1986 FIFA World Cup qualification 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 among the continental zones as follows: A total of 110 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 308 qualifying matches were played, and 801 goals were scored
1986 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC First Round on neutral ground" 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC First Round The 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC First Round was part of the AFC qualifying tournament for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. 27 national teams were separated into an Eastern and Western zone where they were split into groups of 3 or 4, with the group winners progressing to the Second Round. The teams which qualified for the Second Round were United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Japan. "Lebanon played 4 matches before withdrawing, their results were annulled." "Iran disqualified for refusing