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1983 U20 World Cup – When Stadiums Were Packed with Fans

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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

3rd 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

 


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