1978 FIFA World Cup 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. 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. 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 match. The
Argentina at the FIFA World Cup <section begin=Lineups /> Argentina has played a total of 81 FIFA World Cup games through 17 tournaments facing 36 rivals. Games that went on penalty kicks are shown as drawn. Teams in bold denote world cup winners, teams in "italics" show teams which played it first match ever in a World Cup against Argentina.<br> Teams with a * mark no longer exist. East Germany was annexed to Germany. Soviet Union now plays as Russia.<br> +Played as Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. Through Argentinian team history, several coaches had trained it with different football styles from offensive to defensive tactics. There