1979 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, the second staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Japan from 26 August to 7 September 1979. It was the first FIFA tournament played in Asia. The tournament took place in four cities — Kobe, Omiya, Tokyo and Yokohama — where a total of 32 matches were played, four more than in the previous edition due to the addition of a quarterfinal round in the knockout stage.
| 1979 FIFAワールドユース選手権 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Japan |
| Dates | 25 August – 7 September |
| Teams | 16 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Argentina (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Soviet Union |
| Third place | Uruguay |
| Fourth place | Poland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 83 (2.59 per match) |
| Attendance | 454,500 (14,203 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Ramón Díaz (8 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Diego Maradona |
| Fair play award | Poland |
Argentina won the trophy after beating holders Soviet Union 3–1, in a final held at Tokyo's National Stadium. Argentina fielded an attack-minded high-scoring team, averaging 3.33 goals per game. They were led by the powerful duo of Diego Maradona and Ramón Díaz, who were the tournament's best player and top scorer respectively. Between the two of them, they scored 14 of Argentina's 20 goals (70%).