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 Group E Uruguay who made the second round but were criticized for their physical play, especially in their last group game against Scotland were José Batista was sent off in under a minute. Before the tournament, English-language media reported Uruguay manager Omar Borrás's description of it as the "group of death", popularising a phrase first used in Spanish in the 1970 World Cup. 1986 FIFA World Cup Group E Group E of the 1986 FIFA World Cup was one of the groups of nations competing at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The group's first round of matches began on 4 June and