WORLD CUP (1954-1966)

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10 Jan 2024

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We continue with the second part of the World Cup history. In the first part, we examined the overview and the World Cups until 1950, and now we continue by explaining the 4 tournaments between 1954-1966. Good reading...

1954 WORLD CUP

The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth tournament of the FIFA World Cup and was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July 1954.

This tournament was the tournament in which West Germany won their first World Cup title. The tournament brought about some interesting situations due to the political situation at that time. For example, East Germany and West Germany participated as two separate teams. Additionally, due to the Korean War, South Korea and North Korea participated as two separate teams.

The tournament format was that 16 teams competed in four groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals. However, unlike the previous tournaments, in this tournament, a system was implemented in which the teams met each other only once instead of twice in the group stage. The tournament started with the match between Brazil and Mexico on June 16, 1954. The match ended in a 4-4 draw, the highest scoring draw in World Cup history.

In the quarter-finals, West Germany defeated Yugoslavia 2-0, Uruguay defeated England 4-2, Hungary defeated Brazil 4-2 and Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5 and advanced to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, West Germany defeated Austria 6-1 and Hungary defeated Uruguay 4-2 and advanced to the final. The final match was played at the Wankdorf Stadium on 4 July 1954, and West Germany defeated Hungary 3-2 to become champions. This match is known as the "Match of Miracles" because Hungary was one of the strongest teams in world football at that time and had a 32-match unbeaten streak.

However, West Germany made a big surprise by beating Hungary, which took the lead in this match, 3-2 and won its first World Cup championship. This tournament marks the beginning of West Germany's emergence as a world power in football. Additionally, this tournament was the culmination of Hungary's "Golden Team", which was the team's top scorer in the tournament with 27 goals.

However, despite the final, Hungary's football successes diminished after this tournament and they were never able to reach the final of the World Cup again.

1958 World Cup Final

CHAMPION: WEST GERMANY

TOP SCORER: SÁNDOR KOCSİS - HUNGARY

1958 WORLD CUP

The 1958 FIFA World Cup was held in Sweden between 8 June and 29 June.

This tournament marked Brazil's first World Cup title and was also the first time a non-European team won a World Cup in Europe. The tournament was played with a format in which 16 teams competed in four groups and the top two teams from each group advanced to the quarter-finals. This tournament also featured the first television broadcast in World Cup history, allowing the tournament to reach a wider audience around the world.

The 1958 World Cup is also known as the tournament where Pele burst onto the international stage. Only 17 years old, Pele made a significant contribution to Brazil's championship by scoring 6 goals in the tournament.

Additionally, this is the tournament where French football player Just Fontaine broke the record for the most goals scored in a tournament in World Cup history by scoring 13 goals. In the quarter-finals, Brazil defeated Wales 1-0, France defeated Northern Ireland 4-0, Sweden defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 and West Germany defeated Yugoslavia 1-0 and advanced to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Brazil defeated France 5-2 and Sweden defeated West Germany 3-1 to advance to the final.

The final match was played at Rasunda Stadium on June 29, 1958, and Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 to become champions. In this match, Pele played an important role in his team's victory by scoring two goals. The 1958 World Cup went down in history as a tournament where Brazil's "Samba Football" came to the world stage and Pele shined in the international arena.
Additionally, this tournament was the most goals scored in one tournament in World Cup history (126 goals in total).

1958 World Cup Final

CHAMPION: BRAZIL

TOP SCORER: JUST FONTAİNE - FRANCE

1962 WORLD CUP

The 1962 FIFA World Cup was held in Chile between 30 May and 17 June.

This tournament marked Brazil's second World Cup title, repeating its success in 1958 and becoming champions twice in a row. The tournament was played with a format in which 16 teams competed in four groups and the top two teams from each group advanced to the quarter-finals. In the group stage, Brazil finished first in Group C, which included Spain, Mexico and Brazil.

The other groups were formed as follows: Soviet Union and Colombia in Group A, West Germany and Chile in Group B, and Argentina and England shared the first two places in Group D. In the quarter-finals, Brazil defeated England 3-1, Chile defeated the Soviet Union 2-1, Czechoslovakia defeated Hungary 1-0 and Yugoslavia defeated West Germany 1-0 and advanced to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Brazil defeated the host Chile 4-2, while Czechoslovakia beat Yugoslavia 3-1 and advanced to the final.

The final match was played at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago on June 17, 1962, and Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 to become champions. While Brazil's goals were scored by Amarildo, Zito and Vavá, Czechoslovakia's only goal came from Josef Masopust. The 1962 World Cup went down in history as a tournament in which the continued success of Brazil's "Samba Football" and Pele continued to shine on the international arena.

However, because Pele was injured in this tournament, he could only play in two matches and could not score a goal. This shows that Brazil's other stars are coming to the fore and contributing to the team's success.

The 1962 World Cup is an important tournament in which Brazil, one of the greatest teams in the history of football, won its second consecutive championship and managed to stay at the top of world football.

1962 World Cup Final

CHAMPION: BRAZIL

TOP SCORER: Although 6 athletes won the award, the most remarkable performance was Garrincha's.

1966 WORLD CUP

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was held in England between 11 July and 30 July.

This tournament was the tournament in which England won its first and only World Cup title. The tournament was played with a format in which 16 teams competed in four groups and the top two teams from each group advanced to the quarter-finals. In the group stage, England finished first in Group A, which included Uruguay, Mexico and France. The other groups were formed as follows: West Germany and Argentina in Group B, Portugal and Hungary in Group C, and the Soviet Union and North Korea shared the first two places in Group D. In the quarter-finals, England defeated Argentina 1-0, West Germany defeated Uruguay 4-0, Portugal defeated North Korea 5-3 and the Soviet Union defeated Hungary 2-1 and advanced to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, England defeated Portugal 2-1, while West Germany defeated the Soviet Union 2-1 and advanced to the final. The final match was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 30 July 1966, and England became champions by defeating West Germany 4-2. England's goals were scored by Geoff Hurst (3) and Martin Peters, while West Germany's goals were scored by Helmut Haller and Wolfgang Weber. This match went down in history as the match in which Geoff Hurst became the only player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final.

The 1966 World Cup went down in history as a tournament in which England was called the "homecoming of football" and the country where football was born became the World Cup champion. Moreover, this tournament was the tournament in which Portuguese football player
Eusebio became the top scorer by scoring 9 goals and Portugal showed its best performance in the history of the World Cup.

Besides this, this tournament is also remembered for a controversial goal known as the "Ghost of Wembley". In the final match, it is still a matter of debate whether England's third goal crossed the line.

This incident is considered one of the most controversial moments in football history and highlighted the necessity of the introduction of technological aids into football.