before half-time. Italy then dominated the second half to progress to the semi-finals with a 4–1 win. The Soviet Union were also eliminated in their quarter-final when a
Víctor Espárrago
Víctor Rodolfo Espárrago Videla (born 6 October 1944 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan football coach and former midfielder.
International career
He was capped 67 times for the national team between 1966 and 1974. His playing career highlight ...
header three minutes from the end of extra-time sent Uruguay through. The Soviets had stopped play during Uruguay's attack leading to the goal, believing that the ball had crossed the touchline.
The all-South America tie in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
was the highest-scoring of the four quarter-finals as Brazil recorded a 4–2 triumph over Peru. The match is considered to be one of the most entertaining matches in World Cup history: Brazil shot 27 times; Peru, 22. Next came a rematch of
the previous World Cup final between England and West Germany that took place in
León. The reigning champions took a two-goal lead, but
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer (, ; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional footballer and manager. In his playing career he was nicknamed ''Der Kaiser'' ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the fi ...
halved the deficit when his low shot beat England's second-choice goalkeeper
Peter Bonetti
Peter Philip Bonetti (27 September 1941 – 12 April 2020) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. He was known for his safe handling, lightning reflexes an ...
, who was playing after
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks (30 December 1937 – 12 February 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he made 679 appearances during a 20-year professional caree ...
suffered food poisoning the day before. Eight minutes from time, an
Uwe Seeler
Uwe Seeler (; 5 November 1936 – 21 July 2022) was a German footballer and football official. As a striker, he was a prolific scorer for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of ...
header levelled the score. England's
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst (born 8 December 1941) is an English former professional footballer. A striker, he became the first man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final when England recorded a 4–2 victory over West Germany at Wembley St ...
then had an apparently legitimate goal ruled out for offside. An extra-time goal from
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional footballer. A striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalsco ...
brought (West) Germany's first-ever competitive victory over England.
Semi-finals
![Game of the Century Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Game_of_the_Century_Plaque.jpg)
All four of the semi-finalists were former world champions, with the line-up guaranteeing a final between Europe and South America. In the all-South American tie, controversially switched from the capital to the lower altitude of Guadalajara, Brazil came from behind to defeat Uruguay 3–1 and earn the right to contest their fourth World Cup Final. Two Brazilian goals in the final 15 minutes decided a match that had been evenly-matched until that point. The all-European meeting between Italy and West Germany produced a match regarded by many as one of the greatest World Cup games of all time. Having led from the eighth minute through
Roberto Boninsegna
Roberto Boninsegna ( born 13 November 1943) is an Italian former football player, who mainly played as a forward. After retiring, he worked as a football manager. As a player, he represented the Italian national side at two World Cups, reachin ...
's strike, Italy were pegged back in injury time when sweeper
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (born 31 March 1939) is a German former footballer who played as a defender. An athletic and hard-tackling player, with a strong physique, he was nicknamed the "Volkswagen" for his continuity of performance, both in qu ...
scored his only international goal. Extra-time brought five more goals as the lead swung between the two sides until
Gianni Rivera
Giovanni "Gianni" Rivera (; born 18 August 1943) is an Italian politician and former footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career as a footballer he was mostly utilised as an attacking midfielder.
Dubbed Italy's "Golden Boy" by the ...
gave the ''Azzurri'' a decisive 4–3 lead. The match subsequently became known as the "
Game of the Century",
and today has a plaque outside the Estadio Azteca to commemorate it. West Germany went on to defeat Uruguay 1–0 in the third-place match.
Final
In
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, Brazil opened the scoring when
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
headed in a cross from
Rivellino
Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, ; ; born 1 January 1946) is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cult ...
in the 18th minute, but
Roberto Boninsegna
Roberto Boninsegna ( born 13 November 1943) is an Italian former football player, who mainly played as a forward. After retiring, he worked as a football manager. As a player, he represented the Italian national side at two World Cups, reachin ...
equalised for Italy after a series of blunders in the Brazilian defence.
The match remained level until the 65th minute when a powerful shot from
Gérson
Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson (; born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nicknamed ''Canhotinha de ouro'' (literally: Golden left foot), is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous ...
restored the Brazilians' lead. Further goals from
Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
and
Carlos Alberto rewarded Brazil's attacking play and secured a 4–1 victory and a record third World Cup triumph, which earned them the right to permanently keep the
Jules Rimet Trophy
The World Cup is a solid gold trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup association football tournament. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have been used: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, before ...
.
Legacy
Both the
Brazilian team that were crowned champions of the 1970 World Cup and the tournament itself have become regarded as among the very finest in the history of the FIFA World Cup.
In contrast to the more physical style of play that had dominated the previous two tournaments, the 1970 Finals are noted for the attacking play adopted by most teams.
For the first time at a World Cup Finals, referees could issue
yellow and red cards (a system that is now commonplace at every level of football worldwide), yet, in contrast to the previous tournaments (besides the 1950 edition) and all subsequent tournaments to date, no player was expelled from play. The officiating of the opening match, commentated by some media as overly strict, set a standard of discipline that instead helped protect skillful players in accordance with FIFA's stated wish.
The tournament's
average of 2.97 goals per game set a level not since bettered.
The eventual champions Brazil, led by
Carlos Alberto, and featuring
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
,
Clodoaldo
Clodoaldo Tavares de Santana, better known as Clodoaldo (; born 25 September 1949 in Aracaju), is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a midfielder.
Career
Clodoaldo usually played as a defensive midfielder for both Santos Futebol ...
,
Gérson
Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson (; born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nicknamed ''Canhotinha de ouro'' (literally: Golden left foot), is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous ...
,
Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
,
Rivellino
Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, ; ; born 1 January 1946) is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cult ...
, and
Tostão
Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade (born 25 January 1947), generally known as Tostão, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward or attacking midfielder.
Tostão was an intelligent, hardworking and prolific left-footed f ...
, is often cited as the greatest-ever World Cup team.
They won all of their six games on the way to the title, and had also won every one of
their qualifying fixtures.
Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
's feat of scoring in every finals match likewise has yet to be equalled. Coach
Mário Zagallo
Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo (; born 9 August 1931) is a Brazilian former professional football player, coordinator and manager, who played as a forward.
Zagallo holds the record for World Cup titles in general with four titles in total. He was ...
became the first man to win the World Cup as both a player (
1958,
1962) and coach.
This was the first World Cup to use the
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the fi ...
ball from
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
(who have supplied every World Cup match ball to date), introduced as the "Telstar Erlast" for the
1968 European Football Championship. The Telstar was the first World Cup ball to use the now-familiar
truncated icosahedron
In geometry, the truncated icosahedron is an Archimedean solid, one of 13 convex isogonal nonprismatic solids whose 32 faces are two or more types of regular polygons. It is the only one of these shapes that does not contain triangles or squares. ...
for its design, consisting of 12 black
pentagon
In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°.
A pentagon may be simpl ...
al and 20 white
hexagon
In geometry, a hexagon (from Ancient Greek, Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple polygon, simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°.
Regular hexa ...
al panels.
The 32-panel configuration had been introduced in 1962 by
Select Sport
Select Sport A.S. is a Danish sports equipment manufacturer based in Glostrup, Denmark.
As of 2008, Select Sport provides the Danish Football Association with footballs, and also several clubs in the Danish, Belgian, Portugal and Russian top ...
,
and was also used in the official logo for the 1970 World Cup. The black-and-white pattern, to aid visibility on
black and white television
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
broadcasts (which was still commonplace then, as colour television was rare in many parts of the world), was also well established before the Telstar.
The name came from the
Telstar communications satellite, which was roughly spherical and dotted with solar panels, somewhat similar in appearance to the football.
Merchandise
Forming a partnership with
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
in 1970,
Panini published its first FIFA World Cup
sticker album
A sticker album is a book in which collectable stickers are stuck into designated sections. Sticker album themes can be sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, English Premier League or TV shows, Movies, Animals or Music. Panini were the fi ...
for the 1970 World Cup, initiating a global craze for collecting and trading stickers. In 2017, a complete 1970 World Cup Panini sticker album signed by
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
sold for a record £10,450.
Group stage
![1970 world cup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/1970_world_cup.png)
The first round, or group stage, saw the 16 teams divided into four groups of four teams. Each group was a
round-robin of six games, where each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same group. Teams were awarded two points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The teams finishing first and second in each group qualified for the quarter-finals, while the bottom two teams in each group were eliminated from the tournament.
Tie-breaking criteria
# Greater number of points in all group matches
# Goal difference in all group matches (replacing the previous usage of
goal average
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...
)
# Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Knockout stage
The eight teams that had advanced from the group stage entered a
single-elimination
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
style tournament, which also featured a third place play-off contested between the two losing semi-finalists. In this knockout stage (including the final), if a match was level at the end of 90 minutes,
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
of two periods (15 minutes each) would be played. In matches prior to the final, if the score was still level after extra time then a coin toss by the referee would determine the winner. If the final was still level after 120 minutes' play then the match would instead be
replayed at a later date.
''All times listed local (
UTC−6)''
Quarter-finals
----
----
----
Semi-finals
----
Match for third place
Final
Statistics
Goalscorers
With 10 goals,
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional footballer. A striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalsco ...
was the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 95 goals were scored by 55 players, with only one of them credited as own goal.
10 goals
*
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional footballer. A striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalsco ...
7 goals
*
Jairzinho
Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
5 goals
*
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga (; born 8 March 1949) is a Peruvian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50. H ...
4 goals
*
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
*
Anatoliy Byshovets
Anatoliy Fyodorovich Byshovets (russian: Анатолий Фёдорович Бышовец, uk, Анато́лій Фе́дорович Бишове́ць; born 23 April 1946) is a Soviet and Russian football manager of Ukrainian origin and for ...
3 goals
*
Rivellino
Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, ; ; born 1 January 1946) is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cult ...
*
Gigi Riva
Luigi "Gigi" Riva (; born 7 November 1944) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre-forward.
Considered to be one of the best players of his generation, as well as one of the greatest strikers of all time, Riva enjoye ...
*
Uwe Seeler
Uwe Seeler (; 5 November 1936 – 21 July 2022) was a German footballer and football official. As a striker, he was a prolific scorer for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West Germany national team. Widely regarded as one of ...
2 goals
*
Raoul Lambert
*
Wilfried Van Moer
Wilfried van Moer (1 March 1945 – 24 August 2021) was a Belgian footballer who won the Belgian Golden Shoe three times, first in 1966 while at Antwerp then in 1969 and in 1970 while at Standard Liège.
Prior to 1966 Van Moer played with Bev ...
*
Tostão
Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade (born 25 January 1947), generally known as Tostão, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward or attacking midfielder.
Tostão was an intelligent, hardworking and prolific left-footed f ...
*
Ladislav Petráš
Ladislav Petráš (born 1 December 1946) is a former Slovak football player. He played 19 matches for Czechoslovakia national team and scored six goals. Petráš was a participant at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, where he played three matches and s ...
*
Roberto Boninsegna
Roberto Boninsegna ( born 13 November 1943) is an Italian former football player, who mainly played as a forward. After retiring, he worked as a football manager. As a player, he represented the Italian national side at two World Cups, reachin ...
*
Gianni Rivera
Giovanni "Gianni" Rivera (; born 18 August 1943) is an Italian politician and former footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career as a footballer he was mostly utilised as an attacking midfielder.
Dubbed Italy's "Golden Boy" by the ...
*
Javier Valdivia
Javier Valdivia Huerta (born 4 December 1941) is a Mexican former professional footballer.
Career
Valdivia began playing football with local side Guadalajara in 1960. He made his debut with the Mexico national team
The Mexico national f ...
*
Alberto Gallardo
Félix Alberto Gallardo Mendoza (28 November 1940 – 19 January 2001) was a Peruvian football player and manager.
Career
During his club career, Gallardo played for Sporting Cristal, A.C. Milan, Cagliari Calcio and Sociedade Esportiva Pal ...
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Florea Dumitrache
Florea Dumitrache (22 May 1948 – 26 April 2007) was a Romanian professional footballer who played as a striker.
Dumitrache spent most of his senior career at Dinamo București, appearing in over 200 league matches and winning three national t ...
1 goal
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Carlos Alberto
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Clodoaldo
Clodoaldo Tavares de Santana, better known as Clodoaldo (; born 25 September 1949 in Aracaju), is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a midfielder.
Career
Clodoaldo usually played as a defensive midfielder for both Santos Futebol ...
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Gérson
Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson (; born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nicknamed ''Canhotinha de ouro'' (literally: Golden left foot), is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous ...
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Hristo Bonev
Hristo Atanasov Bonev ( bg, Христо Aтанасов Бонев; born 3 February 1947), also known as Zuma ( bg, Зума), is a Bulgarian footballer manager and former player who last managed Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the Bulgarian A PFG. One o ...
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Dinko Dermendzhiev
Dinko Tsvetkov Dermendzhiev ( bg, Динко Цветков Дерменджиев; 2 June 1941 – 1 May 2019), nicknamed Chico was a Bulgarian footballer and coach.
Club career
Dinko Dermendzhiev began his youth career in Maritsa Plovdiv. Initi ...
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Todor Kolev
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Asparuh Nikodimov
Asparuh "Paro" Donev Nikodimov ( bg, Аспарух Донев Никодимов; born 21 August 1945) is a Bulgarian former football player and coach.
He represented Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cups in 1970 and 1974.
Playing career
N ...
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Dobromir Zhechev
Dobromir Georgiev Zhechev ( bg, Добромир Георгиев Жечев; born 12 November 1942) is a Bulgarian former football player and later manager. Zhechev was born in Sofia.
At club level he played Spartak and Levski in his home to ...
*
Allan Clarke
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Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst (born 8 December 1941) is an English former professional footballer. A striker, he became the first man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final when England recorded a 4–2 victory over West Germany at Wembley St ...
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Alan Mullery
Alan Patrick Mullery (born 23 November 1941) is an English former footballer and manager. After enjoying a successful career with Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national team in the 1960s and 1970s, he became a manager working with ...
*
Martin Peters
Martin Stanford Peters (8 November 1943 – 21 December 2019) was an English footballer and manager. As a member of the England team which won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, he scored the second of England's four goals in the final against West Germa ...
*
Mordechai Spiegler
Mordechai "Motaleh" Shpigler ( he, מרדכי "מוטל'ה" שפיגלר; born 19 August 1944) is a retired Israeli footballer, and manager. Shpigler is placed second in Israel's all time goalscoring list, with 32 goals in 83 caps.
Early life ...
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Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich (; 25 April 1939 – 26 May 2021) was an Italian football manager and player, who played as a defender.
Throughout his career, Burgnich played for Udinese, Juventus, Palermo, Internazionale, and Napoli; although he won title ...
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Angelo Domenghini
Angelo Domenghini (; born 25 August 1941) is an Italian football manager, and former footballer, who played as a forward, often as a right winger, or even as a striker. Despite his creative role, he also had a notable eye for goal, as well as e ...
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Maouhoub Ghazouani
Maouhoub Ghazouani (born 1946) is a Moroccan people, Moroccan association football, football midfielder who played for Morocco national football team, Morocco in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He scored a goal versus Bulgaria national football team, Bu ...
*
Houmane Jarir
Mohammed Houmane Jarir (30 November 1944 – 19 May 2018) was a Moroccan people, Moroccan Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He represented the Morocco national football team, Moroccan nation ...
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Juan Ignacio Basaguren
Juan Ignacio Basaguren García (born 21 July 1944) is a Mexican former professional footballer.
Career
Basaguren played for Atlante F.C. during the 1970 71 Primera season.
Basaguren competed for Mexico at the 1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 ...
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Javier Fragoso
Javier Gonzalo Fragoso Rodríguez (19 April 1942 – 28 December 2014) was a Mexican football player and manager.
Club career
Born in Mexico City in 1942, he was a forward for Club América, for whom he made his debut in 1962.
International ...
*
José Luis González
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Gustavo Peña
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Roberto Challe
Roberto Carlos Chale Olarte, "Roberto Chale" (born 24 November 1946) is a Peruvian former football player, recognized as one of Peru's most important midfielders. He was born in Lima.
He is also known as ''Maestro'' (Master) or ''Niño Terrible ...
*
Héctor Chumpitaz
Héctor Eduardo Chumpitaz Gonzáles (; born April 12, 1943, in Cañete) is a former footballer from Peru. Voted one of the greatest defenders of all times, among the 30 best defenders in football history and included within the 100 best player ...
*
Emerich Dembrovschi
Emeric Dembroschi (born 6 October 1945) is a retired Romanian football striker.
Club career
Emerich Dembrovschi was born on 6 October 1945 in Câmpulung la Tisa, Romania and started to play football in the Romanian lower leagues at Foresta Si ...
*
Alexandru Neagu
Alexandru "Sandu" Neagu (19 July 1948 – 17 April 2010) was a Romanian footballer who played as a striker.
Club career
Alexandru Neagu, nicknamed '' Cappellini from Giulești'' by journalist Ioan Chirilă was born on 19 July 1948 in the R ...
*
Kakhi Asatiani
Kakhi Asatiani ( ka, კახი ასათიანი, 1 January 1947 – 20 November 2002) was a Georgian association football player and manager.
Career
During his career he played for FC Dinamo Tbilisi (1965–1975), Asatiani earned 16 ...
*
Vitaliy Khmelnytskyi
Vitaliy Hryhorovych Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Віталій Григорович Хмельницький; 12 June 1943 – 13 February 2019) was a Ukrainian football player and coach.
Honours
* Soviet Top League winner: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971
* Sov ...
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Ove Grahn
Jan-Olof "Ove" Grahn (9 May 1943 – 11 July 2007) was a Swedish professional football player who played as a striker. He represented IF Elfsborg, Grasshoppers, Lausanne Sports, and Örgryte IS during a career that spanned between 1960 and 197 ...
*
Tom Turesson
Tom Olov Turesson (17 May 1942 – 13 December 2004) was a Swedish football (soccer), football player and manager, best known for representing Hammarby Fotboll, Hammarby IF. A full international between 1962 and 1971, he won 22 Cap (sport), caps f ...
*
Luis Cubilla
Luis Alberto Cubilla Almeida (28 March 1940 – 3 March 2013) was a Uruguayan football player and coach. He had a successful playing career winning 16 major titles. He then went on to become one of the most successful managers in South American ...
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Víctor Espárrago
Víctor Rodolfo Espárrago Videla (born 6 October 1944 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan football coach and former midfielder.
International career
He was capped 67 times for the national team between 1966 and 1974. His playing career highlight ...
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Ildo Maneiro
Ildo Enrique Maneiro Ghezzi (born 4 August 1947) is a Uruguayan former professional football (soccer) player and manager.
He played for Uruguay at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Nacional, Olympique Lyonnais and C.A. Peñarol. He capped 33 times f ...
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Juan Mujica
Juan Martín Mujica Ferreira (22 December 1943 – 11 February 2016) was a Uruguayan football player and manager who represented his country at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Career
Mujica played club football for Rampla Juniors, Nacional, Lille ...
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Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer (, ; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional footballer and manager. In his playing career he was nicknamed ''Der Kaiser'' ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the fi ...
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Reinhard Libuda
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Wolfgang Overath
Wolfgang Overath (born 29 September 1943) is a former West German footballer. A true one-club man, Overath spent his entire professional career at 1. FC Köln. He represented his country three times in World Cup finals, culminating in 1974 wit ...
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Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (born 31 March 1939) is a German former footballer who played as a defender. An athletic and hard-tackling player, with a strong physique, he was nicknamed the "Volkswagen" for his continuity of performance, both in qu ...
1 own goal
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Javier Guzmán
Javier Guzmán Colin (January 9, 1945 – August 14, 2014) was a Mexican football defender, who played for the Mexico national team between 1970 and 1977. He was part of the Mexico squad for the 1970 World Cup on home soil.
At club level, Gu ...
(playing against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
)
Awards
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Golden Boot:
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (; 3 November 1945 – 15 August 2021) was a German professional footballer. A striker renowned for his clinical finishing, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalsco ...
(
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
)
*
Best Young Player (awarded retrospectively):
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga (; born 8 March 1949) is a Peruvian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50. H ...
(
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
)
*
FIFA Fair Play Trophy:
FIFA retrospective ranking
In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition.
The rankings for the 1970 tournament were as follows:
* Listed as #13 in one of the sources
** Listed as #12 in one of the sources
References
External links
1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico FIFA.com
FIFA Technical Report
{{DEFAULTSORT:1970 Fifa World Cup
FIFA World Cup tournaments
International association football competitions hosted by Mexico
1969–70 in Mexican football
May 1970 sports events in North America
June 1970 sports events in North America
May 1970 events in Mexico
June 1970 events in Mexico