Argentina won the second FIFA World Youth Championship in Japan, the first FIFA tournament held in Asia, with Diego Maradona named best player.
Key Facts
- Tournament edition
- 2nd FIFA World Youth Championship
- Host cities
- Kobe, Omiya, Tokyo, Yokohama
- Total matches played
- 32 matches
- Argentina goals scored
- 20 goals
- Final score
- Argentina 3–1 Soviet Union
- Maradona & Díaz combined goals
- 14 of 20 (70%)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the inaugural 1977 FIFA World Youth Championship, FIFA expanded the tournament format by adding a quarterfinal round, increasing the total number of matches from 28 to 32, and awarded hosting rights to Japan, making it the first FIFA competition staged in Asia.
Held from 26 August to 7 September 1979 across four Japanese cities, the tournament featured Argentina as dominant competitors, averaging 3.33 goals per game. They defeated the defending champions, the Soviet Union, 3–1 in the final at Tokyo's National Stadium, powered by Diego Maradona and Ramón Díaz.
Argentina's victory introduced Diego Maradona to a global audience, as he was named the tournament's best player while Ramón Díaz claimed the top scorer award. Together they scored 14 of Argentina's 20 goals, signalling the emergence of a generation that would shape Argentine football through the following decade.
Result
at National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan