World Cup draw delights Mexican fans

Press, 17 December 1985, Page 44

World Cup draw delights Mexican fans

NZPA-AP London A five-year-old Mexican boy served up a clash of the last two, champions —- Argentina and Italy — at yesterday’s draw for next year’s World Cup soccer finals in Mexico. But Luis Javier Borroso Canedo, whose mother performed the draw when the finals were held in Mexico 15 years ago, delighted his countrymen by slotting the host nation into the easiest of the six first-round groups. He handed the two-time champion, West Germany, a place in the toughest group, sent England to the venue

its manager did not want and left the European champion, France, to wrestle with two talented Eastern European nations. But the second stage is already beckoning for favoured Brazil and the host nation.

Mexico, which will be based in its capital for the first-round matches, faces Belgium, which had ' to scramble through two European qualifying stages, modest Paraguay and a World Cup first-timer, Iraq. The crowd-pulling Brazilians take on Northern Ireland, Spain and . one of the minnows, Algeria. Italy, which won the title

three years ago and reached the 1970 final in Mexico, has to face the 1978 champion, Argentina, Bulgaria, which survived one of the most difficult European qualifying groups, and a World Cup debutant, South Korea. The 24-team lineup includes all the previous winners — Brazil (1958,1962 and 1970), Italy (1934, 1938 and 1982), West Germany (1954 and 1974), Uruguay (1930 and 1950), England (1966) and Argentina (1978). But making their first appearance in the finals will be Canada, Denmark, South Korea and Iraq. The toughest group, based in Queretero, which ap-

propriately means "ball game,” features former champions, West Germany; and Uruguay, along with the emerging Danes and the unpredictable Scots. The draw presents a mouth-watering challenge to Denmark’s West German coach, Sepp Piontek, who narrowly missed playing for his country’s 1966, squad which eventually made the final.

Many of the players recruited by Piontek have attracted some of Europe’s richest clubs and are on lucrative contracts in Italy, West Germany and England.

Uruguay, which finished fourth in 1970 in Mexico, is the South American champion and was a formidable opponent when the World Cup finals were staged away from Europe.

By contrast, nd European country has won the World Cup outside its own continent. France, widely rated as Europe’s No. 1 contender next year, faces Hungary, the Soviet Union and Canada.

Pitted against Brazil, a three-time champion, are Northern Ireland, - which scraped through in its last qualifying match by holding England to a draw, the

erratic Spaniards and the Algerians.

Northern Ireland and Spain are drawn in the same first round group for the second successive finals and the United Kingdom side will hope for a repeat of its victory over the 1982 host in Valencia.

Of the 24 teams that start the competition on May 31; only eight will be eliminated during the first round of group matches. The top two teams from each group automatically will. qualify for the second round, and will be joined by the four best third-placed teams. The 16 teams that ad-

vance will contest the rest of the competition on a. knock-out basis. The final will be staged on June 29 in Mexico City’s 110,000-capacity Aztec Stadium. The groups are

Group A: Italy, Bulgaria, South Korea.

Group B: Mexico, Belgium, Paraguay, Iraq. Group G France, Canada, Soviet Union, Hungary. Group D: Brazil, Spain, Algeria, Northern Ireland. . Group E: West Germany, Uruguay, Scotland, Denmark. Group F: Poland, Morocco, Portugal, England. 18. Uruguay