| FIFA World Youth Championship Australia 1981 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Australia |
| Dates | 3–18 October |
| Teams | 16 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 6 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
|
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 87 (2.72 per match) |
| Attendance | 443,094 (13,847 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
(4 goals) |
| Best player |
|
The 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship, the third edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Australia from 3 to 18 October 1981. The tournament took place in six venues—where a total of 32 matches were played. Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Newcastle and Sydney—The winner was West Germany, who beat surprising Qatar by 4–0, in a final held at Sydney Cricket Ground.
For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament, see 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship squads.