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 : Racing Club : Santos : Tottenham Hotspur : AS Monaco : KR : Juventus : Chivas Guadalajara : Feyenoord : Cerro Porteño : Steaua București : Rangers : FC Dynamo Kyiv : Real Madrid : Fenerbahçe

International tournaments 1961 British Home Championship (October 8, 1960 – April 15, 1961)

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 5 – Alan Davies, Welsh international footballer (died 1992) December 9 – Luděk Mikloško, Czech international footballer and coach (died 2026) 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)

References