1961 in association football
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The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1961 throughout the world.
Events
- Copa Libertadores 1961: Won by Peñarol after defeating Palmeiras on an aggregate score of 2–1.
- 1961 International Soccer League
- FK Dukla Prague beat Everton F.C., 9–2, in the final on aggregate
- September 6 – Dutch club Feyenoord from Rotterdam makes its European debut by defeating Sweden's IFK Göteborg (0–3) in the first round of the European Cup.
- September 18 – The North American Football Confederation and Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean merge to form CONCACAF.
Winners club national championship
Argentina: Racing Club
Brazil: Santos
England: Tottenham Hotspur
France: AS Monaco
Iceland: KR
Italy: Juventus
Mexico: Chivas Guadalajara
Netherlands: Feyenoord
Paraguay: Cerro Porteño
Romania: Steaua București
Soviet Union: FC Dynamo Kyiv
Spain: Real Madrid
Turkey: Fenerbahçe
International tournaments
- 1961 British Home Championship (October 8, 1960 – April 15, 1961)
Births
- January 13 – César Baena, Venezuelan international footballer
- January 17 – Zhao Dayu, Chinese international footballer (died 2015)
- January 18 – Peter Beardsley, English international footballer
- January 20 – Patricio Yáñez, Chilean international footballer
- January 31 – Jonny Otten, German international footballer
- February 13 – Oļegs Karavajevs, Latvian international footballer
- March 13 – Sebastiano Nela, Italian international footballer
- March 21 – Lothar Matthäus, German international footballer and coach
- April 11 – Roberto Cabañas, Paraguayan international footballer (died 2017)
- May 3 – Daniel Sánchez, Uruguayan international footballer
- May 5 – Ali Hussein Shihab, Iraqi international footballer (died 2016)
- May 8 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
- June 1 – Rubén Espinoza, Chilean footballer
- June 3 – César Zabala, Paraguayan footballer
- June 29 – Víctor Genés, Paraguayan footballer and football manager
- August 3 – Gustavo Brand, Venezuelan football referee
- August 10 – Chris Marustik, Welsh international footballer (died 2015)
- September 9 – Justo Jacquet, Paraguayan footballer
- October 20 – Guillermo Muñoz, Mexican footballer
- November 3 – Sven Habermann, German-Canadian footballer
- November 17 – Wolfram Wuttke, German international footballer (died 2015)
- December 17 – Henk van Stee, Dutch footballer and manager
Deaths
January
- January 5 – Jack Butler (66), English international footballer and manager (born 1894)
October
- October 31 – Alberto Chividini, Argentine defender, runner up of the 1930 FIFA World Cup . (54)