1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
Encyclopedia
A total of 107 teams entered the 1978 FIFA World Cup
qualification
rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. , as the hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
The 16 spots available in the 1978 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:
A total of 95 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 252 qualifying matches were played, and 723 goals were scored (an average of 2.87 per match).
Hungary qualified.
:
(h) - qualified automatically as hosts
(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions
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...
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 16 spots in the final tournament. , as the hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
The 16 spots available in the 1978 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:
- Europe (UEFAUEFAThe 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....
): 9 or 10 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier , while 9 places were contested by 31 teams. The team coming ninth in qualifying would advance to the intercontinental play-offs (against a team from CONMEBOL). - South America (CONMEBOLCONMEBOLThe 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...
): 3 or 4 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier , while the other 3 places were contested by 9 teams. The team coming third in qualifying would advance to the intercontinental play-offs (against a team from UEFA). - North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAFCONCACAFThe 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...
): 1 place, contested by 17 teams. - Africa (CAFConfederation of African FootballThe 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...
): 1 place, contested by 26 teams. - Asia (AFCAsian Football ConfederationThe 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...
) and OceaniaOceaniaOceania 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...
(OFCOceania Football ConfederationThe 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...
): 1 place, contested by 22 teams.
A total of 95 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 252 qualifying matches were played, and 723 goals were scored (an average of 2.87 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)1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification....
- Group 1 - Poland qualified.
- Group 2 - Italy qualified.
- Group 3 - Austria qualified.
- Group 4 - Netherlands qualified.
- Group 5 - France qualified.
- Group 6 - Sweden qualified.
- Group 7 - Scotland qualified.
- Group 8 - Spain qualified.
- Group 9 - Hungary advanced to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
- South America (CONMEBOL)1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the South American Zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification....
- South America (CONMEBOL)
- Brazil and Peru qualified.
- Bolivia advanced to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
- North America (CONCACAF)1977 CONCACAF ChampionshipMexico qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup.-See also:*1978 FIFA World Cup qualification*1978 FIFA World Cup qualification *1978 FIFA World Cup qualification *1978 FIFA World Cup qualification...
- North America (CONCACAF)
- Mexico qualified.
- Africa (CAF)1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification....
- Africa (CAF)
- Tunisia qualified.
- Asia (AFC) and Oceania (OFC)1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian and Oceanian zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification....
- Asia (AFC) and Oceania (OFC)
- Iran qualified.
Intercontinental Play-Off
The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.Hungary qualified.
Qualified teams
The following 16 teams qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup1978 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...
:
| Team | Finals Appearance | Streak | Last Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| (h) | 7th | 2 | 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... |
| 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... |
|
| 11th | 11 | 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... |
|
| 7th | 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... |
|
| 7th | 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... |
|
| 1st | 1 | – | |
| 9th | 5 | 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... |
|
| 8th | 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... |
|
| 4th | 2 | 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... |
|
| 3rd | 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 | 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... |
|
| 4th | 2 | 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... |
|
| 5th | 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... |
|
| 7th | 3 | 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 | – | |
| (c) | 9th | 7 | 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... |
(h) - qualified automatically as hosts
(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions