1982 FIFA World Cup qualification

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A total of 109 teams entered the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 24 spots in the final tournament, an increase from 16 in the previous World Cups. Flag of Spain Spain, as the hosts, and Flag of Argentina Argentina, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition.

The 24 spots available in the 1982 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:

  • Europe (UEFA): 14 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Spain, while the other 13 places were contested by 33 teams (including Israel).
  • South America (CONMEBOL): 4 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Argentina, while the other 3 places were contested by 9 teams.
  • North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 2 places, contested by 15 teams.
  • Africa (CAF): 2 places, contested by 29 teams.
  • Asia (AFC) and Oceania (OFC): 2 places, contested by 21 teams.

A total of 103 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 306 qualifying matches were played, and 797 goals were scored (an average of 2.60 per match).


Contents

[edit] Continental zones

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

Group 1 - West Germany and Austria qualified.
Group 2 - Belgium and France qualified.
Group 3 - USSR and Czechoslovakia qualified.
Group 4 - Hungary and England qualified.
Group 5 - Yugoslavia and Italy qualified.
Group 6 - Scotland and Northern Ireland qualified.
Group 7 - Poland qualified.
Group 1 - Brazil qualified.
Group 2 - Peru qualified.
Group 3 - Chile qualified.
Honduras and El Salvador qualified.
Algeria and Cameroon qualified.
Kuwait and New Zealand qualified.

[edit] Qualified teams

Qualifying countries
Qualifying countries
Team Finals Appearance Streak Last Appearance
Flag of Algeria Algeria 1st 1 -
Flag of Argentina Argentina (c) 8th 3 1978
Flag of Austria Austria 5th 2 1978
Flag of Belgium Belgium 6th 1 1970
Flag of Brazil Brazil 12th 12 1978
Flag of Cameroon Cameroon 1st 1 -
Flag of Chile Chile 6th 1 1974
Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia 7th 1 1970
Flag of El Salvador El Salvador 2nd 1 1970
Flag of England England 7th 1 1970
Flag of France France 8th 2 1978
Flag of Honduras Honduras 1st 1 -
Flag of Hungary Hungary 8th 2 1978
Flag of Italy Italy 10th 6 1978
Flag of Kuwait Kuwait 1st 1 -
Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 1st 1 -
Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2nd 1 1958
Flag of Peru Peru 4th 2 1978
Flag of Poland Poland 5th 3 1978
Flag of Scotland Scotland 5th 3 1978
Flag of Spain Spain (h) 6th 2 1978
Flag of the Soviet Union USSR 5th 1 1970
Flag of West Germany West Germany 10th 8 1978
Flag of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 7th 1 1974

(h) - qualified automatically as hosts

(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions

[edit] Notes

  • The away goals rule was used for the first time as a tie-breaker for two-legged ties. Niger advanced twice due to this rule, eliminating Somalia and Togo.
  • With the expansion of the final tournament, this marked the first time two teams from Africa and Asia qualified.
  • New Zealand set numerous records on their first successful campaign. They played 15 qualifying matches and travelled 55,000 miles during qualification. Their 13-0 score against Fiji set a world cup record as did Steve Sumner's six goals in that match. Also during qualifying goalkeeper Richard Wilson went a world cup record 921 minutes without conceding a goal.

[edit] External links