CHAMPION: Argentina
RUNNER-UP: West Germany
GOLDEN BALL: Diego Maradona (ARG)
GOLDEN SHOE: Gary Lineker (ENG)
TEAMS: 24
TOTAL MATCHES: 52
GOALS SCORED: 132 (2.5 per match)
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE: 46,025
SURPISES: Morocco became the first African team to advance to the second round.
FORMAT: Four teams in six groups in the preliminary stage, group winners, runners-up and two best third-place teams advanced to the knockout round of sixteen, followed by single elimination knockout through to the final.
FIFA FAIR PLAY AWARD: Brazil
1986 – If Pele put the World Cup on the map, Argentina superstar Diego Maradona put it out of this world. His stunning (and controversial) performances on the way to the final sealed Argentina’s second title in eight years. The first country to host the World Cup for a second time, Mexico earned that honor when Colombia pulled out for financial reasons.
The final, once again played at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, featured a determined West German side that gave Argentina all it could handle (erasing a two-goal deficit), but ultimately Maradona’s team prevailed 3-2 and lifted the trophy. But it was an earlier performance, against England in the quarterfinals, that would ultimately define the 1986 World Cup.
The magical No. 10 scored his first goal under a blanket of controversy when he punched the ball into the net over an onrushing Peter Shilton. Forever known as the ‘Hand of God,’ Maradona followed that up with the great goal in World Cup history, dribbling alone through the entire Three Lions defense and slotting the ball coolly past Shilton once again.
The 1986 tournament also featured a format shift still in use today – the elimination of a second stage in favor of a knockout round of 16. England’s Gary Lineker finished as top scorer with six goals, while Morocco became the first African nation to win its World Cup group before losing to the eventual runners-up in the round of 16.
