The 1978 FIFA Football World Championship was hosted by Argentina. Holland made it to the final of the World Cup for the second time in a row, but with Johan Cruyff and Willem van Hanegem declining to take part in the tournament the team lacked the magic of the 1974 side. Once again the Dutch lost out to the home team, with Argentina clinching an extra-time victory and Mario Kempes crowning himself the hero of his nation.

Final Holland 1-3 Argentina (a.e.t.) 3rd place play-off Brazil 2-1 Italy Second Round
Group A			Group B
Holland 3 2 1 0 9-4 5 Italy 3 1 1 1 2-2 3 West Germany 3 0 2 1 4-5 2 Austria 3 1 0 2 4-8 2			Argentina 3 2 1 0 8-0 5 Brazil 3 2 1 0 6-1 5 Poland 3 1 0 2 2-5 2 Peru 3 0 0 3 0-10 0
Italy Austria Italy Holland Italy Austria	1-2 3-2 1-0 2-2 0-0 1-5	Holland W Germany Austria W Germany W Germany Holland	Argentina Poland Argentina Peru Argentina Peru	6-0 1-3 0-0 0-1 2-0 0-3	Peru Brazil Brazil Poland Poland Brazil
First Round
Group 1			Group 2
Italy 3 3 0 0 6-2 6 Argentina 3 2 0 1 4-3 4 France 3 1 0 2 5-5 2 Hungary 3 0 0 3 3-8 0			Poland 3 2 1 0 4-1 5 West Germany 3 1 2 0 6-0 4 Tunesia 3 1 1 1 3-2 3 Mexico 3 0 0 3 2-12 0
Argentina France Argentina Italy Argentina Italy	0-1 3-1 2-1 3-1 2-1 2-1	Italy Hungary France Hungary Hungary France	Poland W Germany Poland W Germany Tunesia W Germany	3-1 0-0 1-0 6-0 3-1 0-0	Mexico Tunesia Tunesia Mexico Mexico Poland
Group 3			Group 4
Austria 3 2 0 1 3-2 4 Brazil 3 1 2 0 2-1 4 Spain 3 1 1 1 2-2 3 Sweden 3 0 1 2 1-3 1			Peru 3 2 1 0 7-2 5 Holland 3 1 1 1 5-3 3 Scotland 3 1 1 1 5-6 3 Iran 3 0 1 2 2-8 1
Brazil Spain Brazil Austria Brazil Austria	1-0 1-0 0-0 1-0 1-1 2-1	Austria Sweden Spain Sweden Sweden Spain	Scotland Peru Holland Scotland Holland Peru	3-2 4-1 0-0 1-1 3-0 3-1	Holland Iran Peru Iran Iran Scotland