1978 FAMAS Awards
The 25th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards Night was held on May 20, 1978, at The Philippine International Convention Center ( Plenary Hall). This is for the Outstanding Achievements of the different  films for the year 1977.


1978 FAMAS Awards
Bakya mo Neneng of J.E. Productions won the most award with 6 wins including FAMAS Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Musical Score but its lead stars, Nora Aunor and Joseph Estrada failed to win an acting Awards. On the other hand, Dolphy won his first his FAMAS best Actor award for the movie "Omeng Santanasia" and Susan Roces as best actress for her movie,"Maligno".


1978 FIA European Formula 3 Championship
The 1978 European Formula Three Championship was the fourth FIA European Formula 3 Championship season, contested over 16 rounds.


1978 FIA European Formula 3 Championship
Jan Lammers of the Netherlands won the drivers championship with 72 points. Points were awarded in 9-6-4-3-2-1 fashion to the first six finishers. The four worst results were discarded.


1978 FIA European Formula 3 Championship, Season standings, Drivers standings
For every race 9 points were awarded to the winner, 6 to the runner up, 4 for third place, 3 for fourth place, 2 for fifth place and 1 for sixth place. No additional points were awarded.


1978 FIA European Formula 3 Championship, Season standings, Drivers standings
Four scores were dropped. Dropped scores are shown in parentheses.


1978 FIA European Formula 3 Championship, Season standings, Drivers standings
Although Jan Lammers and Anders Olofsson tied on points and tied on four wins each, Lammers took the championship by virtue of scoring five second places to Olofsson's three.


1978 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
The 1978 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball  competition held in Italy in 1980.


1978 FIBA European Championship for Cadettes
The 1978 FIBA European Championship for Cadettes was the second edition of the European basketball championship for U16 women's teams, today known as FIBA U16 Women's European Championship. 16 teams featured in the competition, held in Cuenca, Spain from 14 to 24 August 1978.


1978 FIBA European Championship for Cadettes
The Soviet Union won their second title in a row.


1978 FIBA European Championship for Cadettes, Preliminary round
In the PReliminary Round, the fifteen teams were allocated in two groups, one of eight teams and one of seven teams. The top two teams of each group qualified for the Semifinals. The third and fourth team of each group competed in the 5th-8th playoff. The fifth and sixth team of each group competed in the 9th-12th playoff. The seventh of each team competed in the 13th-14th playoff.


1978 FIBA Intercontinental Cup
The 1978 FIBA Intercontinental Cup William Jones was the 12th edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup for men's basketball clubs. It took place at Buenos Aires. From the FIBA European Champions Cup participated Mobilgirgi Varèse and Real Madrid, from the South American Club Championship participated EC Sírio and Obras Sanitarias, and from the Division I (NCAA) participated the Rhode Island Rams.


1978 FIBA Oceania Championship
The FIBA Oceania Championship for Men 1978 was the qualifying tournament of FIBA Oceania for the 1978 FIBA World Championship. The tournament, a best-of-three series between  Australia and  New Zealand, was held in Auckland, Lower Hutt and Christchurch. Australia won the series 2-1 to win its third consecutive Oceania Championship.


1978 FIBA Oceania Championship for Women
The FIBA Oceania Championship for Women 1978 was the qualifying tournament of FIBA Oceania for the 1979 FIBA World Championship for Women. The tournament, a best-of-three series between  Australia and  New Zealand, was held in Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington. Australia won the series 3-0 to win its second consecutive Oceania Championship.


1978 FIBA World Championship
The 1978 FIBA World Championship was the 8th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. The tournament was hosted by the Philippines from October 1 to 14, 1978. Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila and Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City (both cities in Metro Manila), were the venues for the event.


1978 FIBA World Championship, Host selection
On July 11, 1974 at the FIBA Congress held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Philippines was unanimously chosen as hosts after Argentina and Spain withdrew their bids.


1978 FIBA World Championship, Venues
(*) Temporarily reduced to 10,000 for the finals due to safety reasons.


1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.


1978 FIFA World Cup
The Cup was won by the host nation, Argentina, who defeated the Netherlands 3–1 in the final, after extra time. The final was held at River Plate's home stadium, Estadio Monumental, in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth team (after Uruguay, Italy, England, and West Germany) to be both hosts and world champions. Argentina, the Netherlands, and Brazil were the gold, silver, and bronze medalists, respectively. Iran and Tunisia made their first appearances in the tournament.


1978 FIFA World Cup
This was also the last World Cup tournament to use the original inclusion of 16 teams. Since the first World Cup in 1930, only 15 teams (plus the host, who automatically qualified) had been allowed to qualify (the reigning title holders also received automatic qualification from 1934 through 2002); but for the next World Cup, in Spain, FIFA expanded that tournament to 24 teams.


1978 FIFA World Cup
This tournament was marred by flagrant controversy, domestic politics, and alleged interference and match-fixing by the Argentine authoritarian military junta government, who were using this tournament as an opportunity for nationalistic propaganda, and for the relatively new military junta to seek legitimacy on the world stage.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Host selection
Argentina was chosen as the host nation by FIFA on 6 July 1966 in London, England. Mexico withdrew from the bidding process after having been awarded the 1970 competition two years earlier.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Host selection
The logo is based on President Juan Perón's signature gesture: a salute to the crowd with both arms extended above his head. This was one of the most famous, populist images of Perón. The design was created in 1974, two years prior to the military coup in 1976. The military leadership were aware that the World Cup's logo symbolized Perón's gesture, and they tried to change the competition's logo. At this point, the design was already broadly commercialized and the merchandise had already been made: a forced modification "would trigger a sea of lawsuits against the country", so the military had no option but to give up their attempts and leave it.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Host selection
The monetary cost of preparing to host the World Cup was put at $700 million, including building three new stadia and redeveloping three others; building five press centres; a new communications system costing $100 million; and improvements to transport systems.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Qualification
England, Belgium, Czechoslovakia (the European champions) and the Soviet Union failed to qualify for the second World Cup in succession, losing out to Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland and Hungary respectively. 1974 Quarter-finalists East Germany and Yugoslavia were eliminated by Austria and Spain and thus also failed to qualify for the finals, along with Bulgaria which failed to qualify for the first time since 1958 after losing to France. Bolivia's win meant Uruguay failed to qualify for the first time since 1958. Newcomers to the finals were Iran and Tunisia; Austria qualified for the first time since 1958, while France, Spain and Hungary were back for the first time since 1966. Peru and Mexico returned after missing the previous tournament. For the first time, more than 100 nations entered the competition.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
A controversy surrounding the 1978 World Cup was that Argentina had undergone a military coup of its democratic government only two years before the cup, which installed a dictatorship known as the National Reorganization Process. Less than a year before the World Cup, in September 1977, Interior Minister General Albano Harguindeguy, stated that 5,618 people had recently disappeared.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
The infamous Higher School of Mechanics of the Navy (known by its acronym ESMA) held concentration camp prisoners of the Dirty War and those held captive reportedly could hear the roars of the crowd during matches held at River Plate's Monumental Stadium, located only a mile away; prompting echoes of Hitler's and Mussolini's alleged political manipulation of sports during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and 1934 FIFA World Cup. Because of the political turmoil, some countries, most notably the Netherlands, considered publicly whether they should participate in the event. Despite this, all teams eventually took part without restrictions.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
However, most notably, Dutch star Johan Cruyff, who won the Golden Ball in the previous 1974 FIFA World Cup, refused to take part in the 1978 World Cup, even though he earlier participated in the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification. Allegations that Cruyff refused to participate because of political convictions were denied by him 30 years later- he and his family had been the victims of a kidnap attempt a few months before the tournament. Several criminals entered his house in Barcelona at night and tied him and his family up at gunpoint.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
More controversy surrounded the host, Argentina, as all of their games in the first round kicked off at night, giving the Argentines the advantage of knowing where they stood in the group. This issue would arise again in Spain 1982, which prompted FIFA to change the rules so that the final two group games in subsequent World Cups would be played simultaneously.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
Argentina's controversial and favorable decisions in their matches have caused many to view their eventual win as illegitimate; many cite the political climate and worldwide pressure on the Argentine government as the reason for these decisions. Desperate to prove their stability and prominence to the world after their coup two years earlier, the government used whatever means necessary to ensure that the team would progress far in the tournament.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
Suspicions of match fixing arose even before the tournament began; Lajos Baróti, the head coach of Argentina's first opponents, Hungary, said that "everything, even the air, is in favor of Argentina". He also talked about the financial imperative to have Argentina win the World Cup: "The success of Argentina is financially so important to the tournament".


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
From Will Hersey's article "Remembering Argentina 1978: The Dirtiest World Cup of All Time":


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
The other teams in Argentina and Hungary's group were the much-fancied France and Italy, establishing the tournament's toughest qualifying section. After the victory against Hungary, one junta official remarked to Luque, that "this could turn out to be the group of death as far as you are concerned." It was delivered with a smile. "Uppermost in my mind was that earlier that day, the brother of a close friend of mine had disappeared", recalled Luque. "His body was later found by villagers on the banks of the River Plate with concrete attached to his legs. At that time, opponents of the regime were sometimes thrown out of aeroplanes into the sea."


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
In their second group stage game against France, Argentina were the beneficiaries of multiple favourable calls. After France was denied what looked to be a clear penalty in the first half, an anonymous French player claimed to have heard the referee tell Daniel Passarella (the player who committed the foul), "Don't do that again please, or I might have to actually give it next time."


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
Further accusations have surrounded the game Argentina and Peru played in the second round of the tournament. Argentina needed to win by a margin of four goals to proceed to the final and did so by defeating Peru by 6–0. There were claims that the authoritarian Argentine military government interfered to ensure Argentina would defeat Peru through intimidation, though these were denied by the Peruvian captain and several Peruvian players. Some accusations originated in the Brazilian media and pointed to the fact that the Peruvian goalkeeper had been born in Argentina.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
There was also an alleged deal, reported by the British media as an anonymous rumour, that involved the delivery of a large grain shipment to Peru by Argentina and the unfreezing of a Peruvian bank account that was held by the Argentine Central Bank. Another alleged deal, published by a Colombian drug lord in a controversial book, involved the Peruvian team being bribed without any political implications. A third alleged deal, claimed by a Peruvian leftist politician, encompassed sending 13 Peruvian dissidents exiled in Argentina back to Peru. On top of the contradictions between stories, no evidence is shown in any case.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
Three months before the World Cup, Argentina had beaten Peru 3–1 in Lima, their head-to-head record was 15–3 in favour of the hosting nation, and Peru had never beaten Argentina away from home. However, Peru had conceded only six goals in their previous five games in the World Cup. During the first half, Peru hit the post twice after two counters when the game was 0–0. Argentina managed to get 2–0 ahead before the end of the first 45 minutes. During the second half, Argentina was 4–0 ahead when Peru had another clear chance. Argentina kept attacking and scored twice more, making it 6–0 and surpassing the required margin.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Controversy
There was also some domestic controversy as well, as Argentine manager César Luis Menotti did not call up the then-17-year-old Argentinos Juniors local star Diego Maradona, for Menotti felt Maradona was too young to handle the pressures of such an important tournament on home soil and that the expectations of the team's performance would probably revolve around the Buenos Aires-born youngster. In addition, Maradona's usual position of number 10 (play-making attacking midfielder) was taken by Mario Kempes, who ended up as the Best Player and Top Goal Scorer.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Format
The format of the competition stayed the same as in 1974: 16 teams qualified, divided into four groups of four. Each group played a round-robin with two points for a win and one for a draw, and goal difference used to separate teams level on points. The top two teams in each group would advance to the second round, where they would be split into two groups of four. The winners of each group would play each other in the final, and the second-place finishers in the third place match.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, First round
The first round produced several surprises. Poland won Group 2 ahead of world champions West Germany, after holding the Germans to a goalless draw and then beating Tunisia and Mexico. The Germans then beat Mexico 6–0, and finally played out a second goalless draw against Tunisia. Although they failed to qualify for the second round, Tunisia made history by beating Mexico 3–1 while trailing 0–1 at half time. It was the first time that any African team had won a match at the World Cup finals.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, First round
Peru pushed the Netherlands into second place in Group 4, where Scotland missed out on goal difference for the second successive tournament. Teófilo Cubillas was outstanding for Peru, scoring twice against Scotland in Peru's 3–1 win and hitting a hat-trick in their 4–1 victory over newcomers Iran. Rob Rensenbrink of the Netherlands also scored three times against Iran, scoring all the goals as the Dutch won 3–0. Scotland drew with Iran 1–1 and the only highlight of their campaign was a 3–2 victory over the Netherlands in their final group game which was not enough to prevent elimination. Iran, the reigning Asian champions, went out of the tournament winless. Rensenbrink's goal against Scotland was the 1000th goal of World Cup history. Scotland's Willie Johnston was expelled from the World Cup after he was found to have taken a banned stimulant during the opening game against Peru.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, First round
The biggest surprise of all came in Group 3, where Austria finished ahead of Brazil. The Austrians beat Spain and Sweden, while Brazil were held to draws by the same two teams. The draw between Brazil and Sweden was especially controversial; Welsh referee Clive Thomas awarded Brazil a very late corner kick, and Zico directly headed the kick into the net; but Thomas blew for time before Zico made contact with the ball, and the goal was disallowed. The Brazilian players were not happy with the decision, but the final result remained a 1–1 draw.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, First round
Heading into their final group game, Brazil needed to beat Austria to be certain of advancing to the second round and managed a 1–0 win thanks to a goal from Roberto Dinamite. Brazil and Austria thus finished with the same number of points and the same goal difference, but Austria won the group by virtue of having scored more goals.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, First round
Group 1 had the strongest line-up of teams in the first round, featuring Italy, the host Argentina, France and Hungary. The two places in the second round were claimed before the final round of games, with Italy and Argentina both beating France and Hungary. The match between Italy and Argentina decided who topped the group, and a goal from Roberto Bettega midway through the second half was enough to give that honour to Italy. It also forced Argentina to move out of Buenos Aires and play in Rosario.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, First round
The 1978 World Cup marked the fourth and last occasion during which a national team did not wear its own kit to play a match (the first being in the 1934 World Cup third place match between Germany and Austria; the second in the 1950 World Cup first round match between Switzerland and Mexico and the third in the 1958 World Cup first round match between West Germany and Argentina). The incident happened during the game between France and Hungary. Both teams arrived at the venue with only their white change kits, resulting in a delayed kickoff while officials went in search of the jerseys of a local team from Mar del Plata, Club Atlético Kimberley; the jerseys had vertical green and white stripes and were worn by France.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, Second round
In the all-European Group A, the Netherlands got off to a flying start by thrashing Austria 5–1, Johnny Rep scoring two of their goals. In a rematch of the 1974 final, the Dutch then drew 2–2 with West Germany, who had previously shared a goalless game with Italy. The Italians beat Austria 1–0, and so the Netherlands faced Italy in their last group game knowing that the winners would reach the final.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, Second round
Ernie Brandts scored an 18th-minute own goal to put Italy ahead at half-time, but he made up for his mistake by scoring at the right end in the fifth minute of the second half. Arie Haan got the winner for the Dutch with 15 minutes remaining, and the Netherlands had reached their second successive World Cup Final. In the game known as the miracle of Cordoba, West Germany were surprisingly beaten by Austria 2–3 which marked their end as World Champions.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, Second round
Group B was essentially a battle between Argentina and Brazil, and it was resolved in controversial circumstances. In the first round of group games, Brazil beat Peru 3–0 while Argentina saw Poland off by a score of 2–0. Brazil and Argentina then played out a tense and violent goalless draw, so both teams went into the last round of matches with three points. Argentina delayed the kick-off of its last match to await the result of the Brazil-Poland encounter.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, Second round
Brazil won by a 3–1 score, meaning Argentina had to beat Peru by four clear goals to reach the final but they managed to do it. Trailing 2–0 at half-time, Peru simply collapsed in the second half, and Argentina eventually won 6–0. As previously noted, rumors suggested that Peru might have been bribed or threatened into allowing Argentina to win the match by such a large margin. However, nothing could be proved, and Argentina met the Netherlands in the final. Brazil took third place from an enterprising Italian side with Nelinho scoring a memorable goal, and were dubbed "moral champions" by coach Cláudio Coutinho, because they did not win the tournament, but did not lose a single match.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, Final
The final, Argentina vs Netherlands, was also controversial, as the Dutch accused the Argentines of using stalling tactics to delay the match. The host team came out late and questioned the legality of a plaster cast on René van de Kerkhof's wrist, which the Dutch claimed allowed tension to build in front of a hostile Buenos Aires crowd.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, Final
Mario Kempes opened the scoring for the hosts before Dick Nanninga equalized a few minutes from the end. Rob Rensenbrink had a glorious stoppage-time opportunity to win it for the Netherlands but his effort came back off the goal post. Argentina won the final 3–1 after extra time, after Daniel Bertoni scored and Kempes, who finished as the tournament's top scorer with six goals, added his second of the day. The Netherlands, because of the controversial game events, refused to attend the post-match ceremonies after the match ended.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Summary, Final
They had lost their second consecutive World Cup final, both times to the host nation, after losing to West Germany in 1974. Argentina won 5 games but became the first team to win the World Cup after failing to win two matches, where they had lost to Italy in the first round and drawn with Brazil in the second round. Four years later, Italy would win the next World Cup despite failing to win three games.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Mascot
The official mascot of this World Cup was Gauchito, a boy wearing an Argentina kit. His hat (with the words ARGENTINA '78), neckerchief, and whip are typical of gauchos.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Venues
In 1972, eight venues were preselected; six that were used for the finals, plus La Plata and Tucuman. La Plata, the city of the diagonals, promised a "one-of-a-kind stadium" but by 1974 it was scrapped by internal bids. The Estadio Ciudad de La Plata was finally completed in 2003. In the case of Tucuman, an ambitious stadium of 70,000 spectators had been promised in Horco Molle, similar to the current Racing Club de Avellaneda stadium, along with the roof.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Venues
The Tucuman venue was temporarily suspended in 1974 and was decommissioned the following year, given the intensity of the actions of the guerrillas and the Armed Forces in the province. Three new stadiums were built (Estadio Chateau Carreras in Córdoba; Estadio José María Minella in Mar del Plata; and Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza in Mendoza) and the other three were remodelled.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Venues
Of the six venues used, the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires was the largest and most used venue, hosting nine total matches, including the final. The Carreras Stadium in Cordoba hosted eight matches, the stadiums in Mendoza, Rosario and Mar del Plata each hosted six matches and José Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires hosted three matches — bringing the Argentine capital and largest city's total to 12 — nearly a third of all the matches played.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Venues
The Minella stadium in Mar del Plata was heavily criticized due to its terrible pitch, which was deemed "nearly unplayable"; whereas the Amalfitani stadium in Buenos Aires, which was refurbished with the completion of press boxes and another section of upper stands but was the least used stadium for the tournament, was praised for its very good pitch. Brazil was forced by tournament organizers to play all three of its first group matches in Mar del Plata; there had been rumors and allegations of the organizers deliberately sabotaging the Minella stadium's pitch to weaken Brazil's chances of success.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Squads
For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see 1978 FIFA World Cup squads.


1978 FIFA World Cup, Goalscorers
With six goals, Mario Kempes was the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 102 goals were scored by 62 players, with three of them credited as own goals.


1978 FIFA World Cup, FIFA retrospective ranking
In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition. The rankings for the 1978 tournament were as follows:


1978 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1978 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match played to determine the winner of the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The match was contested by hosts Argentina and the Netherlands, in the biggest stadium used in the tournament and in Argentina, the Estadio Monumental in the Argentine capital city of Buenos Aires. The match was won by the Argentine squad in extra time by a score of 3–1. Mario Kempes, who finished as the tournament's top scorer, was named the man of the match. The Netherlands lost their second World Cup final in a row, both times to the host nation, after losing to West Germany in 1974.


1978 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary
The start of the final was mired in controversy, as the Dutch accused the Argentines of using stalling tactics to delay the match, causing tension to build in front of a hostile Buenos Aires crowd. The host team eventually came out five minutes late after the audience was whipped into a frenzy.


1978 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary
The Argentines also questioned the legality of a plaster cast on René van de Kerkhof's wrist, despite him having worn it in earlier games without objections, causing the Dutch to threaten to walk off the pitch; the Italian referee, Sergio Gonella, upheld the complaints and forced Van de Kerkhof to apply extra bandage. In retaliation, the Netherlands team refused to attend the post-match ceremonies.


1978 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary
The match itself saw a number of fouls, and a hostile atmosphere. Ticker tape and confetti in the stadium worked its way onto the pitch. Mario Kempes scored the first goal of the match, slotting under Jan Jongbloed from 12 yards out. The Netherlands almost equalised when Rob Rensenbrink latched onto to a headed pass from René van de Kerkhof, but the shot was kept out by the boot of Ubaldo Fillol. The Dutch would eventually equalise when René van de Kerkhof's cross found substitute Dick Nanninga, who headed home the equaliser.


1978 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary
The Dutch could have won the game in the final minutes, when Rensenbrink latched onto a long ball poking a shot past Fillol, but the shot bounced off the post, and the match went to extra time. Kempes would net the eventual winner in the 105th minute after running into the box, evading two Dutch sliding tackles as he did so.


1978 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary
Kempes' shot was saved by Jongbloed and Kempes jumped to avoid him, but the ball bounced off of Jongbloed and hit Kempes twice, first in the knee, then in the foot, before bouncing of Jongbloed's head, all before Kempes had even landed. The ball bounced high in the air, and two Dutch defenders came rushing to clear the ball from the open goal. Although the goal was officially given to Kempes, the replay from behind the goal showed that the ball might have come off Wim Suurbier last.


1978 FIFA World Cup Final, Match, Summary
Daniel Bertoni sealed the game in the second half of extra time after Kempes made a long run into the box, and was tackled by a Dutch defender. The ball ricocheted several times before landing at the feet of Bertoni, who had a clear sight of goal inside the box. Jongbloed was unsighted by the ricochet, and was thus out of position, allowing Bertoni to slot in easily.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 1
Group 1 of the 1978 FIFA World Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The group's first round of matches began on 2 June and its last matches were played on 10 June. All six group matches were played either at Estadio José María Minella in Mar del Plata, or Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The group consisted of Argentina (the host of the tournament) as well as Italy, France and Hungary.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 1, Matches, Italy vs France
The first game in Group 1 pitted Italy against France. Italy were favored to win but had been victims of plenty of dull and unexciting performances leading up, while a rejuvenated French team were making their first appearance since the 1966 world cup. The first goal came with under a minute as goalkeeper Bertrand-Demanes passed the ball to Didier Six who ran down the entire length of the pitch before delivering a good cross that Bernard Lacombe headed past Dino Zoff to score the first goal of the tournament.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 1, Matches, Italy vs France
Italy controlled the rest of the match and equalized half way through the first half when after the ball pinged around the area it glanced off the unsuspecting Paolo Rossi and into the goal. It would be the first of 9 goals Rossi would score at the finals. Shortly after the beginning of the second half substitute Renato Zaccarelli's shot went in. The Italians saw out the rest of the match, which saw little chances except for Maxime Bossis's shot that flew just wide of Zoff's post. Despite it being an unremarkable match it featured the emergence of two teams that would dazzle the world four years later at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 1, Matches, Italy vs Hungary
Italy once again had an uncertain start against Hungary in their second group game and appeared nervy early on, and Hungary had several good chances to score. But just after the half-hour mark Paolo Rossi made it two goals in two games by firing home after a shot had deflected into his path. Just a minute later Roberto Bettega took advantage of some poor defending to make it two goals in two minutes. Mid way through the second half Romeo Benetti fired in a superb shot and Italy had the victory all but secure.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 1, Matches, Italy vs Hungary
It could have been so much more as the Italians hit the crossbar a total of three times in the game. Late on Hungary won a penalty kick, which was dispatched by substitute András Tóth but it was just consolation as Hungary were eliminated and Italy confirmed their spot in the second round.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 1, Matches, France vs Hungary
Both teams arrived to the match with white shirts, and France was forced to borrow green-striped shirts from local club Kimberley de Mar del Plata.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 2
Group 2 of the 1978 FIFA World Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The group consisted of Poland, West Germany, Tunisia and Mexico.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 3
Group 3 of the 1978 FIFA World Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The group consisted of Brazil, Austria, Spain and Sweden.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 3
In their first world cup since 1958, Austrian players retrieved a part of their past glory. They won the group before an astonished Brazil. "Auriverdes" who scored only two goals were thrilling until the end of the third game. An Austrian equalizer could send Spain to the next round.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 3
Finally, Brazilians clinched the second place to reach the second round where they had to play against the Argentinians hosts and Peruvians in a "Latin American coloured group".


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 3, Matches, Brazil vs Sweden
This match is remembered for Zico's disallowed goal during injury time of the second half. Welsh referee Clive Thomas whistled for full time while the ball was in the air after a corner kick, fractions of second before Zico's header. .


1978 FIFA World Cup Group 4
Group 4 of the 1978 FIFA World Cup began on 3 June and ended on 11 June 1978. The group consisted of Iran, Netherlands, Peru, and Scotland.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A
Group A of the 1978 FIFA World Cup was one of two groups of nations competing for the De facto semifinals  the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The group's first round of matches began on 14 June and its last matches were played on 21 June. All six group matches were played either at the Estadio Chateau Carreras in Córdoba, or the Estadio Monumental in the capital Buenos Aires. The group consisted of West Germany (the Defending Champions) as well as the Netherlands (the former runners up), Italy and Austria. The Netherlands advanced to the final match, and Italy advanced to the third place match.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Qualified teams
The winners of Group 1 and 3 and the runners-up of Group 2 and 4 qualified for Group A of the second round.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Austria vs Netherlands
After an unconvincing group stage performance the Netherlands knew they had to play better if they were to qualify for the finals, and took on surprise qualifiers Austria in their first game. They started well when an unmarked Ernie Brandts headed in Arie Haan's free kick. The Dutch then won a penalty kick after Gerhard Breitenberger fouled Wim Jansen and Rob Rensenbrink neatly scored. Rensenbrink then took advantage of some poor defending to provide assist for Johnny Rep to score on either side of half time.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Austria vs Netherlands
Austria which created several chances and were unlucky to score in the first half got one back in the eightieth minute when defender Erich Obermayer scored a brilliant lob over the Dutch goalkeeper for a goal. The Dutch weren't to be deterred as Rensenbrink provided yet another assist this time Willy van de Kerkhof to score just two minutes later.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Netherlands vs West Germany
This highly anticipated match was a repeat of the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final, with the Netherlands fielding six players who had played that day and West Germany four. The match official Ramón Barreto of Uruguay coincidentally had also been one of the linesmen at the 1974 final.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Netherlands vs West Germany
The 1974 final has started with the Dutch scoring within a two minutes, and in this game there was another early goal although it went the German's way. The Dutch goaltender Piet Schrijvers could only parry Rainer Bonhof's free kick right into the path of Rüdiger Abramczik who headed home. The Netherlands equalized around the thirty-minute mark when Arie Haan let fly from 35 yards and into the top corner.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Netherlands vs West Germany
Knowing a draw would be enough Netherlands refrained from taking chances in the second half. Against the run of play West Germany were awarded a soft free-kick, the Dutch were complaining with the referee and did not keep their concentration Erich Beer crossed for Dieter Müller to power in a header. The goal gave the Netherlands the momentum to score though and eight minutes from time René van de Kerkhof took a pass from his twin brother Willy, cut inside a defender and smashed home. There would be a few more chances as Johnny Rep hit the woodwork and Schrijvers was forced to save from Beer.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Netherlands vs West Germany
The end of the game ended in bizarre fashion, with substitute Dick Nanninga shown a yellow card for an off the ball incident and then seconds later referee Barreto showed the same player a red card for apparently laughing at the decision to give him a card. It took five minutes to restore order on the field as the bewildered Nanninga was led off.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Italy vs Netherlands
This match was a semifinal in all but name with the winner being assured a place in the final, although the Netherlands could advance with a draw and a Germany draw or loss. Italy started the positive and scored when Ernie Brandts in an attempt to stop Roberto Bettega only succeeded in putting the ball into his own net. The goal would have consequences for the Netherlands as Piet Schrijvers was injured on the play and had to be stretchered off for Jan Jongbloed. Italy dominated the remainder of the first half.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group A, Matches, Italy vs Netherlands
In a physical match Johnny Rep was cautioned for fouling Romeo Benetti, who was later to pick up a yellow card himself for fouling Rensenbrink, meaning the Italian defender would miss the match should Italy reach it. Early in the second half Arie Haan was cautioned for a challenge on Marco Tardelli who later also picked up a yellow card meaning he too would miss Italy's next match. Some felt that Antonio Cabrini's challenge on Haan many felt warranted a red card, not just a yellow. Shortly after half time Brandts, who earlier scored an own goal blasted home a shot to equalize. Then fourteen minutes from time Haan hit an audacious shot 30 yards out that went off Zoff's left post and into the net.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group B
Group B of the 1978 FIFA World Cup was one of two groups of nations competing for the de facto semi-finals of the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The group's first round of matches began on 14 June and its last matches were played on 21 June. All six group matches were played either at the Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza in Mendoza, or the Estadio Gigante de Arroyito in Rosario. The group consisted of Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Poland. Argentina advanced to the final match, and Brazil advanced to the third place match.


1978 FIFA World Cup Group B, Qualified teams
The winners of Group 2 and 4 and the runners-up of Group 1 and 3 qualified for Group B of the second round.


1978 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of 1978 FIFA World Cup was a single-elimination tournament involving the four teams that qualified from the second group stage of the tournament. There were two matches: a third place play-off contested by the group runners-up, and the final to decide the champions, contested by the group winners. The knockout stage began with the third place play-off on 24 June and ended with the final on 25 June 1978, both at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Argentina won the tournament with a 3–1 victory over the Netherlands.


1978 FIFA World Cup knockout stage, Qualified teams
The top two placed teams from each of the two groups of the second round qualified for the knockout stage.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 107 teams entered the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, which began with the preliminary qualification draw on 20 November 1975 at Guatemala City. Argentina, as the hosts, and West Germany, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 16 places would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 95 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 252 qualifying matches were played, and 723 goals were scored (an average of 2.87 per match).


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, Continental Zones
To see the dates and results of the qualification rounds for each continental zone, click on the following articles:


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, South America, CONMEBOL Final round
Brazil and Peru qualified. Bolivia advanced to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, Inter-confederation play-offs: UEFA v CONMEBOL
The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, Qualified teams
The following 16 teams qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup:


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, Qualified teams
5 of the 16 teams subsequently failed to qualify for the 1982 finals: Iran, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian and Oceanian zone (AFC and OFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)
A total of 21 AFC and OFC teams and Israel entered the competition. However, South Vietnam could not compete after being annexed by Vietnam. The Asian zone was allocated 1 place (out of 16) in the final tournament.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC), First round, Group 1
Hong Kong and Singapore finished in the top two places, and a play-off was played to decide who would advance to the Final Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African zone (CAF). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
A total of 26 CAF teams entered the competition. The African Zone was allocated 1 place (out of 16) in the final tournament.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Preliminary round
Sierra Leone won 6–3 on agg. and advanced to the First Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Preliminary round
Upper Volta won 3–1 on agg. and advanced to the First Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Algeria won 1–0 on agg. and advanced to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
The aggregate score was tied 2–2, but Tunisia won 4–2 on penalties in the second leg to advance to the Second Round. This was the first penalty shootout in a World Cup match.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Togo won 2–1 on agg. and advanced to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
The aggregate score was tied 3–3, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Nigeria won 6–2 on agg. and advanced to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Congo-Brazzaville won 4–2 on agg. and advanced to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Côte d'Ivoire won 3–1 on agg. and advanced to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Egypt won 5–1 on agg. and advanced to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Zambia won 5–0 on agg. and advanced to the Second Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Central African Republic withdrew, so Zaire advanced to the Second Round automatically.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Sudan withdrew, so Kenya advanced to the Second Round automatically.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), First round
Tanzania withdrew, so Uganda advanced to the Second Round automatically.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Second round
Tunisia won 3–1 on agg. and advanced to the Third Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Second round
Guinea won 4–1 on agg. and advanced to the Third Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Second round
Ivory Coast won 6–3 on agg. and advanced to the Third Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Second round
Egypt won 1–0 on agg. and advanced to the Third Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Second round
Zambia won 4–3 on agg. and advanced to the Third Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Second round
Zaire withdrew, so Nigeria advanced to the Third Round automatically.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Third round
Tunisia won 3–2 on agg. and advanced to the Final Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Third round
Nigeria won 6–2 on agg. and advanced to the Final Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF), Third round
Egypt won 2–0 on agg. and advanced to the Final Round.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the South American Zone (CONMEBOL). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
A total of 10 CONMEBOL teams entered the competition. The South American zone was allocated 3.5 places (out of 16) in the final tournament. Argentina, the hosts, qualified automatically, leaving 2.5 spots open for competition between 9 teams.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL), Final round
Brazil and Peru qualified. Bolivia advanced to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the qualification to the 1978 FIFA World Cup rounds for the European zone (UEFA) in association football. For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
A total of 32 UEFA teams entered the competition. The European zone was allocated 9.5 places (out of 16) in the final tournament. West Germany, the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 8.5 spots open for competition between 31 teams.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The 31 teams were divided into 9 groups of 3 or 4 teams each (five groups with 3 teams and four groups with 4 teams). The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winners of groups 1 to 8 would qualify, the winner of group 9 would advance to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), Summary
Below is a table containing all nine qualifying groups. Teams that qualified and secured a place in the final tournament are highlighted in green, while teams who were eliminated are highlighted in red. The team that secured a place in the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off is highlighted in blue. Teams are ordered by final group position.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA–CONMEBOL play-off)
The 1978 FIFA World Cup UEFA–CONMEBOL qualification play-off was a two-legged home-and-away tie between the winners of UEFA Group 9, Hungary, and the last-placed team of the CONMEBOL final round, Bolivia. The matches were played on 29 October and 30 November 1977 in Budapest and La Paz, respectively.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA–CONMEBOL play-off)
After beating Bolivia in both matches (6–0 and 3–2), Hungary won 4–0 on points (9–2 on aggregate) and therefore qualified for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. It was Bolivia's closest attempt to qualify for the World Cup, until the country secured a place sixteen years later.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1
Group 1 consisted of four of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Cyprus, Denmark, Poland, and Portugal. These four teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2
Group 2 consisted of four of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: England, Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg. These four teams competed on a home-and-away basis for one of the 8.5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming the spot.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3
Group 3 consisted of four of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Austria, East Germany, Malta, and Turkey. These four teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4
Group 4 consisted of four of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Belgium, Iceland, Netherlands, and Northern Ireland. These four teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5
Group 5 consisted of three of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Bulgaria, France, and Republic of Ireland. These three teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6
Group 6 consisted of three of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. These three teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7
Group 7 consisted of three of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Czechoslovakia, Scotland, and Wales. These three teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8
Group 8 consisted of three of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Romania, Spain, and Yugoslavia. These three teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9
Group 9 consisted of three of the 32 teams entered into the European zone: Greece, Hungary, and Soviet Union. These three teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 8,5 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner claiming those spots.


1978 FIFA World Cup squads
Below are the squads for the 1978 FIFA World Cup final tournament in Argentina.


1978 FIFA World Cup squads, Group 1, Argentina
Note that this squad is numbered alphabetically by surname, unlike traditional numbering systems where the goalkeeper has shirt number 1 and so forth.


1978 FIFA World Cup squads, Group 4, Netherlands
Jan Jongbloed wore number 8 because some of the players who had been in the Dutch squad at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, where the Netherlands used a purely alphabetical numbering system, were given the same numbers again in 1978. Hugo Hovenkamp withdrew from the squad before the tournament began, but after the deadline for naming replacement players had passed. The Netherlands thus went to the World Cup with only 21 players.


1978 FIFA World Cup squads, Notes
Each national team had to submit a squad of 22 players. All the teams included 3 goalkeepers, except Mexico who only called two.


1978 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup
The 1978 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup was held in São Paulo, Brazil in 1978.


1978 FIM Motocross World Championship
The 1978 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 22nd F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.


1978 FIM Motocross World Championship, Summary
Heikki Mikkola successfully defended his 500cc world championship for Yamaha, finishing ahead of Honda's Brad Lackey. Mikkola dominated the season with 14 moto victories in 24 outings. Roger De Coster had a serious accident during pre-season training and ended up having his spleen removed but, recovered to finish the season in third place.


1978 FIM Motocross World Championship, Summary
Guennady Moisseev was also successful in defending his 250cc title despite a strong challenge from Kawasaki's Torleif Hansen. In the 125cc championship, Akira Watanabe ended the three-year reign of his Suzuki teammate, Gaston Rahier. Watanabe's championship marks the first and only motocross world championship for a Japanese competitor. Gérard Rond won four Grand Prix overall victories for Yamaha and finished in third place, one point behind Rahier.


1978 FIM World Motorcycle Trials Season
The 1978 World trials season consisted of twelve trials events. It began on 11 February, with round one in Newtownards, Ireland and ended with round twelve in Ricany, Czechoslovakia on 24 September.


1978 FIM World Motorcycle Trials Season, Season summary
Yrjo Vesterinen would claim his third World trials championship in 1978, repeating his 1976 and 1977 titles.


1978 FIM World Motorcycle Trials Season, 1978 World trials season calendar, Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top ten finishers. All twelve rounds counted for the World Trials class.


1978 FISA Lightweight Championships
The 1978 FISA Lightweight Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark from 3 to 6 August 1978. In the history of the World Rowing Championships, 1978 was the only year when the lightweight rowing championships were not held in conjunction with the open men and women event. (Other years in which championships were held separately for lightweights were Olympic years, in which there were no openweight World Championships.) The lightweight finals were raced on 6 August. The event was held at Lake Bagsværd. In 1978, a fourth boat class was added to the event: Lightweight double scull.


1978 FISA Lightweight Championships
Later in 1978, the open event went to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time and was held at Lake Karapiro near Cambridge, New Zealand.


1978 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship
The 1978 FIVB Men's World Championship was the ninth edition of the tournament, organised by the world's governing body, the FIVB. It was held from 20 September 1 to October 1978 in Italy.


1978 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, Results, Second round
The results and the points of the matches between the same teams that were already played during the first round are taken into account for the second round.


1978 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship
The 1978 FIVB Women's World Championship was the eighth edition of the tournament, organised by the world's governing body, the FIVB. It was held from 25 August to 7 September 1978 in the Soviet Union.


1978 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Format
The tournament was played in three different stages (first, second and final rounds). In the First round, the 23 participants were divided in six groups (A to F, five groups of four teams and one group of three teams). A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams group position, all teams progressed to the next round.


1978 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Format
In the Second round, four new groups were created, two groups of six teams playing for 1st-12th (G and H) and two groups (one of six teams and one of five teams) playing for 13th-23rd (I and L), teams were allocated to a group according to their First round group position (best two teams of each group going to 1st-12th groups and the remaining teams to 13th-23rd groups). A single round-robin format was played within each group to determine the teams group position, matches already played between teams in the First round also counted in this round, all teams progressed to the next round.


1978 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Format
In the Final round, teams were allocated to a semifinal for placements according to their Second round group position (groups G and H best two teams to 1st-4th, third and fourth to 5th-8th, fifth and sixth to 9th-12th while groups I and L best two teams to 13th-16th, third and fourth to 16th-20th, fifth and sixth to 21st-23rd). Winners and losers of all semifinals played a last match for final standings places.


1978 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Results, Second round
The results and the points of the matches between the same teams that were already played during the first round are taken into account for the second round.


1978 Family Circle Cup
The 1978 Family Circle Cup was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in the United States. The event was part of the AAA category of the 1978 Colgate Series. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from April 10 through April 16, 1978. Second-seeded Chris Evert won the singles title and earned $26,000 first-prize money.


1978 Family Circle Cup, Finals, Doubles
Billie Jean King /  Martina Navratilova defeated  Mona Guerrant /  Greer Stevens 6–3, 7–5


1978 Faroese general election
General elections were held in the Faroe Islands on 7 November 1978. The Social Democratic Party and the Union Party emerged as the largest parties, each winning eight of the 32 seats in the Løgting. Two of the 32 elected members were women, and this was the first time ever that women were elected members of the Løgting. The women were Karin Kjølbro (Republican Party) and Jona Henriksen (Social Democratic Party), both from South Streymoy.


1978 Federation Cup (tennis)
The 1978 Federation Cup was the 16th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis. The tournament was held at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne, Australia, from 27 November – 3 December. The United States won their third consecutive title, defeating Australia in their eighth final.


1978 Federation Cup (tennis), Main draw
All ties were played at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne, Australia, on grass courts.


1978 Fiesta Bowl
The 1978 Fiesta Bowl was the eighth edition of the college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona on Monday, December 25. Part of the 1978–79 bowl game season, it matched the eighth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southwest Conference (SWC), and the #15 UCLA Bruins from the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). The game ended in a 10–10 tie before 55,227 spectators.


1978 Fiesta Bowl
This was the third of four consecutive Fiesta Bowls played on Christmas Day, and was the first without a team from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), whose champion played in the new Holiday Bowl in San Diego.


1978 Fiesta Bowl, Teams, Arkansas
With a win over Texas A&M, Arkansas clinched a Fiesta Bowl berth. Entering the game, Arkansas had come off a 49–7 win over Texas Tech, and was 10–2 overall. The Razorbacks began the season at #2 in the AP poll, but consecutive losses at Texas and at Houston dropped the Razorbacks from SWC title contention. Ron Calcagni led the team at quarterback, while Ben Cowins was the leading rusher for the Hogs. Bruins head coach Terry Donahue said before the game that the UCLA defense would try to slow down an Arkansas rushing attack that "couldn't be stopped."


1978 Fiesta Bowl, Teams, UCLA
The Bruins had been upset at Kansas in September, then won six straight to improve to 8–1. They dropped their final two games, at Oregon State, and to rival USC.


1978 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
Now televised by NBC, the game kicked off on Christmas Day shortly after 1:30 p.m. MST. The Peach Bowl was played earlier in the day on CBS. The NBC telecast was most noted for sideline reporter Mike Haffner inadvertently capturing on his live microphone a two‐word expletive uttered by Terry Donahue who was voicing his disapproval over a Bruins interception being nullified due to a penalty. Ironically Haffner and Donohue were roommates at UCLA.


1978 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
After a scoreless first quarter, Jim Howard sacked UCLA quarterback Steve Bukich, who fumbled, and Arkansas recovered at the UCLA 37. Roland Sales punched it in from four yards out to give the Hogs a 7–0 advantage. The Razorbacks added a field goal from Ish Ordonez, stretching the lead to ten points at halftime.


1978 Fiesta Bowl, Game summary
UCLA took the second half kickoff and drove it for a field goal from Peter Boermaester. Down 10–3, UCLA was set to field a Razorback punt in the fourth quarter. An interference penalty added yardage, giving the Bruins the football at midfield. Severne Reece caught a Bukich pass at the Arkansas 14, and Bukich ran it in on the following play. The Bruins opted not to attempt a two-point conversion, made the kick, and the game was tied at 10–10 with 8:32 remaining. Neither team could get the ball past midfield again, and the tie stood.


1978 Fife Regional Council election
The second election to Fife Regional Council was held on 2 May 1978 as part of the wider 1978 Scottish regional elections. The election saw Labour maintaining their control of the region's 42 seat council.


1978 Filmanbank season
The 1978 Filmanbank season was the first season of the Filmanbank franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


1978 Filmanbank season, New team
Newcomer Filipinas Manufacturers Bank, controlled by auto magnate Ricardo Silverio,  bought the rights of the defunct Seven-Up ballclub to play in the professional league and had employed the core of the Uncolas team led by Larry Mumar, Jimmy Mariano, Jacinto Chua and Roberto Salonga and piloted by coach Lauro Mumar. Though the new ballclub to be known as "Filmanbank" sold Danny Florencio to Toyota, it bought the services of American Billy Robinson and sweet-shooting Jun Papa. The new team has also recruited Angelito Ladores, once the MICAA's top scorer from L.R.Villar.


1978 Filmanbank season, Finals stint
In their very first conference, the Bankers managed to win only two games in the first round of eliminations due to its incomplete lineup and landed second to last with a 2-5 won-loss slate. But the Filmanbank five forced a three-way tie for 3rd and 4th qualifying seats in the semifinals with Tanduay and U-Tex. They knock the Wranglers en route to the next round. As the semifinals commenced, Filmanbank further rocked PBA tradition by scoring upsets and surprisingly became the first qualifier in the finals while on the same night, Toyota ousted defending champion Crispa to arranged a confrontation with its sister club.


1978 Filmanbank season, Finals stint
A cinderella finish was in the making but the favored Tamaraws scored two consecutive victories. Filmanbank came in strong in the third game to extend the series to a fourth meeting. In the final championship game, Toyota was just too much as the Bankers were not able to match the speed and scoring of the Tamaraws. Billy Robinson was the biggest factor in Filmanbank's impressive second-place finish while Larry Mumar and Jun Papa had their share of the glory.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash
The Finnish Air Force DC-3 disaster occurred when a plane of this class crashed into Lake Juurusvesi in Rissala on 3 October 1978, killing all fifteen people on board. It was caused by a cracked exhaust valve, resulting from metal fatigue in an engine cylinder. Most of the victims were politicians and prominent businessmen attending a National Defence Course meeting organized by the Finnish Defence Forces.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash, Incident
After the airplane departed Kuopio Airport at 21:31 local time, one of its engines lost power. The pilot attempted to return to the airport, but during the turn, the aircraft lost altitude and impacted Lake Juurusvesi. This happened only seconds after the pilot, Kari Halmetoja, had informed the flight control about the problem. The weather was very windy at the time.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash, Aircraft
The aircraft destroyed, with Finnish Air Force serial number DO-10, was originally a Douglas C-47A-1-DK transport aircraft, USAAF serial number 42-92268. Built by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation in Oklahoma City in 1943, it initially served in the CBI theatre in World War II, and was transferred to the RAF in January 1944 with  serial number FL626. Aero purchased the aircraft in September 1955, and it was converted into a cargo plane in 1961. It was sold to the Finnish Air Force in 1970 and served as a paratrooper transport plane. It also participated in filming the motion picture A Bridge Too Far in 1976.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash, Investigation
The primary cause of the accident was found to be mechanical failure resulting from a fatigue breakdown in one of the cylinders of the right-side engine, which resulted in cracking of an exhaust valve. The airplane had been maintained and was checked the previous day, but the crack would only have been visible by partially disassembling the engine.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash, Investigation
There was no flight recorder on board so no technical investigation of the pilots' actions could be made, but the official investigation determined that the pilot had likely turned too steeply because it should be possible to bring a plane of this type back with just one engine. The investigation board also speculated that the attention of the crew was concentrated on the engine failure instead of flying with one engine, possibly due to carrying out engine fire drills.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash, Aftermath
The accident hastened by two years the replacement of the aging DC-3 fleet of the Finnish Air Force with Fokker F.27s. Air force and Finnair pilots were also given more training for emergency situations and flying in challenging wind conditions.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash, Aftermath
A memorial was later erected at Utti Airport, where the fateful flight originally took off.


1978 Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash, Aftermath
Tarja Halonen, the future President of Finland, then lawyer for the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, would have been a passenger on the flight had her doctor not advised her not to fly, due to her late-stage pregnancy. MP Kirsti Hollming on the other hand was not supposed to be on the plane, but a speech she held in Kuopio was delayed and she was offered an opportunity to take the flight home.


1978 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1978 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix was the ninth round of the 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on 30 July 1978 at the Imatra circuit.


1978 Finnish presidential election
Two-stage presidential elections were held in Finland in 1978, the first since 1968 after Urho Kekkonen's term was extended by four years by Parliament. The public elected presidential electors to an electoral college on 15 and 16 January. They in turn elected the President. The result was a victory for Urho Kekkonen, who won on the first ballot. The turnout for the popular vote was 64.3. Kekkonen had in the spring of 1975 agreed to become the Social Democratic presidential candidate, and after that all the major Finnish political parties chose him as their candidate. Kekkonen's opponents, such as the Christian League's presidential candidate Raino Westerholm, claimed that Kekkonen's long presidency weakened the Finnish democracy. Over one-third of the Finnish voters abstained from voting, partly as a protest against Kekkonen's expected landslide victory.


1978 Finnish presidential election
The 77-year-old President Kekkonen's health was already declining, although this fact was not easily noticeable in his public appearances.


1978 Fischer-Grand Prix
The 1978 Fischer-Grand Prix was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria that was part of the 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and was held form 23 October until 29 October 1978. Stan Smith won the singles title.


1978 Fischer-Grand Prix, Finals, Doubles
Victor Pecci /  Balázs Taróczy defeated  Bob Hewitt /  Frew McMillan 6–3, 6–7, 6–4


1978 Fischer-Grand Prix – Doubles
Bob Hewitt and Frew McMillan were the defending champions but lost in the final 6–3, 6–7, 6–4 to Victor Pecci and Balázs Taróczy.


1978 Fischer-Grand Prix – Singles
Brian Gottfried was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Johan Kriek.


1978 Fischer-Grand Prix – Singles
Stan Smith won in the final 4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–3 against Balázs Taróczy.


1978 Five Nations Championship
The 1978 Five Nations Championship was the forty-ninth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 21 January and 18 March. The tournament was contested by England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The championship was won by Wales, their twentieth outright win in the competition. The Welsh had shared another nine titles with other teams.


1978 Five Nations Championship
Having won all four of their games, Wales also won the Grand Slam for a record eighth time - Wales had formerly shared the record of seven with England. Victories over England, Ireland and Scotland (the Home Nations), also meant Wales won the Triple Crown for the third consecutive time, a record, given no other team had ever won the Triple Crown more than twice in a row. It was Wales' fifteenth in total, also a record, surpassing the fourteen won by England.


1978 Five Nations Championship
The tournament was the first Five Nations Championship in which two teams each with three victories faced off against each other in the final round of matches, with both capable of completing a Grand Slam with a victory.


1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team
The 1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Rattlers had an overall record of 12–1 and were the Division I-AA national champions.


1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team
The Rattlers were led by fifth year head coach Rudy Hubbard; they played some home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium on their own campus, and other home games at the larger Doak Campbell Stadium on the campus of Florida State University. They finished their regular season with a 9–1 record, including a win over Bethune–Cookman in the Florida Classic rivalry game. The Rattlers then beat Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic to secure a spot in the I-AA playoffs. In the playoffs, the Rattlers won on the road against Jackson State, then beat UMass in the championship game, the Pioneer Bowl played in Wichita Falls, Texas.


1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team
In 1978, Florida A&M was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division II conference. The university had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978. The Rattlers captured the SIAC title in 1978, going undefeated in five conference games. This was the Rattlers' last season as a member of SIAC, as they would join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) the following year.


1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team
Statistical leaders for the season included Ike Williams (1274 yards rushing), Albert Chester (1088 yards passing), Chris Douglas (228 yards receiving), and Mike Solomon (12 touchdowns). A notable member of the team was placekicker Vince Coleman, who would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, well known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals.


1978 Florida Federal Open
The 1978 Florida Federal Open was a women's singles tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at East Lake Woodlands Country Club in Oldsmar, Florida in the United States. The event was part of the AA category of the 1978 Colgate Series. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from November  6 through November 12, 1978. Third-seeded Virginia Wade won the title and earned $14,000 first-prize money.


1978 Florida Federal Open, Finals, Doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Anne Smith defeated  Kerry Reid /  Wendy Turnbull 7–6(7–4), 6–3


1978 Florida Gators football team
The 1978 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season was Doug Dickey's ninth and last year as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The 1978 Florida Gators finished with a 4–7 overall record and a 3–3 Southeastern Conference (SEC) record, tying for fourth among ten SEC teams.


1978 Florida Gators football team
After a disappointing 1977 season, Dickey had been under pressure to shake up his coaching staff, and he decided to abandon the run-oriented wishbone offense his teams had used for several seasons in favor of a more pro-style system. Former Florida quarterback Steve Spurrier, who had lived in Gainesville since wrapping up his NFL career in 1976, was tapped by Dickey to be the Gators' quarterback coach, his first coaching job.


1978 Florida Gators football team
However, without the proper talent to run the new scheme, Florida's 1978 scoring output was almost identical to 1977's output – about 22 points per game. Florida struggled with consistency, never winning consecutive games, losing to traditional rivals Georgia and Florida State, and enduring their first losing season since 1971. Days before the final game, Dickey (along with Spurrier and the rest of the coaching staff) were told by University of Florida president Robert Q. Marston that they would be let go after the season. Days after the season finale, Florida announced that Clemson coach Charlie Pell had been hired to coach the Gators.


1978 Florida Gators football team, Postseason
After leaving Florida, Dickey went into private business for several years before becoming the athletic director of the University of Tennessee's Volunteers sports program in 1985. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2003. After a dozen years spent as an offensive assistant and head coach in college football and the USFL, Spurrier would return to become Florida's head coach in 1990.


1978 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 1978 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Bobby Bowden and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium.


1978 Florida gubernatorial election
The 1978 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1978. Democratic nominee Bob Graham was elected, defeating Republican nominee Jack Eckerd with 55.59% of the vote.


1978 Florida gubernatorial election, Primary elections
Primary elections were held on September 12, 1978. The Democratic runoff was held on October 5, 1978.


1978 Florida gubernatorial election, Primary elections, Democratic primary, Candidates
Seven tickets ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Florida.


1978 Florida gubernatorial election, Primary elections, Democratic primary, Candidates
Jim Williams, the lieutenant governor, ran for governor with former state Senator Betty Castor of Florida, as his running mate. Hans G. Tanzler, the mayor of Jacksonville, ran with Manuel "Manolo" Arques, a Cuban-American real estate and insurance executive from Miami. State Secretary of State Bruce Smathers (who resigned to run) ran with state Representative Charles W. Boyd.


1978 Florida gubernatorial election, Primary elections, Democratic primary, Candidates
Claude R. Kirk Jr. of Palm Beach, who was the Republican governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971, returned to the party he left 28 years prior, switching his party affiliation to Democratic on July 5, 1978 (the month prior re-registering as an independent and launching an abortive signature drive to get on the ballot as an independent. He chose as his running mate Mary L. Singleton, the former director of the state Division of Elections and the first black woman to sit on the Jacksonville City Council.


1978 Florida state elections, Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Seven tickets ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Florida.


1978 Florida state elections, Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Jim Williams, the lieutenant governor, ran for governor with former state Senator Betty Castor of Florida, as his running mate. Hans G. Tanzler, the mayor of Jacksonville, ran with Manuel "Manolo" Arques, a Cuban-American real estate and insurance executive from Miami. State Secretary of State Bruce Smathers (who resigned to run) ran with state Representative Charles W. Boyd.


1978 Florida state elections, Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Claude R. Kirk, Jr. of Palm Beach, who was the Republican governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971, returned to the party he left 28 years prior, switching his party affiliation to Democratic on July 5, 1978 (the month prior re-registering as an independent and launching an abortive signature drive to get on the ballot as an independent. He chose as his running mate Mary L. Singleton, the former director of the state Division of Elections and the first black woman to sit on the Jacksonville City Council.


1978 Florida state elections, Constitutional Amendments
Legislative [Single-Member Districts and Reapportionment Commission] (rev. Art. III, Sec. 16)


1978 Florida state elections, Constitutional Amendments
Executive [Cabinet] (rev. Art. IV, Secs. (g) 3, 4, 5, 6, 8(a); Art. XI, Sec. 2)


1978 Florida state elections, Constitutional Amendments
Executive [Public Service Commission and Public Counsel] (rev. Art. IV, Sec. 10; Art. V, Sec. 3(b)(3))


1978 Florida state elections, Constitutional Amendments
Judiciary [Selection and retention of circuit and county judges] (rev. Art. V, Secs. 10 and 11 (a) and (b))


1978 Florida state elections, Constitutional Amendments
Finance and Taxation (rev. Art. VII; Art. X, Sec. 12(h))


1978 Florida state elections, District Court of Appeal
Shall Judge Woodrow M. Melvin, Sr. be retained in office?


1978 Florida state elections, District Court of Appeal
Shall Judge Paul W. Danahy, Jr. be retained in office?


1978 Florida state elections, District Court of Appeal
Shall Judge Thomas H. Barkdull, Jr. be retained in office?


1978 Florida state elections, District Court of Appeal
Shall Judge John H. Moore, II be retained in office?


1978 Football League Cup Final
The 1978 Football League Cup Final was the eighteenth League Cup final, and was contested between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The initial match resulted in a 0–0 draw at Wembley Stadium on 18 March 1978. The replay was four days later at Old Trafford, and saw John Robertson score from the penalty spot after a professional foul by Phil Thompson on John O'Hare, which TV replays confirmed was just outside the penalty area. This was enough to win the cup for Forest, who thus became the first club to achieve a League and League Cup double.


1978 Football League Cup Final
In the latter game, one of his last for Liverpool, stalwart Ian Callaghan received the only booking of his long career with the club.


1978 Football League Cup Final, Match details
Team:1  Chris Woods (GK)2  Viv Anderson3  Frank Clark4  John McGovern (c)5  Larry Lloyd6  Kenny Burns7  Martin O'Neill8  Ian Bowyer9  Peter Withe10  Tony Woodcock11  John RobertsonSubstitute:12  John O'Hare


1978 Football League Cup Final, Match details
Match rules:90 minutes.30 minutes extra-time if necessary. Match replayed if scores still level. One named substitute.


1978 Football League Cup Final, Match details
Team:1  Ray Clemence (GK)2  Phil Neal3  Tommy Smith4  Phil Thompson5  Ray Kennedy  91'6  Emlyn Hughes (c)7   Kenny Dalglish8  Jimmy Case9  Steve Heighway10  Terry McDermott11  Ian CallaghanSubstitute:12  David Fairclough  91'


1978 Football League Cup Final, Replay
Team:1  Chris Woods (GK)2  Viv Anderson3  Frank Clark4  John O'Hare5  Larry Lloyd6  Kenny Burns (c)7   Martin O'Neill8  Ian Bowyer9  Peter Withe10  Tony Woodcock11  John RobertsonSubstitute12  Steve Elliott


1978 Football League Cup Final, Replay
Match rules:90 minutes.30 minutes extra-time if necessary. Match replayed if scores still level. One named substitute.


1978 Football League Cup Final, Replay
Team:1  Ray Clemence (GK)2  Phil Neal3  Tommy Smith4  Phil Thompson5  Ray Kennedy6  Emlyn Hughes (c)7   Kenny Dalglish8  Jimmy Case  64'9  Steve Heighway10  Terry McDermott11  Ian CallaghanSubstitute12  David Fairclough  64'


1978 Football League Cup Final, Road to Wembley, Nottingham Forest
Forest's route to the final included victories over First Division teams West Ham United, Aston Villa and Leeds United (beating the latter 7–3 on aggregate in the semi-final). They also beat neighbours Notts County.


1978 Football League Cup Final, Road to Wembley, Liverpool
Liverpool were drawn at home to First Division teams in their first 3 rounds. They defeated Chelsea by 2 goals to nil in round 2, and Derby County by the same scoreline in round 3. They then drew 2-2 at home in round four against Coventry City, before winning the replay 2-0 at Highfield Road. They then beat Third Division Wrexham 3-1 in the quarter-final at The Racecourse Ground, before edging out Arsenal in a two-legged semi-final, which saw Liverpool winning 2-1 at Anfield and drawing 0-0 at Highbury.


1978 Formula 750 season
The 1978 Formula 750 season was the sixth season of the FIM Formula 750 World Championship and the second season to have full world championship status. Despite Kenny Roberts being the racer with most wins on aggregate, Johnny Cecotto was crowned champion after finishing seven races among the top three.


1978 Formula Atlantic season
The 1978 Formula Atlantic Labatts Championship Series season was contested over 7 rounds. In this one-make engine formula all drivers had to utilize Ford engines.


1978 Formula Atlantic season, Final points standings, Driver
For every race the points were awarded: 30 points to the winner, 24 for runner-up, 19 for third place, 15 for fourth place, 12 for fifth place, 10 for sixth place, 9 seventh place, winding down to 1 point for 15th place. No additional points were awarded. All results count.


1978 Formula One season
The 1978 Formula One season was the 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors, contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on 15 January and ended on 8 October. The season also included the non-championship BRDC International Trophy.


1978 Formula One season
Mario Andretti won the Drivers' World Championship. He remains the last American driver to win the World Championship, and his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix is also the last for an American driver. Ronnie Peterson was awarded second place in the Drivers' standings posthumously, having died from medical complications after an accident at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. JPS-Lotus was awarded the International Cup for F1 Constructors.


1978 Formula One season
Championship defendants Niki Lauda and Ferrari had parted ways late in 1977 and both parties struggled to repeat the successes they had enjoyed the previous seasons. Carlos Reutemann finished third in the championship in the lead Ferrari, whilst Lauda finished fourth with Brabham. Apart from Peterson's death the year saw another tragedy when Peterson's Swedish compatriot Gunnar Nilsson died from cancer having been forced to cut his career short after the previous season because of the disease.


1978 Formula One season, Drivers and constructors
The following drivers and constructors contested the  1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors.


1978 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Brazilian Grand Prix was moved from Autodromo de Interlagos to Jacarepaguá for 1978.


1978 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Spanish Grand Prix was moved from early May to early June.


1978 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The French Grand Prix was moved from Dijon-Prenois to Paul Ricard Circuit, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.


1978 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits.


1978 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Canadian Grand Prix was moved from Mosport Park to the Île Notre-Dame Circuit because of track safety and organization problems with the hilly and scenic Mosport Park track.


1978 Formula One season, Calendar, Calendar changes
The Japanese Grand Prix was originally scheduled on 16 April at Fuji Speedway but it was cancelled for unknown reasons.


1978 Formula One season, Season report
The 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors were contested concurrently over a sixteen race series.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 1: Argentina
The 1978 season started at the varied Parque Almirante Brown circuit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Mario Andretti took pole in his Lotus, with home favourite Carlos Reutemann's Ferrari joining him on the front row and Ronnie Peterson in the other Lotus third on the grid. The start was uneventful, with Andretti and Reutemann easily keeping first and second, with John Watson in the Brabham taking third from Peterson. Watson took second from Reutemann on the seventh lap, but Andretti was uncatchable.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 1: Argentina
Reutemann ran third for a while, but then began to drop down the order due to tire problems, and so reigning world champion Niki Lauda took third in his Brabham, which became second with ten laps left when Watson's engine blew up. Andretti motored on to a crushing victory, with Lauda second and Patrick Depailler's Tyrrell taking the final spot on the podium. This had been an unusual Argentine Grand Prix- although the summer weather had been usually hot (although not as hot as the previous year), the attrition rate hadn't been as high, nor had the polesitter retired.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 2: Brazil
Brazil was the country where the drivers traveled to for the second round of the season, and Formula One made its first visit to the new Jacarepagua Autodrome in Rio de Janeiro, after 6 years at the very bumpy and demanding Interlagos circuit in São Paulo – the Jacarepagua circuit was one that was to be visited by Formula One for the rest of the next decade. The typically extreme weather during January in Rio meant that this race was run in oppressively hot and humid conditions. Peterson took pole with James Hunt driving for McLaren beating Andretti to second.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 2: Brazil
At the start, it was Reutemann who beat the trio into the first corner, with Hunt and Andretti following, as Peterson got a bad start. Hunt ran second until he had to pit for tyres, as a result Andretti took the place until late in the race when he suffered gearbox issues, which handed second to Fittipaldi and third to Lauda. Hunt eventually spun out of the race after being caught out by the hot and humid conditions on lap 26, as did Tambay on lap 35 and Villeneuve one lap later.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 2: Brazil
Reutemann was never headed at the front and went to win comfortably, with double world champion Emerson Fittipaldi in his brother's team finishing second, and Lauda third, with both overhauling an ailing Andretti towards the end, who eventually finished 4th ahead of Regazzoni and Pironi who rounded out the top 6.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 3: South Africa
After a long break, the season resumed at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa for the 300th World Championship Grand Prix, where defending champion Lauda took his first pole for Brabham with Andretti alongside and Hunt next. Andretti took the lead at the start, and set about building a gap, whereas Lauda dropped behind Jody Scheckter's Wolf. Young Italian Riccardo Patrese was on a charge in the Arrows, passing Lauda for third after 20 laps. As the race went on, both Andretti and Scheckter began to suffer from tyre issues and were passed by Patrese.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 3: South Africa
Depailler was up to second ahead of Lauda, but the latter's engine failed handing third to Andretti. Patrese however, seemed to have the race in his pocket until his engine failed, and Depailler took the lead but his Tyrrell began to trail smoke. Andretti was up to second but he had to pit for fuel, and thus his teammate Peterson took the place before catching and passing Depailler on the last lap to win after some wheel-banging. Watson completed the podium.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 4: United States West
The next race was in the famous Long Beach circuit near Los Angeles in the American state of California, and the Ferraris dominated qualifying, with Reutemann taking pole ahead of teammate Gilles Villeneuve, with defending champion Lauda and home hero Andretti on the second row. When the race started, Watson in fifth late-braked all into turn one, through he ran wide and Villeneuve took the lead, whereas Reutemann dropped down to fourth behind Lauda. The Ferraris, with the two Brabhams in between ran together until Watson's engine failed.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 4: United States West
Alan Jones's Williams was up to fourth and closed in on the now lead trio, which became a duo when Lauda went out with an electrical failure. Villeneuve and Reutemann ran 1–2 with Jones putting both under pressure, before Villeneuve also retired after colliding with a backmarker. Jones then suffered from fuel pressure problems and began to drop back, handing second to Andretti to the fans delight. The rest of the race passed without incident, and with all challengers out of contention, Reutemann won comfortably ahead of Andretti and Depailler.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 5: Monaco
Round Five took place in Monaco, taking place after an extended gap created by the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit being cancelled. Once again Reutemann started on pole with the Brabham duo of Watson and Lauda second and third. Watson had a good start and led into the first corner, whereas Reutemann collided with Hunt and had to pit for repairs, which left Depailler and Lauda second and third.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 5: Monaco
For the first half of the race, the top three remained the same until Watson had an off allowing Depailler and Lauda through, but the latter then suffered a puncture and had to pit for tyres before charging back up and retaking second from Watson towards the end of the race. At the front, Depailler took his first career victory with Lauda second, and Scheckter third after Watson made another mistake in the final laps.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 6: Belgium
The main news before the Belgian GP at Zolder was that the new Lotus 79 was ready to race, and immediately Andretti showed its pace by taking pole comfortably from Reutemann and Lauda. He converted it to a first-corner lead, whereas Reutemann had a bad start and got swamped by the field, causing a chain reaction in which Lauda was hit by Scheckter and had to retire. This left Villeneuve second and Peterson third but neither could keep pace with Andretti who was able to drive away.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 6: Belgium
The first 40 laps went without incident until Villeneuve suffered a puncture and had to pit which dropped him back down to fifth, and a few laps later Peterson also pitted for new tyres leaving the charging Reutemann second ahead of Jacques Laffite's Ligier. Peterson on the new tyres was much quicker and was able to pass them both in the closing stages, and Laffite made an attempt to pass Reutemann on the last lap but they collided and Laffite was out. Andretti cruised to an untroubled victory, with Peterson making it a Lotus 1–2, and Reutemann completing the podium.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 7: Spain
The next race was at the tight and twisty Jarama circuit near Madrid in Spain, and once again the new Lotus 79 demonstrated its speed, with Andretti on pole again with Peterson alongside, and Reutemann having to settle for the second row. It was Hunt who got a great start, and he led into the first corner from Andretti and Reutemann, with Peterson dropping all the way back to ninth. Hunt led for seven laps before Andretti passed him and pulled away.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 7: Spain
Reutemann ran third until he had to pit for tyres, and so Watson inherited third until he was passed by Laffite, but soon the recovering Peterson passed both of them. Hunt now suffered from tyre problems and he also began to drop back, and so Peterson was able to take second and Laffite third. That was how it stayed to the end, Andretti winning from Peterson in another Lotus 1–2, and Laffite getting the final spot on the podium.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 8: Sweden
Before the Swedish GP at the isolated Anderstorp circuit, the Brabham team had developed a new "fan car" much to the indignation of the other teams, but the FIA allowed it to race. However, it did not stop Andretti from continuing his run of poles, but it was able to get Watson to qualify second and Lauda third- while running on full fuel tanks. When the race started, Andretti led into the first corner, with Lauda getting second from his teammate.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 8: Sweden
Riccardo Patrese got up to third in his Arrows until he was passed by home driver Peterson, but by then Andretti and Lauda had escaped. Peterson began to struggle with a slow puncture, whereas Andretti and Lauda battled with Andretti making a mistake just after mid-distance allowing Lauda to take the lead. Lauda went on to win the race, his first for Brabham after Andretti's challenge ended due to an engine failure, which left Patrese and Peterson to take second and third. This was the last Swedish Grand Prix to date- with the deaths of Ronnie Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson, Swedish interest faded in Formula One and there was no money for the race to be held.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 9: France
Brabham were forced to revert to their previous car again, but it did not deter them, with Watson on pole and Lauda starting third behind Andretti. At the start, Watson led into the first corner, with Andretti following, and Patrick Tambay putting his McLaren in third, but that order did not remain for long as Andretti took the lead from Watson on the first lap. Lauda and Peterson were on the move as well, as they passed Watson and Tambay to jump into second and third, but Lauda suffered another engine failure. This left the two Lotus cars running 1–2 and they finished like that with Andretti taking his third win in four races, and the podium was completed by Hunt who passed Watson mid-race.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 10: Great Britain
The field went to Britain for the next round, and this time it was Peterson who beat Andretti to pole, as Lotus took the front row, with Scheckter next up on the second row. Andretti took the lead at the start from Peterson, and the two Lotus cars quickly pulled out a gap until Peterson retired with an engine failure. Andretti had a big lead to Scheckter and continued to extend it until he had to pit with a puncture, and he eventually retired when his engine also failed.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 10: Great Britain
Scheckter inherited the lead, but Lauda put him under pressure and took the lead before Scheckter went out with gearbox problems. This put Reutemann up to second, and he then closed down and passed Lauda in the late stages of the race to win. Lauda had to settle for second, and his teammate Watson took a podium in his home race.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 11: West Germany
The West German race was next on the calendar, and there were no surprises in qualifying, with Andretti on pole and Peterson alongside him, with Lauda third. At the start, Peterson got off better and took the lead from Andretti, but he held it for only four laps before Andretti retook it. Lauda ran third in the early stages but he was passed by Alan Jones, and the duo battled until Lauda's engine failed yet again. The two Lotus cars were cruising at the front and Jones ran third comfortably until he retired with a fuel vaporization problem. Lotus's hopes of a 1–2 ended when Peterson's gearbox failed, but Andretti was unaffected by that and cruised to his fifth win of the season, with Scheckter second and Laffite third.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 12: Austria
The crowds for the Austrian GP were full of Lauda fans; but however for them Lauda qualified only 12th as the Lotus cars again took the front row, with Peterson on pole. The surprise in qualifying was Jean-Pierre Jabouille who qualified his turbocharged Renault third. The start saw Peterson lead into the first corner, with Reutemann snatching second from Andretti. Andretti tried to get the place back later in the lap, but the two collided and Andretti retired after his car spun into the barriers while Reutemann lost a couple of places to Patrick Depailler and Scheckter. On the fourth lap, a heavy rainshower hit the track and Reutemann spun off and was beached but the marshals push-started his car as it was in a dangerous position, while Scheckter crashed out, and the race was stopped.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 12: Austria
The race restarted after the rain relented, and once again Peterson led followed by Depailler and Lauda. As the track began to dry, Peterson started to pull away, and behind, Reutemann was on a charge and passed Lauda for third but he was black-flagged for receiving outside assistance, and Lauda crashed out soon after, leaving Gilles Villeneuve third. The drivers changed to slicks but the top 3 remained the same and stayed so till the end; Peterson winning ahead of Depailler, with Villeneuve taking his first ever podium.


1978 Formula One season, Season report, Race 13: The Netherlands
The drivers went to the Netherlands for the next race, and qualifying was as expected, Andretti taking pole with Peterson alongside in the all-Lotus front row, and Lauda heading the second row. At the start, Andretti led with Peterson following, whereas Lauda was challenged by Jacques Laffite. The Lotus cars quickly built up a good gap, while Laffite challenged Lauda early on but then began to drop down the order with tyre issues. The race was quite uneventful, and Andretti went to take victory, with Peterson completing another Lotus 1–2 leaving Lauda to take third.