105 teams took part in the 1982 World Cup qualification rounds, divided in five Continental Zones. For the first time, 24 places in the World Cup, instead of 16, were at stake. Those 24 spots would be distributed as follows: The 1982 Football World Cup was held in Spain. ...

• Europe (UEFA): 33 teams, competing for 13 places. Once again, Israel took part in the european qualification. Spain, the hosts, were automatically qualified, for a total of 14 places.
• South America (CONMEBOL): 9 teams, 3 places. Argentina, the defending champions, were automatically qualified, for a total of 4 places.
• North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 15 teams, 2 places.
• Africa (CAF): 28 teams, 2 places.
• Asia (AFC) and Oceania (OFC): 20 teams, 2 places.

A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... UEFA logo The Union of European Football Associations, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced you-AY-fuh), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... CONMEBOL or CSF (CONfederación sudaMEricana de FútBOL, South American Football Confederation) is the governing body of football in South America. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. ... ... CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football), also known as The Football Confederation, is the continent-wide governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... The Confederation of African Football (CAF; French: Confédération Africaine de Football) represents international football in Africa, and organises the African Nations Cup as well as the African Champions League. ... World map showing Asia (geographically) Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia, and the worlds largest continent. ... Image:Anaedo Football Club. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Australasia. ... The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international football. ...

Overview

The format was simpler in Europe this time; there were six groups of five from which the top two teams qualified, and one group of three with only the winner (Poland) going further. In a very balanced group England lost their away matches in Romania, Norway, and Switzerland but qualified anyway, one point behind Hungary.

In fact, qualification for all four British teams for the first time since 1958 looked a strong possibility. Wales just missed out in their group with Czechoslovakia taking second place from them on goal difference, behind the dominant Soviet Union. Scotland and Northern Ireland left Sweden and Portugal in their wake. Yugoslavia and Italy did not have much trouble, but things were closer for France, who ended up behind Belgium and just ahead of Ireland Republic on goal difference. Germany FR's record was impeccable - eight wins and a goal line of 33:3 putting them five points clear of Austria. Football (soccer) is the United Kingdoms most popular sport. ... In sports such as ice hockey and soccer, goal difference (that is, goals scored less goals conceded) is often the first tie-breaker used to rank teams which finish a competition with an equal number of points. ...

Of all the teams that had ever won the World Cup, the only one missing this time was Uruguay national football team|Uruguay. Peru came through, and together with the undefeated Brazil and Chile completed the South American line-up. The Football World Cup (official name: FIFA World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer). ...

The African qualifications saw Cameroon and Algeria come out on top, with Cameroon securing their place with a 2-1 home win over Morocco in Yaounde, in front of well over 100,000 jubilant fans. They had already won the away leg of the fixture. Algeria followed the same route, inflicting two defeats on Nigeria. Both of these teams were destined to hit the headlines during the final round in Spain. Categories: Africa geography stubs | Capitals in Africa | Cities in Cameroon ...

In the final round in the CONCACAF zone in Honduras, the host team secured first place and denied favourites Mexico their place in the final round with a goalless draw in the final match. El Salvador won one more game and one more point than Mexico and earned the second set of tickets to Spain.

China PR had never come so close to qualifying for a World Cup, as on 10 January 1982. But they were thwarted at the last minute: New Zealand won the play-off between the two teams who were level on points and accompanied Kuwait, the group winners, to Spain. First International Philippines 2 - 1 China (Philippines; February 1, 1913) Finland 4 - 0 China PR (Helsinki, Finland; August 4, 1952) Largest win China PR 19 - 0 Guam (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; January 26, 2000) Worst defeat USA 5 - 0 China PR (Palo Alto, USA; April 4, 1992) World Cup... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Continental Zones

To see the dates and results for each game in each Continental Zone, please click one of the following links:

Europe Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 World Cup qualification rounds for Europe. ...

South America Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 World Cup qualification rounds for South America. ...

North, Central America and Caribbean Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 World Cup qualification rounds for North, Central America and Caribbean. ...

Africa Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 World Cup qualification rounds for Africa. ...

Asia and Oceania Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 World Cup qualification rounds for Asia and Oceania. ...

Qualified teams

Team	Appearance	Streak	Previous appearance
Algeria	1st	1	-
Argentina (c)	8th	3	1978
Austria	5th	2	1978
Belgium	6th	1	1970
Brazil	12th	12	1978
Cameroon	1st	1	-
Chile	6th	1	1974
Czechoslovakia	7th	1	1970
El Salvador	2nd	1	1970
England	7th	1	1970
France	8th	2	1978
Honduras	1st	1	-
Hungary	8th	2	1978
Italy	10th	6	1978
Kuwait	1st	1	-
New Zealand	1st	1	-
Northern Ireland	2nd	1	1958
Peru	4th	2	1978
Poland	5th	3	1978
Scotland	5th	3	1978
Spain (h)	6th	2	1978
USSR	5th	1	1970
West Germany	10th(1)	8	1978
Yugoslavia	7	1	1974

(h) - qualified automatically as hosts Image File history File links Based on the flag provided by the CIA World Factbook. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Argentina. ... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Fixed size, hues based on World Flag Database. ... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Image File history File links General info: Large flag of Belgium Dimensions: 348x302 pixels Source: Image originally derived from the public domain flags of the CIA World Factbook License: originally public domain, modifications under GFDL Most of the flags have had their colours improved and many have been resized to... The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico. ... Image File history File links General info: Large flag of Brazil Dimensions: 431x302 pixels Source: Image originally derived from the public domain flags of the CIA World Factbook License: originally public domain, modifications under GFDL Most of the flags have had their colours improved and many have been resized to... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... General info: Large flag of Cameroon Dimensions: 453x302 pixels Source: Image originally derived from the public domain flags of the CIA World Factbook License: originally public domain, modifications under GFDL Most of the flags have had their colours improved and many have been resized to the proper ratios. ... Image File history File links Chile flag 300px height unified for the national flags serie, by user:Marc Mongenet, from CIA World Factbook, borders removed, high compression ratio, some color or ratio corrections from http://www. ... The 1974 Football World Cup was held in West Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic. ... The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico. ... File links The following pages link to this file: El Salvador Politics of El Salvador Military of El Salvador Latin America Organization of American States Freedom House User:AntonioMartin Football World Cup 1970 Football World Cup 1982 United Provinces of Central America D.C. United San Jose Earthquakes List of... The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First... The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico. ... Image File history File links France_flag_large. ... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Honduras Politics of Honduras Latin America Organization of American States Freedom House User:AntonioMartin Football World Cup 1982 United Provinces of Central America Chicago Fire (soccer) F.C. Dallas Copa América CONCACAF Gold Cup Francisco Morazán Department Copán... Large flag of Hungary Image originally derived from the public domain flags of the CIA World Factbook. ... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Download high resolution version (1200x800, 1 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Austria Arsenal F.C. A.S. Roma A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Belgium Czech Republic Cyprus Economy of the Czech Republic Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. European Union Estonia European Parliament Talk:European Union... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Kuwait Freedom House Arab League Football World Cup 1982 Football World Cup 2006 OPEC Asian Cup List of national flags Gallery of national flags Flag of Kuwait Reporters Without Borders Shooting at the 2000 Summer Olympics User:DanielZm/test2 Asian Cup... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Northern_Ireland_flag. ... First International Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; February 18, 1882) Largest win Northern Ireland 7 - 0 Wales (Belfast, Northern Ireland; February 1, 1930) Worst defeat Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; February 18, 1882) World Cup Appearances 3 (First in 1958) Best result Quarterfinals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none... The 1958 Football World Cup remained in Europe, this time being hosted by Sweden. ... Large flag of Peru File links The following pages link to this file: Football World Cup Latin America Organization of American States Politics of Peru Aston Villa F.C. Freedom House Football World Cup 1930 PSV Eindhoven User:AntonioMartin List of Peruvians Football World Cup 1970 Football World Cup 1978... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Large flag of Poland Image originally derived from the public domain flags of the CIA World Factbook. ... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) Worst defeat Uruguay 7 - 0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Image File history File links Spain_flag_large. ... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Download high resolution version (1600x800, 6 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Soviet Union Space Shuttle Challenger Space Shuttle Enterprise Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Discovery Space Shuttle Atlantis Space Shuttle Endeavour Space exploration Shuttle Buran Modern pentathlon Football World Cup 1958 Football World Cup 1962... The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico. ... {{JESUS TOOK THE FLAG}} He stole it and sold it to some asian drug dealers from the atlantic, hmm? File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Berlin Brandenburg Chelsea F.C. European Peoples Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats Fulham F.C. Football World... The 1978 Football World Cup was held in Argentina. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_SFR_Yugoslavia. ... First International Czechoslovakia 7 - 0 Yugoslavia (Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920) Last International Netherlands 2 - 0 Yugoslavia (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 25 March 1992) Largest win Yugoslavia 10 - 1 India (Helsinki, Finland; 15 July 1952) Yugoslavia 9 - 0 Zaire (Gelsenkirchen, Germany; 18 June 1974) Worst defeat Czechoslovakia 7 - 0 Yugoslavia (Antwerp, Belgium...

(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions

Notes

• A game of three halves! Wales vs Iceland (2-2) went to a 43 minute break when the floodlights at the Vetch Field Stadium in Swansea went down on 14 October 1981.

• Canada, although untried on the international stage from 1977 to 1979, won through to come top of the CONCACAF Northern Zone Group in 1980 with three draws and a win. Unfortunately they lost out to the Central and South American sides (Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico) in the final group.

• After a record-breaking 15 matches and 1,350 minutes of football, New Zealand were the last country to qualify for their inaugural FIFA World Cup final competition, beating China PR to get there. Along the way, they also broke a number of records to claim the top scorer title with 44 goals, the best defence (9 matches without concession), and took the highest-margin win (13-0 over Fiji on 16 August 1981).

First International Scotland 4 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) Largest win Wales 11 - 0 Ireland (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) Worst defeat Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1958) Best result Quarter-finals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none (First... View of Oxford Street in Swansea city centre Marina, formerly South Dock in the Maritime Quarter Aerial view of Swansea Bay Swansea (Welsh: Abertawe, mouth of the Tawe) is a city and county in South Wales, situated on the coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula. ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• FIFA World Cup Official Site - 1982 World Cup Qualification
• RSSSF - 1982 World Cup Qualification