1986 FIFA World Cup

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1986 FIFA World Cup
Copa Mundial de Fútbol
México '86
 (Spanish)
1986 FIFA World Cup official logo, designed by Rubén Santiago Hernández
Tournament details
Host countryMexico
Dates31 May – 29 June
Teams24 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s)12 (in 11 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Argentina (2nd title)
Runners-up West Germany
Third place France
Fourth place Belgium
Tournament statistics
Matches played52
Goals scored132 (2.54 per match)
Attendance2,394,031 (46,039 per match)
Top scorer(s)England Gary Lineker (6 goals)
Best player(s)Argentina Diego Maradona
Best young playerBelgium Enzo Scifo
Fair play award Brazil
1982
1990
Diego Maradona celebrating with the Trophy. Argentina won the tournament unbeaten

The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so, and resigned in 1982. Mexico was selected as the new host in May 1983, and became the first country to host the World Cup more than once, after previously hosting the 1970 edition.

The World Cup was won by Argentina (their second title, after winning in 1978). Argentina was captained by the 25-year-old Diego Maradona, who played a large part in his team's success by scoring his "Hand of God" goal, as well as another voted the "Goal of the Century", in the same quarter-final against England. These were two of the five goals that Maradona scored during the tournament, and he also created another five for his teammates.[1] Argentina beat West Germany 3–2 in the final at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. Total attendance was 2,394,031, an average per match of 46,039.[2] Canada, Denmark and Iraq made their first appearances at the final stage.

The format of the competition changed from 1982. The final pair of matches in each group started at the same time[3] and the second round was played on a knock-out basis rather than groups. The 24 teams qualified were divided into six groups of four (A to F). The top two teams and the four best third-place finishers from the six groups advanced to the knockout round of 16 teams. Italy were the defending champions, but were eliminated by France in the Round of 16.

The tournament saw the appearance of the Mexican wave, a spectator phenomenon which was popularised worldwide after featuring during the tournament.[4][5][6]

Host selection[edit]

Colombia was originally chosen as hosts by FIFA in June 1974, with Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Pereira and Bucaramanga intended as the host cities, plus potentially Barranquilla.[7] Colombia agreed to host a 16-team competition, however, FIFA later allowed an expansion to 24 teams for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, which was more challenging for Colombia to host, although FIFA President João Havelange initially gave assurances that they could revert to a 16-team tournament.[7] Colombian president Julio César Turbay Ayala was initially against holding the tournament in his country, but reluctantly granted permission in October 1980.[8] Eventually, the Colombians declared on 5 November 1982 that they could not afford to host the World Cup under the terms that FIFA demanded.[9]

Although Mexico, United States and Canada submitted bids on 11 March 1983 to be the replacement host, the five-person special FIFA committee responsible for recommending the bids to the Executive Committee (Exco) announced on 31 March that it would only consider Mexico's bid, saying the United States and Canada had "deviated" from FIFA's criteria[10] and Exco members refused to visit Canadian and American stadium sites.[11] On 20 May, the committee announced Mexico as the replacement hosts despite Havelange stating that the United States and Canada had made better presentations.[11] Mexico became the first nation to host two World Cups, as it had hosted the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

The Canadian representatives criticised the committee's decision to not consider Canada, saying they had submitted a more complete bid than Mexico, and that they had been misled by the number of stadiums required for bidding.[11] The United States' bid contained more than the required number of stadiums with the required capacity to host World Cup matches (at least 40,000 capacity, 60,000 for second-round matches and 80,000 for the tournament final). Mexico submitted a bid with 14 stadiums, only six of which seated over 40,000 at the time of the bid, and three over 60,000.[11] Havelange in turn criticised the United States' handling of stadium selection for the football tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Americans also pointed out that Mexico had the influence of two seats on the 22-person executive committee, a FIFA vice president and an executive at Televisa, a Mexican television network with ties to Havelange.[10] Also working in Mexico's favour was Havelange secretly promising the broadcast rights to Televisa ahead of the vote.[12] Following the bidding process, Henry Kissinger, the former United States Secretary of State who led the United States bid committee, remarked, "The politics of soccer make me nostalgic for the politics of the Middle East," while the leader of the Canadian committee called Mexico's 10-page bid document "a joke."[11]

A severe earthquake in September 1985, eight months before the tournament, cast doubt[13] over Mexico's ability to organise the event, but the stadiums were not affected and it was decided to go ahead with the preparations.[14] As 1986 had been declared the International Year of Peace by the United Nations, the advertising boards of all the stadia displayed the FIFA and United Nations logos along with the legend "Football for Peace – Peace Year".[15]

For the design of the logo an unofficial motto was adopted: "El Mundo Unido por Un Balón" ("The World United by a Ball").[16]

The official match ball was the Adidas Azteca.[17]

Mascot[edit]

Pique, the official mascot of the 1986 FIFA World Cup

The official mascot of the 1986 World Cup was Pique, a jalapeño pepper, characteristic of Mexican cuisine, with a moustache, a Colimote sombrero, and Mexican football team colours. Its name comes from picante, a Spanish word meaning "spicy", and was also a pun on the "PK" abbreviation of the football term penalty kick. Pique is also a common Spanish name.

The character caused a degree of controversy within Mexico for its ethnic stereotypes.[18][19]

Qualification[edit]

Three teams qualified for the World Cup for the first time: Canada, Denmark and Iraq. Canada clinched its spot after winning the final match against Honduras 2–1 in St. John's, Newfoundland. Iraq played all their home matches on neutral ground because of the Iran–Iraq War. South Korea qualified for the first time since 1954, Paraguay for the first time since 1958, Portugal for the first time since 1966 and Bulgaria and Uruguay for the first time since 1974. As of 2022, this was the last time that Hungary and Northern Ireland qualified for the finals, and the only time that Iraq have qualified.

List of qualified teams[edit]

The following 24 teams qualified for the final tournament.

Venues[edit]

Eleven cities hosted the tournament. The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, the largest stadium used for the tournament, hosted nine matches (including the final), more than any other stadium used. Mexico City hosted 13 total matches; the Olimpico Universitario Stadium hosted four matches (if the Mexico City suburban town Nezahualcoyotl's three matches are included, this brings the total up to 16 matches; nearly a third of all matches in this tournament). Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city hosted 10 total matches (the Jalisco Stadium hosted seven matches, the Tres de Marzo Stadium in Zapopan hosted three), Monterrey hosted seven matches (The Tecnologico Stadium hosted three matches and the Universitario Stadium in San Nicolas de los Garza hosted four matches), and the Cuauhtémoc Stadium in Puebla hosted five matches.

The hot, humid and rainy summer weather in Mexico varied from humid desert locations like Monterrey to tropical locations such as Guadalajara; but perhaps the greatest hardship the players had to contend with was the high altitude of the Mexican locations. With the exception of the 93–104 °F (34–40 °C) temperatures of Monterrey (still 2,000 feet above sea level), all of the stadia were located in cities that varied anywhere from Guadalajara being 5,138 feet (1,566 m) above sea level to Toluca being 8,730 feet (2,660 m) above sea level, making conditions very difficult for the players running around in these stadia – but the higher the cities, the less intense the heat. Mexico City, the location of the opening and final matches and the location where the most matches were played was 7,380 feet (2,250 m) above sea level and the weather there was not as hot as in other cities used in this World Cup.

Mexico City Guadalajara, Jalisco Puebla City, Puebla
Estadio Azteca Estadio Olímpico Universitario Estadio Jalisco Estadio Cuauhtémoc
Capacity: 114,600 Capacity: 72,212 Capacity: 66,193 Capacity: 46,416
San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León
(Monterrey area)
Querétaro, Querétaro
Estadio Universitario Estadio La Corregidora
Capacity: 43,780 Capacity: 38,576
Nezahualcóyotl, State of Mexico
(Mexico City area)
Monterrey, Nuevo León
Estadio Neza 86 Stadiums in Mexico City (labeled as MXC () above) Estadio Tecnológico
Capacity: 34,536 Capacity: 33,805
Toluca, State of Mexico Irapuato, Guanajuato León, Guanajuato Zapopan, Jalisco
(Guadalajara area)
Estadio Nemesio Díez Estadio Sergio León Chávez Estadio Nou Camp Estadio Tres de Marzo
Capacity: 32,612 Capacity: 31,336 Capacity: 30,531 Capacity: 30,015

All of these venues except Monterrey were located in central Mexico, as this tournament was organized with the then-standard way of keeping teams playing in locations in close proximity to each other. Group A only played at the Olimpico and in Puebla (except for the Bulgaria-Italy opening tournament match, which was played in the Azteca), Group B only played at the Azteca and in Toluca (hosts Mexico were part of this group; they played all their group stage matches at the Azteca), Group C played in León and Irapuato, Group D only played in Guadalajara (including the Guadalajara area town of Zapopan; the last match of this group was played in Monterrey), Group E exclusively played in Querétaro and Nezahualcóyotl, and Group F played in the northern city of Monterrey (including the Monterrey area town of San Nicolas de los Garza; the last match of this group was played in Guadalajara). All of the venues listed hosted knockout round matches except the ones in Nezahualcoyotl, Irapuato, Zapopan, Toluca and the Estadio Tecnologico in Monterrey.

Stadium Matches Teams hosted in the first round
Estadio Azteca Opening match, Group B,
R2, QF, SF, Final
 Mexico
Estadio Olímpico Universitario Group A, R2  Argentina,  Bulgaria,  South Korea
Estadio Jalisco Group D, R2, QF, SF  Brazil
Estadio Cuauhtémoc Group A, R2, QF,
Third-place match
 Italy
Estadio Universitario Group F, R2, QF  Poland
Estadio La Corregidora Group E, R2  West Germany
Estadio Tecnológico Group F  England,  Portugal*,  Morocco*
Estadio Nou Camp Group C, R2  France
Estadio Neza 86 Group E  Uruguay,  Denmark,  Scotland
Estadio Sergio León Chávez Group C  Soviet Union,  Hungary,  Canada
Estadio Tres de Marzo Group D  Spain*,  Northern Ireland,  Algeria*
Estadio Nemesio Díez Group B  Belgium,  Paraguay,  Iraq
  • Morocco and Portugal played in Guadalajara while Spain and Algeria played in Monterrey.

Match officials[edit]

Squads[edit]

For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1986 FIFA World Cup squads.

Seeding[edit]

Seeded teams
(hosts and top 5 from 1982 World Cup)
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3

Summary[edit]

Map of results

First round[edit]

Celebrations of Mexican fans at Zocalo main square, June 7, 1986.

The first round of the finals began in Group A, where Italy were held 1–1 by Bulgaria. Meanwhile, Argentina beat South Korea 3–1, with Diego Maradona playing a major part. Italy and Argentina drew 1–1, Maradona and Alessandro Altobelli scoring. South Korea and Bulgaria also drew 1–1 in a downpour. The final set of matches saw Argentina beating Bulgaria 2–0, and Italy narrowly defeating South Korea 3–2.

In Group B Mexico beat Belgium 2–1, and despite being held 1–1 by Paraguay, they won the group after a further win over Iraq, 1–0. Paraguay and Belgium also progressed after both beating Iraq and drawing with each other.

Group C pitted a strong Dynamo Kyiv-dominated Soviet Union side against the reigning European champions France. They drew with each other 1–1, with a goal scored by Vasyl Rats. France beat Canada 1–0 and finished in 2nd place in the group after beating Hungary, 3–0. Hungary had earlier lost 6–0 against the Soviet Union, which won the group due to goal difference.

Group D saw Brazil start against Spain, winning 1–0 after the referee failed to validate a legal goal scored by Míchel. Northern Ireland began their campaign with a draw against Algeria. Northern Ireland were then narrowly beaten by Spain before losing to Brazil 3–0 in their final match. This match saw a goal from Josimar on his debut and was also the final time Pat Jennings played for Northern Ireland. Spain qualified along with Brazil after defeating Algeria 3–0.

Denmark stormed through Group E, dubbed the group of death, with a 100 per cent record. They beat Alex Ferguson's Scotland 1–0 in their first game, then hammered Uruguay 6–1, with Preben Elkjær hitting a hat-trick. Denmark beat one of the favourites to win the tournament, West Germany, 2–0 thanks to a Jesper Olsen penalty and a goal from John Eriksen. After losing to Denmark, Scotland took the lead against West Germany thanks to a Gordon Strachan goal, but the West Germans fought back to win 2–1. After a violent 0–0 draw against Uruguay, the Scots were eliminated from the tournament. During that game José Batista of Uruguay was sent off after less than one minute of play for a foul on Strachan, a World Cup record that still stands. West Germany went through to the second round despite a loss against Denmark.

Morocco topped Group F after holding both Poland and England to goalless draws, and beating Portugal 3–1. By doing so, they became the first African team, and only the second nation from outside Europe and the Americas (after North Korea in 1966), to reach the second round. England lost 1–0 to Portugal, followed by a 0–0 draw against Morocco in which they lost captain Bryan Robson to injury (for the remainder of the tournament) and vice-captain Ray Wilkins to a red card (he was not selected for the remainder of the tournament, even after having served his obligatory one-match ban). In their last first-round game, with the captaincy taken over by Peter Shilton in goal, a first-half Gary Lineker hat-trick helped the reshaped side beat Poland 3–0 – although losing yet another player to a ban for the next round, Terry Fenwick receiving his second booking of the tournament. Poland had previously beaten Portugal, and in the end the Portuguese were the only team from Group F to be eliminated in the first round. Portugal, making their first appearance in 20 years, went on strike (in the Saltillo Affair) during the competition. Players refused to train between their first and second games (against England and Poland) and were eliminated after a loss to Morocco in the final group match.

Second round and quarter-finals[edit]

Belgium beat the Soviet Union 4–3, despite a hat-trick by the Soviets' Igor Belanov. The game was level at 2–2 after 90 minutes, and in extra time Stephane Demol and Nico Claesen put Belgium 4–2 up. Belanov scored from the penalty spot with nine minutes remaining, but neither he nor any of his teammates could find a fourth goal for the Soviet Union. At the Olympic University Stadium in Mexico City, the European champions France ended Italy's reign as world champions with a 2–0 victory thanks to goals from Michel Platini and Yannick Stopyra. In the rematch of the 1930 FIFA World Cup Final, Argentina just edged out South American champions Uruguay in Puebla thanks to a 42nd-minute strike from Pedro Pasculli. The all-South American affair had a Diego Maradona's goal disallowed.

In Querétaro, Denmark were eliminated as they went from a 1–0 lead to a 5–1 battering against Spain; key player Frank Arnesen was suspended for the game after being sent off against West Germany in their last group match, for taking a swipe at German playmaker Lothar Matthäus. The Danes scored first, with a Jesper Olsen penalty, but they were then taken apart by a devastating performance from Butragueño of Spain, who scored four of his team's five goals. At the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, England progressed to the quarter-finals comfortably when they saw off Paraguay 3–0, while Brazil brushed aside Poland 4–0. West Germany had a much harder time getting past Morocco, for whom goalkeeper Badou Zaki had an outstanding game. Morocco held out until the 87th minute, when Lothar Matthäus scored the only goal of the match with a free kick. Mexico won 2–0 against Bulgaria with an outstanding scissor-kick goal by Manuel Negrete which is honored by a remembrance plaque at the Azteca.

In the quarter-finals, France faced three-time world champion Brazil in Guadalajara. Brazil were well on top in the early stages, and Careca put them one up after 18 minutes. Five minutes before half-time, France drew level when Michel Platini scored his 41st goal after converting a cross from Dominique Rocheteau. Brazil had a chance to regain the lead in the second half when Branco was fouled by French keeper Joël Bats in the penalty area. Zico got up to take the kick, but Bats saved Zico's penalty.

The match went to extra time, and France finished slightly the stronger of the two sides. No more goals were scored, and so it was time for a penalty shoot-out. Socrates, who had earlier missed an open goal and headed an easy chance straight into the French keeper's arms, failed with the first kick for Brazil. The next six penalties were all converted, and then Platini fired over the bar. Brazil were back on level terms – but not for long. Julio Cesar struck the post with his penalty, and Luis Fernández then scored to put France through 4–3 on penalties.

Two other quarter-finals were also decided on penalties. Jan Ceulemans put Belgium ahead against Spain in the 35th minute, but Spanish substitute Señor equalised with five minutes to go. No more goals were scored in extra time, and Belgium won the shoot-out 5–4. On the hosts' first game outside of the Azteca, Francisco Javier Cruz saw a goal disallowed as West Germany and Mexico drew 0–0 after extra time. The West Germans eliminated the hosts 4–1 on penalties. As a curiosity, the German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher jumped to the right in the three Mexican penalties (stopping two of them).

The quarter-final between Argentina and England at the Azteca featured two very different goals in the second half by Diego Maradona: the first was scored illegally, as he punched the ball into the goal past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The referee did not see the handball and the goal was given as valid. After the game, Maradona claimed the goal was scored "A bit with the head of Maradona and another bit with the hand of God"; it became known as the "Hand of God" goal. For his second goal, voted "Goal of the Century" in 2002 on the FIFA website, Maradona dribbled half the length of the field past five English players before scoring. With 20 minutes to go, the introduction of John Barnes as a substitute changed the tide of play in England's favour, as he pinged cross after cross into the Argentine penalty area: with 9 minutes to go, Lineker got on the end of one and scored, then almost repeated the dose six minutes later but was just unable to reach the ball thanks to a timely block by Olarticoechea: 2–1 to Argentina was the final score. In Argentina, the game was seen as revenge for the Falklands War.[20]

Semi-finals, third-place match and final[edit]

In the first semi-final match, Andreas Brehme put West Germany 1–0 ahead against France in the ninth minute in Guadalajara, but the outcome remained in doubt until two minutes from time when Rudi Völler made it 2–0, and West Germany were in the final for the second World Cup in succession. In the second semi-final match, Maradona struck twice in the second half as Argentina beat Belgium 2–0 at the Azteca. France went on to defeat Belgium in the third-place match, 4–2.

So it was to be the South American Argentina vs the European West Germany at the final at the Azteca, the second time this massive stadium would host a World Cup Final (the first in 1970). Jose Brown put Argentina one up midway through the first half of the final, and when Jorge Valdano scored a second for the South Americans in the 55th minute, Argentina looked to be strolling to victory. West Germany then staged a spirited comeback. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge pulled one back in the 74th minute, and six minutes later Rudi Völler hit the equaliser. With seven minutes remaining, a pass from Maradona gave Jorge Burruchaga the chance to score the winner for Argentina. Eight years on from their home triumph, Argentina regained the world title and 30 million people in Argentina celebrated in the streets after the final victory. Maradona was the Golden Ball winner as the best player of the tournament, while Gary Lineker of England won the Golden Boot as the leading scorer of the World Cup with six goals.

Group stage[edit]

All times are Central Time (UTC−6)

Key to colours in group tables
Group winners, runners-up, and best four third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16

Group A[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Argentina 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Italy 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 4
3  Bulgaria 3 0 2 1 2 4 −2 2
4  South Korea 3 0 1 2 4 7 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Bulgaria 1–1 Italy
Sirakov 85' Report Altobelli 44'
Attendance: 96,000

Italy 1–1 Argentina
Altobelli 6' (pen.) Report Maradona 34'
Attendance: 32,000

South Korea 2–3 Italy
Choi Soon-Ho 62'
Huh Jung-Moo 83'
Report Altobelli 17', 73'
Cho Kwang-Rae 82' (o.g.)

Group B[edit]

Cruz and Cabañas going for the ball in Mexico v Paraguay

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico (H) 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Paraguay 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 4
3  Belgium 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 3
4  Iraq 3 0 0 3 1 4 −3 0
Source: FIFA
(H) Hosts
Belgium 1–2 Mexico
Vandenbergh 45' Report Quirarte 23'
Sánchez 39'
Paraguay 1–0 Iraq
Romero 35' Report

Mexico 1–1 Paraguay
Flores 3' Report Romero 85'
Attendance: 114,600
Iraq 1–2 Belgium
Radhi 59' Report Scifo 16'
Claesen 21' (pen.)
Attendance: 20,000

Paraguay 2–2 Belgium
Cabañas 50', 76' Report Vercauteren 30'
Veyt 59'
Iraq 0–1 Mexico
Report Quirarte 54'

Group C[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Soviet Union 3 2 1 0 9 1 +8 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  France 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 5
3  Hungary 3 1 0 2 2 9 −7 2
4  Canada 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 0
Source: FIFA
Canada 0–1 France
Report Papin 79'
Attendance: 36,000
Referee: Hernán Silva (Chile)
Soviet Union 6–0 Hungary
Yakovenko 2'
Aleinikov 4'
Belanov 24' (pen.)
Yaremchuk 66'
Dajka 73' (o.g.)
Rodionov 80'
Report

France 1–1 Soviet Union
Fernández 62' Report Rats 53'
Attendance: 36,540
Hungary 2–0 Canada
Esterházy 2'
Détári 75'
Report

Hungary 0–3 France
Report Stopyra 29'
Tigana 62'
Rocheteau 84'
Soviet Union 2–0 Canada
Blokhin 58'
Zavarov 74'
Report

Group D[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil 3 3 0 0 5 0 +5 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Spain 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 4
3  Northern Ireland 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 1
4  Algeria 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1
Source: FIFA
Spain 0–1 Brazil
Report Sócrates 62'
Algeria 1–1 Northern Ireland
Zidane 59' Report Whiteside 6'

Brazil 1–0 Algeria
Careca 66' Report
Northern Ireland 1–2 Spain
Clarke 46' Report Butragueño 1'
Salinas 18'

Northern Ireland 0–3 Brazil
Report Careca 15', 87'
Josimar 42'
Algeria 0–3 Spain
Report Calderé 15', 68'
Eloy 70'
Attendance: 23,980
Referee: Shizuo Takada (Japan)

Group E[edit]

Antonio Alzamendi scoring for Uruguay v West Germany

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Denmark 3 3 0 0 9 1 +8 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  West Germany 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 3
3  Uruguay 3 0 2 1 2 7 −5 2
4  Scotland 3 0 1 2 1 3 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Uruguay 1–1 West Germany
Alzamendi 4' Report Allofs 84'
Scotland 0–1 Denmark
Report Elkjær 57'

West Germany 2–1 Scotland
Völler 23'
Allofs 49'
Report Strachan 18'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Ioan Igna (Romania)
Denmark 6–1 Uruguay
Elkjær 11', 67', 80'
Lerby 41'
Laudrup 52'
J. Olsen 88'
Report Francescoli 45' (pen.)

Denmark 2–0 West Germany
J. Olsen 43' (pen.)
Eriksen 62'
Report
Scotland 0–0 Uruguay
Report

Group F[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Morocco 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 4 Advance to knockout stage
2  England 3 1 1 1 3 1 +2 3
3  Poland 3 1 1 1 1 3 −2 3
4  Portugal 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 2
Source: FIFA
Morocco 0–0 Poland
Report
Portugal 1–0 England
Carlos Manuel 75' Report

England 0–0 Morocco
Report
Poland 1–0 Portugal
Smolarek 68' Report

England 3–0 Poland
Lineker 9', 14', 34' Report
Portugal 1–3 Morocco
Diamantino 80' Report Khairi 19', 26'
A. Merry 62'

Ranking of third-placed teams[edit]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 B  Belgium 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 3 Advance to knockout stage
2 F  Poland 3 1 1 1 1 3 −2 3
3 A  Bulgaria 3 0 2 1 2 4 −2 2
4 E  Uruguay 3 0 2 1 2 7 −5 2
5 C  Hungary 3 1 0 2 2 9 −7 2
6 D  Northern Ireland 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 1
Source: FIFA

Knockout stage[edit]

Argentina beat West Germany for the first time and won their second World Cup. Belgium finished in fourth place, their best finish in the World Cup until 2018, where they finished third.

Bracket[edit]

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
16 June – Puebla
 
 
 Argentina1
 
22 June – Mexico City (Azteca)
 
 Uruguay0
 
 Argentina2
 
18 June – Mexico City (Azteca)
 
 England1
 
 England3
 
25 June – Mexico City (Azteca)
 
 Paraguay0
 
 Argentina2
 
18 June – Querétaro
 
 Belgium0
 
 Denmark1
 
22 June – Puebla
 
 Spain5
 
 Spain1 (4)
 
15 June – León
 
 Belgium (p)1 (5)
 
 Soviet Union3
 
29 June – Mexico City (Azteca)
 
 Belgium (a.e.t.)4
 
 Argentina3
 
16 June – Guadalajara
 
 West Germany2
 
 Brazil4
 
21 June – Guadalajara
 
 Poland0
 
 Brazil1 (3)
 
17 June – Mexico City (Olímpico)
 
 France (p)1 (4)
 
 Italy0
 
25 June – Guadalajara
 
 France2
 
 France0
 
17 June – San Nicolás de los Garza
 
 West Germany2 Third place play-off
 
 Morocco0
 
21 June – San Nicolás de los Garza28 June – Puebla
 
 West Germany1
 
 West Germany (p)0 (4) Belgium2
 
15 June – Mexico City (Azteca)
 
 Mexico0 (1)  France (a.e.t.)4
 
 Mexico2
 
 
 Bulgaria0
 

Round of 16[edit]

Mexico 2–0 Bulgaria
Negrete 34'
Servín 61'
Report

Soviet Union 3–4 (a.e.t.) Belgium
Belanov 27', 70', 111' (pen.) Report Scifo 56'
Ceulemans 77'
Demol 102'
Claesen 110'
Attendance: 32,277

Brazil 4–0 Poland
Sócrates 30' (pen.)
Josimar 55'
Edinho 79'
Careca 83' (pen.)
Report

Argentina 1–0 Uruguay
Pasculli 42' Report
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: Luigi Agnolin (Italy)

Italy 0–2 France
Report Platini 15'
Stopyra 57'


England 3–0 Paraguay
Lineker 31', 73'
Beardsley 56'
Report
Attendance: 98,728

Denmark 1–5 Spain
J. Olsen 33' (pen.) Report Butragueño 43', 56', 80', 88' (pen.)
Goikoetxea 68' (pen.)

Quarter-finals[edit]



Argentina 2–1 England
Maradona 51', 55' Report Lineker 81'
Attendance: 114,580

Semi-finals[edit]

France 0–2 West Germany
Report Brehme 9'
Völler 89'
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Luigi Agnolin (Italy)

Argentina 2–0 Belgium
Maradona 51', 63' Report

Third place play-off[edit]

Belgium 2–4 (a.e.t.) France
Ceulemans 11'
Claesen 73'
Report Ferreri 27'
Papin 43'
Genghini 104'
Amoros 111' (pen.)
Attendance: 21,000

Final[edit]

Argentina 3–2 West Germany
Brown 23'
Valdano 55'
Burruchaga 83'
Report Rummenigge 74'
Völler 80'

Awards[edit]

Source:[21]

Golden Boot Best Young Player FIFA Fair Play Trophy
England Gary Lineker Belgium Enzo Scifo  Brazil
Golden Ball
Rank Player Points
1 Argentina Diego Maradona 1282
2 West Germany Toni Schumacher 344
3 Denmark Preben Elkjær 236
4 Belgium Jean-Marie Pfaff 224
France Michel Platini
6 England Gary Lineker 200
7 France Manuel Amoros 168
8 Spain Emilio Butragueño 156
9 France Jean Tigana 124
10 Brazil Júlio César 110

Goalscorers[edit]

Gary Lineker received the Golden Boot for scoring six goals. In total, 132 goals were scored by 82 players, with two of them credited as own goals.

6 goals[22]

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Own goals

Red cards[edit]

Eight players received a red card during the tournament:

FIFA retrospective ranking[edit]

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.[30][31] The rankings for the 1986 tournament were as follows:

R Team G P W D L GF GA GD Pts.
1  Argentina A 7 6 1 0 14 5 +9 13
2  West Germany E 7 3 2 2 8 7 +1 8
3  France C 7 4 2 1 12 6 +6 10
4  Belgium B 7 2 2 3 12 15 −3 6
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5  Brazil D 5 4 1 0 10 1 +9 9
6  Mexico B 5 3 2 0 6 2 +4 8
7  Spain D 5 3 1 1 11 4 +7 7
8  England F 5 2 1 2 7 3 +4 5
Eliminated in the round of 16
9  Denmark E 4 3 0 1 10 6 +4 6
10  Soviet Union C 4 2 1 1 12 5 +7 5
11  Morocco F 4 1 2 1 3 2 +1 4
12  Italy A 4 1 2 1 5 6 −1 4
13  Paraguay B 4 1 2 1 4 6 −2 4
14  Poland F 4 1 1 2 1 7 −6 3
15  Bulgaria A 4 0 2 2 2 6 −4 2
16  Uruguay E 4 0 2 2 2 8 −6 2
Eliminated in the group stage
17  Portugal F 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 2
18  Hungary C 3 1 0 2 2 9 −7 2
19  Scotland E 3 0 1 2 1 3 −2 1
20  South Korea A 3 0 1 2 4 7 −3 1
21  Northern Ireland D 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 1
22  Algeria D 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1
23  Iraq B 3 0 0 3 1 4 −3 0
24  Canada C 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 0

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico – Overview". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  2. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  3. ^ "The Game that Changed the World Cup — Algeria". algeria.com. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Who invented the Mexican Wave?". BBC. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. ^ Jackson, Andy (11 June 2010). "...Fan Crazes". FourFourTwo (Australia). Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  6. ^ Rice, Simon (10 June 2010). "The 100 greatest World Cup moments. # 94. The Mexican Wave". The Independent. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  7. ^ a b Maier, Hanns J (June 1979). "1986 - World Cup without a home?". World Soccer. pp. 24–25.
  8. ^ "for the record SOCCER". Detroit Free Press. 23 October 1980.
  9. ^ Pougatch, Mark (11 January 2011). Three Lions Versus the World: England's World Cup Stories from the Men Who Were There. Mainstream Publishing. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-907195-59-4.
  10. ^ a b Mifflin, Lawrie (8 May 1983). "A place for soccer's World Cup". New York Times. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Mexico Is Chosen As World Cup Host". UPI. 21 May 1983. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  12. ^ Hughes, Rob (7 September 2011). "One of FIFA's Own Speaks Out". New York Times. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  13. ^ "World Cup : Draw Comes as Mexico Tries to Pick Up Pieces". Los Angeles Times. 15 December 1985.
  14. ^ "EARTHQUAKES IN MEXICO : World Cup Still On, Officials Say". Los Angeles Times. 23 September 1985.
  15. ^ "International Year of Peace 1986 Stamps". 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Creador del mejor logo de los mundiales: "Nadie me ha felicitado"". ESPN.com.ar (in Spanish). 3 September 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Adidas Azteca is official match ball of World Cup 1986". Football Balls Database. 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  18. ^ "MEXICO WORLD CUP MASCOT: NOT 'OLE' BUT 'OH NO'". The New York Times. 12 May 1984.
  19. ^ Snyder, John (1 September 2001). Soccer's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Clumsy Keepers, Clever Crosses, and Outlandish Oddities. Potomac Books, Inc. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-57488-365-7.
  20. ^ El Diego – Diego Maradona, Page 127, ISBN 0-224-07190-4
  21. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico – Awards". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  22. ^ FIFA World Cup – Mexico '86: Official Report, p. 228
  23. ^ "HUNGARY – CANADA". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  24. ^ "DENMARK – WEST GERMANY". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  25. ^ "ENGLAND – MOROCCO". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  26. ^ a b "WEST GERMANY – MEXICO". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  27. ^ "IRAQ – BELGIUM". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  28. ^ "SCOTLAND – URUGUAY". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  29. ^ "DENMARK – URUGUAY". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  30. ^ Argentina's Road to the World Title FIFA.com. page 45
  31. ^ "FIFA World Cup: Milestones, facts & figures. Statistical Kit 7" (PDF). FIFA. 26 March 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2013.

External links[edit]