1982 FIFA World Cup – Spain

The 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain was the first to feature a penalty shoot-out competition in a game, and the last to feature two rounds of group stages. It was also marked by violent fouls and poor officiating, what prompt FIFA to change regulations preventing this kind of brutality on the pitch for the following tournaments. But overall, the world cup was a big success with great and entertaining matches.

But the biggest change of all was the number of participants. FIFA increased it to 24 teams, allowing more countries from Africa and Asia to participate. From the 22 places left for qualification (due to the 2 reserved for the hosts and defending champions), 13 were allocated to UEFA (including Israel), 3 to CONMEBOL, 2 to AFC/OFC, 2 to CONCACAF and 2 to CAF. The last place was contested by the 9th from UEFA vs. the 3rd from CONMEBOL.