CHAMPION: West Germany
RUNNER UP: Hungary
GOLDEN SHOE: Sandor Kocsis (HUN)
TEAMS: 16
TOTAL MATCHES: 26
GOALS SCORED: 140 (5.4 per match)
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE: 34,211
SURPRISES: The ‘Miracle of Berne’ as West Germany rallied to beat the heavily favored Hungarians in the final.
FORMAT: Four teams in four groups in the preliminary stage, followed by a single elimination knockout round.
1954 – Switzerland hosted a magical tournament in 1954 that featured the ‘Magical Magyars’ of Hungary, clearly the best team in the world at the time, led by one of the game’s greats Ferenc Puskas. The Hungarians scored 25 goals en route to the final, including an 8-3 demolition of West Germany in the group stage.
However, the Germans regrouped and advanced all the way to the final where they once again faced the mighty Magyars. In what was later to be named ‘The Miracle of Berne,’ West Germany shocked the world with a 3-2 win over Hungary, giving Die Mannschaft its first World Cup title.
The 1954 World Cup still stands as the tournament with the most goals scored as some outrageous results left fans delirious with celebrations. In one match alone, the quarterfinal between Switzerland and Austria, the hosts led 3-0 but eventually fell to a 7-5 defeat.
Another one of the famous Hungarians, Sandor Kocsis, took the Golden Shoe award with 11 goals, while three teams, Czechoslovakia, Scotland and Korea, all exited the tournament without scoring a single goal. But despite the joy of winning the coveted top scorer’s award, Kocsis would have surely traded it in for a World Cup title.
