same time some old faces disappeared. Mexico for the second time didn't make it, making El .
Salvador and Honduras the representatives. Two time runner-up Netherlands failed to make the .
finals this time, but England, after missing the last two world cups, returned. North Ireland also.
reappeared since 1958. A rumor that George Best would try to make the team proved to be .
untrue. Uruguay, the two time champion, also failed to make it . .
With twenty-four teams in the finals, there would be fifty-two games all together. The top .
two teams of the six groups in the first round would move on to the second round. The twelve.
teams would then be put into four groups of three with the winners in each group," mini-league .
system"2, become the semi-finalists. The winner from each leg would play for the title.
Each time a World Cup was played there were always some suprises. World Cup of 82.
brought some unexpected results, too. The biggest suprise of the tournament was Algeria's .
victory over a strong European team, West Germany. Germans lost 1-0 but they won the next .
two games and quaflified for the second round group stage. In their last game, the Germans .
needed the win against Austria, but if they beat Austria by more than two goals that would took .
Austria out of the picture. The Germans got an early goal, and subconsciously .
(as they claimed) thought the job was done and didn't try any harder in the rest of the game. .
Algerians were angry, that was obvious, but there was just no proof that the two teams had .
made any agreement prior to the game. FIFA could do nothing but to promise from then on that .
the final games in each group would be played at the same time just to avoid this kind of .
embarrassment in the future. I can understand how the Algerians felt, but in my opinion they .
could have avoided it. In their last game they led 3-0 against Chille. They allowed their .
opponents to score 2 goals and the final score was 3-2.