The 1978 World Cup Does Not Take Place In Argentina?

I suspect Italy or Brazil might have won if it had been hosted elsewhere! Also could not hosting it in 1978 have precipitated an earlier Melvinas crisis with Vidella and the 'Lads' intervening sooner!
What were the other likely hosts? Colombia was awarded 1986 tournament, but couldn't take it due to an eathquake!
 
Well, the outrageous Argentinian gamesmanship before the final probably wouldn't have taken place.

I think I fancy Holland to win it if it's played somewhere else. They weren't as flash as '74, but were a lot more resilient.
 
Even though the host selection process wasn't as defined and complex as it is right now, by 1978 there was already an intent to rotate the host in every continent although this wasn't properly formalized like it is today. I'd say several American countries would have submitted their names but I agree a Brazilian candidacy would have won.
 
I suspect Italy or Brazil might have won if it had been hosted elsewhere! Also could not hosting it in 1978 have precipitated an earlier Melvinas crisis with Vidella and the 'Lads' intervening sooner!
What were the other likely hosts? Colombia was awarded 1986 tournament, but couldn't take it due to an eathquake!

Indeed, most probably a victory for Italy or Brazil, maybe the Dutch at a stretch. As to who could have hosted, I believe the only other country to consider a bid had been Mexico, who pulled out after they were awarded the 1970 World Cup, so a different host is required. Since 1958 FIFA had alternated between Europe and the Americas, and by 1978 they were running out of hosts in the Americas who weren't Argentina, having snubbed them as hosts for '58, '62, and '70. If they were to hold it in Europe, the natural choice would have been Spain, who had bid for '66, and withdrew their bid for '74 in return for West Germany's support for '82. Otherwise, perhaps USA (who bid to replace Colombia in '86), or as you say, maybe an early Colombia?

You're incorrect about Colombia not being able to host in 1986 due to an earthquake, by the way, Colombia were unable to host due to financial problems so withdrew in 1982 - Mexico subsequently suffered an earthquake in 1985, which caused some to doubt whether they would be able to host in '86, but the stadia were unaffected.
 
It has to be Colombia. '78 is too early for the US to be able to organize a bid.

I would bet on Brazil or Netherlands to win.
 
It has to be Colombia. '78 is too early for the US to be able to organize a bid.

I would bet on Brazil or Netherlands to win.
Seeing as Scotland beat the Netherlands in the 1978 World Cup, we should have been in with a shout then! :p

It was typical though, we messed it up against Iran and Peru and then put up one of the best performances in memory against the team that would reach the final. If we were better managed, Scotland seriously could have got as far as the final in 1978....
 
It has to be Colombia. '78 is too early for the US to be able to organize a bid.

They organised a bid for '86 in '83, and the infrastructure for '94 already existed in '78 (though they would have been bidding in 1966, when football had yet to experience the NASL etc, so maybe they wouldn't have bid) - even Canada managed a bid for '86, and they're far less able to host than the USA.

How about the Soviet Union? Not Western European (FIFA often distinguished between Western Europe and Eastern Europe), and a football powerhouse at the time of bidding.
 
They organised a bid for '86 in '83, and the infrastructure for '94 already existed in '78 (though they would have been bidding in 1966, when football had yet to experience the NASL etc, so maybe they wouldn't have bid) - even Canada managed a bid for '86, and they're far less able to host than the USA.

How about the Soviet Union? Not Western European (FIFA often distinguished between Western Europe and Eastern Europe), and a football powerhouse at the time of bidding.

At the federation level though, the USSF was a disaster until the mid-1980s. Remember that 1978 was awarded to Argentina in 1966, the US will not be able to bid.
 

Thande

Donor
Also could not hosting it in 1978 have precipitated an earlier Melvinas crisis with Vidella and the 'Lads' intervening sooner!

They came fairly close to trying it on in 1977/8 in OTL so it is certainly a possibility, and not having to look nice for the World Cup cameras might tip the scales on that one.
 
They came fairly close to trying it on in 1977/8 in OTL so it is certainly a possibility, and not having to look nice for the World Cup cameras might tip the scales on that one.

Also likely is that they have the Beagle War against Chile, given that they were preparing for the war during the World Cup (to the extent that they had ordered the body bags, which were then used in the Falklands): without the cohesive unity fostered by hosting and winning a world cup the junta would have been insecure in a similar way to how they were in 1982, so they might have hoped that a war against Chile would have brought them support.
 

Thande

Donor
Also likely is that they have the Beagle War against Chile, given that they were preparing for the war during the World Cup (to the extent that they had ordered the body bags, which were then used in the Falklands): without the cohesive unity fostered by hosting and winning a world cup the junta would have been insecure in a similar way to how they were in 1982, so they might have hoped that a war against Chile would have brought them support.

They wouldn't try both at once, the Beagle War and an earlier Falklands War were both options considered by the junta as a means to quell their populace with a patriotic conflict. The Beagle War was largely foiled by Papal intervention.
 
They wouldn't try both at once, the Beagle War and an earlier Falklands War were both options considered by the junta as a means to quell their populace with a patriotic conflict. The Beagle War was largely foiled by Papal intervention.

When I said 'also' likely, I meant instead of the Falklands War, not as well. The Beagles were the prime target in 1978 for the junta, the Defence Minister actually said that Argentina would 'take action' to recover the Beagles during the World Cup, when the junta was meant to be on its best behaviour! Papal arbitration didn't start until 1979, so they could have launched the war late Summer to Autumn 1978
 
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