Format
16 teams qualified, divided into four groups of four. Each played a round-robin with two points for a win and one for a draw, and goal difference used to separate teams level on points. The top two teams from each group advanced to the next stage. However, in a change from the format used in the previous three competitions, the second round consisted of another group stage: the eight remaining teams were divided into two groups of four. The winners of each group played each other in the final, and the second place teams in each group played each other in the third/fourth place match.
Read more about this topic: 1974 FIFA World Cup