| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 June 1949 - 15 April 1950 |
| Teams | 34 (from 3 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 121 (4.65 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Jack Rowley Horacio Casarín Luis de la Fuente Željko Čajkovski (4 goals each) |
A total of 34 teams entered the qualification rounds of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Brazil, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
The remaining 32 teams were divided into 10 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:
- Groups 1 to 6 – Europe: 7 places, contested by 18 teams (including Israel and Syria).
- Groups 7 to 9 – The Americas: 6 places, contested by 10 teams.
- Group 10 – Asia: 1 place, contested by 4 teams.
However, due to the withdrawals of India, Scotland and Turkey after qualifying, only 13 teams actually competed in the final tournament.
A total of 19 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 26 qualifying matches were played, and 121 goals were scored (an average of 4.65 per match).
Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.