1978 FIFA World Cup 1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, quadrennial international football world championship tournament, was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June. The Cup was won by the Argentine hosts, 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
South American nations at the FIFA World Cup by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina. Controversy surrounded the hosts, however, 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. In 1978, Argentina needed to beat Copa América holders Peru by four clear goals to reach