TOURNAMENT LEGACY

Italy claimed their third World Cup title, defeating West Germany 3-1 in the final. This tournament expanded the number of participating teams from 16 to 24, introducing a three-stage format: an initial group stage (6 groups of 4), followed by a second group stage (4 groups of 3), and then a knockout final between the winners of the second-stage groups. The tournament featured several memorable moments, including Italy's Paolo Rossi's dramatic comeback—he had been suspended for match-fixing but scored 6 goals, including a hat-trick against Brazil in the second group stage. Brazil's attacking trio of Zico, Sócrates, and Falcão dazzled but were eliminated by Italy. Another standout was West Germany's Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who scored 5 goals. This was the first World Cup to use a penalty shootout (though none were needed in the final) and the first to have 24 teams. The mascot was 'Naranjito', an orange wearing a Spain jersey, representing the country's citrus industry.