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The 1974 Football World Cup was held in West Germany. It was won by the host nation, who beat the Netherlands in the final, 2:1. The victory was the second for West Germany, who first won in 1954.

The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup, was awarded. The previous trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, was won for the third time by Brazil in 1970 and awarded permanently to the Brazilians.

The format of the competition changed from 1970: 16 teams qualified, divided into four groups of four. Top two teams in each group would advance to the second round, where they would be split into two groups of four. The winners of each group will play each other in the finals, and the second place finishers in the third place match.

The first round saw a politically charged match as West and East Germany played each other in Hamburg. The East won that match 1-0, but fell in the second round. West Germany was lead by Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd M%FCller , who scored the game winner in the final. Although the Dutch finished second, their star Johan Cruyff and their Total Football system dazzled the competition.

Poland's Grzegorz Lato lead the tournament in scoring with seven goals.

1 First round

1.1 Group A