FIFA World Cup
2006 : [ Latest News ] [
Schedules ] [ Groups ] [
Venues ][
TV Schedule ]
FIFA World Cup 2006 : [ Latest News ] [ Schedules ] [ Groups ] [ Venues ][ TV Schedule ]
Soccer World Cup Index
FIFA World Cup Latest News
FIFA History
World Cup Tournaments
Classic Players
Classic Matches
World Cup Awards
Golden BootGolden Ball
Yashin Award
Fair Play Award
Most Entertaining Team
Top Goalscorers
Fastest Goals
World Rankings
Player of the year
Football World Cup 1986
The 1986 Football World Cup was held in Mexico from May 31 to June 29. It was won by Argentina, who beat West Germany 3-2 in the final at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. The tournament was originally scheduled in 1974 to be hosted by Colombia, but after the Colombian authorities declared in late 1982 that they could not afford to host the World Cup, Mexico was selected as replacement host and became the first nation to host two Football World Cups. This second World Cup in Mexico came only 16 years after the first one in 1970. The format of the competition changed from 1982: 24 teams still qualified, again divided into six groups of four. But the second round was replaced by a knockout competition, for which 16 teams: six group winners, six second place finishers, and four best third place finishers would qualify. It was the tournament of Diego Maradona who was at the peak of his form and lead the Argentinean team to the title. His most memorable performance probably came during the quarter final against England, where he scored both goals in the 2-1 victory. One goal was scored, in his own words, by the "hand of God" (unseen by the referee, he used his hand to score the goal) and the other, considered to be the Goal of the Century, followed a dribbling through the complete English half around most of the English team. Germany won their second World Cup semifinal against France in a row (following their defeat of France in 1982) only to lose their second World Cup final in a row. Gary Lineker of England won the Golden Boot as the leading scorer of the World Cup, scoring six goals. The Portuguese national team went on strike during the competition. Players refused to train between their first and the second games (against England and Poland) and were surprisingly eliminated by Morocco. Canada and Iraq made their first Cup appearances in this tournament, both sides being dismissed from group play with three losses. During the Group E game between Uruguay and Scotland, José Batista of Uruguay was sent off after less than a minute - a record that still stands in World Cup finals play.
Top Scorers
6 goals
Gary Lineker (ENG)
Bulgaria 1-1 Italy
Argentina 3-1 South Korea
South Korea 1-1 Bulgaria
Italy 1-1 Argentina
Argentina 2-0 Bulgaria
Italy 3-2 South Korea
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
| Argentina | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5 | |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | |
| Bulgaria | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| S Korea | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
Group 2 results:
Mexico 2-1 Belgium
Paraguay 1-0 Iraq
Mexico 1-1 Paraguay
Belgium 2-1 Iraq
Mexico 1-0 Iraq
Paraguay 2-2 Belgium
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
| Mexico | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | |
| Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
| Belgium | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | |
| Iraq | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Group 3 results:
France 1-0 Canada
USSR 6-0 Hungary
France 1-1 USSR
Hungary 2-0 Canada
USSR 2-0 Canada
France 3-0 Hungary
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
| USSR | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 5 | |
| France | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | |
| Hungary | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | |
| Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Group 4 results:
Brazil 1-0 Spain
Algeria 1-1 Northern Ireland
Brazil 1-0 Algeria
Spain 2-1 Northern Ireland
Brazil 3-0 Northern Ireland
Spain 3-0 Algeria
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
| Brazil | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | |
| Spain | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | |
| N Ireland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | |
| Algeria | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Group 5 results:
Denmark 1-0 Scotland
Uruguay 1-1 West Germany
Denmark 6-1 Uruguay
West Germany 2-1 Scotland
Scotland 0-0 Uruguay
Denmark 2-0 West Germany
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
| Denmark | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | |
| West Germany | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |
| Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |
| Scotland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Group 6 results:
Morocco 0-0 Poland
Portugal 1-0 England
England 0-0 Morocco
Poland 1-0 Portugal
Morocco 3-1 Portugal
England 3-0 Poland
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
| Morocco | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| England | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Portugal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Second Round results:
Belgium 4-3 USSR (aet)
Mexico 2-0 Bulgaria
Brazil 4-0 Poland
Argentina 1-0 Uruguay
France 2-0 Italy
West Germany 1-0 Morocco
England 3-0 Paraguay
Spain 5-1 Denmark
Quarter-finals results:
France 1-1 Brazil (aet)
(France win 4-3 on penalties)
West Germany 0-0 Mexico (aet)
(West Germany win 4-1 on penalties)
Argentina 2-1 England (2-1)
Belgium 1-1 Spain (aet)
(Belgium win 5-4 on penalties)
Semi-finals results:
West Germany 2-0 France
Argentina 2-0 Belgium
3rd/4th place play-off:
France 4-2 Belgium (aet)
World Cup Final:
Argentina 3-2 West Germany