Gourt Home::Gourt :: 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 71 teams entered the 1970 World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Mexico, as the hosts, and England, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
For the first time, the winners of both the African zone and the Asian and Oceanian zone were guaranteed a direct place in the final tournament. The 16 spots available in the 1970 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:
- Europe (UEFA): 9 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier England, while the other 8 places were contested by 29 teams.
- South America (CONMEBOL): 3 places, contested by 10 teams.
- North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 2 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Mexico, while the other 1 place was contested by 12 teams.
- Africa (CAF): 1 place, contested by 11 teams.
- Asia (AFC) and Oceania (OFC): 1 place, contested by 7 teams (including Rhodesia).
Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.
Europe
The 29 teams were divided into 8 groups of 3 or 4 teams each (three groups with 3 teams and five groups with 4 teams). The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.
UEFA Group 1
October 12, 1968, Basel, Switzerland - 1 - 0October 27, 1968, Lisbon, Portugal - 3 - 0
November 23, 1968, Bucharest, Romania - 2 - 0
December 11, 1968, Athens, Greece - 4 - 2
April 16, 1969, Lisbon, Portugal - 0 - 2
April 16, 1969, Athens, Greece - 2 - 2
May 4, 1969, Porto, Portugal - 2 - 2
May 14, 1969, Lausanne, Switzerland - 0 - 1
October 12, 1969, Bucharest, Romania - 1 - 0
October 15, 1969, Thessaloniki, Greece - 4 - 1
November 2, 1969, Bern, Switzerland - 1 - 1
November 16, 1969, Bucharest, Romania - 1 - 1
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 9 | |
| 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | |
| 4 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 |
Romania qualified.
UEFA Group 2
September 25, 1968, Copenhagen, Denmark - 0 - 3October 20, 1968, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia - 1 - 0
May 4, 1969, Dublin, Ireland - 1 - 2
May 25, 1969, Budapest, Hungary - 2 - 0
May 27, 1969, Copenhagen, Denmark - 2 - 0
June 8, 1969, Dublin, Ireland - 1 - 2
June 15, 1969, Copenhagen, Denmark - 3 - 2
September 14, 1969, Prague, Czechoslovakia - 3 - 3
October 7, 1969, Prague, Czechoslovakia - 3 - 0
October 15, 1969, Dublin, Ireland - 1 - 1
October 22, 1969, Budapest, Hungary - 3 - 0
November 5, 1969, Budapest, Hungary - 4 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | |
| 1= | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 7 | |
| 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | |
| 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 14 |
Czechoslovakia and Hungary finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.
December 3, 1969, Marseille, France - 4 - 1
Czechoslovakia qualified.
UEFA Group 3
October 23, 1968, Cardiff, Wales - 0 - 1March 29, 1969, Berlin, East Germany - 2 - 2
April 16, 1969, Dresden, East Germany - 2 - 1
October 22, 1969, Cardiff, Wales - 1 - 3
November 4, 1969, Rome, Italy - 4 - 1
November 22, 1969, Naples, Italy - 3 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | |
| 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
Italy qualified.
UEFA Group 4
October 23, 1968, Belfast, Northern Ireland - 4 - 1December 11, 1968, Istanbul, Turkey - 0 - 3
September 10, 1969, Belfast, Northern Ireland - 0 - 0
October 15, 1969, Kiev, USSR - 3 - 0
October 22, 1969, Moscow, USSR - 2 - 0
November 16, 1969, Istanbul, Turkey - 1 - 3
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | |
| 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
USSR qualified.
UEFA Group 5
October 9, 1968, Stockholm, Sweden - 5 - 0November 6, 1968, Strasbourg, France - 0 - 1
June 19, 1969, Oslo, Norway - 2 - 5
September 10, 1969, Oslo, Norway - 1 - 3
October 15, 1969, Stockholm, Sweden - 2 - 0
November 1, 1969, Paris, France - 3 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 5 | ||
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
Sweden qualified.
UEFA Group 6
June 19, 1968, Helsinki, Finland - 1 - 2September 25, 1968, Belgrade, Yugoslavia - 9 - 1
October 9, 1968, Waregem, Belgium - 6 - 1
October 16, 1968, Brussels, Belgium - 3 - 0
October 27, 1968, Belgrade, Yugoslavia - 0 - 0
December 11, 1968, Madrid, Spain - 1 - 1
February 23, 1969, Liège, Belgium - 2 - 1
April 30, 1969, Barcelona, Spain - 2 - 1
June 4, 1969, Helsinki, Finland - 1 - 5
June 25, 1969, Helsinki, Finland - 2 - 0
October 15, 1969, Cádiz, Spain - 6 - 0
October 19, 1969, Skopje, Yugoslavia - 4 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 8 | |
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 7 | |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 6 | |
| 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 28 |
Belgium qualified.
UEFA Group 7
May 19, 1968, Vienna, Austria - 7 - 1October 13, 1968, Vienna, Austria - 0 - 2
November 6, 1968, Glasgow, Scotland - 2 - 1
November 23, 1968, Nicosia, Cyprus - 0 - 1
December 11, 1968, Nicosia, Cyprus - 0 - 5
April 16, 1969, Glasgow, Scotland - 1 - 1
April 19, 1969, Nicosia, Cyprus - 1 - 2
May 10, 1969, Nuremberg, West Germany - 1 - 0
May 17, 1969, Glasgow, Scotland - 8 - 0
May 21, 1969, Essen, West Germany - 12 - 0
October 22, 1969, Hamburg, West Germany - 3 - 2
November 5, 1969, Vienna, Austria - 2 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 7 | |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 35 |
West Germany qualified.
UEFA Group 8
September 4, 1968, Rotterdam, Netherlands - 0 - 2- This match was played at Netherlands instead of at Luxembourg.
October 27, 1968, Sofia, Bulgaria - 2 - 0
March 26, 1969, Rotterdam, Netherlands - 4 - 0
April 20, 1969, Krakow, Poland - 8 - 1
April 23, 1969, Sofia, Bulgaria - 2 - 1
May 7, 1969, Rotterdam, Netherlands - 1 - 0
June 15, 1969, Sofia, Bulgaria - 4 - 1
September 7, 1969, Chorzow, Poland - 2 - 1
October 12, 1969, Luxembourg, Luxembourg - 1 - 5
October 22, 1969, Rotterdam, Netherlands - 1 - 1
November 9, 1969, Warsaw, Poland - 3 - 0
December 7, 1969, Luxembourg, Luxembourg - 1 - 3
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | |
| 2 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 8 | ||
| 3 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | |
| 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 24 |
Bulgaria qualified.
South America
The 10 teams were divided into 3 groups; two groups with 3 teams and one group with 4 teams. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.
CONMEBOL Group 1
July 27, 1969, La Paz, Bolivia - 3 - 1August 3, 1969, Lima, Peru - 1 - 0
August 10, 1969, La Paz, Bolivia - 2 - 1
August 17, 1969, Lima, Peru - 3 - 0
August 24, 1969, Buenos Aires, Argentina - 1 - 0
August 31, 1969, Buenos Aires, Argentina - 2 - 2
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Peru qualified.
CONMEBOL Group 2
July 27, 1969, Bogotá, Colombia - 3 - 0August 2, 1969, Caracas, Venezuela - 1 - 1
August 6, 1969, Caracas, Venezuela - 0 - 2
August 6, 1969, Bogotá, Colombia - 0 - 2
August 10, 1969, Caracas, Venezuela - 0 - 5
August 10, 1969, Bogotá, Colombia - 0 - 1
August 17, 1969, Asunción, Paraguay - 0 - 3
August 21, 1969, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 6 - 2
August 21, 1969, Asunción, Paraguay - 1 - 0
August 24, 1969, Asunción, Paraguay - 2 - 1
August 24, 1969, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 6 - 0
August 31, 1969, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 1 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 2 | |||
| 2 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | |
| 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 18 |
Brazil qualified.
CONMEBOL Group 3
July 6, 1969, Guayaquil, Ecuador - 0 - 2July 13, 1969, Santiago, Chile - 0 - 0
July 20, 1969, Montevideo, Uruguay - 1 - 0
July 27, 1969, Santiago, Chile - 4 - 1
August 3, 1969, Guayaquil, Ecuador - 1 - 1
August 10, 1969, Montevideo, Uruguay - 2 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
Uruguay qualified.
North, Central America and Caribbean
There would be three rounds of play:
- First Round: The 12 teams were divided into 4 groups of 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Semifinal Round.
- Semifinal Round: The 4 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the Final Round.
- Final Round: The 2 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
CONCACAF First Round
Group 1
October 6, 1968, Toronto, Canada - 4 - 0October 13, 1968, Toronto, Canada - 4 - 2
October 20, 1968, Hamilton, Bermuda - 0 - 0
October 26, 1968, Atlanta, USA - 1 - 0
November 3, 1968, Kansas City, USA - 6 - 2
November 11, 1968, Hamilton, Bermuda - 0 - 2
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
USA advanced to the Semifinal Round.
Group 2
All home matches of Trinidad and Tobago were played away instead.November 17, 1968, Guatemala City, Guatemala - 4 - 0
November 20, 1968, Guatemala City, Guatemala - 0 - 0
November 23, 1968, Port au Prince, Haiti - 0 - 4
November 25, 1968, Port au Prince, Haiti - 2 - 4
December 8, 1968, Port au Prince, Haiti - 2 - 0
February 23, 1969, Guatemala City, Guatemala - 1 - 1
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
Haiti advanced to the Semifinal Round.
Group 3
All home matches of Jamaica were played away instead.November 27, 1968, San José, Costa Rica - 3 - 0
December 1, 1968, San José, Costa Rica - 1 - 3
December 5, 1968, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - 3 - 1
December 8, 1968, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - 0 - 2
December 22, 1968, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - 1 - 0
December 29, 1968, San José, Costa Rica - 1 - 1
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | |
| 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
Honduras advanced to the Semifinal Round.
Group 4
November 24, 1968, Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana - 6 - 0December 1, 1968, San Salvador, El Salvador - 6 - 0
December 5, 1968, Oranjestad, Netherlands Antilles - 2 - 0
December 12, 1968, San Salvador, El Salvador - 1 - 0
December 15, 1968, San Salvador, El Salvador - 1 - 2
- This match was played in El Salvador instead of in Netherlands Antilles.
December 22, 1968, Paramaribo, Dutch Guyana - 4 - 1
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
El Salvador advanced to the Semifinal Round.
CONCACAF Semifinal Round
April 20, 1969, Port au Prince, Haiti - 2 - 0May 11, 1969, San Diego, USA - 0 - 1
Haiti advanced to the Final Round.
June 8, 1969, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - 1 - 0
June 15, 1969, San Salvador, El Salvador - 3 - 0
With one win for either team, a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Final Round.
June 26, 1969, Mexico City, Mexico - 3 - 2 (aet)
El Salvador advanced to the Final Round.
CONCACAF Final Round
September 21, 1969, Port au Prince, Haiti - 1 - 2September 28, 1969, San Salvador, El Salvador - 0 - 3
With one win for either team, a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.
October 8, 1969, Kingston, Jamaica - 1 - 0 (aet)
El Salvador qualified.
Africa
There would be three rounds of play:
- First Round: Ghana received a bye and advanced to the Second Round directly. The remaining 10 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners (determined by aggregate score) would advance to the Second Round.
- Second Round: The 6 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The 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 qualify.
CAF First Round
November 17, 1968, Algiers, Algeria - 1 - 2December 29, 1968, Tunis, Tunisia - 0 - 0
Tunisia advanced to the Second Round.
November 3, 1968, Casablanca, Morocco - 1 - 0
January 5, 1969, Dakar, Senegal - 2 - 1
The aggregate score was tied, and since extra time was not played in the second match, a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Second Round.
February 13, 1969, Las Palmas, Spain - 2 - 0
Morocco advanced to the Second Round.
January 26, 1969, Tripoli, Libya - 2 - 0
February 9, 1969, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia - 5 - 1
Ethiopia advanced to the Second Round.
October 27, 1968, Ndola, Zambia - 4 - 2
November 8, 1968, Khartoum, Sudan - 4 - 2 (aet)
The aggregate score was tied, but Sudan advanced to the Second Round since they scored more goals in the second match.
December 7, 1968, Lagos, Nigeria - 1 - 1
December 22, 1968, Douala, Cameroon - 2 - 3
Nigeria advanced to the Second Round.
CAF Second Round
April 27, 1969, Tunis, Tunisia - 0 - 0May 18, 1969, Casablanca, Morocco - 0 - 0 (aet)
The aggregate score was tied, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Final Round.
June 13, 1969, Marseille, France - 2 - 2 (aet)
Morocco advanced to the Final Round by winning a coin toss.
May 4, 1969, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia - 1 - 1
May 11, 1969, Khartoum, Sudan - 3 - 1
Sudan advanced to the Final Round.
May 10, 1969, Ibadan, Nigeria - 2 - 1
May 18, 1969, Accra, Ghana - 1 - 1
Nigeria advanced to the Final Round.
CAF Final Round
September 13, 1969, Lagos, Nigeria - 2 - 2September 21, 1969, Casablanca, Morocco - 2 - 1
October 3, 1969, Khartoum, Sudan - 3 - 3
October 10, 1969, Khartoum, Sudan - 0 - 0
October 26, 1969, Casablanca, Morocco - 3 - 0
November 8, 1969, Ibadan, Nigeria - 2 - 0
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
Morocco qualified.
Asia and Oceania
North Korea withdrew before the matches were played. There would be three rounds of play:
- First Round: Israel, New Zealand and Rhodesia received byes and advanced to the Second Round directly. The remaining 3 teams, Australia, Japan and South Korea, would play against each other twice in South Korea. The group winner would advance to the Second Round.
- Second Round: The 4 teams were divided into 2 groups of 2 teams each. The teams would play against each other twice. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
- Final Round: The 2 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
AFC / OFC First Round
October 10, 1969, Seoul, South Korea - 3 - 1October 12, 1969, Seoul, South Korea - 2 - 2
October 14, 1969, Seoul, South Korea - 2 - 1
October 16, 1969, Seoul, South Korea - 1 - 1
October 18, 1969, Seoul, South Korea - 2 - 0
October 20, 1969, Seoul, South Korea - 1 - 1
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | |
| 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
Australia advanced to the Second Round.
AFC / OFC Second Round
Group 1
Both matches were played on neutral ground due to the boycott of Rhodesia.November 23, 1969, Lourenço Marques, Mozambique - 1 - 1
November 27, 1969, Lourenço Marques, Mozambique - 0 - 0
With draws in both matches, a play-off was played to decide who would advance to the Final Round.
November 29, 1969, Lourenço Marques, Mozambique - 3 - 1
Australia advanced to the Final Round.
Group 2
Both matches were played in Israel.September 28, 1969, Ramat Gan, Israel - 4 - 0
October 1, 1969, Ramat Gan, Israel - 0 - 2
Israel advanced to the Final Round.
AFC / OFC Final Round
December 4, 1969, Ramat Gan, Israel - 1 - 0December 14, 1969, Sydney, Australia - 1 - 1
Israel qualified.
Qualified teams
| Team | Appearance | Streak | Previous appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 1 | 1954 | |
| 9th | 9 | 1966 | |
| 3rd | 3 | 1966 | |
| 6th | 1 | 1962 | |
| 1st | 1 | - | |
| (c) | 6th | 6 | 1966 |
| 1st | 1 | - | |
| 7th | 3 | 1966 | |
| (h) | 7th | 6 | 1966 |
| 1st | 1 | - | |
| 2nd | 1 | 1930 | |
| 4th | 1 | 1938 | |
| 5th | 1 | 1958 | |
| 6th | 4 | 1966 | |
| 4th | 4 | 1966 | |
| 7th(1) | 5 | 1966 |
(h) - qualified automatically as hosts
(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions
Notes
- In the African zone, aggregate score was used to determine the winners of two-legged ties. However, different tie-breakers were used in the matches when the aggregate score was tied.
- Morocco was the first African team to qualify since Egypt in the 1934 World Cup.
- As a result of the hostile relationship between El Salvador and Honduras, and rioting during the qualification matches between them, the shortlived Football War broke out between the two countries.
External links
1970 in football (soccer) | FIFA World Cup qualification | 1970 FIFA World Cup
Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 1970/Qualifikation | WK voetbal 1970 (kwalificatie)
"1970 FIFA World Cup qualification"