Tournament details | |
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Dates | 7 March 1976 – 11 December 1977 |
Teams | 107 (from 6 confederations) |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 252 |
Goals scored | 723 (2.87 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | Roberto Bettega (9 goals) |
A total of 107 teams entered the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, which began with the preliminary qualification draw on 20 November 1975 at Guatemala City. Argentina, as the hosts, and West Germany, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
The 16 places 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).
Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brazil | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
2 | Paraguay | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
3 | Colombia | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 |
Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bolivia | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
2 | Uruguay | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
3 | Venezuela | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 |
Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peru | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
2 | Chile | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
3 | Ecuador | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 |
Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brazil | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 |
2 | Peru | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
3 | Bolivia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | −13 |
Brazil and Peru qualified. Bolivia advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Group 4 | Group 5 | Group 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Group 7 | Group 8 | Group 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hungary advanced to the UEFA–CONMEBOL play-off.
The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hungary | 9–2 | Bolivia | 6–0 | 3–2 |
The following 16 teams qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup:
Team | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Streak | Last appearance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina (Hosts) | 6 July 1966 | 7th | 2 | 1974 |
Austria | 30 October 1977 | 4th | 1 | 1958 |
Brazil | 14 July 1977 | 11th | 11 | 1974 |
France | 16 November 1977 | 7th | 1 | 1966 |
Hungary | 30 November 1977 | 7th | 1 | 1966 |
Iran | 25 November 1977 | 1st | 1 | – |
Italy | 3 December 1977 | 9th | 5 | 1974 |
Mexico | 19 October 1977 | 8th | 1 | 1970 |
Netherlands | 26 October 1977 | 4th | 2 | 1974 |
Peru | 17 July 1977 | 3rd | 1 | 1970 |
Poland | 21 September 1977 | 3rd | 2 | 1974 |
Scotland | 12 October 1977 | 4th | 2 | 1974 |
Spain | 30 November 1977 | 5th | 1 | 1966 |
Sweden | 30 October 1977 | 7th | 3 | 1974 |
Tunisia | 11 December 1977 | 1st | 1 | – |
West Germany (Defending champions) | 7 July 1974 | 9th | 7 | 1974 |