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1958 FIFA World Cup qualification

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A total of 55 teams entered the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Sweden as the hosts and West Germany, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.

The qualification rounds for the four previous World Cups were very confusing, with controversial rules and many withdrawals. From this tournament onwards, FIFA decided to divide the teams into several continental zones, assign a pre-determined number of places in the final tournament to each zone, and delegate the organization of the qualifying tournaments to its confederations: UEFA of Europe, CONMEBOL of South America, CONCACAF of North, Central America and Caribbean, CAF of Africa and AFC of Asia (and OFC of Oceania after it was formed later). This led to a more organized qualification process with clearer rules, but not yet withdrawal-proof.

The 16 spots available in the 1958 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:

However, FIFA also imposed a rule that no team would qualify without playing at least one match because many teams qualified for previous World Cups without playing due to withdrawals of their opponents. Because Israel won the African and Asian zone under this circumstance, FIFA required them to enter a play-off against a team from Europe who initially did not qualify, with the winner of this play-off qualifying. Therefore, effectively in the end, a total of 11.5 places were granted to Europe while only 0.5 places were granted to Africa and Asia.

A total of 46 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 89 qualifying matches were played, and 341 goals were scored (an average of 3.83 per match).

Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.


Europe

The 27 teams were divided into 9 groups of 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.

UEFA Group 1

October 3, 1956, Dublin, Ireland -  Republic of Ireland 2 - 1  Denmark

December 5, 1956, Wolverhampton, England -  England 5 - 2  Denmark

May 8, 1957, London, England -  England 5 - 1  Republic of Ireland

May 15, 1957, Copenhagen, Denmark -  Denmark 1 - 4  England

May 19, 1957, Dublin, Ireland -  Republic of Ireland 1 - 1  England

October 2, 1957, Copenhagen, Denmark -  Denmark 0 - 2  Republic of Ireland

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  England 7 4 3 1 0 15 5
2  Republic of Ireland 5 4 2 1 1 6 7
3  Denmark 0 4 0 0 4 4 13

England qualified.

UEFA Group 2

November 11, 1956, Paris, France -  France 6 - 3  Belgium

June 2, 1957, Nantes, France -  France 8 - 0  Iceland

June 5, 1957, Brussels, Belgium -  Belgium 8 - 3  Iceland

September 1, 1957, Reykjavík, Iceland -  Iceland 1 - 5  France

September 4, 1957, Reykjavík, Iceland -  Iceland 2 - 5  Belgium

October 27, 1957, Brussels, Belgium -  Belgium 0 - 0  France

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  France 7 4 3 1 0 19 4
2  Belgium 5 4 2 1 1 16 11
3  Iceland 0 4 0 0 4 6 26

France qualified.

UEFA Group 3

May 22, 1957, Oslo, Norway -  Norway 1 - 2  Bulgaria

June 12, 1957, Oslo, Norway -  Norway 2 - 1  Hungary

June 23, 1957, Budapest, Hungary -  Hungary 4 - 1  Bulgaria

September 15, 1957, Sofia, Bulgaria -  Bulgaria 1 - 2  Hungary

November 3, 1957, Sofia, Bulgaria -  Bulgaria 7 - 0  Norway

November 10, 1957, Budapest, Hungary -  Hungary 5 - 0  Norway

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Hungary 6 4 3 0 1 12 4
2  Bulgaria 4 4 2 0 2 11 7
3  Norway 2 4 1 0 3 3 15

Hungary qualified.

UEFA Group 4

May 1, 1957, Cardiff, Wales -  Wales 1 - 0  Czechoslovakia

May 19, 1957, Leipzig, East Germany -  East Germany 2 - 1  Wales

May 26, 1957, Prague, Czechoslovakia -  Czechoslovakia 2 - 0  Wales

June 16, 1957, Brno, Czechoslovakia -  Czechoslovakia 3 - 1  East Germany

September 25, 1957, Cardiff, Wales -  Wales 4 - 1  East Germany

October 27, 1957, Leipzig, East Germany -  East Germany 1 - 4  Czechoslovakia

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Czechoslovakia 6 4 3 0 1 9 3
2  Wales 4 4 2 0 2 6 5
3  East Germany 2 4 1 0 3 5 12

Czechoslovakia qualified. Wales would get another chance to qualify after being drawn to play against Israel in a special play-off; see CAF / AFC Final Round and Play-off.

UEFA Group 5

September 30, 1956, Vienna, Austria -  Austria 7 - 0  Luxembourg

March 20, 1957, Rotterdam, Netherlands -  Netherlands 4 - 1  Luxembourg

May 26, 1957, Vienna, Austria -  Austria 3 - 2  Netherlands

September 11, 1957, Luxembourg, Luxembourg -  Luxembourg 2 - 5  Netherlands

September 25, 1957, Rotterdam, Netherlands -  Netherlands 1 - 1  Austria

September 29, 1957, Luxembourg, Luxembourg -  Luxembourg 0 - 3  Austria

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Austria 7 4 3 1 0 14 3
2  Netherlands 5 4 2 1 1 12 7
3  Luxembourg 0 4 0 0 4 3 19

Austria qualified.

UEFA Group 6

June 23, 1957, Moscow, USSR -  Soviet Union 3 - 0  Poland

July 5, 1957, Helsinki, Finland -  Finland 1 - 3  Poland

July 27, 1957, Moscow, USSR -  Soviet Union 2 - 1  Finland

August 15, 1957, Helsinki, Finland -  Finland 0 - 10  Soviet Union

October 20, 1957, Chorzow, Poland -  Poland 2 - 1  Soviet Union

November 3, 1957, Warsaw, Poland -  Poland 4 - 0  Finland

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1=  Poland 6 4 3 0 1 9 5
1=  Soviet Union 6 4 3 0 1 16 3
3  Finland 0 4 0 0 4 2 19

Poland and USSR finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

November 24, 1957, Leipzig, East Germany -  Soviet Union 2 - 0  Poland

USSR qualified.

UEFA Group 7

May 5, 1957, Athens, Greece -  Greece 0 - 0  Yugoslavia

June 16, 1957, Athens, Greece -  Greece 1 - 2  Romania

September 29, 1957, Bucharest, Romania -  Romania 1 - 1  Yugoslavia

November 3, 1957, Bucharest, Romania -  Romania 3 - 0  Greece

November 10, 1957, Belgrade, Yugoslavia -  Yugoslavia 4 - 1  Greece

November 17, 1957, Belgrade, Yugoslavia -  Yugoslavia 2 - 0  Romania

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Yugoslavia 6 4 2 2 0 7 2
2  Romania 5 4 2 1 1 6 4
3  Greece 1 4 0 1 3 2 9

Yugoslavia qualified.

UEFA Group 8

January 16, 1957, Lisbon, Portugal -  Portugal 1 - 1  Northern Ireland

April 25, 1957, Rome, Italy -  Italy 1 - 0  Northern Ireland

May 1, 1957, Belfast, Northern Ireland -  Northern Ireland 3 - 0  Portugal

May 26, 1957, Lisbon, Portugal -  Portugal 3 - 0  Italy

December 22, 1957, Milan, Italy -  Italy 3 - 0  Portugal

January 15, 1958, Belfast, Northern Ireland -  Northern Ireland 2 - 1  Italy [1]

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Northern Ireland 5 4 2 1 1 6 3
2  Italy 4 4 2 0 2 5 5
3  Portugal 3 4 1 1 2 4 7

Northern Ireland qualified.

UEFA Group 9

March 10, 1957, Madrid, Spain -  Spain 2 - 2   Switzerland

May 8, 1957, Glasgow, Scotland -  Scotland 4 - 2  Spain

May 19, 1957, Basel, Switzerland -   Switzerland 1 - 2  Scotland

May 26, 1957, Madrid, Spain -  Spain 4 - 1  Scotland

November 6, 1957, Glasgow, Scotland -  Scotland 3 - 2   Switzerland

November 24, 1957, Lausanne, Switzerland -   Switzerland 1 - 4  Spain

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Scotland 6 4 3 0 1 10 9
2  Spain 5 4 2 1 1 12 8
3   Switzerland 1 4 0 1 3 6 11

Scotland qualified.

South America

The 9 teams were divided into 3 groups of 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.

CONMEBOL Group 1

Venezuela withdrew.

April 13, 1957, Lima, Peru -  Peru 1 - 1  Brazil

April 21, 1957, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -  Brazil 1 - 0  Peru

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Brazil 3 2 1 1 0 2 1
2  Peru 1 2 0 1 1 1 2

Brazil qualified.

CONMEBOL Group 2

September 23, 1957, Santiago, Chile -  Chile 2 - 1  Bolivia

September 29, 1957, La Paz, Bolivia -  Bolivia 3 - 0  Chile

October 6, 1957, La Paz, Bolivia -  Bolivia 2 - 0  Argentina

October 13, 1957, Santiago, Chile -  Chile 0 - 2  Argentina

October 20, 1957, Buenos Aires, Argentina -  Argentina 4 - 0  Chile

October 27, 1957, Buenos Aires, Argentina -  Argentina 4 - 0  Bolivia

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Argentina 6 4 3 0 1 10 2
2  Bolivia 4 4 2 0 2 6 6
3  Chile 2 4 1 0 3 2 10

Argentina qualified.

CONMEBOL Group 3

June 16, 1957, Bogotá, Colombia -  Colombia 1 - 1  Uruguay

June 20, 1957, Bogotá, Colombia -  Colombia 2 - 3  Paraguay

June 30, 1957, Montevideo, Uruguay -  Uruguay 1 - 0  Colombia

July 7, 1957, Asunción, Paraguay -  Paraguay 3 - 0  Colombia

July 14, 1957, Asunción, Paraguay -  Paraguay 5 - 0  Uruguay

July 28, 1957, Montevideo, Uruguay -  Uruguay 2 - 0  Paraguay

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Paraguay 6 4 3 0 1 11 4
2  Uruguay 5 4 2 1 1 4 6
3  Colombia 1 4 0 1 3 3 8

Paraguay qualified.

North, Central America and Caribbean

There would be two rounds of play:

  • First Round: The 6 teams were divided into 2 groups with 3 teams each (Group 1 with teams from North America and Group 2 with teams from Central America and Caribbean). The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
  • Final Round: The 2 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.

CONCACAF First Round

Group 1

April 7, 1957, Mexico City, Mexico -  Mexico 6 - 0  United States

April 28, 1957, Los Angeles, USA -  United States 2 - 7  Mexico

June 22, 1957, Toronto, Canada -  Canada 5 - 1  United States

June 30, 1957, Mexico City, Mexico -  Mexico 3 - 0  Canada

July 3, 1957, Toronto, Canada -  Canada 0 - 2  Mexico

July 6, 1957, Saint Louis, USA -  United States 2 - 3  Canada

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Mexico 8 4 4 0 0 18 2
2  Canada 4 4 2 0 2 8 8
3  United States 0 4 0 0 4 5 21

Mexico advanced to the Final Round.

Group 2

February 10, 1957, Guatemala City, Guatemala -  Guatemala 2 - 6  Costa Rica

February 17, 1957, San José, Costa Rica -  Costa Rica 3 - 1  Guatemala

March 3, 1957, San José, Costa Rica -  Costa Rica 4 - 0  Curaçao

March 14, 1957, Guatemala City, Guatemala -  Guatemala 1 - 3  Curaçao

August 4, 1957, Willemstad, Curaçao -  Curaçao 1 - 2  Costa Rica

Curaçao vs Guatemala was not played because the Guatemalan players were not permitted to travel to Curaçao. Neither team could advance with a win anyway.

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Costa Rica 8 4 4 0 0 15 4
2  Curaçao 2 3 1 0 2 4 7
3  Guatemala 0 3 0 0 3 4 12

Costa Rica advanced to the Final Round.

CONCACAF Final Round

October 20, 1957, Mexico City, Mexico -  Mexico 2 - 0  Costa Rica

October 27, 1957, San José, Costa Rica -  Costa Rica 1 - 1  Mexico

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Mexico 3 2 1 1 0 3 1
2  Costa Rica 1 2 0 1 1 1 3

Mexico qualified.

Africa and Asia

FIFA rejected the entries of Ethiopia and Korea Republic. The remaining 9 teams would play in a knockout tournament, with matches on a home-and-away basis. The tournament winner would qualify.

CAF / AFC Preliminary Round

Republic of China withdrew, so Indonesia advanced to the First Round automatically.

CAF / AFC First Round

Group 1

Hong Kong withdraw.

May 12, 1957, Jakarta, Indonesia -  Indonesia 2 - 0  China

June 2, 1957, Beijing, China -  China 4 - 3  Indonesia

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1=  China 2 2 1 0 1 4 5
1=  Indonesia 2 2 1 0 1 5 4

China PR and Indonesia finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Second Round.

June 23, 1957, Rangoon, Burma -  Indonesia 0 - 0 (aet)  China

Indonesia advanced to the Second Round by having a better goal average.

Group 2

Template:Country flaglink refused to play against Israel, so Template:Country flaglink advanced to the Second Round automatically.

Group 3

Template:Country flaglink withdrew, so Template:Country flaglink advanced to the Second Round automatically.

Group 4

March 8, 1957, Khartoum, Sudan -  Sudan 1 - 0  Syria

May 24, 1957, Damascus, Syria -  Syria 1 - 1  Sudan

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Sudan 3 2 1 1 0 2 1
2  Syria 1 2 0 1 1 1 2

Sudan advanced to the Second Round.

CAF / AFC Second Round

Indonesia wanted to play against Israel on neutral ground, but FIFA did not accept, and so they withdrew. Israel advanced to the Final Round automatically.

Egypt withdrew, so Sudan advanced to the Final Round automatically.

CAF / AFC Final Round and Play-off

Sudan refused to play against Israel. Technically, Israel would qualify automatically, but before the qualification rounds began, FIFA ruled that no team would qualify without playing at least one match (except for the defending champions and the hosts), and Israel had yet to play any. So a special play-off was created between Israel and the runner-up of one of the UEFA Groups, where the teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis, with the winner qualifying. After Belgium declined, Wales, the runner-up of UEFA Group 4, was the lucky team drawn from the UEFA group runners-up.

January 15, 1958, Ramat Gan, Israel -  Israel 0 - 2  Wales

February 5, 1958, Cardiff, Wales -  Wales 2 - 0  Israel

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA
1  Wales 4 2 2 0 0 4 0
2  Israel 0 2 0 0 2 0 4

Wales qualified. Therefore, no teams from Africa or Asia qualified.

Qualified teams

Qualifying countries
Team Finals Appearance Streak Last Appearance
 Argentina 3rd 1 1934
 Austria 3rd 2 1954
 Brazil 6th 6 1954
 Czechoslovakia 4th 2 1954
 England 3rd 3 1954
 France 5th 2 1954
 Hungary 4th 2 1954
 Mexico 4th 3 1954
 Northern Ireland 1st 1 -
 Paraguay 3rd 1 1950
 Scotland 2nd 2 1954
 Sweden [2] 4th 1 1950
 Soviet Union 1st 1 -
 Wales 1st 1 -
 West Germany[3] 4th[4] 2 1954
 Yugoslavia 4th 3 1954

Notes

  • For the first (and so far only) time, all four British teams (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) qualified.
  • Wales is the only team to qualify after having been eliminated but then reinstated.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Originally scheduled for December 4, 1957: the World Cup qualifier was postponed but a friendly match was played instead, which finished 2–2.
  2. ^ Qualified automatically as hosts
  3. ^ Qualified automatically as defending champions
  4. ^ Includes 2 appearances by DFB representing pre-division Germany. This is their 2nd appearance as West Germany
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