Skip to main content

The 1970 FIFA World Cup: Shaping the Modern Game

Image
By

 


The 1970 FIFA World Cup can be considered the cornerstone of the modern World Cup. Many of the elements we now know in every four-year staging of the biggest football event were introduced at this edition of the World Cup.

Mexico 1970 was the first World Cup held outside of Europe and South America. The CONCACAF country was selected as the host at the FIFA Congress in October 1964, beating out other candidates like Argentina. Various breakthroughs were made by FIFA to standardize the rules, allocate team spots per confederation, and globally promote the World Cup and football in general.

The 1970 World Cup Fun Facts

The 1970 Mexico World Cup had several interesting facts, especially regarding the new match regulations used for the first time. Here are the highlights from the first World Cup held in North America:

  • Israel, Morocco, and El Salvador made their debuts.
  • North Korea boycotted the qualifiers, refusing to play against Israel.
  • Morocco only brought 19 players out of the 22 allowed in the official squad.
  • The red card, yellow card, and player substitution rules were officially introduced.
  • The opening match featuring the host team was the last time this format was used before it returned in 2006.
  • Adidas became the sole official ball supplier for the entire tournament, a first.
  • FIFA introduced the concept of an official World Cup ball starting with the Telstar.
  • Drawing lots was still used to determine progression if matches ended in a tie after extra time or if two teams had the same points in the group stage. This happened once to decide the winner of Group A between the Soviet Union and the host Mexico.
  • It was the first edition broadcast in color television, not just black and white.

The Dominance of Attacking Football

The 1970 edition became one of the most entertaining World Cups, with almost all teams adopting an offensive style of play. Some matches even produced goal-fests, like the quarterfinal between Brazil and Peru that ended 4-2, or the game dubbed the 'Match of the Century' between Italy and West Germany in the semifinals, which finished 4-3.

Brazil, the tournament favorites, once again displayed their attractive jogobonito (beautiful game) with Pelé in prime form. Accompanied by Jairzinho, Tostao, Rivellino, and Gerson, the Seleção advanced flawlessly from the group stage, despite being in the "group of death" with defending champions England, two-time runners-up Czechoslovakia, and Romania. In the knockout rounds, the team managed by Mario Zagallo eliminated Peru and Uruguay. 

Their final opponents, Italy, overcame the host Mexico and West Germany to reach the summit. Unfortunately, Italy's catenaccio style was completely stifled by the samba dancing of Pelé and his teammates, who crushed the Azzurri 4-1. Brazil was thus entitled to keep the Jules Rimet trophy permanently after winning their third title.

Top Scorer: Gerd Müller (West Germany) - 10 goals

Best Player: Pelé (Brazil)

Best Young Player: Teófilo Cubillas (Peru)

 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best UEFA World Cup Playoffs in history

By
  Several World Cup playoffs in Europe can be considered the best and most entertaining ones in history. The UEFA 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs have always been the most anticipated one in every World Cup edition. In the current one, the playoffs are set to be staged on March 26 to 31 for the remaining four regional berths. 16 teams will be fighting for those spots, 10 of which are from Eastern Europe. Unsurprisingly, the four-time World Cup winner, Italy, once again has to go through this stage following their dismal results in the qualifiers. The other two sides are the dark horses, Denmark and Turkey. All those 16 teams are divided into four paths, with each leading to one ticket to North America. Each team will be playing in the best four format with the final at the end of each path. They are determined through draws and their positions in the qualifiers and the last editions of the UEFA Nations League. Such a system was only introduced in the early 2020s, with Qatar 20...
Post a Comment
Read more

Players who Returned to the National Team after a Long Absence

By
  A few notable players still managed to earn another national team call-up despite being nearly forgotten and their long absence in international fixtures. The international break is back on schedule this week. Some teams will only play friendly matches to prepare for upcoming summer events such as EURO 2024 and Copa America USA 2024, which take place practically in the same period, June to July. Meanwhile, some others will have to go through the playoff rounds to fight for the last berths in both competitions. In this crucial stage, either as a final stage of preparation or the playoffs, the teams that have not been entirely confident with the available players in their national team pool decide to call up veteran figures or even forgotten names to help their international campaign one last time. They can be a handful to boost the team’s form with their long experience in the final round, either as the team’s first choice in the lineup or simply as a substitute on the bench. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best World Cup Inter Confederation Playoff

By
  A few World Cup interconfederation playoff games have been considered memorable in history. FIFA World Cup interconfederation playoffs are finally staged, and four teams have been decided to square off for the last two berths in this year's edition. The AFC side, Iraq, will be taking on CONMEBOL’s Bolivia while the CONCACAF side, Jamaica, is fighting for the last spot versus the African side, RD Congo. Those matches will be held on March 31. In the history of the FIFA World Cup inter confederation playoff, there have been a few games which can be deemed unforgettable. Unsurprisingly, all involved Australia. The Socceroos have been regularly going through such a stage, especially during their time in OFC when they were the most unmatched dominant force in the region without an automatic berth in the tournament but often stumbled in the playoffs. Here are all of the memorable FIFA World Cup Inter Confederation play-offs in history. Australia vs Peru (2022 FIFA World Cup Pl...
Post a Comment
Read more