River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires on lined globe, country name above with two numbered year below at right.

The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 at River Plate's home stadium Estadio Monumental in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires after extra time in the final. Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and named after the city's estuary, Río de la Plata. River's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, known simply as El Monumental, which is the largest stadium in the country.

A logo of the World Cup top right, Peso Ley Symbol (Bs) to left, value below, date at bottom.

The logo is based on Juan Perón's signature gesture: a salute to the crowd with both arms extended above his head. This was one of the most famous, populist images of Perón. The design was created in 1974 two years prior to the military coup in 1976. The military leadership were aware that the World Cup's logo symbolized Perón's gesture, and they tried to change the competition's logo. At this point, the design was already broadly commercialized and the merchandise had already been made: a forced modification "would trigger a sea of lawsuits against the country", so the military "munched the defeat".