1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
International football competition
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121 teams entered the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for 24 places in the final tournament. 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 in Zürich, Switzerland.
Teams121 (from 6 confederations)
Matchesplayed308
Goals scored801 (2.6 per match)
Top scorer(s)
Preben Elkjær
José Figueroa
(8 goals each)
Preben Elkjær 
José Figueroa (8 goals each)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 121 (from 6 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 308 |
| Goals scored | 801 (2.6 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Preben Elkjær José Figueroa (8 goals each) |
← 1982 1990 → | |
The 24 spots available in the 1986 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:
- Europe (UEFA): 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): 4 places, contested by 10 teams.
- North, Central America, and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 2 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Mexico, while the other place was contested by 17 teams.
- Africa (CAF): 2 places, contested by 29 teams.
- Asia (AFC): 2 places, contested by 27 teams.
- Oceania (OFC): 0.5 place, contested by 4 teams (including Israel and Chinese Taipei). 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).
Confederation qualification
AFC
Zone A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Iraq |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Syria |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
Zone B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  South Korea |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Japan |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
- Iraq and Korea Republic qualified.
CAF
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Algeria |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 4 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Tunisia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Morocco |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Libya |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
- Algeria and Morocco qualified.
CONCACAF
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Canada |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | Final Tournament |
| 2. | Honduras |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3. |  Costa Rica |
4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
- Canada qualified.
CONMEBOL
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Argentina |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 9 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Peru |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 8 | Advance to CONMEBOL playoffs |
| 3. |  Colombia |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | Advance to CONMEBOL playoffs |
| 4. |  Venezuela |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 1 |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Uruguay |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Chile |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 5 | Advance to CONMEBOL playoffs |
| 3. |  Ecuador |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 |
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Brazil |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Paraguay |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | Advance to CONMEBOL playoffs |
| 3. |  Bolivia |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 2 |
CONMEBOL Playoffs
First Round
Final Round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Paraguay |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Final Tournament |
| 2. | Chile |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 |
- 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.
OFC
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 10 | Advance to Inter-confederation playoffs |
| 2 |  Israel |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 7 | |
| 3 |  New Zealand |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 7 | |
| 4 |  Chinese Taipei |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 36 | −35 | 0 |
- Australia advanced to the UEFA–OFC intercontinental play-off
UEFA
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Poland |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 8 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Belgium |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 8 | Advance to UEFA Playoffs |
| 3. |  Albania |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 4 | |
| 4. |  Greece |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 4 |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  West Germany |
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 12 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Portugal |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 10 | Final Tournament |
| 3. |  Sweden |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 9 | |
| 4. |  Czechoslovakia |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 8 | |
| 5. |  Malta |
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 25 | −19 | 1 |
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  England |
8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | +19 | 12 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Northern Ireland |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 10 | Final Tournament |
| 3. |  Romania |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 9 | |
| 4. |  Finland |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 8 | |
| 5. |  Turkey |
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 24 | −22 | 1 |
Group 4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  France |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 11 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Bulgaria |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 11 | Final Tournament |
| 3. |  East Germany |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 9 | +7 | 10 | |
| 4. |  Yugoslavia |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 8 | |
| 5. |  Luxembourg |
8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 27 | −25 | 0 |
Group 5
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Hungary |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 10 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Netherlands |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 7 | Advance to UEFA Playoffs |
| 3. |  Austria |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 7 | |
| 4. |  Cyprus |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 18 | −15 | 0 |
Group 6
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Denmark |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 11 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Soviet Union |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 10 | Final Tournament |
| 3. |  Switzerland |
8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 8 | |
| 4. |  Republic of Ireland |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 6 | |
| 5. |  Norway |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 5 |
Group 7
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Spain |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 8 | Final Tournament |
| 2. |  Scotland |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7 | Advance to Inter-confederation playoffs |
| 3. |  Wales |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | |
| 4. |  Iceland |
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 2 |
UEFA Playoffs
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Belgium |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2* | Final Tournament |
| 2. | Netherlands |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2* |
*As Belgium and the Netherlands finished with the same record, Belgium advanced on away goals.
- 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.
Inter-confederation play-offs: UEFA v OFC
Qualified teams
Country qualified for World Cup
Country failed to qualify
Country did not enter World Cup
Country not a FIFA member
The following 24 teams qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup:
| Team | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Streak | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria |
18 October 1985 | 2nd | 2 | 1982 |
| Argentina |
30 June 1985 | 9th | 4 | 1982 |
| Belgium |
20 November 1985 | 7th | 2 | 1982 |
 Brazil |
23 June 1985 | 13th | 13 | 1982 |
 Bulgaria |
28 September 1985 | 5th | 1 | 1974 |
| Canada |
14 September 1985 | 1st | 1 | — |
| Denmark |
13 November 1985 | 1st | 1 | — |
| England |
16 October 1985 | 8th | 2 | 1982 |
 France |
16 November 1985 | 9th | 3 | 1982 |
| Hungary |
17 April 1985 | 9th | 3 | 1982 |
 Iraq |
29 November 1985 | 1st | 1 | — |
 Italy (defending champions) |
11 July 1982 | 11th | 7 | 1982 |
| South Korea |
3 November 1985 | 2nd | 1 | 1954 |
 Mexico (hosts) |
20 May 1983 | 9th | 1 | 1978 |
| Morocco |
18 October 1985 | 2nd | 1 | 1970 |
| Northern Ireland |
13 November 1985 | 3rd | 2 | 1982 |
| Paraguay |
17 November 1985 | 4th | 1 | 1958 |
| Poland |
11 September 1985 | 5th | 4 | 1982 |
| Portugal |
16 October 1985 | 2nd | 1 | 1966 |
| Scotland |
4 December 1985 | 6th | 4 | 1982 |
| Spain |
25 September 1985 | 7th | 3 | 1982 |
| Uruguay |
7 April 1985 | 8th | 1 | 1974 |
| Soviet Union |
30 October 1985 | 6th | 2 | 1982 |
| West Germany |
25 September 1985 | 11th | 9 | 1982 |
(h) – qualified automatically as hosts
(c) – qualified automatically as defending champions
Top goalscorers
Notes
- West Germany lost a World Cup qualifying match for the first time on 16 October 1985, when they were defeated 0–1 by Portugal in Stuttgart, in what was their 37th World Cup qualifier (including games played by Germany before World War II). Of the other three losses that the (now-reunified) German team suffered in the competition, two also took place on home soil: 1–5 to England in Munich in 2001, and 1–2 to North Macedonia in Duisburg in 2021, and one away: 0–2 to Slovakia in Bratislava in 2025. With only four losses in over 100 games, Germany remains the team with by far the lowest loss ratio in the FIFA World Cup qualification.
- Scotland manager Jock Stein died during their qualifier at Wales, suffering a heart attack immediately after the Scots scored a late equaliser.
- Iraq qualified for their only World Cup up until 2026.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qualification for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.