Group stage[edit] Group 1[edit] The West Germans, surprise world champions four years before, were still very strong, and fielded an exciting young forward in Uwe Seeler. The Germans had to contend with a real powerhouse in Argentina's team, competing for the first time since 1934. In fact, some experts[who? ] thought Argentina had a very realistic chance of reaching the semi finals or even winning the World Cup this time. Czechoslovakia was a fairly strong team with a rich football tradition, and was considered to be no walkover for the West Germans or the Argentinians.
Seeding[edit] There was no seeding for this World Cup; the teams were instead allocated geographically into four pots chosen by the FIFA Organising Committee. [14] Teams were drawn from each pot into Groups 1–4 in numerical order. Preventing the defending champions from meeting the hosts in the group stage, either by seeding or predetermined group positions, was a practiced tradition throughout the history of the FIFA World Cup, with 1934 and 1954 being the only two exceptions. [14] This tradition continued in 1958, with West Germany as defending champion and host nation Sweden both being allocated into the same Western European Pot, which kept them from meeting in the group stage.
Conversely, Nils Liedholm became the oldest player to score in a World Cup Final at 35 years 263 days. This final had the highest number of goals scored by a winning team (5), the highest number of total goals scored (7), and together with the 1970 and 1998 finals shares the highest goal margin of difference (3); Brazil played in all those three finals.
In the second half, Pelé outshone everyone, notching two goals, including the first one where he lobbed the ball over Bengt Gustavsson then followed it with a precise volley shot. Zagallo added a goal in between, and Sweden managed a consolation goal. The Final saw many records made in World Cup history that still stand as of 2018. At age 17, Pelé simultaneously became the youngest player to participate in, score, and win a World Cup final.
If the goal averages were equal then lots would have been drawn. These arrangements had not been finalised by the time the tournament started and were still being debated as it progressed. Some teams complained that a play-off match, meaning three games in five days, was too much, and before the second round of group matches FIFA informed the teams that goal average would be used before resorting to a play-off. [4] This was overturned when the Swedish Football Association complained, ostensibly that it was wrong to change the rules mid-tournament, but also because it wanted the extra revenue from playoff matches.
Western European Pot Eastern European Pot British Pot Americas Pot Sweden (hosts) West Germany (holders) Austria France Czechoslovakia Hungary Soviet Union Yugoslavia England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Argentina Brazil Mexico Paraguay The geographical basis of the seeding attracted criticism, especially from Austria, who were drawn against the teams considered strongest in each of the other three pots. [15] Squads[edit] For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1958 FIFA World Cup squads.
With Northern Ireland making its debut, and England and Scotland also qualifying, this World Cup was the only one to date to feature all four of the United Kingdom's Home Nations. This World Cup also saw the entry and qualification of the Soviet Union for the first time, while Argentina appeared for the first time since 1934.