Where Was The 1986 FIFA World Cup Held?
Columbia was originally chosen as the host for the 1986 FIFA World Cup by FIFA in June 1974 with Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Pereira and Bucaramanga intended as the host cities, but this was for a supposed 16 team tournament. FIFA however allowed for expansion into a 24 team tournament from 1982 FIFA World Cup.
This would cause Columbia issues in hosting the 1986 FIFA World Cup. On 5th November, 1982, Columbia declared that they could not afford to host the FIFA World Cup. Mexico, United States, and Canada submitted their bid to host the FIFA World Cup 11th March, 1983 but on 31st March it was announced that only Mexico’s bid would be considered.
On 20th May Mexico was announced as the replacement host and they became the first nation to have hosted the FIFA World Cup twice. A severe earthquake in September 1985, just 8 months before the FIFA World Cup cast doubts on Mexico’s ability to host the FIFA World Cup, but the stadiums were not affected by the earthquake and Mexico proceeded as the hosts for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Twelve stadiums across 11 different cities in Mexico hosted the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City was the largest stadium used in the FIFA World Cup and it was used 9 times (including the final), which was more than any other stadium used.
| Mexico City, Federal District | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Puebla City, Puebla | |
| Estadio Azteca | Estadio Olímpico Universitario | Estadio Jalisco | Estadio Cuauhtémoc |
| Capacity: 114,600 | Capacity: 72,212 | Capacity: 66,193 | Capacity: 46,416 |
  |  |  |  |
| San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León(Monterrey area) | 
| Querétaro | |
| Estadio Universitario | Estadio La Corregidora | ||
| Capacity: 43,780 | Capacity: 38,576 | ||
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| Nezahualcóyotl, State of Mexico(Mexico City area) | Monterrey, Nuevo León | ||
| Estadio Neza 86 | Stadiums in Mexico City (labeled above as MXC)
| Estadio Tecnológico | |
| Capacity: 34,536 | Capacity: 33,805 | ||
 |  | ||
| Toluca, State of Mexico | Irapuato, Guanajuato | León, Guanajuato | Zapopan, Jalisco(Guadalajara area) |
| Estadio Nemesio Díez | Estadio Sergio León Chávez | Estadio Nou Camp | Estadio Tres de Marzo |
| Capacity: 32,612 | Capacity: 31,336 | Capacity: 30,531 | Capacity: 30,015 |
 |  |  | |
Who Was The 1986 World Cup Winner?
Argentina won the 1986 FIFA World Cup which took place in Mexico. Argentina was drawn in Group A with Italy, Bulgaria, and South Korea. Argentina had a good start to the campaign, drawing against Italy and winning their matches against Bulgaria and South Korea. They finished on top of the table above Italy. Mexico then went on to beat Uruguay and England in the Round of 16 draw and Quarter-final draw respectively.
They faced Belgium in the Semi-final and had a dominant display against them. They beat Belgium 2-0 to advance to the final of the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Argentina faced West Germany in the final of the FIFA World Cup. This was arguably one of the most entertaining FIFA World Cup final ever. Argentina were dominant from start and took a 2 goal lead over West Germany but that was not the end of it. West Germany responded with 2 quickfire goals late in the match and made the score 2-2 in the 80’.
Argentina had lost their entire advantage over West Germany but there was still more drama to come. Just 3 minutes after West Germany’s equaliser, Argentinean player Jorge Luis Burruchaga scored the winner for Argentina. The match ended 3-2 and Argentina won the 1986 FIFA World Cup trophy.
Which Teams Were In The 1986 World Cup?
AFC (2)
Iraq
South Korea
CAF (2)
Algeria
Morocco
OFC (0)
None qualified
CONCACAF (2)
Canada
Mexico (hosts)
CONMEBOL (4)
Argentina
Brazil
Paraguay
Uruguay
UEFA (14)
Belgium
Bulgaria
Denmark
England
France
Hungary
Italy
Northern Ireland
Poland
Portugal
Scotland
Soviet Union
Spain
West Germany
Who Was The Top Scorer In The 1986 World Cup?
English Forward Gary Lineker ended up as the top scorer of the 1986 FIFA World Cup tournament with 6 goals. Lineker scored 3 goals in the group stages, 2 in the Round of 16 stage and 1 in the Quarter-final. He scored a hattrick against Poland in England’s final group stage game.
This helped England finish 2nd in Group above Poland. He then scored a brace against Paraguay in the Round of 16 stage to help England advance to the Quarter-finals. England faced Argentina in the Quarter-finals and Lineker scored in this game as well but it was not enough to make England win as they lost 2-1 to Argentina in the Quarters.
What Was The 1986 World Cup Trophy?
Just like in the previous edition of the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA World Cup trophy was presented to Argentina upon winning the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
What Was The Official 1986 World Cup Ball?
The official ball for the 1986 FIFA World Cup was called “Azteca”. This ball was manufactured by Adidas. This was the first fully synthetic FIFA World Cup ball and also the first-ever hand sewed ball.
