The qualifying round for the 1984 European Football Championship consisted of 32 teams divided into seven groups; three of four teams and four of five teams. The qualifying round was played at various times between May 1982 and December 1983, with some groups concluding earlier than others.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1 May 1982 – 22 December 1983 |
| Teams | 32 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 116 |
| Goals scored | 341 (2.94 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (7 goals) |
← 1980 1988 → | |
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament[A] |
|---|---|---|---|
 France |
Host | 10 December 1981 | 1 (1960) |
 Belgium |
Group 1 winner | 12 October 1983 | 2 (1972, 1980) |
 Portugal |
Group 2 winner | 1 November 1983 | 0 (debut) |
 Denmark |
Group 3 winner | 16 November 1983 | 1 (1964) |
| West Germany |
Group 6 winner | 20 November 1983 | 3 (1972, 1976, 1980) |
 Romania |
Group 5 winner | 30 November 1983 | 0 (debut) |
 Yugoslavia |
Group 4 winner | 21 December 1983 | 3 (1960, 1968, 1976) |
 Spain |
Group 7 winner | 21 December 1983 | 2 (1964, 1980) |
The draw took place on 8 January 1982 in Paris, France. 32 teams were drawn from the five pots into the seven groups. France qualified automatically as hosts.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
There were a number of extremely close finishes in some of the qualifying groups. In Group 2, Portugal edged out the Soviet Union by beating them narrowly 1–0 on a penalty by Rui Jordão in Lisbon on the final day. Meanwhile, in Group 5, again on the final day, Romania managed to hold on for a tense 1–1 draw in Bratislava and qualify at the expense of Czechoslovakia. A major surprise in this group was the poor performance of then-World Cup holders Italy, who were rebuilding after the retirement of many of their 1982 heroes and quickly dropped out of contention.
Another surprise was the qualification of DenmarkinGroup 3 at the expense of England. Having conceded a 2–2 draw at home against the Three Lions, the hitherto unknown Danes performed well in their other qualifiers and capped their impressive campaign with a 1–0 win at Wembley, while England dropped a point at home against Greece that ultimately cost them the qualifying berth.
There was also heartbreak for Northern IrelandinGroup 6. After managing to beat hot favourites West Germany both home and away earlier in the campaign, they came within 11 minutes of making it to France, but could only look on as Gerd Strack scored a crucial late winning goal for the West Germans in their own final fixture at home to Albania.
InGroup 7, The Netherlands thought they had done enough to qualify, given that their closest rivals Spain went into the final match needing to beat Malta by eleven goals in order to qualify. And when Spain went in at half-time in Seville leading the Maltese minnows by a margin of only 3–1, the Dutch could have been forgiven for assuming they were home and dry. Spain, incredibly, then proceeded to score nine more goals in the second half, the last of them coming in the 83rd minute from Juan Señor, to book an unlikely passage to the finals. UEFA has since changed its rules: all teams now play their final game at exactly the same time and date, so that none of the teams has an advantage. Also, overall goal difference is now de-emphasised in the tie-breakers in favour of head-to-head results.
Things were tightest of all in Group 4, where Wales, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia were all in contention until the final few seconds of the last match in the group, between the latter two teams in Split. A draw would have put the onlooking Welsh through to the finals, but just moments after Bulgaria had squandered a glorious chance to score the winning goal and seal their own qualification, Yugoslavian defender Ljubomir Radanović wrote himself into Balkan footballing history with the 90th-minute header that sent him and his teammates to France.
If two or more teams finished level on points after completion of the group matches, the following tie-breakers were used to determine the final ranking:
Four groups of five teams and three groups of four teams competed for qualification for UEFA Euro 1984. The teams played home and away matches against the other teams nations in their group. The seven teams that acquired the most points to win their respective group qualified for the main tournament, joining the host nation France.
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 9 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | |
| 2 | Switzerland
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 6 | 3–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | East Germany
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1–2 | 3–0 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Scotland
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 4 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 10 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Soviet Union
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 9 | 5–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Poland
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 4 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Finland
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark
|
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 5 | +12 | 13 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 6–0 | |
| 2 | England
|
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 3 | +20 | 12 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | 9–0 | ||
| 3 | Greece
|
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 8 | 0–2 | 0–3 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | Hungary
|
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 7 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | — | 6–2 | ||
| 5 | Luxembourg
|
8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 36 | −31 | 0 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–6 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yugoslavia
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 8 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 4–4 | 3–2 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Wales
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Bulgaria
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 5 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | ||
| 4 | Norway
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 4 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania
|
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 12 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Sweden
|
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 11 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 3 | Czechoslovakia
|
8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 10 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 4 | Italy
|
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 5 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | ||
| 5 | Cyprus
|
8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 21 | −17 | 2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Germany
|
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 11 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 0–1 | 3–0 | 5–1 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Northern Ireland
|
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 11 | 1–0 | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Austria
|
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 9 | 0–0 | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 4 | Turkey
|
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 7 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 5 | Albania
|
8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 14 | −10 | 2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain
|
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 8 | +16 | 13 | Qualify for final tournament | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 12–1 | |
| 2 | Netherlands
|
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 6 | +16 | 13 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 3 | Republic of Ireland
|
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 9 | 3–3 | 2–3 | — | 2–0 | 8–0 | ||
| 4 | Iceland
|
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 5 | Malta
|
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 37 | −32 | 2 | 2–3 | 0–6 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — |
There were 341 goals scored in 116 matches, for an average of 2.94 goals per match.
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals
Nikos Anastopoulos Tibor Nyilasi Ruud Gullit Frank Stapleton Hipólito Rincón Rudi Völler4 goals
Preben Elkjær Allan Simonsen Joachim Streich Dick Schoenaker Antonio Maceda Dan Corneliusson3 goals
Ladislav Vízek Michael Laudrup Luther Blissett Trevor Francis Tony Woodcock József Póczik Peter Houtman László Bölöni Juan Antonio Señor Safet Sušić2 goals
Felix Gasselich Max Hagmayr Ludo Coeck Václav Daněk Petr Janečka Petr Rada Jesper Olsen Glenn Hoddle Sammy Lee Paul Mariner Bryan Robson Gyula Hajszán Atli Eðvaldsson Alessandro Altobelli Jeannot Reiter Carmel Busuttil Frank Rijkaard Cees van Kooten Martin O'Neill Ian Stewart Norman Whiteside Åge Hareide Arne Larsen Økland Hallvar Thoresen Włodzimierz Smolarek Rui Jordão Carlos Manuel Nené António Oliveira Liam Brady Gerry Daly Mark Lawrenson Kevin Sheedy Gary Waddock Rodion Cămătaru Kenny Dalglish Charlie Nicholas John Wark Oleg Blokhin Fyodor Cherenkov Anatoliy Demyanenko Ulf Eriksson Robert Prytz Glenn Strömberg André Egli Hasan Şengün Selçuk Yula Robbie James Ian Rush1 goal
Ernst Baumeister Karl Brauneder Bruno Pezzey Toni Polster Herbert Prohaska Jan Ceulemans Franky Vercauteren Georgi Dimitrov Rusi Gochev Bozhidar Iskrenov Stoycho Mladenov Plamen Nikolov Nasko Sirakov Boycho Velichkov Takis Mavris Fanis Theofanous Marios Tsingis Fivos Vrahimis Přemysl Bičovský Pavel Chaloupka Ladislav Jurkemik Milan Luhový Zdeněk Prokeš Jiří Sloup Klaus Berggreen Søren Busk Allan Hansen Søren Lerby Rainer Ernst Ronald Kreer Hans Richter Terry Butcher Mark Chamberlain Steve Coppell Phil Neal Peter Withe Keijo Kousa Ari Valvee Georgios Kostikos Lakis Papaioannou Dimitris Saravakos Béla Bodonyi Győző Burcsa Péter Hannich József Kardos László Kiss Sándor Kiss Gábor Pölöskei Lázár Szentes Marteinn Geirsson Antonio Cabrini Francesco Graziani Paolo Rossi Marcel Di Domenico Théo Malget Romain Schreiner Silvio Demanuele Emanuel Fabri Ernest Spiteri-Gonzi Bud Brocken Hugo Hovenkamp Ronald Koeman Edo Ophof Marco van Basten Ben Wijnstekers Billy Hamilton John McClelland Tom Lund Zbigniew Boniek Dariusz Dziekanowski Paweł Król Janusz Kupcewicz Fernando Gomes José Luís Tony Grealish Ashley Grimes Kevin O'Callaghan Michael Robinson Mickey Walsh Ioan Andone Ion Geolgău Michael Klein Florea Văetuș Eamonn Bannon Paul Sturrock Sergey Andreyev Sergei Baltacha Nikolay Larionov Sergey Rodionov Lobo Carrasco Rafael Gordillo Víctor Muñoz Juan Carlos Pedraza Manuel Sarabia Glenn Hysén Mats Jingblad Andreas Ravelli Thomas Sunesson Jean-Paul Brigger Alain Geiger Heinz Hermann Marco Schällibaum Claudio Sulser Arif Kocabıyık Metin Tekin Fatih Terim İlyas Tüfekçi Jeremy Charles Brian Flynn Joey Jones Wolfgang Dremmler Uli Stielike Gerhard Strack Mehmed Baždarević Zvjezdan Cvetković Miodrag Ješić Zlatko Kranjčar Ljubomir Radanović Dušan Savić Nenad Stojković Zlatko Vujović Zvonko Živković1 own goal
Agustin Kola (against Austria) Ján Kapko (against Italy) Jukka Ikäläinen (against Portugal) Marcel Bossi (against England) Paweł Janas (against Finland) Roman Wójcicki (against Soviet Union) Mick Martin (against Spain) Heinz Ludi (against Belgium) Raşit Çetiner (against Albania)
