CHAMPION: Brazil
RUNNER-UP: Czechoslovakia
GOLDEN-SHOE: Florian Albert (HUN), Valentin Ivanov (URS), Drazen Jerkovic (YUG), Leonel Sanchez (CHI), Vava (BRA), Garrincha (BRA)
TEAMS: 16
TOTAL MATCHES: 32
GOALS SCORED: 89 (2.8 per match)
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE: 28,096
SURPRISES: With Pele injured, Garrincha led Brazil to the World Cup title as one of the tournament’s six top scorers.
FORMAT: Four teams in four groups in the preliminary stage, followed by a single elimination knockout round.
1962 – The World Cup returned to South America in 1962 as Chile hosted the event which had now grown into the largest sporting event in the world. With Pele injured, Brazil’s Garrincha took up the slack and led Brazil to a successful title defense, beating Czechoslovakia in the final and earning joint top-scorer honors in the tournament.
Hosts Chile did their nation proud by reaching the semifinals and beating Yugolslavia in the third-place match. The Chileans also contested a fierce group stage match with Italy that included two red cards and a number of ugly incidents marring the match forever to be known as the ‘Battle of Santiago.’
The 1962 tournament also served as the first to scrap the playoff match in case of a draw in favor of goal differential. England had that good fortune in the group stage and progressed at Argentina’s expense – the first in a long line of contentious World Cup battles between the two nations.
And while strict rules now exist that prevent players from switching national teams at the senior level, Hungarian born Ferenc Puskas, who shone so brightly for the Magyars in 1954, suited up for a disappointing Spain squad after many seasons playing for famed club Real Madrid in the interim years.
