The bid and the build-up
Sweden had expressed interest in hosting both the 1930 and 1934 tournaments, but withdrew on both occasions before Uruguay and Italy were awarded those respective early editions. It was third time lucky for Sweden in 1950 at the FIFA Congress held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they were chosen as hosts for the 1958 edition unopposed after Argentina, Chile and Mexico failed to table bids despite initial interest.
Winning off the pitch, Sweden were winning on the pitch at the time as well - Blagult won gold at the 1948 Olympic tournament in London and took bronze four years later in Helsinki. In between, they finished third at the 1950 World Cup behind only Uruguay and Brazil. Failure to qualify for the 1954 tournament in Switzerland suggested their best days were coming to an end, but home advantage in 1958 meant confidence was still high, especially after re-hiring Englishman George Raynor as manager, the same coach who had led them to the Olympic title and third in Brazil.
To host the 16-team tournament, the Swedes selected 12 stadiums in 12 host cities, both record numbers at the time, surpassing 10 stadiums in 10 cities at France 1938 and double the number of venues used at the previous two World Cups. It wasn't until the 17 stadiums used in 14 cities at the 1982 tournament in Spain - the first with 24 teams - that Sweden's numbers were surpassed. The biggest venue was the 53,500-capacity Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, while the smallest was Vasteras' Arosvallen, which held just 10,000 spectators.
Hosts Sweden and holders West Germany qualified automatically, while Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay took the four places allocated to the Americas. Nine places were allocated to European sides and just one to Africa and Asia. However, Israel were left as the only side standing from the Africa/Asia qualification process, owing to every other side refusing to play them. New FIFA rules dictating that every side must have played at least once in order to qualify meant Israel faced Wales in a play-off, which the Welsh won to take the total number of European sides to 12.
Debuts for Wales and Northern Ireland, plus England and Scotland's qualifications, meant all four British teams qualified for the same World Cup for the only time to date. On one side of Europe's solidifying Iron Curtain, Austria and France qualified, while on the other, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Soviet Union and Yugoslavia all made it to Sweden. The geographic splits mean the teams were divided into British, Western European, Eastern European and Rest of the World pots for the draw.
The Group Stage
As in 1954, the 16 teams were divided into four groups of four, only this time the sides faced all three of their group opponents, rather than just two as was done four years earlier. A quirk of the tournament saw all matches in each round kick off at exactly the same time, with the exception of Sweden's three group games, which were played separately to encourage locals to attend other matches without missing the hosts' matches. The Sweden games, plus one other per round, were broadcast on television.
There was no "champions curse" for West Germany in Group 1, which they topped. There was an early scare by going behind against Argentina, but came back to win 3-1 before drawing with Czechoslovakia and Northern Ireland. A 6-1 hammering by the Czechs sent Argentina packing, but it was the debutants who progressed - a Peter McParland goal in extra time settled a play-off after Northern Ireland and Czechoslovakia finished level on points.
A goal-fest in Group 2 began with France's 7-3 win over Paraguay, in which Just Fontaine scored a hat-trick for the victors. Two more for Fontaine were not enough to prevent defeat to Yugoslavia, but his sixth of the Group Stage did earn the points against Scotland in a 2-1 win to top the group. Yugoslavia finished second, a point clear of Paraguay, who were eliminated despite scoring exactly three goals in all of their matches.
Sweden were in Group 3, and as their match with Mexico kicked off earlier than the others in the first round, Agne Simonsson's first of two in a 3-0 win was the first goal of the tournament. Two Kurt Hamrin strikes saw off a Hungarian team that were a shadow of the great side that were shocked in the Final four years earlier, before the Swedes finished with a goalless draw with Wales. Wales beat Hungary in a playoff to advance.
Brazil arrived in Sweden having prepared meticulously, and won Group 4 without conceding a goal, rounding off the opening stage with a 2-0 win over Soviet Union. Vava scored both goals, but it was a 17-year-old named Pele who stole the headlines with an impressive showing on his World Cup debut. Three draws for England meant they faced the Soviets in a playoff, in which Anatoli Ilyin scored the only goal to send England out.
The knockout stages
Retaining his place for the Quarter-finals, Pele truly announced himself to the world by scoring the only goal of the game against a plucky Wales team in Gothenburg. An injury-hit Northern Ireland became the latest side to fall foul of Fontaine, who scored two in a 4-0 win. An early strike from Helmut Rahn settled the tie between West Germany and Yugoslavia, while second-half strikes from Hamrin and Simonsson beat Lev Yashin, securing a 2-0 win for Sweden over Soviet Union. All the teams who had come through the extra play-off game were eliminated without scoring, and criticism of the format ensured it wouldn't be used again at future World Cups.
Goals from Vava and Didi either side of yet another from Fontaine had Brazil 2-1 up at the break against France in their Semi-final in Solna, but in the second half, teenage sensation Pele put Brazil out of sight, scoring a hat-trick before Roger Piantoni notched a consolation, advancing the Selecao into the final, 5-2.
The end of the road looked likely for Sweden when they fell behind to Hans Schafer's strike midway through the first half in Gothenburg, but a Lennart Skoglund equaliser before the break and two in the last 10 minutes from Gunnar Gren and Hamrin sent Sweden into the World Cup final with a 3-1 success over holders West Germany.
France secured what was a best result until their first triumph on home soil 40 years later by winning the third-place play-off 6-3 against West Germany, this time, Fontaine scored four times to end his one an only World Cup with 13 goals.
1958 World Cup Final
A fourth winner of the World Cup was guaranteed ahead of the Final on 29th June 1958 at the now demolished Rasunda Stadium in Solna. Either Sweden would become the third host nation to win in six tournaments, or Brazil would be the first side to take the title outside their home continent.
In front of 50,000 fans, the home side took the lead through Nils Liedholm's well-taken goal just four minutes in, but a Vava brace had put Brazil in front before the break. 10 minutes into the second half, Pele became the first teenager to score in the World Cup Final, and in some style, chesting the ball down, lofting it over his marker's head and powering a low volley past the goalkeeper.
Mario Zagallo added a fourth for the Brazilians, and though Simonsson gave the Swedes a glimmer of hope 10 minutes from time, Pele's second in the dying moments capped off a brilliant display from Brazil, lifting the trophy for the first time with a 5-2 victory, as Pele kept the promise he made to his father eight years earlier - that he would win Brazil the World Cup.
1958 World Cup facts and records
The 13 goals in one tournament from Fontaine is a record that has not come close to being broken in subsequent tournaments. In the vote for the All-star team, Fontaine received more votes than any other forward, but as they were split between the left- and right-forward positions, he missed out on a place in the XI! He had Raymond Kopa to thank for some of those goals - eight assists from the French attacker is still a one-tournament record. France's 23 goals across the finals is bettered only by Hungary's 27 in 1954.
The first of five triumphs so far by Brazil remains the only European-held World Cup not won by a European nation. The 5-2 victory is the biggest winning margin in a World Cup Final, owing to Brazil scoring more than they managed in the 1970 Final (4-1 vs Italy) and conceding fewer in the 1998 Final (3-0 vs France).
Pele was 17 years and 249 days old when he won his first World Cup, a record that still stands, along with his record of three World Cup wins. He is still the youngest scorer in the competition - he was 10 days younger when he found the net against Wales. Not until Kylian Mbappe scored for France in the 2018 Final did another teenager find the net in the world's biggest match.