The tournament took place in four cities — Kobe, Omiya, Tokyo and Yokohama — where a total of 32 matches were played, four more than in the previous edition due to the addition of a quarterfinal round in the knockout stage.

Argentina won the trophy after beating holders Soviet Union 3–1, in a final held at Tokyo's National Stadium.

Argentina fielded an attack-minded high-scoring team, averaging 3.33 goals per game.

They were led by the powerful duo of Diego Maradona and Ramón Díaz, who were the tournament's best player and top scorer respectively.

Ramón Díaz of Argentina won the Golden Boot award for scoring eight goals.