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Tournament Details



Details:
Host country: Argentina
Dates: 1-June-1978 to 25-June-1978
Teams: 16
Tournament stats

Stages:
Round 1: 16 teams split in 4 groups of 4
Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4
Round 2: 8 teams split in 2 groups of 4.
Group A | Group B
Round 3: 2 Team Playoff
Playoffs

Qualification:
      Countries qualified       Country failed to qualify       Countries that did not enter       Country not a member
Notes:
  • FIFA introduced the penalty shootout as a means of determining the winner in knockout stages should the match end on a draw after 120 minutes.
  • The 1978 World Cup marked the only occasion during which a national team did not wear its own kit to play a match. The incident happened during the game between France and Hungary. The worldwide television broadcast of the games was in colour, but Argentina only had black-and-white television equipment in place; the team's tops were indistinguishable on the black-and-white TV sets, resulting in the French side electing to wear the jerseys of a local team from Mar del Plata, Club Atletico Kimberley; the jerseys had vertical green and white stripes.

    • Team Placing:
    Placing Team Starting ELO Rating GF GA GD Region
    1 Argentina 1926 15 4 +11 CONMEBOL
    2 Netherlands 2092 15 10 +5 UEFA
    3 Brazil 2078 10 3 +7 CONMEBOL
    4 Italy 1935 9 6 +3 UEFA
    17 Austria 1860 7 10 -3 UEFA
    17 France 1881 5 5 0 UEFA
    17 Hungary 1920 3 8 -5 UEFA
    17 Iran 1771 2 8 -6 AFC
    17 Mexico 1793 2 12 -10 CONCACAF
    17 Peru 1755 7 12 -5 CONMEBOL
    17 Poland 1929 6 6 0 UEFA
    17 Scotland 1943 5 6 -1 UEFA
    17 Spain 1959 2 2 0 UEFA
    17 Sweden 1791 1 3 -2 UEFA
    17 Tunisia 1680 3 2 +1 CAF
    17 West Germany 2096 10 5 +5 UEFA
    Top goal scorers:

    • 6 goals Mario Kempes
    • 5 goals Rob Rensenbrink
    • 5 goals Teófilo Cubillas
    • 4 goals Hans Krankl
    • 4 goals Leopoldo Luque
    • 3 goals Dirceu
    • 3 goals Johnny Rep
    • 3 goals Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
    • 3 goals Paolo Rossi
    • 3 goals Roberto Dinamite
    • 2 goals Archie Gemmill
    • 2 goals Arie Haan
    • 2 goals Daniel Bertoni
    • 2 goals Dieter Müller
    • 2 goals Ernie Brandts
    • 2 goals Grzegorz Lato
    • 2 goals Heinz Flohe
    • 2 goals Nelinho
    • 2 goals René van de Kerkhof
    • 2 goals Roberto Bettega
    • 2 goals Zbigniew Boniek
    • 1 goal Alberto Tarantini
    • 1 goal Ali Kaabi
    • 1 goal András Tóth
    • 1 goal Andrzej Szarmach
    • 1 goal Arturo Vázquez Ayala
    • 1 goal Bernd Hölzenbein
    • 1 goal César Cueto
    • 1 goal Christian Lopez
    • 1 goal Dani
    • 1 goal Daniel Passarella
    • 1 goal Dick Nanninga
    • 1 goal Dominique Bathenay
    • 1 goal Dominique Rocheteau
    • 1 goal Erich Obermayer
    • 1 goal Franco Causio
    • 1 goal Hansi Müller
    • 1 goal Hassan Roshan
    • 1 goal Iraj Danaeifard
    • 1 goal Joe Jordan
    • 1 goal José Velásquez
    • 1 goal Juan Manuel Asensi
    • 1 goal Károly Csapó
    • 1 goal Kazimierz Deyna
    • 1 goal Kenny Dalglish
    • 1 goal Marc Berdoll
    • 1 goal Michel Platini
    • 1 goal Mokhtar Dhouib
    • 1 goal Néjib Ghommidh
    • 1 goal Reinaldo
    • 1 goal Renato Zaccarelli
    • 1 goal René Houseman
    • 1 goal Romeo Benetti
    • 1 goal Rüdiger Abramczik
    • 1 goal Sándor Zombori
    • 1 goal Thomas Sjöberg
    • 1 goal Víctor Rangel
    • 1 goal Walter Schachner
    • 1 goal Zico


    Own goal scorers:

    • 1 goal Andranik Eskandarian
    • 1 goal Berti Vogts
    • 1 goal Ernie Brandts