A total of 37 teams entered the 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Switzerland, as the hosts, and Uruguay, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 37 (from 3 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 57 |
| Goals scored | 208 (3.65 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Max Morlock (6 goals) |
← 1950 1958 → | |
37 teams were divided into 13 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:
A total of 33 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 57 qualifying matches were played, and 208 goals were scored (an average of 3.65 per match).
Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.
The 13 groups had different rules, as follows:
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Germany
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 7 |
| 2 |  Saar
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 3 |
| 3 |  Norway
|
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 2 |
| Norway | 2–3 | Saar |
|---|---|---|
Thoresen  3'Dahlen 15' |
Report | Binkert 16' Otto 30'Siedl 55' |
Attendance: 21,000
Referee: J. Bronkhorst (Netherlands)
| Norway | 1–1 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Hennum 41' |
Report | F. Walter 44' |
Attendance: 32,266
Referee: W. B. Aussum (Netherlands)
| West Germany | 3–0 | Saar |
|---|---|---|
| Morlock 13', 50' Schade 70' |
Report |
Attendance: 48,000
Referee: Karel van der Meer (Netherlands)
| Saar | 0–0 | Norway |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Attendance: 42,000
Referee: Leo Horn (Netherlands)
| West Germany | 5–1 | Norway |
|---|---|---|
| Morlock 27', 63' O. Walter 69'F. Walter 80'Rahn 88' |
Report | Nordahl 26' |
Attendance: 76,000
Referee: Arthur Luty (England)
| Saar | 1–3 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Martin 68' (pen.) |
Report | Morlock 36', 48' Schäfer 84' |
Attendance: 53,000
Referee: J. Bronkhorst (Netherlands)
West Germany qualified.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Belgium
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 7 |
| 2 |  Sweden
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 3 |
| 3 |  Finland
|
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 2 |
| Finland | 2–4 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Lehtovirta 49', 75' |
Report | Coppens 4', 26', 83' Anoul 9' |
Attendance: 2,377
Referee: Helge (Denmark)
| Sweden | 2–3 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Bengtsson 20' Selmosson 26' |
Report | Anoul 28' Straetmans 37'Lemberechts 40' |
Attendance: 34,029
| Finland | 3–3 | Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| Lehtovirta 63' Lahtinen 67'Rikberg 70' |
Report | Sandell 9', 71' Persson 23' |
Attendance: 13,849
Referee: Baalstad (Norway)
| Sweden | 4–0 | Finland |
|---|---|---|
| Sandberg 22' Sandell 24', 61'Sandin 56' |
Report |
Attendance: 27,138
Referee: Asmussen (Denmark)
| Belgium | 2–2 | Finland |
|---|---|---|
| Bollen 25', 75' |
Report | Lahtinen 83' Vaihela 90' |
Attendance: 13,804
Referee: Baumberger (Switzerland)
| Belgium | 2–0 | Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| Coppens 23' Mees 49' |
Report |
Attendance: 31,563
Referee: Schipper (Netherlands)
Belgium qualified. This was the first time Sweden failed to qualify.
This group was also the 1953–54 British Home Championship.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  England
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 6 |
| 2 |  Scotland
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 |  Northern Ireland
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2 |
| 4 |  Wales
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 1 |
| Northern Ireland | 1–3 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Lockhart 72' (pen.) |
Report | Fleming 47', 69' Henderson 89' |
Attendance: 58,248
Referee: Arthur Edward Ellis (England)
| Wales | 1–4 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Allchurch 22' |
Report | Wilshaw 45', 49' Lofthouse 52', 53' |
Attendance: 61,000
Referee: Charles Faultless (Scotland)
| Scotland | 3–3 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Brown 19' Johnstone 42'Reilly 58' |
Report | Charles 49', 88' Allchurch 73' |
Attendance: 71,413
Referee: Thomas Mitchell (Northern Ireland)
| England | 3–1 | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Hassall 10', 60' Lofthouse 75' |
Report | McMorran 54' |
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Robert Smith (Wales)
| Wales | 1–2 | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Charles 80' |
Report | McParland 1', 52' |
Attendance: 32,817
Referee: Charles Faultless (Scotland)
| Scotland | 2–4 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Brown 7' Ormond 89' |
Report | Broadis 13' Nicholls 50'Allen 68'Mullen 83' |
Attendance: 134,544
Referee: Thomas Mitchell (Northern Ireland)
England and Scotland qualified.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 8 |
| 2 |  Republic of Ireland
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 4 |
| 3 |  Luxembourg
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 19 | −18 | 0 |
| Luxembourg | 1–6 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Kohn 6' |
Report | Piantoni 5' Kopa 10'Cicci 41'Glovacki 44'Kargu 73'Flamion 88' |
Referee: Dörflinger (Switzerland)
| Republic of Ireland | 3–5 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan 58' (pen.) Walsh 83'O'Farrell 88' |
Report | Glovacki 23' Penverne 40'Ujlaki 50', 69'Flamion 72' |
Referee: Franken (Belgium)
| Republic of Ireland | 4–0 | Luxembourg |
|---|---|---|
| Fitzsimons 14', 83' Ryan 48' (pen.)Eglington 59' |
Report |
| France | 1–0 | Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Piantoni 73' |
Report |
Referee: Van Nuffel (Belgium)
| France | 8–0 | Luxembourg |
|---|---|---|
| Desgranges 2', 88' Vincent 6', 10'Fontaine 21', 75', 80'Foix 57' |
Report |
Referee: Roeykens (Belgium)
| Luxembourg | 0–1 | Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Cummins 67' |
Referee: Ausum (Netherlands)
France qualified.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Austria
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 3 |
| 2 |  Portugal
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 1 |
| Austria | 9–1 | Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Ocwirk 13' Probst 14', 19', 31', 59', 70' Happel 68' (pen.)Wagner 83'Dienst 87' |
Report | Águas 60' |
Referee: Bauwens (Belgium)
| Portugal | 0–0 | Austria |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Referee: Harzic (France)
Austria qualified.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 2 |
 Turkey
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 2 |
| Spain | 4–1 | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Venancio 13' Gaínza 48'González 49'Alsua 65' |
Report | Recep 31' |
Referee: Vincentini (France)
| Turkey | 1–0 | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Burhan 16' |
Report |
Referee: Schmetzer (West Germany)
Spain and Turkey finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.
| Turkey | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Burhan 25' Suat 64' |
Report | Artetxe 11' Escudero 78' |
Referee: Bernardi (Italy)
Luigi Franco Gemma, a 14-year-old Italian boy whose father worked at the stadium, picked Turkey's name from the lots with his eyes blindfolded.[1][2] Since the 1970 FIFA World Cup finals, goal difference has been used as a tiebreaker for future qualifying rounds. Had those rules been in place, Spain would have qualified, and Turkey would have been eliminated. This is the first time Spain failed to qualify. Therefore, Turkey qualified. This was the only time winner of aggregate score failed to qualify.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hungary
|
Qualified | |||||||
| — |  Poland
|
Withdrew | |||||||
| — |  Iceland
|
Entry rejected | |||||||
Poland withdrew and Iceland had their entry rejected so Hungary qualified automatically.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Czechoslovakia
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 7 |
| 2 |  Romania
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 |  Bulgaria
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 2–0 | Romania |
|---|---|---|
| Pažický 54' Vlk 63' |
Report |
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Pósa (Hungary)
| Romania | 3–1 | Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Pecsovszky 20', 30' Ene 82' |
Report | Tashkov 53' |
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Schulz (East Germany)
| Bulgaria | 1–2 | Czechoslovakia |
|---|---|---|
| Bozhkov 55' (pen.) |
Report | Vlk 5', 40' |
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Aleksandrowicz (Poland)
| Bulgaria | 1–2 | Romania |
|---|---|---|
| Kolev 28' |
Report | Serfözö 27' Călinoiu 52' |
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Dorogi (Hungary)
| Romania | 0–1 | Czechoslovakia |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Šafránek 38' (pen.) |
Attendance: 90,000
Referee: Schulz (East Germany)
| Czechoslovakia | 0–0 | Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Chkhatarashvili (Soviet Union)
Czechoslovakia qualified. This was the first time Romania failed to qualify.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Italy
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 4 |
| 2 |  Egypt
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
| Egypt | 1–2 | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Ad-Diba 33' |
Frignani 62' Muccinelli 79' |
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: Steiner (Austria)
| Italy | 5–1 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Pandolfini 1' Frignani 62'Boniperti 65', 86'Ricagni 84' |
El-Hamouly 32' |
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Horn (Netherlands)
Italy qualified.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Yugoslavia
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 8 |
| 2 |  Greece
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Israel
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
| Yugoslavia | 1–0 | Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Matošić 71' |
Report |
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Steiner (Austria)
| Greece | 1–0 | Israel |
|---|---|---|
| Bembis 52' |
Report |
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: Massai (Italy)
| Yugoslavia | 1–0 | Israel |
|---|---|---|
| Milutinović 3' |
Report |
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Alsteen (Belgium)
| Israel | 0–2 | Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Kokkinakis 61' Kamaras 83' |
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Buchmüller (Switzerland)
| Israel | 0–1 | Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Zebec 80' |
Attendance: 50,000
| Greece | 0–1 | Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Veselinović 50' |
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Rufli (Switzerland)
Yugoslavia qualified.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brazil
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 8 |
| 2 |  Paraguay
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 4 |
| 3 |  Chile
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 |
| — |  Peru
|
Withdrew | |||||||
| — |  Bolivia
|
Entry rejected | |||||||
| Paraguay | 4–0 | Chile |
|---|---|---|
| Lugo 30' J. Parodi 52'Hermosilla 70'S. Parodi 79' |
Referee: Steiner (Austria)
| Chile | 1–3 | Paraguay |
|---|---|---|
| Robledo 16' |
Lugo 17', 63' J. Parodi 84' |
Referee: Vincentini (France)
| Chile | 0–2 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Baltazar 38', 63' |
Referee: Vincentini (France)
| Paraguay | 0–1 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Baltazar 52' |
Referee: Steiner (Austria)
| Brazil | 1–0 | Chile |
|---|---|---|
| Baltazar 35' |
Referee: Steiner (Austria)
| Brazil | 4–1 | Paraguay |
|---|---|---|
| Botelho 60', 85' Baltazar 62'Maurinho 90' |
Martínez 75' |
Referee: Vincentini (France)
Brazil qualified. Despite having participated in every World Cup, this was the first time they played qualifying matches.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mexico
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | +18 | 8 |
| 2 |  United States
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 4 |
| 3 |  Haiti
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 18 | −16 | 0 |
| 4 |  Costa Rica
|
Entry rejected | |||||||
| 5 |  Cuba
|
Entry rejected | |||||||
| Mexico | 8–0 | Haiti |
|---|---|---|
| Balcázar 23', 26', 76' Gómez 27'Tellez 34'Arnauda 38', 69', 85' |
Referee: Crawford (England)
| Haiti | 0–4 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Ávalos 6' Lamadrid 15', 59'Balcázar 65' |
Referee: Van Rosberg (Netherlands Antilles)
| Mexico | 4–0 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Balcázar 5' Scheppel 16' (o.g.)Lamadrid 47'Naranjo 63' |
Referee: Sunderland (England)
| Mexico | 3–1 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| A. Torres 60', 89' Lamadrid 82' |
Looby 6' |
Referee: Best (United States)
| Haiti | 2–3 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Ellie 60' (pen.), 89' |
Casey 20' Chacurian 42'Looby 83' |
Referee: Van Rosberg (Netherlands Antilles)
| Haiti | 0–3 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Looby 22', 65' Mendoza 31' |
Referee: Van Rosberg (Netherlands Antilles)
Mexico qualified.
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Korea
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 3 |
| 2 |  Japan
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 |
| 3 |  Republic of China
|
Withdrew | |||||||
| 4 |  India
|
Entry rejected | |||||||
| 5 |  Vietnam
|
Entry rejected | |||||||
| Japan | 1–5 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Naganuma 16' |
Chung Nam-sik 22', 83' Choi Kwang-suk 34'Choi Chung-min 68', 87' |
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Haran (Hong Kong)
| South Korea | 2–2 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Chung Nam-sik 20' Choi Chung-min 43' |
Iwatani 17', 61' |
Attendance: 13,000
Referee: Haran (Hong Kong)
South Korea qualified.
| Team | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Streak | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria
|
29 November 1953 | 3rd | 1 | 1938 |
| Belgium
|
8 October 1953 | 4th | 1 | 1938 |
| Brazil
|
21 March 1954 | 5th | 5 | 1950 |
| Czechoslovakia
|
25 October 1953 | 3rd | 1 | 1938 |
| England
|
11 November 1953 | 2nd | 2 | 1950 |
| France
|
25 November 1953 | 4th | 1 | 1938 |
| Hungary (w)
|
3rd | 1 | 1938 | |
| Italy
|
24 January 1954 | 4th | 4 | 1950 |
| South Korea
|
14 March 1954 | 1st | 1 | — |
| Mexico
|
14 January 1954 | 3rd | 2 | 1950 |
| Scotland
|
31 March 1954 | 1st | 1 | — |
 Switzerland (h)
|
22 July 1946 | 4th | 4 | 1950 |
| Turkey
|
17 March 1954 | 1st | 1 | — |
 Uruguay (c)
|
16 July 1950 | 3rd | 2 | 1950 |
| West Germany
|
28 March 1954 | 3rd | 1 | 1938 |
| Yugoslavia
|
28 March 1954 | 3rd | 2 | 1950 |
(h) – qualified automatically as hosts
(c) – qualified automatically as defending champions
(w) – qualified automatically because Poland withdrew
Baltazar Tomás Balcázar José Luis Lamadrid Nils-Åke Sandell Bill Looby Nat Lofthouse Kalevi Lehtovirta Just Fontaine Pedro Arnauda Manuel Lugo Choi Chung-Min Chung Nam-Sik John Charles Mathieu Bollen Júlio Botelho Harold Hassall Dennis Wilshaw Olavi Lahtinen Jean Desgranges Pierre Flamion Léon Glovacki Roger Piantoni Joseph Ujlaki Jean Vincent Gerard Ellie Arthur Fitzsimons Reg Ryan Giampiero Boniperti Amleto Frignani Toshio Iwatani Alfredo Torres Peter McParland José Parodi József Pecsovszky Allan Brown Charlie Fleming Burhan Sargın Ivor Allchurch Fritz Walter Ernst Happel Ernst Ocwirk Theodor Wagner Victor Lemberechts Victor Mees Jean-Louis Straetmans Maurinho Stefan Bozhkov Ivan Kolev Dobromir Tashkov Ted Robledo Emil Pažický František Šafránek Ad-Diba Alaa El-Hamouly Ronnie Allen Ivor Broadis Jimmy Mullen Johnny Nicholls Nils Rikberg Jorma Vaihela Raymond Cicci Jacques Foix Édouard Kargu Raymond Kopa Armand Penverne Thanasis Bembis Georgios Kamaras Dimitris Kokkinakis George Cummins Tommy Eglington Frank O'Farrell Davy Walsh Ermes Muccinelli Egisto Pandolfini Eduardo Ricagni Ken Naganuma Antoine Kohn Rafael Ávalos Gregorio Gómez José Naranjo Nicolás Tellez Norman Lockhart Eddie McMorran Knut Dahlen Harald Hennum Hans Nordahl Gunnar Thoresen Ireneo Hermosilla Eulogio Martínez Silvio Parodi José Águas Valeriu Călinoiu Alexandru Ene Gavril Serfözö Herbert Binkert Herbert Martin Werner Otto Gerhard Siedl Jackie Henderson Bobby Johnstone Willie Ormond Lawrence Reilly Choi Kwang-Suk Rafael Alsua José Artetxe Adrián Escudero Agustín Gaínza Miguel González Venancio García Bengt Berndtsson Hans Persson Gösta Sandberg Herbert Sandin Arne Selmosson Recep Adanır Suat Mamat Cornelius Casey Efrain Chacurian Ruben Mendoza Helmut Rahn Horst Schade Hans Schäfer Ottmar Walter Frane Matošić Miloš Milutinović Todor Veselinović Branko Zebec William Scheppel (playing against Mexico)