1979 in association football

Years in football (soccer):	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
Centuries:	19th Century · 20th Century · 21st Century
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years:	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982

The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1979 throughout the world.

Events

• Copa Libertadores 1979: Won by Olimpia Asunción after defeating Boca Juniors on an aggregate score of 2-0.
• European Cup 1979: Won by Nottingham Forest after defeating Malmö FF 1-0 in the Final.
• Intercontinental Cup 1979: Won by Olimpia Asunción after defeating Malmö FF by an aggregate score of 3-1. This was the last time the Intercontinental Cup was played in two legs (South America and Europe).
• May 22 – Ruud Krol becomes Holland's most capped player in history when he plays his 65th match for the Netherlands national football team against Argentina.

Winners club national championship

• Belgium – K.S.K. Beveren
• Bulgaria – PFC Levski Sofia
• Cyprus – Omonia Nicosia
• Denmark – Esbjerg Fb
• England – Liverpool F.C.
• France – RC Strasbourg
• Hungary – Újpest FC
• Italy – AC Milan
• Netherlands
  • Eredivisie – Ajax Amsterdam
  • Eerste Divisie – Excelsior Rotterdam
• Poland – Ruch Chorzów
• Portugal – FC Porto
• Scotland – Celtic F.C.
• Spain – Real Madrid
• West Germany – Hamburger SV
• USSR – FC Spartak Moscow

North and Central America

• North America – Vancouver Whitecaps

South America

• Argentina
  • Metropolitano – River Plate
  • Nacional – River Plate
• Brazil – Internacional
• Colombia – América de Cali
• Paraguay – Olimpia Asunción

International tournaments

• 1979 British Home Championship (May 19 – May 26, 1979)

England

• Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico (July 2 – July 14, 1979)
  1. Brazil
  2. Cuba
  3. Argentina

• Copa América (July 10 – December 12, 1979)
  1. Paraguay
  2. Chile
  3. Brazil and Peru

• World Youth Championship (August 26 – September 7, 1979)
  1. Argentina
  2. Soviet Union
  3. Uruguay

Births

• January 12 – Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
• January 15 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
• January 26 – Maksym Kalynychenko, Ukrainian footballer
• February 2 – Daniel Bierofka, German footballer
• February 13 – Rafael Márquez, Mexican footballer
• February 19 – Steve Cherundolo, American footballer
• March 2 – Damien Duff, Irish footballer
• March 4 – Vyacheslav Malafeev, Russian footballer
• March 22 – Aldo Duscher, Argentine footballer
• April 5 – Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
• April 12 – Tobias Linderoth, Swedish footballer
• April 20 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer
• April 26 – Fereydoon Zandi, Iranian-German footballer
• May 19 – Diego Forlán, Uruguayan footballer
• May 29 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
• May 30 – Fabian Ernst, German footballer
• June 4 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
• June 7 – Kevin Hofland, Dutch footballer
• June 19 – José Kleberson, Brazilian footballer
• July 14 – Sergei Ignashevich, Russian footballer
• July 26 – Paul Freier, German footballer
• August 7 – Pablo Salinas, Bolivian footballer
• October 8 – Doyle Vaca, Bolivian footballer
• October 15 – Paul Robinson, English footballer
• October 18 – Jaroslav Drobny, Czech footballer
• October 23 – Simon Davies, Welsh footballer
• November 5 – Patrick Owomoyela, German footballer
• November 20 – Dmitri Bulykin, Russian footballer
• December 7 – Diego Bengolea, Bolivian footballer
• December 14 – Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
• December 14 – Michael Owen, English footballer
• December 20 – Ashley Cole, English footballer
• December 30 – Hernán Boyero, Argentine footballer

Deaths

• February 16 – Henk Steeman (85), Dutch footballer (b. 1894)
• April 19 – August Sackenheim (73), German footballer
• April 30 – Jaap Bulder (82), Dutch footballer (b. 1896)
• December 12 – Hans Rohde (65), German footballer