FIFA World Cup 1990 was an iconic tournament for soccer fans across the world. It was the 14th FIFA World Cup and was held in Italy from 8 June to 8 July 1990. The tournament was won by West Germany, who defeated Argentina in the final 1-0 thanks to a late penalty from Andreas Brehme.
Teams representing 116 national football associations entered and qualification began in April 1988. 22 teams qualified from this process, along with host nation Italy and defending champions Argentina. Costa Rica, Ireland and United Arab Emirates made their first appearance.
The tournament saw a total of 52 matches played between 24 teams. The 1990 World Cup also saw some of the most memorable matches in World Cup history. In the round of 16, Cameroon defeated Colombia in extra time and advanced to the Quarter-Finals. The semi-final between West Germany and England was an epic encounter that settled by a penalty shootout, with West Germany prevailing 4-3.
The final match was held on July 8th, 1990 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, and was attended by an estimated 73,000 spectators. West German team, led by Lothar Matthaus, advanced to the finals, where they face Argentina. West Germany, with a late penalty kick taken by Andreas Brehme being the game's only goal. Germany wining the World Cup for the record 3rd time. This was the first rematch of a final and, to date, the only back-to-back rematch, as Argentina defeated West Germany in the previous final.
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was one of the most thrilling tournaments in the history of the sport. The 1990 World Cup stands as one of the most watched events in television history at that time, garnering an estimated 26.69 billion non-unique viewers over the course of the tournament. This was the first World Cup to be officially recorded and transmitted in HDTV by the Italian broadcaster RAI.