1958 FIFA World Cup
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In June 1954, the FIFA congress in Bern, Switzerland decided to award the right to host the 1958 Football World Cup to Sweden. It was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5-2 in the final for their first title. The World Cup marked the debut on the world stage of 17-year-old Pelé, who would grow to be considered one of the greatest footballers of all time. It was also the last time that the competition was won by a new country apart from the hosts (i.e. every World Cup since 1958 has either been won by a previous winner or the host country).
This World Cup also saw the entry of the Soviet Union for the first time and the qualification of all the United Kingdom's "home" nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) for the first time: Northern Ireland excluded Italian national team for the first (and only) time in competition's history. The format of the competition changed from 1954: 16 teams still qualified in four groups of four, but this time each team played each of the other teams in its group at least once, without extra time in the event of a draw. Instead, if second and third place finished on the same points, then there would be a playoff with the winner going through. If a playoff resulted in a draw, then goal average from the group games would have been used to determine who went through to the next round. If the goal averages were equal then lots would have been drawn. If the first two teams finished on equal points then goal average would decide who was placed first and second. These arrangements had not been finalised by the time the tournament started and were still being debated as it progressed. The organizing committee even released press statements stating that goal average would be counted before resorting to playoffs. However this idea was eventually rejected.
In Group 4, Pelé did not play until the last of Brazil's group games, against the Soviet Union. He failed to score, but Brazil won the game 2-0 and the group by two points. In the same group USSR and England went to a playoff game, in which Anatoli Ilyin scored in the 67th minute to knock England out, while Austria had already been eliminated.
Playoffs were also needed in Group 1 (Northern Ireland beat Czechoslovakia to join West Germany in the quarter-finals) and Group 3 (Wales topped Hungary to advance with Sweden). Hungary had become a spent force after their appearance in the final of the previous tournament. They had lost their best players two years before, when they fled in the wake of the failed uprising against the communist regime.
Of the British nations, it was arguably Scotland who had the toughest group, having to face Yugoslavia, Paraguay, and France. France topped Group 2, with Just Fontaine netting six goals. Yugoslavia finished second, while Scotland came in last.
The quarter-finals saw France's Just Fontaine continue in similar form to the group stage, managing another two goals as France triumphed over Northern Ireland. West Germany's Helmut Rahn put them into the semi-finals with a single goal against Yugoslavia, while Sweden went though at the expense of USSR. The other game in the quarter-finals saw Pelé score the only goal against Wales.
In the semi-finals, Sweden continued their strong run as they defeated West Germany 3-1 in a vicious game that saw the German player Juskowiak sent off and German team captain Fritz Walter injured, which further weakened the German team as substitute players were not allowed at the time (substitutes were first allowed in the 1970 World Cup). While another goal from Fontaine of France added to his impressive tally, it was not enough to prevent Brazil thundering into the Final as a Pelé hat-trick gave them a 5-2 victory. The third place match saw Fontaine score four more goals as they beat the Germans 6-3. This brought his total to 13 goals in one competition, a record that still has not been broken.
The final was played in Solna, in the Råsunda Stadium, as 50,000 people watched in amazement as the Brazilians went a goal down after four minutes. The Brazilians were undismayed, and Vava equalised shortly afterwards and then put them a goal ahead before half time. In the second half Pelé outshone everyone, notching up two goals, Zagalo added a goal in between, and Sweden managed a consolation goal. But the game really belonged to Pelé, and the Jules Rimet trophy belonged to Brazil - the World Cup Winners.
Qualification
See 1958 FIFA World Cup (qualification).Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1958 FIFA World Cup squadsFirst round
Group 1
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Germany | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 1.40 |
Northern Ireland | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0.80 |
Czechoslovakia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 2.00 |
Argentina | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 0.50 |
Play-off:
Group 2
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
France | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 1.57 |
Yugoslavia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1.17 |
Paraguay | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 0.75 |
Scotland | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.67 |
France were placed first on goal average.
Group 3
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sweden | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5.00 |
Wales | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1.00 |
Hungary | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2.00 |
 Mexico
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0.12 |
Play-off:
Group 4
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brazil | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | [\infty] |
USSR | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1.00 |
England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1.00 |
Austria | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0.28 |
Play-off:
Knockout stages
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Third place match
Final
Awards
| 1958 World Cup Winners |
|---|
|
BRAZIL First title |