# 1961 in association football

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
** 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)
       England

## Births

* January 12 – Andrea Carnevale, Italian international footballer
* 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 manager
* April 4 – Karsten Härtel, former German footballer
* April 6 – Tony Paul, English former professional footballer
* April 11 – Roberto Cabañas, Paraguayan international footballer (died 2017)
* April 19 – Dave Wiffill, English former professional footballer and coach
* 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
* May 21 – Thomas Dooley, American international footballer and manager
* June 1 – Rubén Espinoza, Chilean footballer
* June 3 – César Zabala, Paraguayan international footballer (died 2020)
* June 27 – Pat McQuillan, Northern Irish former footballer
* June 29 – Víctor Genés, Paraguayan footballer and football manager (died 2019)
* August 1 – Danny Blind, Dutch international footballer and manager
* August 10 – Chris Marustik, Welsh international footballer (died 2015)
* August 24 – Nick Hencher, Welsh former professional footballer
* September 9 – Justo Jacquet, Paraguayan footballer
* September 20 – Erwin Koeman, Dutch international footballer and manager
* October 16 – Wilfried Brookhuis, Dutch footballer
* October 20 – Guillermo Muñoz, Mexican footballer
* November 3 – Sven Habermann, German-Canadian soccer player
* November 4 – Nigel Worthington, Northern Irish international footballer and manager
* November 17 – Wolfram Wuttke, German international footballer (died 2015)
* November 20 – Dave Watson, English footballer and manager
* 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)