1986 FIFA World Cup qualification

A total of 121 teams entered the 1986 FIFA World Cup

1986 FIFA World Cup

The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...

 qualification

FIFA World Cup qualification

The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...

rounds, competing for a total of 24 spots in the final tournament. Mexico

Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación

The Mexican Federation of Football is the governing body of association football in Mexico. It administers the Mexican national team, the Mexican league and all affiliated amateur sectors, and is in charge of promoting, organizing, directing, spreading, and supervising competitive football in Mexico...

, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition. The draw took place on 7 December 1983 at Zürich

Zürich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

, Switzerland.

The 24 spots available in the 1986 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:

• Europe (UEFA
  UEFA
  The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
  
  ): 13.5 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Italy, while the other 12.5 places were contested by 32 teams. The winner of the 0.5 place would advance to the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from OFC).
• South America (CONMEBOL
  CONMEBOL
  The South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
  
  ): 4 places, contested by 10 teams.
• North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF
  CONCACAF
  The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
  
  ): 2 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Mexico
  Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación
  The Mexican Federation of Football is the governing body of association football in Mexico. It administers the Mexican national team, the Mexican league and all affiliated amateur sectors, and is in charge of promoting, organizing, directing, spreading, and supervising competitive football in Mexico...
  
  , while the other 1 place was contested by 17 teams.
• Africa (CAF
  Confederation of African Football
  The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
  
  ): 2 places, contested by 29 teams.
• Asia (AFC
  Asian Football Confederation
  The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
  
  ): 2 places, contested by 27 teams.
• Oceania
  Oceania
  Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
  
   (OFC
  Oceania Football Confederation
  The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
  
  ): 0.5 place, contested by 4 teams (including Israel
  Israel Football Association
  The Israel Football Association , also known as IFA, is the governing body of football in Israel. It organizes the football leagues, Israeli Premier League, Israeli State Cup, Toto Cup and the Israeli national football team. The association is based in Ramat Gan...
  
   and Chinese Taipei
  Chinese Taipei Football Association
  Chinese Taipei Football Association is the governing body of football in the Republic of China. Its official name in Chinese is the Football Association of the Republic of China, but it is billed as the Chinese Taipei FA abroad and uses the English initials on its badge .- History :* 1936:...
  
  ). The winner of the 0.5 place would advance to the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from UEFA).

A total of 110 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 308 qualifying matches were played, and 801 goals were scored (an average of 2.60 per match).

Continental zones

To see the dates and results of the qualification rounds for each continental zone, click on the following articles:

• Europe (UEFA)
  1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
  Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....
  
  

Group 1 - Poland qualified. Belgium advanced to the UEFA Play-offs.

Group 2 - West Germany and Portugal qualified.

Group 3 - England and Northern Ireland qualified.

Group 4 - France and Bulgaria qualified.

Group 5 - Hungary qualified. Netherlands advanced to the UEFA Play-offs.

Group 6 - Denmark and USSR qualified.

Group 7 - Spain qualified. Scotland advanced to the UEFA / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.

Play-offs - Belgium qualified over Netherlands.

• South America (CONMEBOL)
  1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
  Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the South American zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....
  
  

Group 1 - Argentina qualified. Peru and Colombia advanced to the CONMEBOL Play-offs.

Group 2 - Uruguay qualified. Chile advanced to the CONMEBOL Play-offs.

Group 3 - Brazil qualified. Paraguay advanced to the CONMEBOL Play-offs.

Play-offs - Paraguay qualified over Chile, Colombia and Peru.

• North America (CONCACAF)
  1985 CONCACAF Championship
  -Group 2:Canada advanced to the second round.---------------------Group 3:Costa Rica advanced to the second round.---------------------Final round:Canada qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.--------...
  
  

Canada qualified.

• Africa (CAF)
  1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
  Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....
  
  

Algeria and Morocco qualified.

• Asia (AFC)
  1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
  Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....
  
  

Iraq and Korea Republic qualified.

• Oceania (OFC)
  1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)
  Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Oceanian zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....
  
  

Australia advanced to the UEFA – OFC play-off

1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA – OFC play-off)

The 1986 FIFA World Cup UEFA – OFC qualification play-off was a two-legged home-and-away tie between the winners of the Oceania qualifying tournament, Australia, and the second-placed team from the UEFA Group 7, Scotland. The games were played on November 20 and December 4 of 1985 in Glasgow and...

Intercontinental Play-offs

The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.

UEFA – OFC Intercontinental Play-off

1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA – OFC play-off)

The 1986 FIFA World Cup UEFA – OFC qualification play-off was a two-legged home-and-away tie between the winners of the Oceania qualifying tournament, Australia, and the second-placed team from the UEFA Group 7, Scotland. The games were played on November 20 and December 4 of 1985 in Glasgow and...

Scotland qualified.

Qualified teams

The following 24 teams qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup

1986 FIFA World Cup

The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...

:

Team	Finals Appearance	Streak	Last Appearance
	2nd	2	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	9th	4	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	7th	2	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	13th	13	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	5th	1	1974 1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
	1st	1	–
	1st	1	–
	8th	2	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	9th	3	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	9th	3	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	1st	1	–
(c)	11th	7	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	2nd	1	1954 1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
(h)	9th	1	1978 1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
	2nd	1	1970 1970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
	3rd	2	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	4th	1	1958 1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
	5th	4	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	2nd	1	1966 1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
	6th	4	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	7th	3	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	8th	1	1974 1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
	6th	2	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
	11th	9	1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...

(h) - qualified automatically as hosts

(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions

External links

• FIFA World Cup Official Site - 1986 World Cup Qualification
• RSSSF - 1986 World Cup Qualification