1982 FIFA World Cup Facts for Kids

The 1982 FIFA World Cup was a huge international football (soccer) tournament. It happened in Spain in 1982. Teams from all over the world competed to win the famous World Cup trophy. In the end, Italy became the champions, beating Germany in an exciting final match.

Teams That Played

Many countries sent their best football teams to Spain for the 1982 World Cup. Here are the teams that participated, grouped by their continent:

African Teams

Asian Teams

Kuwait (KUW)

European Teams

North and Central American Teams

Oceanian Teams

New Zealand (NZL)

South American Teams

Tournament Results

The World Cup had two main stages: the group stage and the knockout stage. Teams played matches to earn points and move forward in the competition.

Group Stage

In the first group stage, 24 teams were divided into six groups of four. Each team played against the other teams in their group once. The top two teams from each group moved on to the second round.

Group 1 Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Poland	3	1	2	0	5	1	+4	4
Italy	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
Cameroon	3	0	3	0	1	1	0	3
Peru	3	0	2	1	2	6	-4	2

Group 2 Standings

Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
West Germany	3	2	1	6	3	+3	4
Austria	3	2	1	3	1	+2	4
Algeria	3	2	1	5	5	0	4
Chile	3	0	3	3	8	-5	0

Group 3 Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Belgium	3	2	1	0	3	1	+2	5
Argentina	3	2	0	1	6	2	+4	4
Hungary	3	1	1	1	12	6	+6	3
El Salvador	3	0	0	3	1	13	-12	0

Group 4 Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
England	3	3	0	0	6	1	+5	6
France	3	1	1	1	6	5	+1	3
Czechoslovakia	3	0	2	1	2	4	-2	2
Kuwait	3	0	1	2	2	6	-4	1

Group 5 Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Northern Ireland	3	1	2	0	2	1	+1	4
Spain	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	3
Yugoslavia	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	3
Honduras	3	0	2	1	2	3	-1	2

Group 6 Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	3	0	0	10	2	+8	6
Soviet Union	3	1	1	1	6	4	+2	3
Scotland	3	1	1	1	8	8	0	3
New Zealand	3	0	0	3	2	12	-10	0

Second Round

The 12 teams that made it through the first group stage were divided into four new groups of three. The winner of each of these groups advanced to the semifinals.

Group A Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Poland	2	1	1	0	3	0	+3	3
Soviet Union	2	1	1	0	1	0	+1	3
Belgium	2	0	0	2	0	4	-4	0

Group B Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
West Germany	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1	3
England	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	3
Spain	2	0	1	1	1	2	-1	0

Group C Standings

Team	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Italy	2	2	0	5	3	+2	4
Brazil	2	1	1	5	4	+1	2
Argentina	2	0	2	2	5	-3	0

Group D Standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
France	2	2	0	0	5	1	+4	4
Austria	2	0	1	1	2	3	-1	1
Northern Ireland	2	0	1	1	3	6	-3	1

Knockout Stage

The knockout stage was where the competition got even more intense! Teams played single matches, and if they lost, they were out of the tournament.

Semifinals

Italy beat Poland 2-0.
West Germany played France. The score was 3-3 after extra time, so it went to a penalty shootout. West Germany won 5-4 on penalties.

Third Place Match

Poland beat France 3-2 to take third place.

Final Match

The final was played between Italy and West Germany. Italy won the championship with a score of 3-1!

Images for kids

Countries qualified for World Cup Country did not qualify Countries that did not enter World Cup Country not a FIFA member
Honduras team in Alginet, during a June 1982 preparatory match.
A statue commemorating the 1982 FIFA World Cup at the Estadio Riazor in A Coruña.
Adidas Tango España, official match ball of Spain '82
Champion Runner-up Third place Fourth place Second group stage First group stage