1983 U20 World Cup – When Stadiums Were Packed with Fans

 

The 1983 U20 World Cup is remembered for its success in drawing huge crowds to the stadiums, just like senior-level tournaments.

 Youth World Cup had generally struggled to attract fans to attend matches and support their countries — something almost unthinkable in senior international tournaments. That was the case in the first three editions. However, the 1983 U20 World Cup managed to break that trend. The average attendance per match reached 36,099 spectators, a record that still stands today. In some games, more than 100,000 fans turned up to watch their teams live.

Facts and Figures from the 1983 U20 World Cup

 The 1983 edition had its own share of interesting facts, just like those before and after. Here are the highlights from the first junior world cup held in the Americas:

* The tournament took place from 2 to 19 June with 16 teams divided into four groups.

* A total of 32 matches were played throughout the tournament.

* The host cities were Guadalajara, Mexico City, León, Irapuato, Monterrey, Toluca, and Puebla.

* Europe was represented by the semifinalists of the UEFA U18 Championship plus two group runners-up, determined by points, goals scored, and aggregate difference. They were Scotland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union, with the Netherlands and Austria qualifying as the two best runners-up.

* The USA youth team took part in place of Honduras, winners of the 1982 CONCACAF U20 Championship, who were disqualified.

Two CONMEBOL Classic Rivals Shine

Two South American rivals, Brazil and Argentina, stole the spotlight in this edition. Both marched into the final unbeaten, delivering impressive performances along the way. La Albiceleste did not concede a single goal in the group stage. Jorge Borelli and teammates continued their strong run in the knockouts, defeating the Netherlands — led by rising star Marco van Basten — 2–1 in the quarter-finals, before edging past Poland 1–0 in the semi-finals.

Brazil’s young side was equally dominant. After going undefeated in the group stage, Carlos Dunga and Co thrashed Czechoslovakia 4–1 in the quarter-finals and overcame South Korea — who had shocked hosts Mexico and Uruguay earlier — 2–1 in the semis.

Unfortunately, the much-anticipated final between the two giants produced few goals. In front of 110,000 fans at the Azteca Stadium, the Seleção youth team narrowly defeated their fierce rivals 1–0. Geovanni scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 39th minute. Brazil were crowned champions, claiming their first-ever U20 World Cup title in 1983.

Tournament Highlights

 Group Stage final standings (The one in bold advanced to the knockout stage)

Group A	Group B	Group C	Grup D
Scotland	Uruguay	Argentina	Brasil
South Korea	Poland	Czechoslovakia	Netherlands
Australia	USA	PRC	Nigeria
Mexico	Ivory Coast	Austria	USSR

** = penalties

* = extra time

 Quarterfinals:

-          Scotland vs Poland 0-1

-          Uruguay vs South Korea 1-2*

-          Argentina vs Netherlands 2-1

-          Brasil vs Czechoslovakia 4-1

 Semifinal:

-          Poland vs Argentina 0-1

-          South Korea vs Brasil 1-2

3^rd Place Playoff: Poland vs South Korea 2-1*

Final: Brasil vs Argentina 1-0

Top scorer: Geovani Faria (Brasil) – 6 gol

MVP: Geovani Faria (Brasil)  

From Youth to Stardom

Compared to the previous three editions, quite a number of star players emerged from Mexico 1983. Among them were Marco van Basten and Gerald Vanenburg, who became key figures in the Netherlands’ Euro 1988 triumph; Dunga, Bebeto, and Jorginho, who played major roles in Brazil’s 1994 World Cup victory; Austria’s prolific striker of the 1990s, Toni Polster; the Soviet Union’s main forward, Oleg Protasov; and Mexico’s leading striker at USA 1994, Luis García.

Here is the list of players from the 1983 U20 World Cup who also became key figures at senior level:

Players	World Cup Edition (senior)
Kim Pan-Keun (South Korea)	1994
Yoo Byung-ok (South Korea)	1986
Kim Jong-boo (South Korea)	1986
Marcelino Bernal (Mexico)	1994, 1998
Luis Garcia (Mexico)	1994
Miguel Espana (Mexico)	1986
Paul McStay (Scotland)	1986, 1990
Dave McPherson (Scotland)	1990
Bebeto (Brasil)	1990, 1994, 1998
Dunga (Brasil)	1990, 1994. 1998
Jorginho (Brasil)	1990, 1994
Marco Van Basten (Netherlands)	1990
John Van’t Schip (Netherlands)	1990
Gerald Vanenburg (Netherlands)	1990
Pavlo Yakovenko (USSR)	1986
Oleg Protasov (USSR)	1988, 1990
Stanislav Cherchesov (Rusia)	1994
Gustavo Dezzotti (Argentina)	1990
Luis Islas (Argentina)	1994
Jorge Borelli (Argentina)	1994
Andreas Orgis (Austria)	1990
Toni Polster (Austria)	1990, 1998
Ivan Hasek (Czechoslovakia)	1990
Lubos Kubik (Czechoslovakia)	1990
Paul Caligiuri (USA)	1990, 1994
Hugo Perez (USA)	1994
Tab Ramos (USA)	1990, 1994
Ruben Sosa (Uruguay)	1990
Jose Saldanha (Uruguay)	1990
Jose Salazar (Uruguay)	1986
Carlos Aguilera (Uruguay)	1986, 1990