Background
The 1970 FIFA World Cup was the ninth edition of the international football tournament and was held in Mexico from May 31 to June 21, 1970. This was the first World Cup to be held in North America and the first to be televised in color.
Participants
16 teams participated in the 1970 World Cup, including hosts Mexico, defending champions England, and previous winners Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. Other teams that qualified included Peru, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Sweden, Soviet Union, Italy, West Germany, Morocco, and Israel.
Format
The 16 teams were divided into four groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group advanced to the quarter-finals, which were played in a knockout format until the final.
Matches
The tournament had a total of 32 matches. The opening match was played between Mexico and the Soviet Union, which Mexico won 1-0. The final was played between Brazil and Italy, which Brazil won 4-1.
Goalscorers
The Golden Boot for the top scorer of the tournament was awarded to Gerd Muller of West Germany, who scored 10 goals. Other notable goalscorers included Jairzinho of Brazil with 7 goals and Teofilo Cubillas of Peru with 5 goals.
Winner
Brazil won their third World Cup title, defeating Italy 4-1 in the final. Brazil’s team, which included legends such as Pele, Jairzinho, and Carlos Alberto, is considered by many to be one of the greatest teams in the history of football.
Legacy
The 1970 World Cup is remembered for the quality of football played and for the dominance of Brazil, which won all six of its matches and scored 19 goals in the tournament. It is also remembered for being the first World Cup to be broadcast in color and for being held in Mexico, which would go on to host the tournament again in 1986.
Controversy
The 1970 World Cup was not without controversy. In the quarter-final match between England and West Germany, England’s Geoff Hurst had a goal disallowed even though it appeared to have crossed the goal line. West Germany went on to win the match 3-2, which led to protests from England’s team and supporters. Additionally, there were concerns about the altitude in some of the stadiums in Mexico, which some believed gave an unfair advantage to teams that were used to playing at high altitude.
