1986 FIFA World Cup qualification would be banned from competing in the 1990 finals due to the Cachirules scandal, bringing the total number of teams who did not qualify for the subsequent tournament to 12." 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification 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
1986 FIFA World Cup the northern city of Monterrey (including the Monterrey area town of San Nicolas de los Garza; the last match of this group was played in Guadalajara). All of the venues listed hosted knockout round matches except the ones in Nezahualcoyotl, Irapuato, Zapopan, Toluca and the Estadio Tecnologico in Monterrey. For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see "1986 FIFA World Cup squads". The first round of the finals began in Group A, where Italy were held 1–1 by Bulgaria. Meanwhile, Argentina beat South Korea 3–1, with Diego Maradona playing a major part. Italy and Argentina