1986 FIFA World Cup

Colombia was originally chosen as hosts by FIFA in June 1974, with Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Pereira and Bucaramanga intended as the host cities, plus potentially Barranquilla. Colombia agreed to host a 16-team competition. However, days before the 1978 FIFA World Cup's opening match, FIFA later allowed an expansion to 24 teams for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, which was more challenging for Colombia to host, although FIFA President João Havelange initially gave assurances that they could revert to a 16-team tournament. However, the next Colombian president, Belisario Betancur, declared on 5 November 1982 that they could not afford to host the World Cup under the terms that FIFA demanded. was one of the venues and this fountain is located just a few blocks away from the Corregidora Stadium. Although Mexico, United States and Canada submitted bids on 11 March 1983 to be the replacement host, (Brazil was the only other eligible bidder but did not bid) the five-person special FIFA committee responsible for recommending the bids to the Executive Committee (Exco) announced on 31 March that it would only consider Mexico's bid, saying the United States and Canada had "deviated" from FIFA's criteria and Exco members refused to visit Canadian and American stadium sites. On 20 May, the committee announced Mexico as the replacement hosts despite Havelange stating that the United States and Canada had made better presentations. Following the bidding process, Henry Kissinger, the former United States Secretary of State who led the United States bid committee, remarked, "The politics of soccer make me nostalgic for the politics of the Middle East," while the leader of the Canadian committee called Mexico's 10-page bid document "a joke." over Mexico's ability to organise the event, but the stadiums were not affected and it was decided to go ahead with the preparations. As 1986 had been declared the International Year of Peace by the United Nations, the advertising boards of all the stadia displayed the FIFA and United Nations logos along with the legend "Football for Peace – Peace Year". For the design of the logo an unofficial motto was adopted: "El Mundo Unido por Un Balón" ("The World United by a Ball"). The final draw took place on 15 December 1985 hosted at Televisa San Ángel studios in Mexico City. ==Qualification==

Three teams qualified for the World Cup for the first time: Canada, Denmark and Iraq. Iraq played all their 'home' matches on neutral ground in Saudi Arabia because of the Iran–Iraq War. South Korea qualified for the first time since 1954, Paraguay for the first time since 1958, Portugal for the first time since 1966, Morocco for the first time since 1970 and Bulgaria and Uruguay for the first time since 1974. It remains as of 2026 the last appearance of Hungary and Northern Ireland. All six previous World Cup-winning nations (Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, and Uruguay) qualified, which held the record of most previous champions at a tournament before the record was broken in 2002 with the addition of France (who won the 1998 tournament) and a second time in 2014 with the addition of Spain (who won the 2010 tournament). List of qualified teams The following 24 teams qualified for the final tournament. AFC (2) • (debut) • CAF (2) • • OFC (0) • None qualified CONCACAF (2) • (debut) •  (hosts) CONMEBOL (4) • • • • UEFA (14) • • • (debut) • • • •  (holders) • • • • • • • , this was the last time Hungary and Northern Ireland qualified for the World Cup finals. ==Venues==

in 1986. Eleven cities hosted the tournament, with a total of twelve stadia used (two of them in Mexico City), among which were counted all five stadia that hosted the 1970 tournament. The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, the largest stadium used for the tournament, hosted nine matches (including the final), more than any other stadium used. Mexico City hosted 13 total matches; the Olimpico Universitario Stadium hosted four matches (if the Mexico City suburban town Nezahualcoyotl's three matches are included, this brings the total up to 16 matches; nearly a third of all matches in this tournament). Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city hosted nine total matches (the Jalisco Stadium hosted six matches, the Tres de Marzo Stadium in Zapopan hosted three), Monterrey hosted eight matches (The Tecnologico Stadium hosted three matches and the Universitario Stadium in San Nicolas de los Garza hosted five matches), and the Cuauhtémoc Stadium in Puebla hosted five matches. The hot, humid and rainy summer weather in Mexico varied from humid desert locations like Monterrey to tropical locations such as Guadalajara; but perhaps the greatest hardship the players had to contend with was the high altitude of the Mexican locations. With the exception of the temperatures of Monterrey (still 2,000 feet above sea level), all of the stadia were located in cities that varied anywhere from Guadalajara being above sea level to Toluca being above sea level, making conditions very difficult for the players running around in these stadia – but the higher the cities, the less intense the heat. Mexico City, the location of the opening and final matches and the location where the most matches were played was above sea level and the weather there was not as hot as in other cities used in this World Cup. All of these venues except Monterrey were located in central Mexico, as this tournament was organized with the then-standard way of keeping teams playing in locations in close proximity to each other. Group A only played at the Olimpico and in Puebla (except for the Bulgaria-Italy opening tournament match, which was played in the Azteca), Group B only played at the Azteca and in Toluca (hosts Mexico were part of this group; they played all their group stage matches at the Azteca), Group C played in León and Irapuato, Group D only played in Guadalajara (including the Guadalajara area town of Zapopan; the last match of this group was played in Monterrey), Group E exclusively played in Querétaro and Nezahualcóyotl, and Group F played in the northern city of Monterrey (including the Monterrey area town of San Nicolas de los Garza; the last match of this group was played in Guadalajara). All of the venues listed hosted knockout round matches except the ones in Nezahualcoyotl, Irapuato, Zapopan, Toluca and the Estadio Tecnologico in Monterrey. • Morocco and Portugal played in Guadalajara while Spain and Algeria played in Monterrey. ==Match officials==

;Africa • Ali Ben Nasser • Edwin Picon-Ackong • Idrissa Traoré ;Asia • Fallaj Al-Shanar • Jamal Al Sharif • Shizuo Takada ;Europe • Luigi Agnolin • Horst Brummeier • Valeri Butenko • Vojtech Christov • George Courtney • André Daina • Bogdan Dotchev • Erik Fredriksson • Ioan Igna • Jan Keizer • Siegfried Kirschen • Lajos Németh • Zoran Petrović • Alexis Ponnet • Joël Quiniou • Volker Roth • Victoriano Sánchez Arminio • Carlos Silva Valente • Alan Snoddy ;North and Central America • Rómulo Méndez • Antonio Márquez Ramírez • David Socha • Berny Ulloa Morera ;Oceania • Chris Bambridge ;South America • Romualdo Arppi Filho • Jesús Díaz • Carlos Espósito • Gabriel González Roa • José Luis Martínez Bazán • Hernán Silva ==Squads==

For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1986 FIFA World Cup squads. ==Seeding==

First round The first round of the finals began in Group A, where Italy were held 1–1 by Bulgaria. Meanwhile, Argentina beat South Korea 3–1, with Diego Maradona playing a major part. Italy and Argentina drew 1–1, Maradona and Alessandro Altobelli scoring. South Korea and Bulgaria also drew 1–1 in a downpour. The final set of matches saw Argentina beating Bulgaria 2–0, and Italy narrowly defeating South Korea 3–2. In Group B Mexico beat Belgium 2–1, and despite being held 1–1 by Paraguay, they won the group after a further win over Iraq, 1–0. Paraguay and Belgium also progressed after both beating Iraq and drawing with each other. Group C pitted a strong Dynamo Kyiv-dominated Soviet Union side against the reigning European champions France. They drew with each other 1–1, with a goal scored by Vasyl Rats. France beat Canada 1–0 and finished in 2nd place in the group after beating Hungary, 3–0. Hungary had earlier lost 6–0 against the Soviet Union, which won the group due to goal difference. Group D saw Brazil start against Spain, winning 1–0 after the referee failed to validate a legal goal scored by Míchel. Northern Ireland began their campaign with a draw against Algeria. Northern Ireland were then narrowly beaten by Spain before losing to Brazil 3–0 in their final match. This match saw a goal from Josimar on his debut and was also the final time Pat Jennings played for Northern Ireland. Spain qualified along with Brazil after defeating Algeria 3–0. Denmark stormed through Group E, dubbed the group of death, with a 100 per cent record. They beat Alex Ferguson's Scotland 1–0 in their first game, then hammered Uruguay 6–1, with Preben Elkjær hitting a hat-trick. Denmark beat one of the favourites to win the tournament, West Germany, 2–0 thanks to a Jesper Olsen penalty and a goal from John Eriksen. After losing to Denmark, Scotland took the lead against West Germany thanks to a Gordon Strachan goal, but the West Germans fought back to win 2–1. After a violent 0–0 draw against Uruguay, the Scots were eliminated from the tournament. During that game José Batista of Uruguay was sent off after less than one minute of play for a foul on Strachan, a World Cup record that still stands. West Germany went through to the second round despite a loss against Denmark. Morocco topped Group F after holding both Poland and England to goalless draws, and beating Portugal 3–1. By doing so, they became the first African team, and only the second nation from outside Europe and the Americas (after North Korea in 1966), to reach the second round. England lost 1–0 to Portugal, followed by a 0–0 draw against Morocco in which they lost captain Bryan Robson to injury (for the remainder of the tournament) and vice-captain Ray Wilkins to a red card (he was not selected for the remainder of the tournament, even after having served his obligatory one-match ban). In their last first-round game, with the captaincy taken over by Peter Shilton in goal, a first-half Gary Lineker hat-trick helped the reshaped side beat Poland 3–0 – although losing yet another player to a ban for the next round, Terry Fenwick receiving his second booking of the tournament. Poland had previously beaten Portugal, and in the end the Portuguese were the only team from Group F to be eliminated in the first round. Portugal, making their first appearance in 20 years, went on strike (in the Saltillo Affair) during the competition. Players refused to train between their first and second games (against England and Poland) and were eliminated after a loss to Morocco in the final group match. Second round and quarter-finals Belgium beat the Soviet Union 4–3, despite a hat-trick by the Soviets' Igor Belanov. The game was level at 2–2 after 90 minutes, and in extra time Stephane Demol and Nico Claesen put Belgium 4–2 up. Belanov scored from the penalty spot with nine minutes remaining, but neither he nor any of his teammates could find a fourth goal for the Soviet Union. At the Olympic University Stadium in Mexico City, the European champions France ended Italy's reign as world champions with a 2–0 victory thanks to goals from Michel Platini and Yannick Stopyra. In the rematch of the 1930 FIFA World Cup Final, Argentina just edged out South American champions Uruguay in Puebla thanks to a 42nd-minute strike from Pedro Pasculli. The all-South American affair had a Diego Maradona goal disallowed. In Querétaro, Denmark were eliminated as they went from a 1–0 lead to a 5–1 battering against Spain; key player Frank Arnesen was suspended for the game after being sent off against West Germany in their last group match, for taking a swipe at German playmaker Lothar Matthäus. The Danes scored first, with a Jesper Olsen penalty, but they were then taken apart by a devastating performance from Butragueño of Spain, who scored four of his team's five goals. At the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, England progressed to the quarter-finals comfortably when they saw off Paraguay 3–0, while Brazil brushed aside Poland 4–0. West Germany had a much harder time getting past Morocco, for whom goalkeeper Badou Zaki had an outstanding game. Morocco held out until the 87th minute, when Lothar Matthäus scored the only goal of the match with a free kick. Mexico won 2–0 against Bulgaria with an outstanding scissor-kick goal by Manuel Negrete which is honored by a remembrance plaque at the Azteca. In the quarter-finals, France faced three-time world champion Brazil in Guadalajara. Brazil were well on top in the early stages, and Careca put them one up after 18 minutes. Five minutes before half-time, France drew level when Michel Platini scored his 41st goal after converting a cross from Dominique Rocheteau. Brazil had a chance to regain the lead in the second half when Branco was fouled by French keeper Joël Bats in the penalty area. Zico got up to take the kick, but Bats saved Zico's penalty. The match went to extra time, and France finished slightly the stronger of the two sides. No more goals were scored, and so it was time for a penalty shoot-out. Socrates, who had earlier missed an open goal and headed an easy chance straight into the French keeper's arms, failed with the first kick for Brazil. The next six penalties were all converted, and then Platini fired over the bar. Brazil were back on level terms – but not for long. Julio Cesar struck the post with his penalty, and Luis Fernández then scored to put France through 4–3 on penalties. Two other quarter-finals were also decided on penalties. Jan Ceulemans put Belgium ahead against Spain in the 35th minute, but Spanish substitute Señor equalised with five minutes to go. No more goals were scored in extra time, and Belgium won the shoot-out 5–4. On the hosts' first game outside of the Azteca, Francisco Javier Cruz saw a goal disallowed as West Germany and Mexico drew 0–0 after extra time. The West Germans eliminated the hosts 4–1 on penalties. As a curiosity, the German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher jumped to the right in the three Mexican penalties (stopping two of them). The quarter-final between Argentina and England at the Azteca featured two very different goals in the second half by Diego Maradona: the first was scored illegally, as he punched the ball into the goal past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The referee did not see the handball and the goal was given as valid. After the game, Maradona claimed the goal was scored "A bit with the head of Maradona and another bit with the hand of God"; it became known as the "Hand of God" goal. For his second goal, voted "Goal of the Century" in 2002 on the FIFA website, Maradona dribbled half the length of the field past five English players before scoring. With 20 minutes to go, the introduction of John Barnes as a substitute changed the tide of play in England's favour, as he pinged cross after cross into the Argentine penalty area: with 9 minutes to go, Lineker got on the end of one and scored, then almost repeated the dose six minutes later but was just unable to reach the ball thanks to a timely block by Olarticoechea: 2–1 to Argentina was the final score. In Argentina, the game was seen as revenge for the Falklands War. Semi-finals, match for third place and final In the first semi-final match, Andreas Brehme put West Germany 1–0 ahead against France in the ninth minute in Guadalajara, but the outcome remained in doubt until two minutes from time when Rudi Völler made it 2–0, and West Germany were in the final for the second World Cup in succession. In the second semi-final match, Maradona struck twice in the second half as Argentina beat Belgium 2–0 at the Azteca. France went on to defeat Belgium in the match for third place, 4–2. So it was to be the South American Argentina vs the European West Germany at the final at the Azteca, the second time this massive stadium would host a World Cup Final (the first in 1970). Jose Brown put Argentina one up midway through the first half of the final, and when Jorge Valdano scored a second for the South Americans in the 55th minute, Argentina looked to be strolling to victory. West Germany then staged a spirited comeback. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge pulled one back in the 74th minute, and six minutes later Rudi Völler hit the equaliser. With seven minutes remaining, a pass from Maradona gave Jorge Burruchaga the chance to score the winner for Argentina. Eight years on from their home triumph, Argentina regained the world title and 30 million people in Argentina celebrated in the streets after the final victory. Maradona was the Golden Ball winner as the best player of the tournament, while Gary Lineker of England won the Golden Boot as the leading scorer of the World Cup with six goals. ==Group stage==

All times are Central Time (UTC−6) Group A ---- ---- Group B and Cabañas going for the ball in Mexico v Paraguay ---- ---- Group C ---- ---- Group D ---- ---- Group E scoring for Uruguay v West Germany ---- ---- Group F ---- ---- Ranking of third-placed teams ==Knockout stage==

Argentina beat West Germany for the first time and won their second World Cup. Belgium finished in fourth place, their best finish in the World Cup until 2018, where they finished third. Bracket Round of 16 ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Quarter-finals ---- ---- ---- Semi-finals ---- Match for third place Final ==Statistics==

Goalscorers Gary Lineker received the Golden Boot for scoring six goals. In total, 132 goals were scored by 82 players, with two of them credited as own goals. 6 goals • Gary Lineker 5 goals • Diego Maradona • Careca • Emilio Butragueño 4 goals • Jorge Valdano • Preben Elkjær • Alessandro Altobelli • Igor Belanov 3 goals • Jan Ceulemans • Nico Claesen • Jesper Olsen • Rudi Völler 2 goals • Jorge Burruchaga • Enzo Scifo • Josimar • Sócrates • Jean-Pierre Papin • Michel Platini • Yannick Stopyra • Fernando Quirarte • Abderrazak Khairi • Roberto Cabañas • Julio César Romero • Ramón Calderé • Klaus Allofs 1 goal • Djamel Zidane • José Luis Brown • Pedro Pasculli • Oscar Ruggeri • Stéphane Demol • Erwin Vandenbergh • Franky Vercauteren • Daniel Veyt • Edinho • Plamen Getov • Nasko Sirakov • John Eriksen • Michael Laudrup • Søren Lerby • Peter Beardsley • Manuel Amoros • Luis Fernández • Jean-Marc Ferreri • Bernard Genghini • Dominique Rocheteau • Jean Tigana • Lajos Détári • Márton Esterházy • Ahmed Radhi • Luis Flores • Manuel Negrete • Hugo Sánchez • Raúl Servín • Abdelkrim Merry • Colin Clarke • Norman Whiteside • Włodzimierz Smolarek • Carlos Manuel • Diamantino • Gordon Strachan • Choi Soon-ho • Huh Jung-moo • Kim Jong-boo • Park Chang-sun • Sergei Aleinikov • Oleh Blokhin • Vasyl Rats • Sergey Rodionov • Pavlo Yakovenko • Ivan Yaremchuk • Oleksandr Zavarov • Eloy • Andoni Goikoetxea • Julio Salinas • Juan Antonio Señor • Antonio Alzamendi • Enzo Francescoli • Andreas Brehme • Lothar Matthäus • Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Own goals • László Dajka (against the Soviet Union) • Cho Kwang-rae (against Italy) Awards Source: Red cards Eight players received a red card during the tournament: • Mike Sweeney • Frank Arnesen • Ray Wilkins • Thomas Berthold • Basil Gorgis • Javier Aguirre • Miguel Bossio Final standings In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition. The rankings for the 1986 tournament were as follows: ==Marketing==

Sponsorship The sponsors of the 1986 FIFA World Cup consisted out of 15 FIFA World Cup Sponsors. ==Symbols==

Mascot The official mascot of the 1986 World Cup was Pique, a jalapeño pepper, characteristic of Mexican cuisine, with a moustache, a Colimote sombrero, and Mexican football team colours. Its name comes from picante, a Spanish word meaning "spicy", and was also a pun on the "PK" abbreviation of the football term penalty kick. Pique is also a common Spanish name. The character caused a degree of controversy within Mexico for its ethnic stereotypes. Match ball The official match ball of this World Cup was the "Azteca", manufactured by Adidas. It was the first fully synthetic FIFA World Cup ball and the elaborately decorated design was inspired by the hosting nation’s native Aztec architecture and murals. Music The official song of this World Cup was "El mundo unido por un balón". ==References==