1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
Team Finals Appearance Streak Last Appearance
Argentina ( h ) 7th 2 1974
Austria 4th 1 1958
Brazil 11th 11 1974
France 7th 1 1966
Hungary 7th 1 1966
Iran 1st 1 -
Italy 9th 5 1974
Mexico 8th 1 1970
Netherlands 4th 2 1974
Peru 3rd 1 1970
Poland 3rd 2 1974
Scotland 4th 2 1974
Spain 5th 1 1966
Sweden 7th 3 1974
Tunisia 1st 1 -
West Germany ( c ) 9th 7 1974
Qualified teams
Final qualification status Country qualified for World Cup Country failed to qualify Country did not enter World Cup Country not a FIFA member The following 16 teams qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup :
A total of 107 teams entered the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, which began with the preliminary qualification draw on 20 November 1975 at Guatemala City, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Argentina, as the hosts, and West Germany, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition. The 16 spots available in the 1978 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:
A total of 95 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 252 qualifying matches were played, and 723 goals were scored (an average of 2.87 per match).