1970_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification
1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
International football competition
A total of 75 teams entered the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Hosts Mexico and defending champions England qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
Quick Facts Tournament details, Teams ...
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 75 (from 6 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 172 |
| Goals scored | 542 (3.15 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Tostão (10 goals) |
← 1966 1974 → | |
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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 13 teams.
- Africa (CAF): 1 place, contested by 13 teams. (13 teams applied, but FIFA rejected the entries of Guinea and Zaire, leaving 11 teams. A 14th team from Africa, Rhodesia, entered through a non-CAF qualifying system.)
- Asia and Oceania (AFC/OFC): 1 place, contested by 7 teams (including Rhodesia).
A total of 68 teams played in at least one qualifying match. A total of 172 qualifying matches were played, and 542 goals were scored (an average of 3.15 per match).
Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.
Key:
- Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finals.
- Teams highlighted in red in the same table finished level on points and advanced to a play-off on neutral ground.
More information Team, Method of qualification ...
| Team | Method of
qualification |
Date of
qualification |
Finals
appearance |
Streak | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mexico | Hosts | 008 October 1964 | 7th | 6 | Group Stage (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966) |
 England | Defending Champions | 0130 July 1966 | 6th | 6 | Winners (1966) |
 Belgium | UEFA Group 6 Winners | 0230 April 1969 | 5th | 1 (Last: 1954) | Group Stage (1930, 1934, 1938, 1954) |
 Uruguay | CONMEBOL Group 3 Winners | 0310 August 1969 | 6th | 3 | Winners (1930, 1950) |
| Brazil | CONMEBOL Group 2 Winners | 0424 August 1969 | 9th | 9 | Winners (1958, 1962) |
 Peru | CONMEBOL Group 1 Winners | 0531 August 1969 | 2nd | 1 (Last: 1930) | Group Stage (1930) |
 El Salvador | CONCACAF Winners | 068 October 1969 | 1st | 1 | – |
 Sweden | UEFA Group 5 Winners | 0715 October 1969 | 5th | 1 (Last: 1958) | Runners-Up (1958) |
 West Germany | UEFA Group 7 Winners | 0822 October 1969 | 7th | 5 | Winners (1954) |
 Morocco | CAF Winners | 0926 October 1969 | 1st | 1 | – |
 Soviet Union | UEFA Group 4 Winners | 104 November 1969 | 4th | 4 | Fourth Place (1966) |
 Romania | UEFA Group 1 Winners | 1116 November 1969 | 4th | 1 (Last: 1938) | Group Stage (1930, 1934, 1938) |
 Italy | UEFA Group 3 Winners | 1222 November 1969 | 7th | 3 | Winners (1934, 1938) |
 Czechoslovakia | UEFA Group 2 Winners | 133 December 1969 | 6th | 1 (Last: 1962) | Runners-Up (1934, 1962) |
 Bulgaria | UEFA Group 8 Winners | 147 December 1969 | 3rd | 3 | Group Stage (1962, 1966) |
 Israel | AFC/OFC Winners | 1514 December 1969 | 1st | 1 | – |
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AFC and OFC
Main article: 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)
North Korea withdrew because they refused to play Israel. 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, played 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 played against each other twice. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
- Final Round: The 2 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
First round
More information Pos, Pld ...
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Source: RSSSF
Second round
Final round
CAF
Main article: 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
FIFA rejected the entries of Guinea and Zaire. 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 played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.
First round
Second round
Final round
More information Rank, Team ...
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Morocco qualified.
CONCACAF
Main article: 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
FIFA rejected the entry of Cuba. There would be three rounds of play:
- First Round: The remaining 12 teams were divided into 4 groups of 3 teams each. The teams played 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 played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
First round
Group 1
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 |
| 2 |  Canada |
5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
| 3 |  Bermuda |
1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 12 | −10 |
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Group 2
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Haiti |
5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 |
| 2 |  Guatemala |
4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| 3 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | −6 |
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Group 3
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Honduras |
7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 |
| 2 |  Costa Rica |
5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 |
| 3 |  Jamaica |
0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | −9 |
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Group 4
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Salvador |
6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 |
| 2 |  Suriname |
4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 |
| 3 |  Netherlands Antilles |
2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 |
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Second round
Group 1
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haiti |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| 2 | United States |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 |
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Group 2
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | El Salvador |
2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| 1= | Honduras |
2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 |
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Play-off
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Salvador |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| 2 | Honduras |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –1 |
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Third round
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= | Haiti |
2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| 1= | El Salvador |
2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
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Play-off
More information Rank, Team ...
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Salvador |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| 2 | Haiti |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | –1 |
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CONMEBOL
Main article: 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
The 10 teams were divided into 3 groups; two groups with 3 teams and one group with 4 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
UEFA
Main article: 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
(30 teams competing for 8 berths)
FIFA rejected the entry of Albania. The remaining 29 teams were divided into 8 groups, 3 groups with 3 teams and 5 groups with 4 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.
More information Team, Pld ...
Group 1
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Group 2
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Group 3
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Group 4
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Group 5
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Group 6
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Group 7
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Group 8
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- 10 goals
- 9 goals
- 7 goals
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
Jairzinho
Karol Jokl
Ole Sørensen
Arto Tolsa
Hervé Revelli
Vasilis Botinos- Giorgos Sideris
Guy François- Joseph Obas
Antal Dunai
Mordechai Spiegler
Houmane Jarir
Ola Dybwad-Olsen
Eusébio
Florea Dumitrache
Alan Gilzean
José Eulogio Gárate
Peter Millar- Willy Roy
Wolfgang Overath
Vahidin Musemić- Slaven Zambata
Emment Kapengwe
- 2 goals
Rafael Albrecht
Ray Baartz- Johnny Watkiss
Wilfried Puis
Raúl Alvarez- Eduardo Antunes Coimbra
Dinko Dermendzhiev
Ralph McPate- Nick Papadakis
- Tibor Vigh
Adolfo Olivares- Francisco Valdéz
Jaime González- Hermenegildo Segrera
Eduardo Chavarria- Vladimír Hagara
- Ladislav Kuna
- Andrej Kvašňák
Wolfram Löwe- Eberhard Vogel
Elmer Acevedo- Víctor Azúcar
- Juan Francisco Barraza
- Joel Estrada
- José Quintanilla
Zerga Geremew- Asmeron Germa
- Tommy Lindholm
- Jean-Claude Bras
- Giorgos Dedes
- Hugues Guillaume
Rigoberto Gómez- Donaldo Rosales
- Lajos Kocsis
Don Givens- Yehoshua Feigenbaum
- Giora Spiegel
Sandro Mazzola
Teruki Miyamoto
Johny Léonard- Mohammed El Filali
Theo Pahlplatz
Mohammed Lawal- Olumuyiwa Oshode
Terry Harkin
Saturnino Arrúa
Oswaldo Ramírez- Jacinto Santos
Bobby Chalmers- Bobby Murdoch
Jeong Kang-ji- Park Soo-il
Kakhi Asatiani- Volodymyr Muntyan
- Givi Nodia
- Amancio Amaro
Nasr El-Din Abbas- Aboubakar Bakheit
- Ali Gagarin
- Abubakr Osman
Paul Ruben Corte- Jules Lagadeau
- Ruud Schoonhoven
- Roy Vanenburg
Bo Larsson
Fritz Künzli- Georges Vuilleumier
Ezzedine Chakroun- Gerry Baker
- Helmut Haller
- Josip Bukal
- Metodije Spasovski
- 1 goal
Boualem Amirouche- Alberto Rendo
- Aníbal Tarabini
- Willie Rutherford
- Johnny Warren
Wilhelm Kreuz- Helmut Siber
- August Starek
- Léon Semmeling
Clyde Best- Winston Trott
- Ramiro Blacut
- Juan Américo Díaz
- Rivellino
- Dimitar Penev
- Dimitar Yakimov
David Ayo- Dieudonné Bassanguen
- Norbert Owona
- Norman Patterson
- Sergio Zanatta
- Jorge Ramírez Gallego
- Orlando Mesa
- Javier Tamayo
- Leonel Hernández
- Edgar Núñez
- Roy Sáenz
- Walford Vaughns
- Mario Vega
Panicos Efthimiadis- Nicos Kantzilieris
- Dušan Kabát
- František Veselý
- Bent Jensen
- Ulrik Le Fevre
- Ole Madsen
- Henning Frenzel
- Hans-Jürgen Kreische
- Peter Rock
Félix Lasso- Tom Rodríguez
- Mauricio Ernesto González
- Mauricio Alonso Rodríguez
- Kebede Asfaw
- Emmanuel Feseha
- Mengistu Worku
- Turo Flink
- Jean Djorkaeff
Abekah Ankrah- Emmanuel Ola
- Mimis Domazos
- Kostas Elefterakis
- Giorgos Koudas
- Mimis Papaioannou
Édgar González- Nelson Melgar
- David Stokes
- Claude Barthélemy
- Jean-Claude Désir
- Reynold Saint Surin
- Philippe Vorbe
- José Cardona
- Rafael Dick
- Reynaldo Mejia
- Marco Antonio Mendoza
- José Urquia
- Leonard Wells
- Flórián Albert
- János Farkas
- László Fazekas
- Zoltán Halmosi
- Lajos Puskás
- Lajos Szűcs
- Eamonn Rogers
- Angelo Domenghini
Lascelles Dunkley- Evan Welsh
- Yasuyuki Kuwahara
- Masashi Watanabe
Mahmoud Al-Jahani- Ahmed Ben Soed
- Mohamed Koussa
- Josy Kirchens
- Paul Philipp
- Hassan Akesbi
- Driss Bamous
- Boujemaa Benkhrif
- Ahmed Faras
- Cherkaoui Hafnaoui
- Moulay Khanousi
- Johan Cruyff
- Dick van Dijk
- Willem van Hanegem
- Wim Jansen
- Sjaak Roggeveen
- Wietse Veenstra
- Henk Wery
Wouter Brokke- Antonio Martina
- Elcio Martina
- Joseph Aghoghovbia
- Peter Anieke
- Sam Garba
- Sebastian Broderick Imasuen
- Sunday Ineh
- Augustine Ofuokwu
- Samuel Opone
- George Best
- William Campbell
- Derek Dougan
- Eric McMordie
- Jimmy Nicholson
- Odd Iversen
- Lorenzo Gimenez
- Aurelio Martínez
- Pablo Rojas
- Alcides Sosa
- Roberto Chale
- Luis Cruzado
- Teófilo Cubillas
- Alberto Gallardo
- Pedro Pablo León
Bronisław Bula- Jerzy Wilim
- José Augusto de Almeida
- Jacinto João
- Fernando Peres
- Emerich Dembrovschi
- Nicolae Dobrin
- Flavius Domide
- Billy Bremner
- Tommy Gemmell
- Eddie Gray
- Willie Henderson
- Jimmy Johnstone
- Denis Law
- Billy McNeill
Emile Pierre Diéme- Abdoulaye Makhtar Diop
- Kim Ki-Bok
- Lee Yi-Woo
- Anatoliy Byshovets
- Vitaliy Khmelnytskyi
- Juan Manuel Asensi
- Miguel Ángel Bustillo
- Pirri
- Joaquín Sierra
- Manuel Velázquez
- Gadalla Kheir El-Sayed Ali
- Osman El-Fadil
- Omar Ali Hasab El-Rasoul
- Abdel Kafi El-Sheikh
- Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Fadil Jadallah
- Awad Nasr Musa
- Ahmed Bushara Wahba
- Stuart Oosthuizen
- Edwin Schal
- Leif Eriksson
- Ove Grahn
- Roland Grip
- Örjan Persson
- René-Pierre Quentin
- Tahar Chaïbi
- Abdesselem Cheman
Ender Konca- Ogün Altıparmak
- Dietrich Albrecht
- Siegfried Stritzl
Atilio Ancheta- Rúben Bareño
- Julio César Cortés
- Pedro Rocha
- Oscar Zubía
Luis Mendoza Benedetto
Mike England- David Powell
- John Toshack
- Klaus Fichtel
- Sigfried Held
- Horst-Dieter Höttges
- Reinhard Libuda
- Max Lorenz
- Rudolf Belin
- Ivica Osim
- Miroslav Pavlović
- Denijal Pirić
- Edin Sprečo
Godfrey Chitalu- Sandy Kaposa
- Dickson Makwaza
- 1 own goal
- David Zeman (playing against Israel)
- Johann Eigenstiller (playing against West Germany)
- Rudolph Smith (playing against the United States)
- Ramiro Tobar (playing against Chile)
- Aritatsu Ogi (playing against Australia)
- Valentín Mendoza (playing against Brazil)
- Héctor Chumpitaz (playing against Bolivia)
- José Torres (playing against Greece)
- Phillemon Tegire (playing against Australia)
- Bruno Michaud (playing against Romania)
Tyrone de la Bastide (playing against Guatemala)- Selwyn Murren (playing against Guatemala)
- 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 short-lived Football War broke out between the two countries.
- Israel qualified for their only World Cup to date as an Asian team. However, soon after this, they were expelled from the Asian Football Confederation, and now compete in the European zone as they are now a member of UEFA.