Winners West Germany
Teams 16
Host West Germany
Teams in qualifiers 99
Notable absentees England, France, Hungary, Spain, USSR
Surprises Australia, Haiti and Zaire
Golden Boot Grzegorz Lato (Poland) - 7
Stats A total of 97 goals were scored (2.55 per match); Poland (16) scored the most
Format Four groups of four in the qualifying stage, with the top two from each group going into a second round of two four-team groups and the winners facing each other in the final
Number of matches 38
Innovations
• FIFA commissioned a new trophy after Brazil were allowed to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy
Controversies
• The USSR were knocked out in the final qualifying round after refusing to play in Chile, where there had recently been a military coup, with thousands of supporters of Marxist president Salvador Allende executed in the football stadium. Chile kicked off, kicked the ball into an empty net and were awarded the game
• Haiti, under the horrific regime of François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, played their final qualifying match against Trinidad at home - the visitors had no less than four goals disallowed. FIFA subsequently suspended the referee
• Haiti defender Ernst Jean-Joseph became the first player in the World Cup to fail a dope test. He was taken back to the team hotel and beaten up by his own squad officials
Trivia
• Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be shown a red card in a World Cup match
• Poland's Leslaw Cmikiewicz set a record when he made six appearances as substitute
• The start of the final was delayed when the referee noticed the corner and centre-line flag-posts were missing as the teams lined up
Source: FIFA, ESPN, AllSports & Getty