1982 FIFA World Cup qualification

1982 FIFA World Cup Qualification
Tournament details
Dates26 March 1980 – 10 January 1982
Teams109 (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played306
Goals scored797 (2.6 per match)
Top scorer(s)Australia Gary Cole
New Zealand Steve Sumner
New Zealand Brian Turner
West Germany Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
(9 goals each)
1978
1986

A total of 109 teams entered the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, which began with the preliminary qualification draw on 14 October 1979 at Zürich, competing for a total of 24 spots in the final tournament, an increase from 16 in the previous World Cups. Spain, as the hosts, and Argentina, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition.

The 24 spots available in the 1982 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:

A total of 103 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 306 qualifying matches were played, and 797 goals were scored (an average of 2.60 per match).