City’s World Cup years: Before 2000 | OneFootball

Ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, we look back on City’s impact at previous tournaments.

Men's Team

Every City player at the 2026 World Cup

With 19 currently contracted players set to be in Canada, Mexico and the US this summer, we’re sure to leave our mark on this edition.

Our 2026 World Cup group stage explainer

48 teams will compete across 104 matches in a competition on a scale never seen before.

But it’s taken time for it to grow to this level, with the first edition 96 years ago comprising of just 13 teams and 18 games.

In the first of this series, we reflect on every edition from before the turn of the century that included City players.

Mexico 1970

Francis Lee, Colin Bell

The first two City players to go to a World Cup while calling Maine Road home were two of the biggest stars in our previous golden era.

England, of course, were the defending champions and many of those stars who shone in 1966 were still around four years later.

However, this time around they would be knocked out in the quarter-finals to West Germany.

Lee started three of England’s four games, while Bell unfortunately was kept out of the starting lineup by Bobby Charlton, who played the same role in Alf Ramsey’s setup, for all but the win over Czechoslovakia.

Otherwise, ‘The King’ was reduced to trying to make an impact off the bench although many around the country felt Ramsey’s team would have been better served finding a place for our iconic No.8.

City at the time were in the middle of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison’s historic partnership and had won the League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup a few months earlier.

West Germany 1974

Willie Donachie, Denis Law

Our two representatives in 1974 were both part of the Scotland side that were unlucky not to qualify through the first group stage.

They drew with world champions Brazil and a highly talented Yugoslavia side but failed to beat Zaire by as many goals as their rivals so missed out on goal difference.

That meant they did hold the unusual acclaim of being the only unbeaten side at that tournament when it came to an end.

Law, a brilliant striker admired for his contributions on both sides of Manchester, was just a few months from retirement, played the game against Zaire.

Donachie, a 22-year-old defender, was still relatively early in his international career and it would be at the next edition that he would step up for his country.

This tournament came at the end of a rollercoaster season for City, with three different men taking charge of the first team. Former captain Tony Book eventually took charge and ensured we avoided a shock relegation.

Argentina 1978

Willie Donachie, Asa Hartford

As it was four years earlier, City’s two representatives in 1978 were part of the Tartan Army.

And again as it was in 1974, goal difference prevented them from progressing through the first group stage. Defeat to Peru put them on the backfoot before a draw with Iran meant a big win over a star-studded Netherlands side was required.

Incredibly, they got the win against the eventual finalists but it wasn’t enough.

Donachie played two of the three games at left-back while Hartford, an energetic midfielder, wore the No.10 shirt.

Back at Maine Road, Book had got City playing some of the best football in the country after a runners-up place in 1977 and fourth in 1978.

Spain 1982

Trevor Francis, Joe Corrigan, Asa Hartford

Francis, who had just completed what turned out to his one and only season at City, was one of England’s stars as they narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot.

He scored against both Czechoslovakia and Kuwait to ensure safe progression through the first group stage before England drew blanks against West Germany and Spain in the second round.

‘Big Joe’ was one of those unfortunate goalkeepers to be playing at the same time as some of the longest servants the game has ever known, with Peter Shilton first choice and Ray Clemence next in line.

Meanwhile, Scotland again were made to curse goal difference for the third tournament in a row as they missed out behind Brazil and Soviet Union. Hartford’s only appearance came in the defeat to Brazil.

Earlier that year, John Bond had guided City a tenth place finish in the First Division.

Mexico 1986

Sammy McIlroy

McIlroy had been far from a regular at City in the previous season but went into Northern Ireland’s second appearance at the World Cup as captain.

He started every game as they drew with Algeria, narrowly lost to Spain and were comfortably dispatched by Brazil.

Italy 1990

Niall Quinn

Just a few months after moving to Maine Road after years at Arsenal, 23-year-old target man Quinn was in and out of the Republic of Ireland team.

He was unused in the 1-1 draw with England, came on late as Ireland hunted a winner against Egypt and then scored to earn a draw against a hotly tipped Netherlands side.

It was enough to progress to the Round of 16, where Quinn started as they beat Romania on penalties, before losing 1-0 to hosts Italy in the last eight.

Again, this World Cup came off the back of City’s first year in the top-flight following a relegation. We had stabilised under Howard Kendall, ending 14th.

USA 1994

Terry Phelan, Alan Kernaghan

Similarly to Scotland 20 years prior, both of City’s representatives stateside in 1994 were part of the Republic of Ireland squad.

Phelan was the starting left-back in a memorable win over Italy and defeat to Mexico before being a sub for the draw with Norway.

He reclaimed his place for the Round of 16 defeat to another Netherlands side packed with talent. Kernaghan was unused throughout.

With Brian Horton in charge for much of the season, City finished the Premier League season in 16th – largely owing to a superior defence to many of our rivals in the lower echelons of the division.