1978 FIFA World Cup qualification 723 goals were scored (an average of 2.87 per match). To see the dates and results of the qualification rounds for each continental zone, click on the following articles: The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify. <onlyinclude> </onlyinclude> The following 16 teams qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup: (h) - qualified automatically as hosts (c) - qualified automatically as defending champions "5 of the 16 teams subsequently failed to qualify for the 1982 finals: Iran, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia." 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 107 teams entered
1978 FIFA World Cup deliberately sabotaging the Minella stadium's pitch to weaken Brazil's chances of success. For a list of all squads that appeared in the final tournament, see "1978 FIFA World Cup squads". With six goals, Mario Kempes is the top scorer in the tournament. In total, 102 goals were scored by 62 players, with three of them credited as own goals. In 1986, FIFA published a report that ranked all teams in each World Cup up to and including 1986, based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition. The rankings for the 1978 tournament were as follows: