One step from changing history
Few could forget the great Dutch side of Germany 1974, but did you know that they very nearly failed to qualify for the tournament at all? The Netherlands finished level with Belgium at the top of their qualifying group, with only goal difference putting them through to the finals. In the same campaign, England’s hopes of qualifying were shattered by a Poland side that featured the talents of Grzegorz Lato and Wadyslaw Zmuda. Elsewhere, Mexico lost 4-0 to Trinidad and Tobago in one of the biggest upsets in FIFA World Cup qualifying history. In the end, though, it was Haiti who qualified for the 1974 finals, beating the Soca Warriors 2-1 in Port-au-Prince along the way.
The preliminary draw for Argentina 1978 produced another heavyweight clash, this time with Italy and England sharing the same qualifying group. The campaign was once again to end in tears for the Three Lions, whose failure to qualify was made all the more painful by the fact that only goal difference denied them a place at the finals. There was no such disappointment for Spain, however, as they finally overcame their bogey team, Yugoslavia, to secure a trip to Argentina.
With the number of teams increased to 24 for the Spain 1982 finals, the preliminaries were more competitive than ever before. Two-time runners-up the Netherlands were handed a group that included near rivals Belgium and a talented French side, and the sands of time caught up with the Dutch, as they failed to qualify for the main event. In the North, Central America and Caribbean Zone, Mexico were once again left to reflect on what might have been. The competition was held in Honduras, where a Mexican side featuring Hugo Sanchez finished behind the hosts and El Salvador to miss out on a finals berth.
The Mexico 1986 qualifying competition featured a match between Scotland and Wales that remains one of the most memorable encounters in FIFA World Cup qualifying history. The match ended in a draw, which was enough to secure Scotland a play-off against Australia, but ended in tragedy with the death of legendary manager Jock Stein.
The road to Italy 1990 proved to be a rocky one for France. The Mexico 1986 semi-finalists never recovered from a poor start and finished the qualifying campaign behind Yugoslavia and Scotland. Four years later, in another unforgettable encounter, France conceded a last-minute goal to lose 2-1 at home to Bulgaria when a draw would have been enough to see them through to USA 1994.
AI
