The 1954 World Cup in Switzerland: records and new ideas

The 1954 World Cup in Switzerland will go down in the annals of football history for one figure: 140 goals scored during 26 matches in the final stage! That’s an average of 5.38 goals per game, a figure never matched and never likely to be. The Hungary team were largely responsible for the record, racking up 27 goals in five matches (notably 9-0 against South Korea) … before being beaten 3-2 by Germany in Bern. The 1954 World Cup also marked the first appearance of numbered jerseys and was the first to be broadcast on television. Eight games were beamed into people’s homes.

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