For the first time ever, the World Cup 1982 in Spain accommodated 24 teams and was played in as many as 14 different sites.

Two well known soccer giants made it to the final game: West Germany, who had defeated France in a nerve-racking penalty kick shoot-out in the semi final match, and Italy, who had eliminated Brazil (3-2) and Poland (2-0).

It took until the second half of the championship game until the first goal was scored. Then, Italy - who had dominated the game all along - took a 3-0 lead. West Germany scored one goal back, but Italy's three goals were out of reach for the Germans. With their championship win, Italy joined Brazil in being the second country to celebrate three World Cup victories.

• Championship game: Italy vs. West Germany 3-1
• Number of teams participating: 24
• Venue sites: Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Elche, Gijon, la Coruna, Madrid, Malaga, Oviedo, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Zaragoza