1962 FIFA World Cup qualification

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A total of 56 teams entered the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Chile, as the hosts, and Brazil, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.

As with previous World Cups, the rules of the qualification rounds were quite confusing. Moreover, the winners of the three weakest continental zones, North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF), Africa (CAF) and Asia (AFC), were not guaranteed direct spots in the final tournament. Instead, each of them had to enter a play-off against a team from either Europe (UEFA) or South America (CONMEBOL), with the winners of the three play-offs qualifying.

The 16 spots available in the 1962 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:

Europe (UEFA): 8 direct places + 2 spots in the Intercontinental Play-offs (against teams from CAF and AFC), contested by 30 teams (including Israel and Ethiopia).
South America (CONMEBOL): 5 direct places + 1 spot in the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from CONCACAF); 2 direct places went to automatic qualifiers Chile and Brazil, while the other 3.5 places were contested by 7 teams.
North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 1 spot in the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from CONMEBOL), contested by 8 teams.
Africa (CAF): 1 spot in the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from UEFA), contested by 6 teams.
Asia (AFC): 1 spot in the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from UEFA), contested by 3 teams.

A total of 49 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 92 qualifying matches were played, and 325 goals were scored (an average of 3.53 per match).

Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.

[edit] Europe

The 30 teams were divided into 10 groups. The groups had different rules, as follows:

Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 had 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.
Group 7 had 5 teams. The teams would play in a knockout tournament, with matches on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.
Group 9 had 2 teams. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would advance to the UEFA / CAF Intercontinental Play-off.
Group 10 had 2 teams. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would advance to the UEFA / AFC Intercontinental Play-off.

[edit] UEFA Group 1

October 19, 1960, Stockholm, Sweden - Sweden 2 - 0 Belgium

November 20, 1960, Brussels, Belgium - Belgium 2 - 4 Switzerland

May 20, 1961, Lausanne, Switzerland - Switzerland 2 - 1 Belgium

May 28, 1961, Stockholm, Sweden - Sweden 4 - 0 Switzerland

October 4, 1961, Brussels, Belgium - Belgium 0 - 2 Sweden

October 29, 1961, Berne, Switzerland - Switzerland 3 - 2 Sweden

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	GF	GA
1=	Sweden	6	4	3	1	10	3
1=	Switzerland	6	4	3	1	9	9
3	Belgium	0	4	0	4	3	10

Sweden and Switzerland finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

November 12, 1961, Berlin, West Germany - Switzerland 2 - 1 Sweden

Switzerland qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 2

September 25, 1960, Helsinki, Finland - Finland 1 - 2 France

December 11, 1960, Paris, France - France 3 - 0 Bulgaria

June 16, 1961, Helsinki, Finland - Finland 0 - 2 Bulgaria

September 28, 1961, Paris, France - France 5 - 1 Finland

October 29, 1961, Sofia, Bulgaria - Bulgaria 3 - 1 Finland

November 12, 1961, Sofia, Bulgaria - Bulgaria 1 - 0 France

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	GF	GA
1=	Bulgaria	6	4	3	1	6	4
1=	France	6	4	3	1	10	3
3	Finland	0	4	0	4	3	12

Bulgaria and France finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

December 16, 1961, Milan, Italy - Bulgaria 1 - 0 France

Bulgaria qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 3

October 26, 1960, Belfast, Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland 3 - 4 West Germany

November 20, 1960, Athens, Greece - Greece 0 - 3 West Germany

May 3, 1961, Athens, Greece - Greece 2 - 1 Northern Ireland

May 10, 1961, Berlin, West Germany - West Germany 2 - 1 Northern Ireland

October 17, 1961, Belfast, Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland 2 - 0 Greece

October 22, 1961, Hamburg, West Germany - West Germany 2 - 1 Greece

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	GF	GA
1	West Germany	8	4	4	0	11	5
2	Northern Ireland	2	4	1	3	7	8
3	Greece	2	4	1	3	3	8

West Germany qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 4

April 16, 1961, Budapest, Hungary - Hungary 2 - 0 East Germany

April 30, 1961, Rotterdam, Netherlands - Netherlands 0 - 3 Hungary

May 14, 1961, Leipzig, East Germany - East Germany 1 - 1 Netherlands

September 10, 1961, Berlin, East Germany - East Germany 2 - 3 Hungary

October 22, 1961, Budapest, Hungary - Hungary 3 - 3 Netherlands

Netherlands vs East Germany (scheduled October 1, 1961) was not played since the East German players were refused visas. Neither team could qualify with a win anyway.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Hungary	7	4	3	1	0	11	5
2	Netherlands	2	3	0	2	1	4	7
3	East Germany	1	3	0	1	2	3	6

Hungary qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 5

June 1, 1961, Oslo, Norway - Norway 0 - 1 Turkey

June 18, 1961, Moscow, USSR - USSR 1 - 0 Turkey

July 1, 1961, Moscow, USSR - USSR 5 - 2 Norway

August 23, 1961, Oslo, Norway - Norway 0 - 3 USSR

October 29, 1961, Ankara, Turkey - Turkey 2 - 1 Norway

November 12, 1961, Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey 1 - 2 USSR

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	GF	GA
1	USSR	8	4	4	0	11	3
2	Turkey	4	4	2	2	4	4
3	Norway	0	4	0	4	3	11

USSR qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 6

October 19, 1960, Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Luxembourg 0 - 9 England

March 19, 1961, Lisbon, Portugal - Portugal 6 - 0 Luxembourg

May 21, 1961, Lisbon, Portugal - Portugal 1 - 1 England

September 28, 1961, London, England - England 4 - 1 Luxembourg

October 8, 1961, Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Luxembourg 4 - 2 Portugal

October 25, 1961, London, England - England 2 - 0 Portugal

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	England	7	4	3	1	0	16	2
2	Portugal	3	4	1	1	2	9	7
3	Luxembourg	2	4	1	0	3	5	21

England qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 7

[edit] First round

November 13, 1960, Nicosia, Cyprus - Cyprus 1 - 1 Israel

November 27, 1960, Ramat Gan, Israel - Israel 6 - 1 Cyprus

Israel advanced to the Second Round.

[edit] Second round

Romania withdrew, so Italy advanced to the Final Round automatically.

March 14, 1961, Ramat Gan, Israel - Israel 1 - 0 Ethiopia

March 19, 1961, Ramat Gan, Israel - Ethiopia 2 - 3 Israel

This match was played in Israel instead of in Ethiopia.

Israel advanced to the Final Round.

[edit] Final Round

October 15, 1961, Ramat Gan, Israel - Israel 2 - 4 Italy

November 4, 1961, Turin, Italy - Italy 6 - 0 Israel

Italy qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 8

May 3, 1961, Glasgow, Scotland - Scotland 4 - 1 Republic of Ireland

May 7, 1961, Dublin, Ireland - Republic of Ireland 0 - 3 Scotland

May 14, 1961, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovakia 4 - 0 Scotland

September 26, 1961, Glasgow, Scotland - Scotland 3 - 2 Czechoslovakia

October 8, 1961, Dublin, Ireland - Republic of Ireland 1 - 3 Czechoslovakia

October 29, 1961, Prague, Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovakia 7 - 1 Republic of Ireland

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	GF	GA
1=	Czechoslovakia	6	4	3	1	16	5
1=	Scotland	6	4	3	1	10	7
3	Republic of Ireland	0	4	0	4	3	17

Czechoslovakia and Scotland finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

November 29, 1961, Brussels, Belgium - Czechoslovakia 4 - 2 (aet) Scotland

Czechoslovakia qualified.

[edit] UEFA Group 9

April 19, 1961, Cardiff, Wales - Wales 1 - 2 Spain

May 18, 1961, Madrid, Spain - Spain 1 - 1 Wales

Spain advanced to the UEFA / CAF Intercontinental Play-off.

[edit] UEFA Group 10

June 4, 1961, Belgrade, Yugoslavia - Yugoslavia 2 - 1 Poland

June 25, 1961, Chorzow, Poland - Poland 1 - 1 Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia advanced to the UEFA / AFC Intercontinental Play-off.

[edit] South America

Among the 7 teams, Paraguay were drawn to play in the CONMEBOL / CONCACAF Intercontinental Play-off. The remaining 6 teams were divided into 3 groups of 2 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.

[edit] CONMEBOL Group 1

December 4, 1960, Guayaquil, Ecuador - Ecuador 3 - 6 Argentina

December 18, 1960, Buenos Aires, Argentina - Argentina 5 - 0 Ecuador

Argentina qualified.

[edit] CONMEBOL Group 2

July 16, 1960, La Paz, Bolivia - Bolivia 1 - 1 Uruguay

July 30, 1960, Montevideo, Uruguay - Uruguay 2 - 1 Bolivia

Uruguay qualified.

[edit] CONMEBOL Group 3

April 30, 1961, Bogotá, Colombia - Colombia 1 - 0 Peru

May 7, 1961, Lima, Peru - Peru 1 - 1 Colombia

Colombia qualified.

[edit] North, Central America and Caribbean

Canada withdrew before the matches began. There would be two rounds of play:

First Round: The remaining 7 teams were divided into 3 groups of 2 or 3 teams each (Group 1 with teams from North America, Group 2 with teams from Central America and Group 3 with teams from Caribbean). The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
Final Round: The 3 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would advance to the CONMEBOL / CONCACAF Intercontinental Play-off.

[edit] CONCACAF First Round

[edit] Group 1

November 6, 1960, Los Angeles, USA - USA 3 - 3 Mexico

November 13, 1960, Mexico City, Mexico - Mexico 3 - 0 USA

Mexico advanced to the Final Round.

[edit] Group 2

August 21, 1960, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 3 - 2 Guatemala

August 28, 1960, Guatemala City, Guatemala - Guatemala 4 - 4 Costa Rica

September 4, 1960, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Honduras 2 - 1 Costa Rica

September 11, 1960, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 5 - 0 Honduras

September 25, 1960, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Honduras 1 - 1 Guatemala

October 2, 1960, Guatemala City, Guatemala - Guatemala 0 - 2 Honduras

FIFA awarded Honduras a 2-0 win because Guatemala forfeited.

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1=	Costa Rica	5	4	2	1	1	13	8
1=	Honduras	5	4	2	1	1	5	7
3	Guatemala	2	4	0	2	2	7	10

Costa Rica and Honduras finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Final Round.

January 14, 1961, Guatemala City, Guatemala - Costa Rica 1 - 0 Honduras

Costa Rica advanced to the Final Round.

[edit] Group 3

October 2, 1960, Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana - Dutch Guiana 1 - 2 Netherlands Antilles

November 27, 1960, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles - Netherlands Antilles 0 - 0 Dutch Guiana

Netherlands Antilles advanced to the Final Round.

[edit] CONCACAF Final Round

March 22, 1961, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 1 - 0 Mexico

March 29, 1961, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 6 - 0 Netherlands Antilles

April 5, 1961, Mexico City, Mexico - Mexico 7 - 0 Netherlands Antilles

April 12, 1961, Mexico City, Mexico - Mexico 4 - 1 Costa Rica

April 23, 1961, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles - Netherlands Antilles 2 - 0 Costa Rica

May 21, 1961, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles - Netherlands Antilles 0 - 0 Mexico

Rank	Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1	Mexico	5	4	2	1	1	11	2
2	Costa Rica	4	4	2	0	2	8	6
3	Netherlands Antilles	3	4	1	1	2	2	13

Mexico advanced to the CONMEBOL / CONCACAF Intercontinental Play-off.

[edit] Africa

There would be two rounds of play:

First Round: The 6 teams were divided into 3 groups of 2 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
Final Round: The 3 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would advance to the UEFA / CAF Intercontinental Play-off.