| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 31 (from 1 confederation) |
| UEFA European Qualifiers |
|---|
Listed below are the dates and results for the qualification to the 1978 FIFA World Cup rounds for the European zone (UEFA) in association football. For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification .
The European zone was allocated 9.5 places (out of 16) in the final tournament. West Germany, the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 8.5 spots open for competition between 31 teams. Albania were the only UEFA team to not enter the competition.
The 31 teams were divided into 9 groups of 3 or 4 teams each (five groups with 3 teams and four groups with 4 teams). The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winners of groups 1 to 8 would qualify, the winner of group 9 would advance to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
Below is a table containing all nine qualifying groups. Teams that qualified and secured a place in the final tournament are highlighted in green, while teams who were eliminated are highlighted in red. The team that secured a place in the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off is highlighted in blue. Teams are ordered by final group position.
Key:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Poland | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 11 |
| 2 |  Portugal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 9 |
| 3 |  Denmark | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 4 |
| 4 |  Cyprus | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 24 | −21 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Italy | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 4 | +14 | 10 |
| 2 |  England | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 10 |
| 3 |  Finland | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 16 | −5 | 4 |
| 4 |  Luxembourg | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 22 | −20 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Austria | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 10 |
| 2 |  East Germany | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 9 |
| 3 |  Turkey | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 5 |
| 4 |  Malta | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 | −27 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Netherlands | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 11 |
| 2 |  Belgium | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 6 |
| 3 |  Northern Ireland | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 5 |
| 4 |  Iceland | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 2 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 5 |
| 2 |  Bulgaria | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Republic of Ireland | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sweden | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 |  Norway | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Switzerland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Scotland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 |  Czechoslovakia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 4 |
| 3 |  Wales | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 |  Romania | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Yugoslavia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 2 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hungary | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 5 |
| 2 |  Soviet Union | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 |
| 3 |  Greece | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 |
Hungary advanced to the UEFA–CONMEBOL play-off.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 9–2 |  Bolivia | 6–0 | 3–2 |
Josef Stering Raoul Lambert Pavel Panov Lars Bastrup Henning Munk Jensen Per Røntved Allan Simonsen Hartmut Schade Ray Kennedy Aki Heiskanen Esa Heiskanen Olavi Rissanen 
Mimis Papaioannou Zoltán Kereki András Törőcsik Giancarlo Antognoni Johan Cruyff Johnny Rep Gerry Armstrong 
Andrzej Szarmach Stanisław Terlecki Fernando Chalana Nené Dudu Georgescu Anghel Iordănescu Kenny Dalglish David Kipiani Rubén Cano Bo Börjesson Sedat Özden Leighton James Roland Hattenberger Wilhelm Kreuz Hans Pirkner Herbert Prohaska Walter Schachner Paul Courant Maurice Martens Gilbert Van Binst François Van der Elst Roger Van Gool Hristo Bonev Chavdar Tsvetkov Andrey Zhelyazkov 
Takis Antoniou Stefanis Michael Stavros Stylianou Miroslav Gajdůšek Zdeněk Nehoda Antonín Panenka Ladislav Petráš Allan Hansen Jørgen Kristensen Benny Nielsen Kristen Nygaard Ole Rasmussen Niels Tune-Hansen Peter Kotte Wolfram Löwe Jürgen Sparwasser Gert Weber Trevor Brooking Trevor Francis Paul Mariner Stuart Pearson Joe Royle Dennis Tueart Kai Haaskivi Teppo Heikkinen Ari Mäkynen Jyrki Nieminen Matti Paatelainen Dominique Bathenay Christian Dalger Bernard Lacombe Dominique Rocheteau László Fazekas István Halász László Nagy Sándor Pintér László Pusztai Béla Várady Sándor Zombori Ingi Björn Albertsson Ásgeir Sigurvinsson Liam Brady Don Givens Romeo Benetti Franco Causio Claudio Gentile Renato Zaccarelli Nico Braun Gilbert Zender Ruud Krol Willem Van Hanegem René Van de Kerkhof Willy Van de Kerkhof Sammy McIlroy Derek Spence Odd Iversen Tom Lund Rune Ottesen Zbigniew Boniek Bohdan Masztaler Włodzimierz Mazur Rui Jordão Octávio Machado Seninho Francisco Vital László Bölöni Iosif Vigu Asa Hartford Joe Jordan Don Masson Leonid Burjak Anatoliy Konkov Eugenio Leal Pirri Björn Andersson Peter Risi Claudio Sulser Serge Trinchero Mehmet Özgül Volkan Yayim Nick Deacy Zoran Filipović Dražen Mužinić Aleksandar Trifunović László Bálint (playing against the Soviet Union) Gregorio Benito (playing against Romania) Ian Evans (playing against Scotland)The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe) – was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament. A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2001 FIFA ended automatic qualification of the reigning champion, so that 2002 champions Brazil became first to participate in the qualifying tournament. The hosts (Germany) retained their automatic spot.
A total of 56 teams entered the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Chile, as the hosts, and Brazil, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
99 teams entered the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for 16 spots in the final tournament. West Germany, as the hosts, and Brazil, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe) — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament. 199 teams entered the tournament qualification rounds, competing for 32 spots in the final tournament. South Korea and Japan, as the co-hosts, and France, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.
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.
121 teams entered the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for 24 places 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 in Zürich, Switzerland.
The qualification competition for the 1990 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Confederation of African Football (CAF), CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and UEFA (Europe) — was allocated a certain number of the 24 places at the tournament. A total of 116 teams entered the competition, with Italy, as the host, and Argentina, as the holders, qualifying for the final tournament automatically.
A total of 39 UEFA teams entered qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, Liechtenstein withdrew before the draw was made. The CIS, then Russia took the Soviet Union's spot after the Soviet Union dissolved while FIFA suspended Yugoslavia due to United Nations sanctions stemming from the Yugoslav wars. The European zone was allocated 13 from 24 places in the final tournament. Germany, the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 12 spots open for competition between 37 teams.
The 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 1994 FIFA World Cup featured 24 teams with one place reserved for the host nation, United States, and one place for the defending champions, Germany. The remaining 22 places were determined by a qualification process, in which 147 teams, from the six FIFA confederations, competed. Most of the successful teams were determined within these confederations, with a limited number of inter-confederation play-offs occurring at the end of the process.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe) — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. 174 teams entered the qualification rounds, while two places were reserved for France and Brazil as host nation and defending champions, respectively.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone (UEFA). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone (UEFA). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe) – was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament. A total of 205 teams entered the qualification competition, with South Africa, as the host, qualifying for the World Cup automatically. The first qualification matches were played on 25 August 2007 and qualification concluded on 18 November 2009. Overall, 2,338 goals were scored over 852 matches, scoring on average 2.74 per match.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the South American Zone (CONMEBOL). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.
The qualifying round for UEFA Euro 1980 consisted of 31 teams divided into seven groups; three of five teams and four of four teams. The qualifying round was played at various times between May 1978 and February 1980, with some groups concluding earlier than others.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone (UEFA). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the South American Zone (CONMEBOL). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil. The remaining 31 places were determined by a qualification process, in which the other 207 teams, from the six FIFA confederations, competed. Most of the successful teams were determined within these confederations, with a limited number of inter-confederation play-offs occurring at the end of the process.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
