1958 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

Listed below are the dates and results for the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone (UEFA). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The 27 teams were divided into 9 groups, each featuring 3 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners qualified. The Soviet Union and Iceland took part for the first time.

UEFA Group 1

Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  England 743101553.00
2  Republic of Ireland 54211670.86
3  Denmark 040044130.31





England qualified.

UEFA Group 2


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  France 743101944.75
2  Belgium 5421116111.45
3  Iceland 040046260.23





France qualified.

UEFA Group 3


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  Hungary 643011243.00
2  Bulgaria 442021171.57
3  Norway 241033150.20





Hungary qualified.

UEFA Group 4


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  Czechoslovakia 64301933.00
2  Wales 44202651.20
3  East Germany 241035120.42





Czechoslovakia qualified. Wales received another chance to qualify after being drawn to play against Israel in a special play-off; see CAF / AFC Final Round and Play-off.

UEFA Group 5


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  Austria 743101434.67
2  Netherlands 542111271.71
3  Luxembourg 040043190.16





Austria qualified.

UEFA Group 6


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1=  Soviet Union 643011635.33
1=  Poland 64301951.80
3  Finland 040042190.11





Poland and USSR finished level on points, a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

USSR qualified.

UEFA Group 7


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  Yugoslavia 64220723.50
2  Romania 54211641.50
3  Greece 14013290.22





Yugoslavia qualified.

UEFA Group 8


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  Northern Ireland 54211632.00
2  Italy 44202551.00
3  Portugal 34112470.57





The 15 January 1958 fixture of Italy at Northern Ireland was originally scheduled for 4 December 1957 but heavy fog in London prevented the referee (Istvan Zolt, manager of the Budapest Opera House) from arriving for the match in time. The fixture was postponed but the match continued as a friendly... and ended in a 2-2 draw and a riot as the crowd (infuriated by the postponement and quite rough play from some Italian players) invaded the pitch. The 'friendly' match was dubbed the 'Battle of Belfast'.[1] Danny Blanchflower, Northern Ireland captain at the time, helped save the situation by ordering his players to escort their Italian counterparts off the field while the police dealt with the crowd.[2]

Northern Ireland qualified.

This was the only time that Italy failed to qualify.

UEFA Group 9


Rank Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GAv
1  Scotland 643011091.11
2  Spain 542111281.50
3   Switzerland 140136110.55





Scotland qualified.

See also

References

  1. "Down Memory Lane: Battle of Belfast was far from a golden moment - International, Football". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  2. "FIFA Fact Sheet: History of the FIFA World Cup (TM) Preliminary Competition" (PDF). FIFA. 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-09.

External links

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