A total of 121 teams entered the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 24 spots 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 at Zürich, Switzerland.
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 1 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).
To see the dates and results of the qualification rounds for each continental zone, click on the following articles:
Europe (UEFA)
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.
South America (CONMEBOL)
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.
North America (CONCACAF)
Canada qualified.
Africa (CAF)
Algeria and
Morocco qualified.
Asia (AFC)
Iraq and
Korea Republic qualified.
Oceania (OFC)
Australia advanced to the UEFA–OFC intercontinental play-off
The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
Scotland qualified.
The following 24 teams qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup:
(h) – qualified automatically as hosts
(c) – qualified automatically as defending champions
