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A total of 116 teams entered the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 24 spots in the final tournament. Italy, as the hosts, and Argentina, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition.

The 24 spots available in the 1990 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:

• Europe (UEFA): 14 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Italy, while the other 13 places were contested by 32 teams.
• South America (CONMEBOL): 3.5 places, 1 of them went to automatic qualifier Argentina, while the other 2.5 places were contested by 9 teams. The winner of the 0.5 place would advance to the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from OFC).
• North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 2 places, contested by 16 teams.
• Africa (CAF): 2 places, contested by 26 teams.
• Asia (AFC): 2 places, contested by 26 teams.
• Oceania (OFC): 0.5 place, contested by 5 teams (including Israel and Chinese Taipei). The winner of the 0.5 place would advance to the Intercontinental Play-offs (against a team from CONMEBOL).

A total of 103 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 314 qualifying matches were played, and 735 goals were scored (an average of 2.34 per match).

Continental zones

To see the dates and results of the qualification rounds for each continental zone, click on the following articles:

• Europe (UEFA)

Group 1 - Romania qualified.

Group 2 - Sweden and England qualified.

Group 3 - USSR and Austria qualified.

Group 4 - Netherlands and West Germany qualified.

Group 5 - Yugoslavia and Scotland qualified.

Group 6 - Spain and Republic of Ireland qualified.

Group 7 - Belgium and Czechoslovakia qualified.

• South America (CONMEBOL)

Group 1 - Uruguay qualified.

Group 2 - Colombia advanced to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.

Group 3 - Brazil qualified.

• North America (CONCACAF)

Costa Rica and USA qualified.

• Africa (CAF)

Egypt and Cameroon qualified.

• Asia (AFC)

South Korea and UAE qualified.

• Oceania (OFC)

Israel advanced to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.

Intercontinental Play-offs

The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.

CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off

15 October 1989	Colombia	1 – 0	Israel	Barranquilla, Colombia
	Uzuriaga  73'			Referee: Vautrot (France)

30 October 1989	Israel	0 – 0	Colombia	Tel-Aviv, Israel
				Referee: Codesal Mendez (Mexico)

Colombia qualified, 1–0 on aggregate score.

Qualified teams

Qualifying countries

Team	Finals Appearance	Streak	Last Appearance
Argentina (c)	10th	5	1986
Austria	6th	1	1982
Belgium	8th	3	1986
Brazil	14th	14	1986
Cameroon	2nd	1	1982
Colombia	2nd	1	1962
Costa Rica	1st	1	–
Czechoslovakia	8th	1	1982
Egypt	2nd	1	1934
England	9th	3	1986
Italy (h)	12th	8	1986
Korea Republic	3rd	2	1986
Netherlands	5th	1	1978
Republic of Ireland	1st	1	–
Romania	5th	1	1970
Scotland	7th	5	1986
Spain	8th	4	1986
Sweden	8th	1	1978
United Arab Emirates	1st	1	–
United States	4th	1	1950
Uruguay	9th	2	1986
Soviet Union	7th	3	1986
Yugoslavia	8th	1	1982
West Germany	12th	10	1986

(h) - qualified automatically as hosts

(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions

Notes

• On August 12, 1989, Samuel Okwaraji collapsed and died whilst playing for Nigeria in their qualifying match against Angola, ten minutes before the end.
• One of the most bizarre incidents in World Cup history occurred on September 3, 1989. During the Brazil vs Chile qualifying match at Rio De Janeiro's Maracanã stadium, Brazil led Chile 1-0, and Chile needed to win to stay in the tournament. Around the 67-minute mark, Chilean goalkeeper Roberto "Cóndor" Rojas fell to the pitch with an apparent injury to his forehead. A firework, thrown from the stands by a Brazilian fan named Rosemary de Mello, was smouldering about a yard away. After carrying Rojas off the pitch, the Chilean players and coaches refused to return claiming conditions were not safe, and the match went unfinished. After studying video footage of the match showing that the firework had not made contact with Rojas, FIFA awarded Brazil a 2-0 win, eliminating Chile from the 1990 World Cup. As a result, Chile were barred from the qualifiers of the 1994 Football World Cup, and Rojas was banned for life. The ban was lifted in 2001.

External links

• FIFA World Cup Official Site - 1990 World Cup Qualification
• RSSSF - 1990 World Cup Qualification