1954 in association football
The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1954 around the world.
Events
April
- April 19: The 1954 FIFA Youth Tournament Under-18 Final was played. Spain drew 2-2 with West Germany in Köln, West Germany. Spain would win due to a better goal average.
- April 24: Wolverhampton Wanderers win the Football League First Division for the first time.
May
- May 8: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is founded. It was founded by 14 countries in Manila, Philippines
- May 8: The Gold medal match at the 1954 Asian Games is played. Taiwan beats South Korea 5-2. The match is played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, Philippines.
June
- June 15: The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is founded. It was founded by 30 countries in Basel, Switzerland. At that time, the headquarters of UEFA was based in Paris, France.
- June 16: The opening 4 matches of the 1954 FIFA World Cup were played. In Group 1, Brazil beat Mexico 5-0, and Yugoslavia beat France 1-0. In Group 3, Uruguay beat Czechoslovakia 2-0, and Austria beat Scotland 1-0.
July
- July 4: The 1954 FIFA World Cup Final was played. West Germany beat Hungary 3-2. It was played at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland
Tournament winners
International
| Tournament | Tournament Organizer | Host Country(s) | Winner | Runner-Up | Finals Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–54 British Home Championship | Home Nations | United Kingdom | England | Scotland | - |
| 1954 FIFA World Cup | FIFA | Switzerland | West Germany | Hungary | Wankdorf Stadium, Bern |
Youth International
| Tournament | Tournament Organizer | Host Country(s) | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 CCCF Youth Championship | Confederación Centroamericana y del Caribe de Fútbol (CCCF) | Costa Rica | Costa Rica | Panama |
| 1954 South American U-20 Championship | CONMEBOL | Venezuela | Uruguay | Brazil |
| 1954 FIFA Youth Tournament Under-18 | FIFA | West Germany | Spain | West Germany |
Europe
| Nation | League | Champion | Cup | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1954 Albanian National Championship | Partizani | 1954 Albanian Cup | Dinamo Tirana | Partizani |
| Austria | 1953–54 Austrian Football Championship | Rapid Wein | No Cup | ||
| Belgium | 1953–54 Belgian First Division | Anderlecht | 1953–54 Belgian Cup | Standard Liège | RC Mechelen |
| Bulgaria | 1954 A Group | CSKA Sofia | 1954 Bulgarian Cup | CSKA Sofia | Slavia Sofia |
| Czechoslovakia | 1954 Czechoslovak First League | Spartak Praha Sokolovo | No Cup | ||
| Cyprus | 1953–54 Cypriot First Division | Pezoporikos Larnaca | 1953–54 Cypriot Cup | Çetinkaya Türk | Pezoporikos Larnaca |
| Denmark | 1953–54 Danish 1st Division | Køge BK | No Cup | ||
| East Germany | 1953–54 DDR-Oberliga | BSG Turbine Erfurt | 1952–54 FDGB-Pokal | ZSK Vorwärts Berlin | BSG Motor Zwickau |
| England | 1953–54 Football League First Division | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1953-54 FA Cup | West Bromwich Albion | Preston North End |
| 1954 FA Charity Shield | Shared between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion | ||||
| Faroe Islands | 1954 Meistaradeildin | KÍ Klaksvík | No Cup | ||
| Finland | 1954 Mestaruussarja | Pyrkivä Turku | No Cup | ||
| France | 1953–54 French Division 1 | Lille OSC | 1953–54 Coupe de France | OGC Nice | Olympique Marseille |
| Greece | 1953–54 Panhellenic Championship | Olympiacos | 1953–54 Greek Football Cup | Olympiacos | Doxa Drama |
| Hungary | 1954 Nemzeti Bajnokság I | Budapest Honvéd | No Cup | ||
| Iceland | 1954 Úrvalsdeild | ÍA | No Cup | ||
| Italy | 1953–54 Serie A | Internazionale | No Cup | ||
| Liechtenstein | No League | 1953-54 Liechtenstein Cup | FC Vaduz | FC Triesen | |
| Luxembourg | 1953–54 Luxembourg National Division | Jeunesse Esch | 1953-54 Luxembourg Cup | Jeunesse Esch | CS Grevenmacher |
| Malta | 1953–54 Maltese Premier League | Sliema Wanderers | 1953-54 Maltese FA Trophy | Floriana | Rabat Ajax |
| Netherlands | 1953–54 Netherlands Football League Championship | FC Eindhoven | No Cup | ||
| Northern Ireland | 1953–54 Irish League | Linfield | 1953-54 Irish Cup | Derry City | Glentoran |
| Norway | 1953–54 Norwegian Main League | Fredrikstad | 1954 Norwegian Football Cup | Skeid | Fredrikstad |
| Poland | 1954 Ekstraklasa | Polonia Bytom | 1953-54 Polish Cup | Gwardia Warsaw | Unknown |
| Portugal | 1953–54 Primeira Divisão | Sporting CP | 1953–54 Taça de Portugal | Sporting CP | Vitória |
| Republic of Ireland | 1953–54 League of Ireland | Shamrock Rovers | 1953–54 FAI Cup | Drumcondra | St Patrick's Athletic |
| Romania | 1954 Divizia A | Flamura Roșie Arad | 1954 Cupa României | Metalul Reșița | Dinamo București |
| San Marino | No League | 1953-54 Coppa Titano | Libertas | Unknown | |
| Scotland | 1953–54 Scottish Division A | Celtic | 1953–54 Scottish Cup | Celtic | Aberdeen |
| 1953–54 Scottish League Cup | East Fife | Partick Thistle | |||
| Soviet Union | 1954 Soviet Top League | Dynamo Moscow | 1954 Soviet Cup | Dinamo Kiev | Spartak Yerevan |
| Spain | 1953–54 La Liga | Real Madrid | 1954 Copa del Generalísimo | Valencia | CF Barcelona |
| Sweden | 1953–54 Allsvenskan | GAIS | No Cup | ||
| Switzerland | 1953–54 Nationalliga A | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | 1953-54 Swiss Cup | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | FC Fribourg |
| West Germany | 1953–54 Oberliga | 5 Teams | 1953–54 DFB-Pokal | VfB Stuttgart | FC Köln |
| 1954 German football championship | Hannover 96 | ||||
| Yugoslavia | 1953–54 Yugoslav First League | Dinamo Zagreb | 1954 Yugoslav Cup | Partizan | Red Star Belgrade |
| Wales | No League | 1953–54 Welsh Cup | Flint Town United | Chester City | |
Clubs
Clubs Founded
| Date Founded | Club | Country | Current League | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 26 | Unión La Calera | Chile | Chilean Primera División | |
| February 1 | De Graafschap | Netherlands | Eerste Divisie | |
| February 5 | CO Médenine | Tunisia | Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 2 | |
| February 7 | Celaya Fútbol Club | Mexico | Liga de Expansión MX | |
| March 19 | Clube Atlético Patrocinense | Brazil | Campeonato Brasileiro Série D Campeonato Mineiro |
|
| April 11 | Persijap Jepara | Indonesia | Liga 2 | |
| April 14 | Apollon Limassol | Cyprus British Cyprus (formerly) |
Cypriot First Division | |
| June 5 | Hungaritos Agustinos | Peru | Copa Perú | |
| June | Guangzhou F.C. | China | Folded in 2025 | Formerly known as Guangzhou Evergrande |
| July 3 | C.D. Necaxa | Honduras | Folded in 2012 | |
| July 8 | Wuppertaler SV | Germany West Germany (formerly) |
Regionalliga West | Merger between TSG Vohwinkel and SSV Wuppertal |
| August 2 | Club Universidad Nacional | Mexico | Liga MX | |
| August 6 | Córdoba CF | Spain | Segunda División | |
| August 10 | Deportivo Merlo | Argentina | Primera B Metropolitana | |
| August 17 | Sport Boys Warnes | Bolivia | Folded in 2019 | |
| September 23 | The Cong-Viettel | Vietnam North Vietnam (formerly) |
V.League 1 | |
| October 1 | SC Dynamo Berlin | Germany East Germany (formerly) |
Folded in 1991 | Reorganized to form Berliner FC Dynamo in 1966 |
| October 2 | TRAU FC | India | I-League 2 | |
| October 26 | Al Tahaddy | Libya | Libyan Premier League | |
| November 9 | Floresta Esporte Clube | Brazil | Campeonato Brasileiro Série C Campeonato Cearense |
|
| December 18 | Deportes Tolima | Colombia | Categoría Primera A | |
| 1954 | Accra Great Olympics | Ghana Gold Coast (formerly) |
Ghana Premier League | |
| 1954 | Adanaspor | Turkey | TFF First League | |
| 1954 | Al-Nasr Benghazi | Libya | Libyan Premier League | |
| 1954 | Al-Wahda San'a | Yemen North Yemen |
Yemeni League | |
| 1954 | Al Raed | Saudi Arabia | Saudi Pro League | |
| 1954 | Al Faisaly | Saudi Arabia | Saudi First Division League | |
| 1954 | Baltika Kaliningrad | Russia Soviet Union (formerly) |
Russian First League | |
| 1954 | MO Béjaïa | Algeria French Algeria (formerly) |
Inter-Régions Division | |
| 1954 | CF Damm | Spain | División de Honor Juvenil | Youth football team |
| 1954 | Club 31 de Octubre | Bolivia | Bolivian Football Regional Leagues | |
| 1954 | Doxa Katokopias | Cyprus British Cyprus (formerly) |
Cypriot Second Division | |
| 1954 | Finn Harps | Ireland | League of Ireland First Division | |
| 1954 | Foresta Fălticeni | Romania | Folded in 2003 | |
| 1954 | İnegölspor | Turkey | TFF Second League | |
| 1954 | FC Kairat | Kazakhstan Soviet Union (formerly) |
Kazakhstan Premier League | |
| 1954 | FC Khimik-Arsenal | Russia Soviet Union (formerly) |
Russian Second League | |
| 1954 | F.C. Maia | Portugal | Folded in 2008 | |
| 1954 | Markaz Balata | Palestine | West Bank Premier League | |
| 1954 | Metalul Buzău | Romania | Liga II | |
| 1954 | FC Minsk-2 | Belarus Soviet Union (formerly) |
Folded in 2015 | Former farm team of FC Minsk |
| 1954 | Nairi SC | Armenia Soviet Union (formerly) |
Folded in 2000 | |
| 1954 | PWD Sports Club | Bangladesh East Pakistan (formerly) |
Bangladesh Championship League | |
| 1954 | Sankata Club | Nepal | Martyr's Memorial A-Division League | |
| 1954 | Shabab Al-Hussein | Jordan | Jordanian Pro League | |
| 1954 | Shamkir FC | Azerbaijan Soviet Union (formerly) |
Folded in 2017 | |
| 1954 | TOT S.C. | Thailand | Folded in 2016 | |
| 1954 | Turriff United | Scotland | Highland League | |
| 1954 | Tuzlaspor | Turkey | TFF First League | |
| 1954 | FC Unirea Urziceni | Romania | Folded in 2011 | |
| 1954 | US Bénédictine | France ( Réunion) | Réunion Premier League |
Clubs Folded
| Date Folded | Date Founded | Club | Country | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 30 | August 28, 1934 | RCD Córdoba | Spain | |
| 1954 | November 21, 1935 | Esporte Clube Alexandria | Brazil | |
| 1954 | 1886 | Leith Athletic | Scotland | Reformed in 1996 |
| 1954 | April 10, 1900 | Santiago National F.C. | Chile | Founding member of the Liga Profesional de Football de Santiago |
| 1954 | 1921 | SD Escoriaza | Spain | |
| 1954 | 1945 | Spartaks Rīga | Soviet Union ( Latvian SSR) |
Births and deaths
Births
| Date of Birth | Player | Nationality | Played For | Managed | Date of Death | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 15 | Jan Everse | Netherlands | Feyenoord, Ajax | FC Zwolle, Sparta Rotterdam, SC Heerenveen | ||
| Tarak Dhiab | Tunisia | ES Tunis, Al-Ahli SC | ||||
| January 20 | Daniela Sogliani | Italy | ACF Milan | Women's footballer | ||
| January 28 | Bruno Metsu | France | Valenciennes, Lille OSC, Nice | Lille OSC, Guinea, Senegal, Al Ain, Al-Gharafa, UAE, Qatar | October 15, 2013 | |
| February 7 | Jimmy Bailey | Honduras | Real España | |||
| February 13 | Dominique Bathenay | France | Saint-Étienne, Paris Saint-Germain | Stade de Reims, Saint-Étienne, Seychelles, UAE | ||
| February 19 | Sócrates | Brazil | Botafogo-SP, Corinthians, Fiorentina | Botafogo-SP, LDU Quito | December 4, 2011 | Member of the FIFA 100 1983 South American Footballer of the Year winner |
| February 25 | Gerardo Pelusso | Uruguay | Nacional, LDU Quito | Club Atlético Florida, Cerro, Danubio, Alianza Lima, Nacional, Club Olimpia, Paraguay, Santa Fe, Al-Arabi SC, Deportivo Cali | ||
| March 6 | Toni Schumacher | Germany | 1. FC Köln, FC Schalke 04, Fenerbahçe, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund | Fortuna Köln | ||
| March 11 | Nicolae Manea | Romania | Rapid București, Gloria Bistrița | Unirea Dej, Rapid București, Romania U-21 | December 15, 2014 | |
| April 1 | Giancarlo Antognoni | Italy | Fiorentina, Lausanne-Sport | 1982 FIFA World Cup winner Member of the Italian Football Hall of Fame | ||
| April 14 | László Fekete | Hungary | Újpest Dózsa | March 4, 2014 | ||
| April 19 | Trevor Francis | England | Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Sampdoria |
Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City, Crystal Palace | July 24, 2023 | |
| May 18 | Eric Gerets | Belgium | Standard Liège, Milan, PSV | Lierse, Club Brugge, PSV, Kaiserslautern, Wolfsburg, Galatasaray, Olympique Marseille | ||
| June 6 | Władysław Żmuda | Poland | Śląsk Wrocław, Widzew Łódź, Cremonese | |||
| June 26 | Luis Arconada | Spain | Real Sociedad | UEFA Euro 1984 runner-up | ||
| July 10 | José González Ganoza | Peru | Alianza Lima | December 8, 1987 | Died in the 1987 Alianza Lima plane crash | |
| July 12 | Wolfgang Dremmler | Germany | Eintracht Braunschweig, Bayern Munich | 1982 FIFA World Cup runner-up | ||
| July 15 | Mario Kempes | Argentina | Rosario Central, Valencia, River Plate, St. Pölten | 1978 FIFA World Cup winner Member of the FIFA 100 | ||
| July 24 | Jorge Jesus | Portugal | Sporting CP, Belenenses, UD Leiria, Vitória Setúbal, Farense | Braga, Benfica, Sporting CP, Al Hilal, Flamengo, Fenerbahçe | 2019 Copa Libertadores winner | |
| August 4 | Claudio Cavalieri | Italy | AS Roma | June 9, 1977 | ||
| August 18 | Jan Peters | Netherlands | NEC Nijmegen, AZ '67, Genoa | De Treffers | ||
| August 22 | Emilio Campos | Venezuela | September 18, 2022 | |||
| August 24 | Heini Otto | Netherlands | FC Twente, Middlesbrough, ADO Den Haag | |||
| September 5 | Danny Masterton | Scotland | Ayr United, Clyde | January 5, 2020 | ||
| October 30 | Ramón Maradiaga | Honduras | Motagua, Tenerife, Real España | Motagua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador | ||
| November 5 | Alejandro Sabella | Argentina | River Plate, Sheffield United, Leeds United, Estudiantes (LP), Grêmio | Qatar U-20, Estudiantes (LP), Argentina | December 8, 2020 | 2009 Copa Libertadores winner |
| November 14 | Robert Alberts | Netherlands | Vancouver Whitecaps, Clermont Foot, Hittarps IK | Hittarps IK, Kedah FA, Home United, Sarawak FA, Arema Indonesia, Persib Bandung | ||
| November 18 | Adrie Koster | Netherlands | Roda JC, PSV | Willem II, Roda JC, Excelsior, Ajax, Club Brugge, Saudi Arabia U-23 | ||
| December 1 | François Van der Elst | Belgium | Anderlecht, New York Cosmos, West Ham United, Lokeren | January 11, 2017 |
Deaths
| Date of Death | Player | Nationality | Played For | Managed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 6 | Pedrosa | Brazil | Botafogo CA Estudantes Paulista São Paulo |
4-time Campeonato Carioca winner Played at the 1934 FIFA World Cup | |
| January 10 | Oscar Brockmeyer | United States | Christian Brothers Cadets Missouri Tigers |
Silver medalist at the 1904 Summer Olympics | |
| January 20 | Kees Oldenburg | Netherlands | Stormvogels | ||
| January 28 | Christiaan Groothoff | Netherlands | Refereed at the 1912 Summer Olympics | ||
| January 31 | Vivian Woodward | England | Clacton Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea Football League XI |
1900–01 FA Cup winner 7-time British Home Championship winner Won a gold medal at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics. | |
| February 4 | Henri Scharry | Luxembourg | Jeunesse Esch | Played at the 1928 Summer Olympics | |
| February 17 | Erik Bergqvist | Sweden | AIK IFK Stockholm |
Played at the 1912 Summer Olympics Won two Olympic medals in water polo (Silver in 1912, Bronze in 1920) | |
| February 19 | Herman Hesselink | Netherlands | Vitesse | Co-founder of SBV Vitesse Brother of former Dutch footballer Willem Hesselink | |
| February 25 | Juan Cilley | Argentina | Estudiantes San Isidro |
Finished third at the 1919 South American Championship | |
| March 14 | Štefan Biró | Czechoslovakia Slovakia |
SK Baťa Zlín ŠK Bratislava |
4-time Slovenská liga winner | |
| March 15 | Benito Mosso | Argentina Italy |
Torino Palestra Itália |
Brother of Argentine Italian footballers Eugenio, Francisco, and Julio Mosso | |
| April 1 | Ramón Guzmán | Spain | Barcelona Mallorca |
Barcelona | 1929 La Liga winner 5-time Catalan football championship winner 2-time Copa del Rey/Copa del Generalísimo winner (1928, 1942) |
| Jan Thomée | Netherlands | DSV Concordia | Bronze medalist at the 1908 Summer Olympics | ||
| April 3 | Jalmari Holopainen | Finland | HJK Helsinki | 2-time Finnish champion (1911, 1912) Played at the 1912 Summer Olympics | |
| April 4 | Jerzy Piec | Poland | Naprzód Lipiny/TuS 1883 Lipine AKS Chorzów |
Played at the 1936 Summer Olympics and 1938 FIFA World Cup | |
| April 12 | Pim Mulier | Netherlands | Co-founder of Koninklijke HFC Founder of the Nederlandse Voetbal en Athletiek Bond Organized the first football | ||
| April 14 | Gino Ferrer Callegari | Italy | Padova AS Roma Sampdoria Lucchese Liguria Entella |
Entella | |
| April 18 | George Kay | England | Bolton Wanderers Lisburn Distillery West Ham United Stockport County |
Luton Town Southampton Liverpool |
1913–14 Gold Cup winner 1946–47 Football League First Division winner |
| April 30 | René Démaret | France | US Valenciennes-Anzin Montpellier RC Strasbourg AS Monaco |
1950–51 Coupe de France winner | |
| May 1 | Pentti Larvo | Finland | HPS Helsinki | 5-time Mestaruussarja winner Played at the 1936 Summer Olympics | |
| May 3 | Józef Garbień | Poland | Pogoń Lwów | 4-time Polish Football Championship winner | |
| May 26 | Sverre Berg-Johannesen | Norway | Stavanger IF | ||
| May 28 | Algoth Niska | Finland | Unitas HIFK Fotboll |
Played at the 1912 Summer Olympics Was also a bootlegger and adventurer Grandfather of Finnish singer Ilkka Lipsanen | |
| June 1 | Jimmy Settle | England | Bolton Wanderers Bury Everton Stockport County |
1901–02 Football League First Division top scorer Member of the Gwladys Street's Hall of Fame | |
| June 2 | Franz Scheu | Austria Austria-Hungary |
Wiener AC | ||
| June 8 | Fritz Fürst | Germany | Bayern Munich | 2-time Kreisliga Bayern winner (1910, 1911) | |
| June 11 | André Poullain | France | CA Paris | 1919–20 Coupe de France winner | |
| June 25 | Alfred Chalk | England | Upton Park | Gold medalist at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
| June 29 | Thorsten Svensson | Sweden | GAIS | 3-time Swedish champion (1923–24, 1924–25, 1926–27) Bronze medalist at the 1924 Summer Olympics | |
| July 21 | Ernie Hart | England | Leeds United Mansfield Town |
1929 FA Charity Shield winner | |
| July 26 | Arthur Bridgett | England | Stoke City Sunderland South Shields Port Vale |
South Shields North Shields |
3-time British Home Championship winner (1904–05, 1907–08, 1908–09) |
| July 30 | Hans Nobiling | Germany Brazil |
SC Germania Hamburg | Founder of SC Germânia | |
| September 6 | Alfred Berghausen | Germany | Preußen Duisburg | ||
| September 7 | Armando Reyes | Argentina | Racing Club | Racing Club | 8-time Argentine Primera División winner 4-time Copa de Honor MCBA winner 5-time Copa Ibarguren winner 2-time Copa Aldao winner (1917, 1918 Copa Aldao) Played at the 1916, 1917, 1919 South American Championships |
| September 10 | René Rossignol | France | Nîmes Olympique Grenoble Foot 38 |
||
| October 27 | Harry Tate | United States | St. Rose Parish | Bronze medalist at the 1904 Summer Olympics | |
| November 12 | Alec Smith | Scotland | Rangers Scottish League XI |
8-time Scottish Division One winner 3-time Scottish Cup winner (1896–97, 1897–98, 1902–03) | |
| November 20 | Gino De Biasi | Italy | Treviso | ||
| November 23 | Louis Schubart | France | Olympique Lillois | Played at the 1908 Summer Olympics | |
| November 25 | Enrico Crotti | Italy | Inter Milan Torino |
Cagliari Fanfulla Legnano Empoli |
|
| November 27 | Egil Lærum | Norway | Vålerenga Larvik Turn |
1950 Egebergs Ærespris winner Was also a ski jumper | |
| December 2 | Egidio Turchi | Italy | Pistoiese Ambrosiana-Inter Livorno Lazio Lucchese Napoli Prato Palermo |
Colleferro Pistoiese |
|
| December 13 | Karl Neubauer | Austria | Favoritner AC Rapid Wien |
||
| December 20 | Roland Schmitt | France | Racing Club de France FC Sète 34 Toulouse Olympique Lyon |
2-time French Division 1 winner (1935–36, 1938–39) 1935–36 Coupe de France winner | |
| 1954 | Marcel Henneberg | Switzerland | Servette | 1906–07 Swiss Serie A winner | |
| 1954 | Nikolai Korotkov | Russia Soviet Union |
Novogireyevo Moscow Mamontovka Moscow |
||
| 1954 | Rūdolfs Kundrāts | Latvia Soviet Union |
LSB Rīga Riga Vanderer |
1932 Baltic Cup winner | |
| 1954 | Jimmy McIntyre | England | Walsall Notts County Reading Coventry City |
Southampton Coventry City Fulham |
|
| 1954 | Cayetano Saporiti | Uruguay | Montevideo Wanderers | 2-time Uruguayan Primera División winner (1906, 1909) 2-time South American Championship winner (1916, 1917) | |
| 1954 | Voldemārs Viņķis | Latvia Soviet Union |
RFK Riga | Played at the 1924 Summer Olympics |