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Culture13 June – 11 July 1982

1982 FIFA World Cup Spain

The first finals with 24 teams. Italy, with six goals from Paolo Rossi, beat West Germany 3–1 in the final.

Paolo Rossi kisses the World Cup on the flight home from Spain, 12 July 1982
Paolo Rossi kisses the World Cup on the flight home from Spain, 12 July 1982

STF / AFP Photo / UPI · Public domain · Source

The tournament was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July 1982, with the finals enlarged from 16 to 24 teams, just as the Falklands War between Argentina and Britain was ending. The semi-final between West Germany and France was the first World Cup match decided on penalties. In the final at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu on 11 July, Paolo Rossi, the top scorer, opened the scoring and Italy beat West Germany 3–1 for their third title.

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The map in 1982

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States at the time
Spain · host

People

  • Diego Maradona1960 – 2020

    participant · Argentine footballer who captained his country to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, scoring both the “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” against England in the quarter-final

Before and after

Earlier
1936 Spanish Civil War
Later
1992 1992 Barcelona Olympics

Themes that include this event

  • FIFA World Cup1904 – 2026

    From the founding of FIFA to the 48-team tournament in North America — the football championship that has gathered the world every four years since Uruguay 1930