Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics
 |
|
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Finland |
| Dates | July 15 – August 2 |
| Teams | 25 (from 5 (plus Great Britain) confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Hungary |
| Runners-up |  Yugoslavia |
| Third place |  Sweden |
| Fourth place |
 Germany
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 135 (5.19 per match) |
The Football tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics was won by Hungary.
The games signalled the arrival (to Western Europeans at least) of the Hungarian national football team – the "Magical Magyars". Ferenc Puskás later said of the 1952 competition: "It was during the Olympics that our football first started to flow with real power." It was during the Games that Stanley Rous of English Football Association invited the Hungarians to play a friendly at Wembley the following year.
The preliminary round saw Hungary record a narrow victory against Romania, whilst there was an 8–0 victory for Italy against the United States, and a 5–1 victory for Brazil against The Netherlands. Great Britain succumbed to Luxembourg 5–3, whilst Egypt defeated Chile 5–4. Yugoslavia were drawn against the Indians, who decided to play without boots; Yugoslavia won 10–1.
The First round saw Scandinavian countries join the competition; the hosts Finland were beaten 3–4 by Austria, whilst Sweden defeated neighbours Norway 4–1. The game of the round was between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union; Yugoslavia had been 5–1 ahead with 30 minutes of the match to go, only for the Soviet captain Bobrov to score a hat-trick and inspire his team to an eventual 5–5 draw. A replay resulted in a 3–1 victory for Yugoslavia; the Soviet side had been expected by Moscow to win the 1952 Games, and their defeat by Yugoslavia was not mentioned in the Soviet press until after Stalin's death the following year.
Sweden defeated Austria to ensure a Scandinavian presence in the semi-finals. Germany surprisingly beat Brazil 4–2 after extra time, whilst Yugoslavia won comfortably in a 5–3 defeat of Denmark. Hungary demolished Turkey 7–1 to complete the four semi-finalists.
In the first semi final, Hungary saw off Sweden with a comprehensive 6–0 victory, whilst Yugoslavia beat Germany 3–1 to set up a Hungary-Yugoslavia final.
There was some consolation for the Scandinavian countries as Sweden defeated Germany 2–0 in the third place play-off to secure the bronze medal.
Two goals from Puskás and Zoltán Czibor saw Hungary beat Yugoslavia and take the gold medal.
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