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A total of 116 teams entered the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of
24 spots in the final tournament. Italy, as the hosts, and Argentina, as the defending champions,
qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition.
The 24 spots available in the 1990 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as
follows:
Europe (UEFA): 14 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Italy, while the other 13
places were contested by 32 teams.
South America (CONMEBOL): 3.5 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Argentina,
while the other 2.5 places were contested by 9 teams. The winner of the 0.5 place would
advance to the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from OFC).
North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 2 places, contested by 16 teams.
Africa (CAF): 2 places, contested by 26 teams.
Asia (AFC): 2 places, contested by 26 teams.
Oceania (OFC): 0.5 place, contested by 5 teams (including Israel and Chinese Taipei). The
winner of the 0.5 place would advance to the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team
from CONMEBOL).
A total of 103 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 314 qualifying matches were
played, and 735 goals were scored (an average of 2.34 per match).
Europe (UEFA)
Finals Last
Team Streak
Appearance Appearance
Qualifying countries
[edit] Notes
On August 12, 1989, Samuel Okwaraji collapsed and died whilst playing for Nigeria in their
qualifying match against Angola, ten minutes before the end.
One of the most bizarre incidents in World Cup history occurred on September 3, 1989.
During the Brazil vs Chile qualifying match at Rio De Janeiro's Maracanã stadium, Brazil led
Chile 1-0, and Chile neede to win to stay in the tournament. Around the 67-minute mark,
Chilean goalkeeper Roberto "Cóndor" Rojas fell to the pitch with an apparent injury to his
forehead. A firework, thrown from the stands by a Brazilian fan named Rosemary de Mello,
was smouldering about a yard away. After carrying Rojas off the pitch, the Chilean players
and coaches refused to return claiming conditions were not safe, and the match went
unfinished. After studying video footage of the match showing that the firework had not
made contact with Rojas, FIFA awarded Brazil a 2-0 win, eliminating Chile from the 1990
World Cup. As a result, Chile were barred from the qualifiers of the 1994 Football World
Cup, and Rojas was banned for life. The ban was lifted in 2001.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the
African zone (CAF). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1990 FIFA World
Cup qualification.
A total of 26 CAF teams entered the competition. However, Mauritius and Mozambique's
entries were rejected by FIFA due to debts to FIFA. The African Zone was allocated 2 places (out of
24) in the final tournament.
FIFA awarded Algeria a 2-0 win because Libya forfeited. Later, Libya withdrew, and their
match results were annulled.
June 11, 1989, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire - Côte d'Ivoire 0 - 0 Algeria
August 13, 1989, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire - Côte d'Ivoire 5 - 0 Zimbabwe
1 Algeria 7 4 3 1 0 6 1 5
2 Côte d'Ivoire 4 4 1 2 1 5 1 4
3 Zimbabwe 1 4 0 1 3 1 10 -9
[edit] Group B
1 Egypt 8 6 3 2 1 6 2 4
2 Liberia 6 6 2 2 2 2 3 -1
3 Malawi 5 6 1 3 2 3 4 -1
4 Kenya 5 6 1 3 2 2 4 -2
[edit] Group C
1 Cameroon 9 6 4 1 1 9 6 3
2 Nigeria 7 6 3 1 2 7 5 2
3 Angola 4 6 1 2 3 6 7 -1
4 Gabon 4 6 2 0 4 5 9 -4
[edit] Group D
1 Tunisia 7 6 3 1 2 5 5 7
2 Zambia 6 6 3 0 3 7 6 1
3 Zaire 6 6 2 2 2 7 7 0
4 Morocco 5 6 1 3 2 4 5 -1
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the
Asian zone (AFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1990 FIFA World Cup
qualification.
A total of 27 AFC teams entered the competition. However, Maldives withdrew before the draw
was made, and Chinese Taipei were assigned to the Oceanian zone instead. The Asian zone was
allocated 2 places (out of 24) in the final tournament.
[edit] Group A
1 Qatar 9 6 3 3 0 8 3 5
2 Iraq 8 6 3 2 1 11 5 6
3 Jordan 5 6 2 1 3 5 7 -2
4 Oman 2 6 0 2 4 2 11 -9
Qatar advanced to the Final Round.
[edit] Group B
Bahrain withdrew.
March 10, 1989, Sanaa, North Yemen - North Yemen 0 - 1 Syria
March 15, 1989, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia 5 - 4 Syria
March 20, 1989, Sanaa, North Yemen - North Yemen 0 - 1 Saudi Arabia
April 5, 1989, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia 1 - 0 North Yemen
1 Saudi Arabia 7 4 3 1 0 7 4 3
2 Syria 5 4 2 1 1 7 5 2
3 North Yemen 0 4 0 0 4 0 5 -5
[edit] Group C
January 13, 1989, Kuwait, Kuwait - Kuwait 3 - 2 United Arab Emirates
January 20, 1989, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates - United Arab Emirates 5 - 0 Pakistan
February 3, 1989, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates - United Arab Emirates 1 - 0 Kuwait
February 10, 1989, Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan 1 - 4 United Arab Emirates
Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
2 Kuwait 6 4 3 0 1 6 3 3
3 Pakistan 0 4 0 0 4 1 12 -11
[edit] Group D
India withdrew.
May 23, 1989, Seoul, South Korea - Korea Republic 3 - 0 Singapore
May 25, 1989, Seoul, South Korea - Korea Republic 9 - 0 Nepal
May 27, 1989, Seoul, South Korea - Korea Republic 3 - 0 Malaysia
1 Korea Republic 12 6 6 0 0 25 0 25
2 Malaysia 7 6 3 1 2 8 8 0
3 Singapore 5 6 2 1 3 12 9 3
4 Nepal 0 6 0 0 6 0 28 -28
[edit] Group E
1 China PR 10 6 5 0 1 13 3 10
2 Iran 10 6 5 0 1 12 5 7
3 Bangladesh 2 6 1 0 5 4 9 -5
4 Thailand 2 6 1 0 5 2 14 -12
[edit] Group F
May 27, 1989, Hong Kong - Hong Kong 1 - 2 Korea DPR
June 25, 1989, Pyongyang, North Korea - Korea DPR 2 - 0 Japan
July 2, 1989, Pyongyang, North Korea - Korea DPR 4 - 1 Hong Kong
1 Korea DPR 9 6 4 1 1 11 5 6
2 Japan 7 6 2 3 1 7 3 4
3 Indonesia 5 6 1 3 2 5 10 -5
4 Hong Kong 3 6 0 3 3 5 10 -5
October 12, 1989, Singapore - United Arab Emirates 0 - 0 Korea DPR
October 21, 1989, Singapore - United Arab Emirates 0 - 0 Saudi Arabia
October 28, 1989, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - United Arab Emirates 1 - 1 Korea Republic
October 28, 1989, Kuantan, Malaysia - Saudi Arabia 2 - 0 Korea DPR
1 Korea Republic 8 5 3 2 0 5 1 4
3 Qatar 5 5 1 3 1 4 5 -1
4 China PR 4 5 2 0 3 5 6 -1
5 Saudi Arabia 4 5 1 2 2 4 5 -1
6 Korea DPR 3 5 1 1 3 2 4 -2
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the
North, Central American and Caribbean zone (CONCACAF). For an overview of the qualification
rounds, see the article 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 16 CONCACAF teams entered the competition. However, FIFA rejected the entry of
Belize due to debts to FIFA. The North, Central American and Caribbean zone was allocated 2 places
(out of 24) in the final tournament.
First Round: Canada, Honduras, El Salvador, USA and Mexico, the five best ranked teams
according to FIFA, received byes 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 would advance to the Second Round.
Second Round: The 10 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 5 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The
group winner and runner-up would qualify.
April 17, 1988, Georgetown, Guyana - Guyana 0 - 4 Trinidad and Tobago
May 8, 1988, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago 1 - 0 Guyana
Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the Second Round by the aggregate score of 5-0.
June 19, 1988, St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda - Antigua and Barbuda 0 - 1 Netherlands Antilles
July 29, 1988, Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles - Netherlands Antilles 3 - 1 (aet) Antigua and
Barbuda
Netherlands Antilles advanced to the Second Round by the aggregate score of 4-1.
July 17, 1988, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 1 - 1 Panama
July 31, 1988, Panama City, Panama - Panama 0 - 2 Costa Rica
Costa Rica advanced to the Second Round by the aggregate score of 3-1.
August 13, 1988, Saint Louis, USA - United States 5 - 1 Jamaica
United States advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 5-1.
The aggregate score was tied 3-3, and Guatemala advanced to the Final Round due to the away goals
rule.
October 30, 1988, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago 0 - 0 Honduras
November 13, 1988, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Honduras 1 - 1 Trinidad and Tobago
The aggregate score was tied 1-1, and Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the Final Round due to the
away goals rule.
October 16, 1988, San Salvador, El Salvador - El Salvador 5 - 1 Netherlands Antilles
Mexico was disqualified for fielding over-aged players in a youth tournament, so Costa Rica
advanced to the Final Round automatically.
[edit] CONCACAF Final Round
March 19, 1989, Guatemala City, Guatemala - Guatemala 1 - 0 Costa Rica
April 2, 1989, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 2 - 1 Guatemala
April 16, 1989, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 1 - 0 United States
April 30, 1989, Torrance, USA - United States 1 - 0 Costa Rica
May 13, 1989, Torrance, USA - United States 1 - 1 Trinidad and Tobago
May 28, 1989, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago 1 - 1 Costa Rica
June 11, 1989, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 1 - 0 Trinidad and Tobago
June 17, 1989, New Britain, USA - United States 2 - 1 Guatemala
June 25, 1989, San Salvador, El Salvador - El Salvador 2 - 4 Costa Rica
The match was abandoned at 2-4, and the result was verified by FIFA.
July 16, 1989, San José, Costa Rica - Costa Rica 1 - 0 El Salvador
July 30, 1989, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago 2 - 0 El Salvador
August 13, 1989, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - El Salvador 0 - 0 Trinidad and Tobago
August 20, 1989, Guatemala City, Guatemala - Guatemala 0 - 1 Trinidad and Tobago
September 3, 1989, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago 2 - 1 Guatemala
September 17, 1989, Tegucigalpa, Honduras - El Salvador 0 - 1 United States
November 19, 1989, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago - Trinidad and Tobago 0 - 1 United
States
The two matches between Guatemala and El Salvador, scheduled for November 19, 1989 and
November 21, 1989 in Guatemala were not played due to political instability in El Salvador. Neither
team could qualify with two wins anyway.
Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
1 Costa Rica 11 8 5 1 2 10 6 4
2 United States 11 8 4 3 1 6 3 3
4 Guatemala 3 6 1 1 4 4 7 -3
5 El Salvador 2 6 0 2 4 2 8 -6
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the
South American zone (CONMEBOL). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article
1990 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 10 CONMEBOL teams entered the competition. The South American zone was allocated 3.5
places (out of 24) in the final tournament. Argentina, the defending champions, qualified
automatically, leaving 2.5 spots open for competition between 9 teams.
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 2 group winners with the best record would qualify. The group winner with
the worst record would advance to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.
1 Uruguay 6 4 3 0 1 7 2 5
2 Bolivia 6 4 3 0 1 6 5 1
3 Peru 0 4 0 0 4 2 8 -6
Uruguay qualified with the second-best record among the group winners.
1 Colombia 5 4 2 1 1 5 3 2
2 Paraguay 4 4 2 0 2 6 7 -1
3 Ecuador 3 4 1 1 2 4 5 -1
Colombia advanced to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off with the worst record among
the group winners.
[edit] CONMEBOL Group 3
The match was abandoned at 1-0. After an investigation, FIFA awarded Brazil a 2-0 win.
1 Brazil 7 4 3 1 0 13 1 12
2 Chile 5 4 2 1 1 9 4 5
3 Venezuela 0 4 0 0 4 1 18 -17
Brazil qualified with the best record among the group winners.
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the
European zone (UEFA). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1990 FIFA World
Cup qualification.
A total of 33 UEFA teams entered the competition. The European zone was allocated 14 places (out of
24) in the final tournament. Italy, the hosts, qualified automatically, leaving 13 spots open for
competition between 32 teams.
The 32 teams were divided into 7 groups. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-
away basis. The number of teams and spots for each group were as follows:
Groups 3, 5, 6 and 7 had 5 teams each. The group winners and runners-up would
qualify.
Groups 1, 2 and 4 had 4 teams each. The group winners would qualify. The 2 runners-up
with the best records would also qualify.
1 Romania 9 6 4 1 1 10 5 5
2 Denmark 8 6 3 2 1 15 6 9
3 Greece 4 6 1 2 3 3 15 -12
4 Bulgaria 3 6 1 1 4 6 8 -2
Romania qualified.
[edit] UEFA Group 2
1 Sweden 10 6 4 2 0 9 3 6
2 England 9 6 3 3 0 10 0 10
3 Poland 5 6 2 1 3 4 8 -4
4 Albania 0 6 0 0 6 3 15 -12
Sweden qualified. England also qualified with the second-best record among runners-up of Groups 1,
2 and 4.
October 19, 1988, Berlin, East Germany - East Germany 2 - 0 Iceland
April 12, 1989, Magdeburg, East Germany - East Germany 0 - 2 Turkey
May 20, 1989, Leipzig, East Germany - East Germany 1 - 1 Austria
October 8, 1989, Karl Marx Stadt, East Germany - East Germany 2 - 1 USSR
1 USSR 11 8 4 3 1 11 4 7
2 Austria 9 8 3 3 2 9 9 0
3 Turkey 7 8 3 1 4 12 10 2
4 East Germany 7 8 3 1 4 9 13 -4
5 Iceland 6 8 1 4 3 6 11 -5
October 19, 1988, Munich, West Germany - West Germany 0 - 0 Netherlands
November 15, 1989, Cologne, West Germany - West Germany 2 - 1 Wales
1 Netherlands 10 6 4 2 0 8 2 6
2 West Germany 9 6 3 3 0 13 3 10
3 Finland 3 6 1 1 4 4 16 -12
4 Wales 2 6 0 2 4 4 8 -4
Netherlands qualified. West Germany also qualified with the best record among the runners-up of
Groups 1, 2 and 4.
This match was played on neutral ground instead of in Cyprus because Cyprus was
penalised for riots during the Cyprus vs Scotland match.
November 15, 1989, Glasgow, Scotland - Scotland 1 - 1 Norway
1 Yugoslavia 14 8 6 2 0 16 6 10
2 Scotland 10 8 4 2 2 12 12 0
3 France 9 8 3 3 2 10 7 3
4 Norway 6 8 2 2 4 10 9 1
5 Cyprus 1 8 0 1 7 6 20 -14
May 21, 1988, Belfast, Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland 3 - 0 Malta
September 14, 1988, Belfast, Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland 0 - 0 Republic of Ireland
October 11, 1989, Dublin, Ireland - Republic of Ireland 3 - 0 Northern Ireland
1 Spain 13 8 6 1 1 20 3 17
2 Republic of Ireland 12 8 5 2 1 10 2 8
3 Hungary 8 8 2 4 2 8 12 -4
4 Northern Ireland 5 8 2 1 5 6 12 -6
5 Malta 2 8 0 2 6 3 18 -15
1 Belgium 12 8 4 4 0 15 5 10
2 Czechoslovakia 12 8 5 2 1 13 3 10
3 Portugal 10 8 4 2 2 11 8 3
4 Switzerland 5 8 2 1 5 10 14 -4
5 Luxembourg 1 8 0 1 7 3 22 -19
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the
Oceanian zone (OFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1990 FIFA World
Cup qualification.
A total of 3 OFC teams entered the competition. Moreover, Israel and Chinese Taipei were also
assigned to the Oceanian zone despite not being OFC members. The Oceanian zone was allocated 0.5
places (out of 24) in the final tournament.
First Round: Israel received a bye and advanced to the Final Round directly. The
remaining 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 3 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The
group winner would advance to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.
December 11, 1988, Wellington, New Zealand - Chinese Taipei 0 - 4 New Zealand
December 15, 1988, Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand 4 - 1 Chinese Taipei
New Zealand advanced to the Final Round by the aggregate score of 8-1.
1 Israel 5 4 1 3 0 5 4 1
2 Australia 4 4 1 2 1 6 5 1
3 New Zealand 3 4 1 1 2 5 7 -2