World Football Championship 1958

FIFA confirmed Sweden as the host of the 6th World Cup finals on 23rd June 1950, no other country was in the running to stage it. The World Football Championships of 1958 was the second tournament to be televised, it was also the first to be shown on ITV who sent Peter Lloyd and Gerry Loftus to Sweden to cover all of their featured games as joint commentators. The Swedes had launched their first television channel in 1956 using the 625 line PAL system, as opposed to the 405 line services in Britain (which wouldn't begin to upgrade until 1964). Live matches were broadcast across Europe via 'Eurovision', but only one match could be relayed at any given time. With most blocks of fixtures all kicking-off simultaneously, both the BBC and ITV were forced to take the same games whilst having little or no say on which fixtures would be selected. The hosts were an exception, playing all of their group games at exclusive kick-off times, presumably so that all of their matches could be televised regardless of their importance (one of which was against Wales). Two of England's four games were selected for broadcast - the middle group match with Brazil and the play-off against the Soviet Union. Northern Ireland's match against West Germany was another live TV match, although ITV decided not to take it. Scotland did not appear live at all. Some, most, or all of the the other fixtures were filmed for reports or brief highlights which were screened in Britain by the BBC a day or so later.

Qualification
53 nations figured in the qualification draw made on 27th April 1956. For the first time, a pre-determined number of qualifiers from four continental zones was set in advance - There were 11 places for Europe (including the hosts Sweden and holders West Germany), 3 for South America, 1 for North & Central America and 1 for Africa and Asia (including Cyprus, Israel and Turkey).
The 27 European hopefuls were divided into 9 groups of 3, with the 9 group winners going through to the finals. England were placed in Group One along with Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, they won 3 and drew one (in Ireland) to top the group. Scotland topped Group 9 ahead of Spain and Switzerland, winning three and losing in Spain. Northern Ireland were in Group 8 with Italy and Portugal, the Irish drew in Portugal, lost in Italy, but then won both of their home games to top the group. Wales finished 2nd in Group 4, won by Czechoslovakia with East Germany in 3rd, but as runners-up Wales were then handed another chance to qualify after three nations had refused to play against or travel to Israel in the Africa/Asian zone. Israel were therefore declared group winners, but a new FIFA rule dictated that no nation could qualify for the finals without playing a match and so lots were drawn of all the 2nd placed teams in Europe with one nation being rewarded with a two leg play-off match v Israel for a place in the finals. Belgium pulled out of the draw (which also included the Republic of Ireland) made in Zurich on 15th December 1957, Wales came out of the hat and went on to beat Israel 4-0 on aggregate.
 

British TV coverage of the 1958 World Cup

ITV games are in white, BBC or non-televised matches are in grey.
All matches were broadcast in black & white.

Qualifiers & Friendlies

Wed 22/Sep/1954    Wales 1 (Allchurch) Yugoslavia 3 (Veselinovic 3(1pen))
Friendly at Cardiff
*No TV coverage scheduled.

Thu 11/Nov/1954    France 2 (Kopa, Kopa(pen)) Belgium 2 (Jonquet(og), Lemberechts)
Friendly in Paris
2nd Half LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*BBC television showed the 2nd half live via Eurovision at 2:25-3:15pm. Belgium led 1-0 at HT and then went further ahead before France scored twice in the closing 15 minutes.

Wed 01/Dec/1954    England 3 (Bentley, Allen, Shackleton) West Germany 1 (Beck)
Friendly at Wembley
BBC LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*The first England fixture against German opposition since the 2nd World War was shown live on the BBC at 1:55-3:40pm. A repeat telerecording of the whole match was broadcast at 9:30-11:00pm. West Germany had recently been crowned World Champions in Switzerland, but they only included three players from the team that had defeated Hungary in the final. Roy Bentley gave England (playing in red) the lead on 28, Ronnie Allen made it 2-0 on 48, Alfred Beck pulled one back for West Germany on 77, Len Shackleton made it 3-1 on 79. It was Shackleton's only goal for England in his 5th and final international appearance, other players capped for the final time were Ron Staniforth (8 caps), Leonard Phillips (3) and another scorer in today's game Ronnie Allen (5). Clips (at least) of this match survive.

Wed 08/Dec/1954    Scotland 2 (Ring, Johnstone) Hungary 4 (Bozsik, Hidegkuti, Sandor, Kocsis)
Friendly at Hampden
BBC LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*113,180 spectators turned out to see the Magical Magyars and the great Ferenc Puskas at Hampden a year after their groundbreaking 6-3 win at Wembley. The kick-off time was 2:15pm (no floodlights at Hampden yet) with the BBC's live coverage running from 2:05-4:00pm in Scotland, but in England the programme was scheduled to finish early at 3:45pm and so viewers south of the border missed the end of the game. A telerecording of the whole match was however shown at 9:45-11:15pm. Hungary were 2-0 ahead early on with goals from Bozsik on 20 and Hidegkuti on 26. Ring pulled one back on 36, but Hungary led 3-1 at the break after Sandor had scored on 44. Johnstone netted for Scotland on 46, Kocsis grabbed another goal for Hungary on 89 for 4-2. According to Infax, a recording has been kept.

Wed 04/May/1955    Scotland 3 (Gemmell, Liddell, Reilly) Portugal 0
Friendly at Hampden
*No TV coverage scheduled. Scotland led 2-0 at HT through Gemmell on 7 and Liddell on 36, the 3rd goal came right at the end when Reilly scored on 89.

Sun 15/May/1955    France 1 (Kopa(pen)) England 0
Friendly in Paris
*The first of a three match "F.A. Contintental Tour", played on a Sunday afternoon. Not shown in the UK, but it may have been televised in France. Raymond Kopa scored the only goal of the game on 35 from the penalty spot after Vincent had been brought down by the freshly capped Peter Sillet. Ron Flowers also made his England debut in this match whilst Duncan Edwards made his 2nd appearance after playing against Scotland in the Home Internationals the previous month.

Sun 15/May/1955    Yugoslavia 2 (Veselinovic, Vukas) Scotland 2 (Reilly, Smith)
Friendly in Belgrade
*There was no television in Yugoslavia until the following year. All four goals came in the first half, Veselinovic put Yugoslavia ahead on 13, Reilly equalised on 29, Vukas restired the home side's lead on 38 but only for Smith to immediately eqaulise again on 39.

Wed 18/May/1955    Spain 1 (Rial) England 1 (Bentley)
Friendly in Madrid
*No television in Spain until the following year. England scored against the run of play on 38 through Roy Bentley, Héctor Rial netted a deserved equaliser on 65. Watched by a crowd of 125,000.

Thu 19/May/1955    Austria 1 (Ocwirk) Scotland 4 (Robertson, Smith, Liddell, Reilly)
Friendly in Vienna
*No television in Austria until the following year. Robertson scored for Scotland in the opening minute, Smith made it 2-0 on 43, Liddell got the 3rd Scottish goal on 70, Ocwirk netted a consolation for Austria on 88, but Scotland had the last word with a Reilly goal on 90.

Sun 22/May/1955    Portugal 3 (Aguas 2, Matateu)  England 1 (Bentley)
Friendly in Oporto
*A late afternoon Sunday kick-off, but television did not begin in Portugal until 1956. Portugal had only won one of their previous 19 internationals and fell behind to a 19th minute goal by Roy Bentley, but they soon equalised through José Aguas on 26 and won with late goals by Lucas Matateu on 80 and another by Aguas 84. Peter Sillett (3 caps), Roy Bentley (12) and Albert Quixall (5) all made their final England appearances in this game.

Sun 29/May/1955    Hungary 3 (Hidegkuti, Kocsis, Fenyvesi) Scotland 1 (Smith)
Friendly in Budapest
*No television in Hungary until 1957. Gordon Smith put Scotland ahead on 42 but Hungary came back with three 2nd half goals; Hidegkuti on 51, Kocsis on 59 and Fenyvesi on 68.

Sat 13/Aug/1955    Great Britain 1 Europe 4
Friendly in Belfast
BBC Highlights
*IFA 75th anniversary match. Shown on the BBC the next day, Sunday 8:30-9:00pm

Sun 02/Oct/1955    Denmark 1 (Lundberg) England 5 (Revie 2(1pen), Lofthouse 2, Bradford)
Friendly in Copenhagen
BBC Highlights
Ken Wolstenholme
*An early afternoon Sunday kick-off, "parts of the match on film" were broadcast on Monday at 10.45-10.57pm, footage still exists. Three players made their England debuts - Goalkeeper Ronald Baynham, Jeff Hall and Geoff Bradford.  England were 3-0 up at half-time through a Don Revie penalty on 26 and two goals from Nat Lofthouse on 31 and 41. Revie scored again in the 2nd half on 53, Knud Lundberg pulled one back for the Danes on 62, Geoff Bradford netted the 5th for England on 80 on what turned out to be his only international appearance. Jackie Milburn also made his 13th and final appearance in an England shirt.

Wed 23/Nov/1955    Wales 1 (Tapscott) Austria 2 (Wagner, Hanappi)
Friendly at Wrexham
*BBC had a  "Sportsview" at 8:00-8:30pm but only billiards and snooker was billed in the Radio Times. The match was a rough game with officials of both nations agreeing afterwards that many of the scenes on the field had been deplorable, though both blamed eachother. A member of the Austrian FA said "I cannot recall Austria being concerned in such an unpleasant game". The Welsh FA chairman said "It was a disgraceful exhibition, it is amazing what these continentals can get away with."

Wed 30/Nov/1955    England 4 (Atyeo, Perry 2, Finney) Spain 1 (Arieta)
Friendly at Wembley
REDIFFUSION LIVE
Kent Walton
*Live on Rediffusion in the London area only from 2:15pm (so they would have missed the first 15 minutes). The match was also live on the BBC from 1:50-3:45pm, the BBC were most likely responsible for the pictures seen on both channels but Rediffusion had their own commentator. Played in fog, Tom Finney had a penalty saved before Bristol City's John Atyeo gave England the lead on his debut. Within a minute, Bill Perry scored the 2nd for a 2-0 half-time lead. In the 2nd half, Nat Lofthouse had a goal ruled out for offside before Finney made it 3-0 and Perry headed in his 2nd for 4-0. Fifteen minutes before the end, floodlights were used for the first time in a full international in England. Under the lights, Spain netted a late consolation with an Ignacio Arieta header. England goalkeeper Ronald Baynham made his 3rd and final appearance.

Wed 15/Feb/1956    Italy 2 France 0
Friendly
BBC Highlights
*This was a late substitute programme on the BBC due to a dispute with musicians union, replacing "More Contrary" at 8:30-9pm. The telerecording still exists.

Wed 02/May/1956    Scotland 1 (Conn) Austria 1 (Wagner)
Friendly at Hampden
*No TV coverage scheduled. Conn gave the Scots the lead on 12, Wagner equalised on 14.

Wed 09/May/1956   England 4 (Taylor 2, Grainger 2) Brazil 2 (Paulinho, Didi)
Friendly at Wembley
BBC LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*The first ever meeting of England and Brazil was shown live on the BBC at 2:50-4:45pm, highlights were also screened at 9:30-10pm. England missed two penalties in this match, but they got off to a great start with goals by Tommy Talor on 3 and Colin Grainger (making his debut) on 5. In the 2nd half, Brazil pulled it back to 2-2 through Paulinho on 53 and Didi on 55, John Atyeo saw his 62nd minute penalty saved but Taylor soon put England back in front with his 2nd goal on 65, Roger Byrne then stepped up to take another penalty for England on 71 but Gilmar saved again before Grainger netted his 2nd to make it 4-2 on 83.

Wed 16/May/1956    Sweden 0 England 0
Friendly in Solna
BBC Highlights
Ken Wolstenholme
*A night match and presumably one of the first, if not the first opportunity for Swedish television to cover an international football match ahead of the World Cup in two year's time. The match was played in a near gale force wind, both sides hit the woodwork and England also had an effort cleared off the line. Highlights were shown the following day on the BBC at 10:00-10:30pm. A 4th and final appearance today for Johnny Berry.

Sun 20/May/1956    Finland 1 (Forsgren) England 5 (Wilshaw, Haynes, Astall, Lofthouse 2)
Friendly in Helsinki
*Television was not available in Finland until the following year. Sub Nat Lofthouse set a new England scoring record of 29 goals. Gordon Astall scored on his debut. Raymond Wood made his last appearance as England goalkeeper.

Sat 26/May/1956    West Germany 1 (Walter) England 3 (Edwards, Grainger, Haynes)
Friendly in West Berlin
BBC Part LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Broadcast live on the BBC via Eurovision at 6:00-7:15pm. Duncan Edwards put England ahead with his first international goal on 26, Colin Grainger made it 2-0 on 63 and England were 3-0 up through Johnny Haynes on 69. West Germany netted a late consolation when Fritz Walter scored on 85. Gordon Astall won his 2nd and final England cap.

Sat 15/Sep/1956    West Germany 1 (Schröder) Soviet Union 2 (Strelzow, Iwanow)
Friendly in Hannover
BBC Highlights
*The BBC showed telerecorded highlights two days later on Monday at 7:30-8:00pm and it still exists (It was not scheduled in the Radio Times, so the football must have replaced "Adventures of the Big Man"). There were 2 goals in the opening 5 minutes, Strelzow putting the Soviets ahead on 3, W.Schröder equalising on 5. Iwanow netted what turned out to be a winning goal for the Soviet Union on 36.

Wed 21/Nov/1956    Scotland 2 (Mudie, Baird) Yugoslavia 0
Friendly at Hampden
*No television coverage scheduled, although there was a "Sportsview" on the BBC at 9:30-10:00pm (no details in the Radio Times). The goals came from Mudie on 36 and Baird on 55.

Wed 28/Nov/1956    England 3 (Brooks, Taylor 2) Yugoslavia 0
Friendly at Wembley
BBC LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live on the BBC from 2:25-4:15pm. Highlights were included on "Sportsview" at 9:30-10:00pm. John Brooks put England ahead on 13, Tommy Taylor struck twice in the 2nd half with goals on 63 and 88. Roger Byrne had a penalty saved on 77. Frank Blunstone was capped for the 5th and final time.

Wed 05/Dec/1956    England 5 (Taylor 3, Edwards 2) Denmark 2 (O.Nielsen 2)
Qualifier in Wolverhampton
BBC 2nd Half LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Presumably this match was switched to Molineux so that it could be played under floodlights sufficiently powerful for good TV coverage and shown live on the BBC at a time when more people could watch it - 8:25-9:15pm. A recording still exists on 16mm film. Tommy Taylor gave England a 2-0 lead with goals on 2 and 22, Denmark came back to 2-2 through Ove Nielsen goals on 27 and early in the 2nd half, Taylor scored again on 53 to make it 3-2, Duncan Edwards then scored two further goals for England on 66 and 77 as well as hitting the post with a free-kick. Yet another England goalkeeper's career came to end with Ted Ditchburn making his 6th and final appearance, it was also the end of the International road for Jimmy Dickinson (48 caps) and John Brooks (3).

Wed 16/Jan/1957    Portugal 1 (Vasques) Northern Ireland 1 (Bingham)
Qualifier in Lisbon
*No television coverage scheduled.

Thu 25/Apr/1957     Italy 1 (Cervato) Northern Ireland 0
Qualifier in Rome
BBC Part LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live BBC coverage from 4.00-5.15pm. Cervato scored the only goal on 3 minutes.

Wed 01/May/1957    Wales 1 (Vernon) Czechoslovakia 0
Qualifier in Cardiff
BBC Highlights
Ken Wolstenholme
*Highlights were shown the next day on the BBC at 10.30-10.45pm.

Wed 01/May/1957    Northern Ireland 3 (Casey, McIlroy, Simpson) Portugal 0
Qualifier in Belfast
*No television coverage scheduled.

Fri 03/May/1957    England 1 (Taylor) Young England 2 (Stevens, Groves)
Friendly at Highbury
BBC LIVE 2nd Half
Ken Wolstenholme
*The BBC were at Highbury for this Friday night match from 8:15-9:00pm.

Wed 08/May/1957    England 5 (Taylor 3, Atyeo 2) Republic of Ireland 1 (Curtis)
Qualifier at Wembley
BBC LIVE
Ken Walstonholme & Walley Barnes
*The first of two live World Cup qualifiers on the BBC today, the England match was broadcast at 2:50-4:45pm, highlights were also shown at 11:00-11:15pm. England were 4-0 up at half-time, Tommy Taylor netting the first two on 10 and 19, John Atyeo scoring the 3rd on 38 and Taylor then completing his hat-trick on 40. Dermot Curtis pulled one back for Ireland on 56, John Atyeo had the last word to make it 5-1 on 90.

Wed 08/May/1957    Scotland 4 (Mudie 3, Hewie(pen)) Spain 2 (Kubala, Suárez)
Qualifier at Hampden
BBC LIVE
Peter Thomson & George Davidson
*The 2nd live football match on the BBC today was broadcast at 6:45-8:30pm, with a break for the news at half-time. Scorers - Mudie 23, Kubala 30, Hewie pen 41, Suarez 50, Mudie 70, Mudie 79.

Wed 15/May/1957    Denmark 1 (J.Jensen) England 4 (Haynes, Taylor 2, Atyeo)
Qualifier in Copenhagen
BBC Highlights
Ken Wolstenholme
*Highlights of this evening kick-off were shown the following day at 10:30-10:45pm. John Jensen gave Denmark the lead on 27, Johnny Haynes equalised only a minute later on 28, Tommy Taylor finally put England ahead on 71, John Atyeo made it 3-1 on 75 and Taylor then scored again on 86. This was the last international match for the great Stanley Matthews on 54 caps,

Sun 19/May/1957    Switzerland 1 (R.Vonlanthen) Scotland 2 (Collins, Mudie)
Qualifier in Basel
BBC 2nd Half LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live coverage on the BBC from 3:55-4:45pm. Roger Vonlanthen 13, Mudie 33, Collins 72.

Sun 19/May/1957    Republic of Ireland 1 (Ringstead) England 1 (Atyeo)
Qualifier in Dublin
BBC Highlights
David Coleman
*A late afternoon Sunday kick-off. Ireland did not have a television service at the time but a film recording, presumably made by the BBC's own crew, was shown the following night on the BBC at 9:00-9:15pm. David Pegg made his England debut. Ireland led for almost the entire match, Alf Ringstead giving them the lead on 3 minutes and the equaliser didn't come until the final minute through John Atyeo. England had now qualified for the finals. This match proved to be Atyeo's 6th and final appearance, it was also the end of international duty for Jeff Hall on 17 caps.

Sun 19/May/1957    East Germany 2 (Wirth, Tröger) Wales 1 (M.Charles)
Qualifier in Leipzig
*No TV coverage scheduled, although the match may have been covered locally as East Germany had begun a TV service back in 1952. Mel Charles opened the scoring for Wales on 6, Wirth equalised on 21 and a 2nd half winner for the home team came courtesy of  Tröger on 61.

Wed 22/May/1957    West Germany 1 (Siedl) Scotland 3 (Collins 2, Mudie)
Friendly in Stuttgart
*No TV coverage scheduled, possibly shown on TV in West Germany. Scotland were 2-0 ahead at HT through Collins on 21 and Mudie on 35. Collins got his 2nd to make it 3-0 on 55, Siedl netted a consolation for West Germany on 71.

Sun 26/May/1957    Spain 4 (Basora 2, Kubala, Matoes) Scotland 1 (Smith)
Qualifier in Madrid
*No television coverage scheduled, possibly shown locally. Enrique Mateos 12, Ladislao Kubala 32, Estanislao Basora 35, Smith 80 , Estanislao Basora 87

Sun 26/May/1957    Czechoslovakia 2 (Kraus, Daniel) Wales 0
Qualifier in Prague
*No television coverage scheduled, possibly shown locally.

Wed 25/Sep/1957    Wales 4 (Palmer 3, Jones) East Germany 1 (Kaiser)
Qualifier in Cardiff
BBC Highlights
*The BBC included highlights on the following day's "Sportsview Special" at 6:25-6:45pm (Also including European Cup highlights of Shamrock Rovers v Manchester United). Palmer netted a hat-trick with goals on 38, 44 &73, Jones also scored for Wales on 42, Kaiser netted for East Germany on 57.

Wed 06/Nov/1957    Scotland 3 (Mudie, Robertson, Scott) Switzerland 2 (Riva, R.Vonlanthen)
Qualifier at Hampden
BBC Highlights
Peter Thomson
*BBC highlights at 11.05-11.20pm which still exists. STV may also have shown something of the match on "Scottish Sport" at 10:30-10:45pm. The goals were scored by Robertson (29), Ferdinando Riva (35), Mudie (52); Scott (70) and Roger Vonlanthen (75).

Wed 20/Nov/1957    West Germany 1 (A.Schmidt) Sweden 0
Friendly in Hamburg
BBC Highlights
Ken Wolstenholme
*Brief highlights were included on "Sportsview Special" at 10:45-11:00pm (there was also a "film flash" of Manchester United v Dukia). The only goal of the game was scored by A. Schmidt on 17 minutes.

Wed 27/Nov/1957    England 4 (Taylor 2, Robson 2) France 0
Friendly at Wembley
BBC 2nd Half LIVE 2nd Half
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live coverage on the BBC from 3.25-4.15, highlights were most likely included on "Sportsview" at 9:30-10:00pm. A terrific debut for West Bromwich Albion's Bobby Robson who scored twice on 24 and 84, Tommy Taylor got the other goals on 3 and 84. Sadly, three England players made their final international appearances in this game before their lives were tragically cut short in the Munich air disaster the following February, Duncan Edwards (on 18 caps), Roger Byrne (33 caps) and Tommy Taylor (19 caps). David Pegg, who had made 1 England appearance away to Ireland earlier this year, also died.

Wed 04/Dec/1957    Northern Ireland 2 (Cush 2) Italy 2 (Ghiggia, Montuori)
Friendly in Belfast
BBC Highlights
Ken Wolstenholme
*Highlights were shown the following day on the BBC as a "Sportsview Special" from 11:05pm. This fixture was originally scheduled as a World Cup qualifier, but the Hungarian referee and his linesman were stranded at London airport in the fog on the morning of the match. The Italians would not accept neutral British officials and so the match went ahead as a "friendly" with a local referee. The 60,000 crowd who turned up, expecting to see Northern Ireland qualify for the finals, were angered by the announcement made just 5 minutes before kick-off  that the match would be non-competitive and, during the course of the game, the Italian team became resentful of the charges on their goalkeeper made by the Irish forwards. A sending off of an Italian player in the last minute led to an ugly pitch invasion at the final whistle with police truncheons flying and Italy's defender Ferrario being carried to the dressing room injured after being attacked by the mob.

Wed 15/Jan/1958    Northern Ireland 2 (McIlroy, Cush) Italy 1 (Da Costa)
Qualifier in Belfast
BBC LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live on the BBC from 2.25-4.00pm (so they must have missed the first 10 minutes or so). Northern Ireland had to win, Italy only needed a draw. The Irish led 2-0 at HT with goals from McIlroy on 13 and Cush on 28, Da Costa pulled one back for Italy in the 2nd half on 56 but Ghiggia was sent off on 65 after a tussle with McMichael (spotted by the linesman who ran onto the pitch to intervene). Northern Ireland held on to qualify for the finals for the first time. Highlights may have been included on "Sportsview" at 10:45-11:15pm. Apparently Ken Wolstenholme also commentated on an Under 23 match in the evening.

Wed 15/Jan/1958    Israel 0 Wales 2 (L.Allchurch, Bowen)
Play-Off 1st Leg in Tel Aviv
*No television coverage scheduled, Israel did not have a television service until 1968.

Wed 05/Feb/1958    Wales 2 (I.Allchurch, Jones) Israel 0
Play-Off 2nd Leg in Cardiff
*Possibly highlights of this afternoon kick-off were shown on the BBC's "Sportsview" at 8:15-9:00pm.

Sat 08/Feb/1958    The World Cup finals draw
*Just two days after the Munich air disaster (which claimed the lives of eight Manchester United players), the draw for the World Cup finals was made in a television studio in Stockholm. It was shown live on Swedish TV on the Saturday night, but was not seen in Britain. There were no seeds, although each group could only contain one of the four British nations plus one from Western Europe, one from Eastern Europe and one from Latin America (this arrangement was only agreed upon hours before the draw was actually made). Northern Ireland put in a request not to play a Sunday fixture, but all nations were scheduled to play two of their group games on the 8th and 15th June. England, one of the four favourites, were drawn in the same group as two other favourites - The Soviet Union and Brazil, England manager Walter Winterbottom expressed his dissatisfaction; "I think it is a bad thing that the draw was made this way, it would have been far better to seed the top teams and keep them apart until the quarter-finals. England have a tough draw, but I am confident we can get through."

Wed 19/Mar/1958    West Germany 2 (B.Klodt, Cieslarczyk) Spain 0
Friendly in Frankfurt
BBC Part LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live coverage on the BBC from 3.30-4.40pm. The goals came either side of half-time through B. Klodt on 45 and Cieslarczyk on 47.

Wed 07/May/1958    England 2 (Charlton 2) Portugal 1 (Duarte)
Friendly at Wembley
BBC 2nd Half LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live coverage of the 2nd half (or most of it) on the BBC's "Sportsview" at 8.15-9.30pm along with greyhound racing. Both England goals were scored by Bobby Charlton, making his 2nd international appearance in this match after also scoring on his England debut in a Home International against Scotland. John Langley missed a penalty at 2-1, hitting the post (England's 5th consecutive penalty miss at Wembley!). Charlton had given England the lead on 25, Carlos Duarte netted an equaliser on 51, but a long range Charlton special won the match on 62.

Wed 07/May/1958    Scotland 1 (Mudie) Hungary 1 (Fenyvesi)
Friendly at Hampden
SCOTTISH Highlights
*Highlights on STV's "Scotsport" at 10:00-10:25pm, John Mudie gave Scotland the lead on 14, Mate Fenyvesi equalised on 52.

Sun 11/May/1958    Yugoslavia 5 (Milutinovic, Petakovic 3, Veselinovic) England 0
Friendly in Belgrade
BBC
*A film report was shown three days later on the BBC, it was included on "Sportsview" at 9:25-10:00pm (along with greyhound racing and a cricket feature). This was England's heaviest defeat since they had been thrashed 7-1 in Hungary four years earlier and came as a major set-back to their hopes of success in the World Cup finals. Yugoslavia (who would be in Scotland's group in the finals) led 1-0 at half-time, but went on to score four times in the 2nd half with three of them coming in the space of 8 minutes, they also had a 4th minute effort ruled out for offside. Milos Milutinovic scored the opener on 23, Alexsandar Petakovic scored a hat-trick on 56, 77 and 83, Todor Veselinovic got the final goal on 86. Jim Langley made his 3rd and final England appearance.

Sun 18/May/1958    Soviet Union 1 (Ivanov) England 1 (Kevan)
Friendly in Moscow
BBC Highlights
*Despite being drawn in the same World Cup group together, this pre-arranged friendly - the first ever meeting of the two countries - went ahead regardless. A "film report" was shown by the BBC three days later on the 21st May edition of "Sportsview" alongside greyhound racing from 9:25-10:00pm, the long established Soviet TV service may have broadcast the match live locally. Three England players made their debut; Goalkeeper Colin McDonald, Tommy Banks and Eddie Clamp and they went ahead shortly before the break, Derek Kevan scoring from a corner with goalkeeper Lev Yashin allowing the ball to slip from his grasp and roll slowly over the line. Valentin Ivanov equalised on 78 with a suspicion of handball, having previously had a goal ruled out for the same offence in the 1st half.

Sun 01/Jun/1958    Poland 1 (Cieslik) Scotland 2 (Collins 2)
Friendly in Warsaw
*No TV coverage scheduled, possibly shown locally in Poland. Collins scored twice for Scotland on 21 and 53, Cieslik netted a late goal for Poland on 84.
 

The 1958 World Cup Finals
The sixteen finalists were split into four groups of four, the top two from each group progressed through to the Quarter-finals. Teams finishing level on points in the group stage would play-off.

First Round

Game 1

Sun 08/Jun/1958    Sweden 3 (Simonsson 2, Liedholm(pen)) Mexico 0
Group 3 (2pm bst)
Solna
ITV 2nd Half LIVE
Peter Lloyd & Gerry Loftus
*ITV had live coverage of the 2nd half of the opening match at 2:45-3:45pm. The BBC showed the whole match live, starting at 1:30pm but handing over to "Gardening Club" at half-time. The goals came from Simonsson on 17 and 64 and a Liedholm penalty on 57.

Sun 08/Jun/1958    West Germany 3 (Rahn 2, Seeler) Argentina 1 (Corbatta)
Group 1 (7pm bst)
Malmö
BBC LIVE
Walley Barnes
*Live on the BBC from 6:50pm-8:50pm. Following the opening game in the afternoon, all of the other 7 opening group games kicked off simultaneously in the evening at 7pm. West Germany v Argentina was selected for live broadcast via Eurovision which meant the BBC had no option but to take this fixture rather than show England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. Argentina took an early lead through Corbatta on 3, but the West Germans were in front by half-time with goals by Rahn on 32 and Seeler on 42, Rahn made it 3-1 on 79.

Sun 08/Jun/1958    England 2 (Kevan, Finney(pen)) Soviet Union 2 (Simonyan, A.Ivanov)
Group 4 (7pm bst)
Gothenburg
BBC ?Highlights?
David Coleman
*The Soviets led 2-0 in this match with goals from Nikita Simonyan 13 and Aleksandr Ivanov 56, England came back through Derek Kevan on 66 and a Tom Finney penalty on 85. The BBC showed highlights (or it may have technnically been a report) voiced by David Coleman the following day on "Tonight" at 6:45-7:23pm.

Sun 08/Jun/1958    Northern Ireland 1 (Cush) Czechoslovakia 0
Group 1 (7pm bst)
Halmstad
*The other game in West Germany's group saw Northern Ireland take the points with Wilbur Cush scoring the only goal on 21 minutes.

Sun 08/Jun/1958    Wales 1 (J.Charles) Hungary 1 (Bozsik)
Group 3 (7pm bst)
Umeå
*Bozsik scored and early goal for Hungary on 5, but John Charles equalised on 27. Highlights or a report was included on a special BBC programme shown on Tuesday 10th at 7:13-7:23pm.

Sun 08/Jun/1958    Scotland 1 (Murray) Yugoslavia 1 (Petakovic)
Group 2 (7pm bst)
Västerås
*Petakovic put Yugoslavia ahead on 6, Jimmy Murray equalised on 49. Again, as with Wales, highlights or a report was included on a special BBC programme shown on Tuesday 10th at 7:13-7:23pm.

Sun 08/Jun/1958    France 7 (Fontaine 3, Piantoni, Wisnieski, Kopa, Vincent) Paraguay 3 (Amarilla 2(1pen), Romero)
Group 2 (7pm bst)
Norrköping
*Amarilla put Paraguay ahead on 20, Just Fontaine equalised on 24 and the same player then gave France the lead on 30, but it was 2-2 at half-time after Amarilla had netted a penalty on 44. Romero put Paraguay in front for the 2nd time on 50, Piantoni made it 3-3 on 52, Wisnieski then put France ahead once again to make it 4-3 on 61 and Fontaine got his hat-trick for 5-3 on 67. France sealed the win with further goals by Kopa on 70 and Vincent on 83.

Sun 08/Jun/1958    Brazil 3 (Mazzola 2, Nílton Santos) Austria 0
Group 4 (7pm bst)
Uddevalla
*Mazzola gave Brazil the lead on 37, Nílton Santos made it 2-0 on 50 and Mazzola got the 3rd on 85.

Game 2

Wed 11/Jun/1958    England 0 Brazil 0
Group 4 (7pm bst)
Gothenburg
ITV LIVE
Peter Lloyd & Gerry Loftus
*Live on ITV at 6:45-8:45pm, BBC also had live coverage at 6:45-8:50pm with Ken Wolstenholme commentating (Cricket scores at half-time).

Wed 11/Jun/1958    Paraguay 3 (Agüero, Ré, Parodi) Scotland 2 (Mudie, Collins)
Group 2 (7pm bst)
Norrköping
BBC Highlights
*The BBC showed around 10 minutes worth of action the following day on the "Tonight" show at 6:45-7:33pm. Agüero put Paraguay ahead on 4, Jackie Mudie equalised for Scotland on 24, but Ré restored Paraguay's lead on the stroke of half-time. The 2nd half saw Parodi increase Paraguay's lead on 73, Scotland immediately came back with a goal by Bobby Collins on 74 for 2-3, but Paraguay held out for the win.

Wed 11/Jun/1958    Argentina 3 (Corbatta(pen), Menéndez, Avio) Northern Ireland 1 (McParland)
Group 1 (7pm bst)
Halmstad
*Peter McParland gave the Irish a dream start with a goal on 4 minutes, but Corbatta equalised on 37 with a penalty and Argentina scored twice more in the 2nd half through Menéndez on 56 and Avio on 60.

Wed 11/Jun/1958    West Germany 2 (Schäfer, Rahn) Czechoslovakia 2 (Dvorák(pen), Zikán)
Group 1 (7pm bst)
Helsingborg
*Hungary led 2-0 at half-time thanks to a penalty scored by Dvorák on 24 and a 2nd goal by Zikán on 42. The West Germans came back in the 2nd half with goals by Schäfer on 60 and Rahn on 71.

Wed 11/Jun/1958    Yugoslavia 3 (Petakovic, Veselinovic 2) France 2 (Fontaine 2)
Group 2 (7pm bst)
Västerås
*Just Fontaine put France ahead on 4, Petakovic equalised on 16, Veselinovic made it 2-1 to Yugoslavia on 63, Fontaine equalised on 85 but there was a late winner for Yugoslavia on 88 with Veselinovic netting his 2nd goal.

Wed 11/Jun/1958    Wales 1 (I.Allchurch) Mexico 1 (Belmonte)
Group 3 (7pm bst)
Solna
*Ivor Allchurch gave Wales the lead on 32 and that looked like being the winning goal until Belmonte netted a very late equaliser on 89.

Wed 11/Jun/1958    Soviet Union 2 (A.Ivanov, V.Ivanov) Austria 0
Group 4 (7pm bst)
Borås
*Aleksandr Ivanov opened the scoring for the Soviet Union on 15, Valetin Ivanov got the 2nd on 62.

Thu 12/Jun/1958    Sweden 2 (Hamrin 2) Hungary 1 (Tichy)
Group 3 (7pm bst)
Solna
BBC 2nd Half LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*This match kicked off a day later than the other 'middle fixtures', probably to allow the hosts to be televised again. The BBC took the 2nd half live from 7:50-8:50pm. Two goals for Hamrin on 34 and 55 gave the hosts a 2-0 lead, Tichy pulled one back for Hungary on 77.

Game 3

Sun 15/Jun/1958    Sweden 0 Wales 0
Group 3 (2pm bst)
Solna
ITV LIVE
Peter Lloyd & Gerry Loftus
*Live on ITV from 1:40-3:45pm, also live on the BBC with Walley Barnes commentating at 1:50-3:50pm (their first of two live TV matches today). Sweden were already guaranteed a place in the QF's, Wales needed a win. The 0-0 scoreline meant that Wales now had to hope that the evening Group 3 match would end in a draw also, otherwise Wales would have to play-off.

Sun 15/Jun/1958    Hungary 4 (Tichy 2, Sándor, Bencsics) Mexico 0
Group 3 (7pm bst)
Umeå
*The winner of this game would play-off with Wales for a place in the QF's, a draw would see both nations go out. Tichy put Hungary ahead on 19 and the same player scored again at the start of the 2nd half on 46, Sándor appeared to put the game out of Mexico's reach with the 3rd goal on 54 and Bencsics made sure on 69.

Group 3 Final Table
1. Sweden         5
2. Wales          3*
2. Hungary        3*
4. Mexico         1

*Teams finishing level on points would play off.

Sun 15/Jun/1958    West Germany 2 (Rahn, Seeler) Northern Ireland 2 (McParland 2)
Group 1 (7pm bst)
Malmö
BBC LIVE
?Ken Wolstenholme?
*Live on the BBC at 6:50-8:50pm with a break for the news and weather at half-time. Northern Ireland had to win to secure a place in the QF's, a draw could have seen them go out. West Germany only needed a draw. Peter McParland put the Irish ahead on 18, but the lead was soon wiped by Helmut Rahn on 20. McParland nosed Northern Ireland ahead for a 2nd time on 60, but West Germany equalised again on 78 through Uwe Seeler.

Sun 15/Jun/1958    Czechoslovakia 6 (Dvorák, Zikán 2, Feureisl, Hovorka 2) Argentina 1 (Corbatta(pen))
Group 1 (7pm bst)
Helsingborg
*A win for Argentina would have seen them through to the QF's, but they crashed to Czechoslovakia in spectacular fashion. Dvorák set the Czechs on their way with the opening goal on 8, Zikán then scored twice before HT, making it 2-0 on 17 and grabbing the third on 39. The 2nd half saw Argentina pull one back from the penalty spot on 64 through Corbatta, but Feureisl soon restored the 3 goal advantage on 68, Hovorka  added two late goals on 81 and 89 for 6-1. With goal average not being taken into account, Czechosloavkia would now play-off against the Irish in two day's time. Argentina were greeted by an angry 20,000 mob when they arrived home at Buenos Aires airport, the team was pelted with a shower of eggs, tomatoes, stones and coins. Police fired tear gas bombs in retaliation and firemen turned hoses on the mob who's anger at their team's performance was made all the more acute by the team threatening to go on strike for higher pay before the tournament began. Labrunga summed up their reception; "We were treated as if we were war criminals."

Group 1 Final Table
1. West Germany   4
2. N.Ireland      3*
2. Czechoslovakia 3*
4. Argentina      2

*Teams finishing level on points would play off.

Sun 15/Jun/1958    France 2 (Piantoni, Fontaine) Scotland 1 (Baird)
Group 2 (7pm bst)
Örebro
SCOTTISH ?Highlights?
*Scotland had to win the match but were 2-0 down at half-time to goals by Piantoni on 22 and Fontaine on 44, Sammy Baird  pulled one back for the Scots on 58 but an equaliser was not forthcoming and Scotland were out, finishing bottom of the group. Scottish TV showed highlights or a report on Tuesday 17th at 6:35-6:45pm (prior to coverage of the live play-off match). The BBC showed a report the same evening during "Tonight" at 6:20-6:55pm.

Sun 15/Jun/1958    Yugoslavia 3 (Ognjanovic, Veselinovic, Rajkov) Paraguay 3 (Parodi, Agüero, Romero)
Group 2 (7pm bst)
Eskilstuna
*Yugoslavia could settle for a draw which probably wouldn't have been enough for Paraguay. Ognjanovic put Yugoslavia ahead on 18, Parodi equalised on 20, Veselinovic immediately restored Yugoslavia's lead on 21 for 2-1. In the 2nd half, Agüero levelled the scores at 2-2 on 52, Rajkov put Yugoslavia ahead for the 3rd time on 73 but Paraguay came back yet again through Romero on 80. At full-time Yugoslavia were through and when news from the other Group 2 match came through , Paraguay realised they were out. This was the only group not to require a play-off match.

Group 2 Final Table
1. France         4
2. Yugoslavia     4
3. Paraguay       3
4. Scotland       1

Sun 15/Jun/1958    England 2 (Haynes, Kevan) Austria 2 (Koller, Körner)
Group 4 (7pm bst)
Borås
*Karl Koller put Austria ahead on 15, Johnny Haynes equalised on 56, Alfred Körner restored Austria's lead on 71 but England came back again through Derek Kevan on 74. The draw could have seen England knocked out, but fortunately Brazil beat the Soviet Union in the other game - which meant England would still have a chance to make the QF's via  a play-off match. Highlights or a report by David Coleman was shown the following day on the BBC's "Tonight" programme at 6:45-7:23pm. Eddie Clamp made his 4th and final England appearance in this match.

Sun 15/Jun/1958    Brazil 2 (Vavá 2) Soviet Union 0
Group 4 (7pm bst)
Gothenburg
*Pelé made his first World Cup finals appearance in this match.

Group 4 Final Table
1. Brazil         5
2. Soviet Union   3*
2. England        3*
4. Austria        1

*Teams finishing level on points would play off.

Play Off's

Tue 17/Jun/1958    Soviet Union 1 (Ilyin) England 0
Group 4 Play Off (7pm bst)
Gothenburg
ITV LIVE
Peter Lloyd & Gerry Loftus
*Live on ITV at 6:45-8:45pm (except TWW who opted out), it was also live on the BBC at 6:55-8:45pm with a break for the news at half-time, Ken Wolstenholme was the commentator. England gave debut's to two players in this play-off, Peter Brabrook and Peter Broadbent, but Anatoli Ilyin scored the only goal of the game on 69.

Tue 17/Jun/1958    Northern Ireland 2 (McParland 2) Czechoslovakia 1 (Zikán) [AET]
Group 1 Play Off (7pm bst)
Malmö
BBC Highlights
David Coleman
*Northern Ireland had already beaten the Czechs in their opening game, but Zdenek Zikán put Czechoslovakia ahead on 18. Peter McParland equalised just before half-time on 44 and with no further goals scored in the 2nd half, the game went into extra-time. McParland netted what turned out to be the winner on 97.

Tue 17/Jun/1958    Wales 2 (I.Allchurch, Medwin) Hungary 1 (Tichy)
Group 3 Play Off (7pm bst)
Solna
*Lajos Tichy gave Hungary a half-time lead with a goal on 33, Ivor Allchurch equalised on 55, Terry Medwin netted a winner for Wales on 76. The BBC had a "Sportsview" programme the following evening at 9:15-9:45pm, so perhaps highlights or reports of Wales and Northern Ireland's play-off's were featured on that.

Quarter-Finals

Thu 19/Jun/1958    Sweden 2 (Hamrin, Simonsson) Soviet Union 0
(7pm bst)
Solna
ATV, Granada and TWW 2nd Half LIVE / SCOTTISH LIVE
Peter Lloyd & Gerry Loftus
*Only one of the four Quarter-finals, which all kicked off at the same time, could be televised live via Eurovision and inevitably it was the host's match that was chosen. Scottish viewers had the best deal as they could see the whole match live uninterrupted from 6:40-8:45pm.  ATV Midlands, Granada and TWW only had coverage of the 2nd half from 8:00-8:50pm whilst Rediffusion didn't have any coverage whatsoever. The BBC had most of the match from 6:45-7:30pm and then 7:57-8:50pm, but with "Starr and Company" interrupting proceedings some 30 minutes into the 1st half. Both goals came in the 2nd half through Kurt Hamrin on 49 and Agne Simonsson on 88.

Thu 19/Jun/1958    Brazil 1 (Pelé) Wales 0
(7pm bst)
Gothenburg
*Footage of the other three Quarter-finals most likely only appeared as newsreels, the BBC also had a brief round-up programme on Saturday 21st at 6:50-7:00pm. Pelé scored the only goal of the game on 66 minutes.

Thu 19/Jun/1958    France 4 (Wisnieski, Fontaine 2, Piantoni) Northern Ireland 0
(7pm bst)
Norrköping
*Maryan Wisnieski netted the first goal on 22, Just Fontaine struck twice in the 2nd half on 55 and 63, Roger Piantoni grabbed the 4th goal on 68.

Thu 19/Jun/1958    West Germany 1 (Rahn) Yugoslavia 0
(7pm bst)
Malmö
*Helmut Rahn scored the only goal of the game on 12 minutes.

Semi-Finals

Tue 24/Jun/1958    Brazil 5 (Vavá, Didi, Pelé 3) France 2 (Fontaine, Piantoni)
(7pm bst)
Solna
BBC LIVE
Ken Wolstenholme
*Live on BBC television from 6:45-8:50pm with a break for the news at half-time. Vavá gave Brazil the lead on 2 minutes, Just Fontaine equalised on 9, Didi restored Brazil's lead on 39, Pelé made it 3-1 on 52 and then netted his 2nd for 4-1 on 64, he completed his hat-trick on 75. Roger Piantoni scored France's 2nd goal on 83.

Tue 24/Jun/1958   Sweden 3 (Skoglund, Gren, Hamrin) West Germany 1 (Schäfer)
(7pm bst)
Gothenburg
*Possibly a report on BBC "Sportsview" the following evening. Hans Schäfer put West Germany ahead on 24, but Sweden were level on 32 thanks to Lennart Skoglund. The hosts went through to the final with late goals by Gunnar Gren on 81 and Kurt Hamrin on 88.

3rd/4th place play off

Sat 28/Jun/1958    France 6 (Fontaine 4, Kopa(pen), Douis) West Germany 3 (Cieslarczyk, Rahn, Schäfer)
(5pm bst)
Gothenburg
ITV 2nd half LIVE
Peter Lloyd & Gerry Loftus
*ITV had live coverage of the 2nd half from 6pm. The whole match was shown live on the BBC from 4:45-6:50pm with a break for the news at half-time, Ken Wolstenholme was the commentator. Fontaine netted the opening goal for France on 16, Cieslarczyk equalised on 18, Kopa restored the French lead on 27 from the penalty spot, Fontaine made it 3-1 on 36. In the 2nd half, Douis scored for 4-1 on 50, Rahn quickly pulled one back for West Germany on 52 but Fontaine completed his hat-trick for 4-2 on 78, Schäfer scored another one for West Germany on 84 but Fontaine netted his 4th and the 6th for France on 89.

The Final

Sun 29/Jun/1958    Brazil 5 (Vavá 2, Pelé 2, Zagallo) Sweden 2 (Liedholm, Simonsson)
(3pm bst)
Solna
ITV LIVE
Peter Lloyd & Gerry Loftus
*ITV showed the match live from 3:00-4:50pm, ABC (Midlands and North) were scheduled to go on until 5pm, but TWW (Wales and West) opted out altogether, showing a film instead. BBC simultaneously showed the final live from 2:45-5pm with Ken Wolstenholme commentating. Sweden were ahead on 4 minutes through Nils Liedholm, but Brazil were soon level when Vavá netted on 9, the same player then put Brazil ahead on 32. In the 2nd half, Pelé made it 3-1 to Brazil on 55 and Mário Zagallo got the 4th on 68, Agne Simonsson pulled one back for Sweden on 80 but Brazil had the last word with another Pelé goal on 90.