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