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
National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup group stage. The first host ever to fail to advance past the first round was South Africa in 2010. † denotes the best result in the team's history, ‡ - the best result at the time of the competition (improved later). The defending World Cup champions were formerly granted an automatic spot in the Cup finals field. As of the 2006 tournament, this berth is no longer guaranteed. However, no defending World Cup champion has yet failed to qualify. Automatic berths have never been given for defending World Cup runners-up. Defending runners-up are 15-for-18 in qualification efforts for the following