1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 56 (from 6 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 92 |
| Goals scored | 325 (3.53 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
 Juan Ulloa Andrej Kvašňák(7 goals each) |
A total of 56 teams entered the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Chile, as the hosts, and Brazil, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.
As with previous World Cups, the rules of the qualification rounds were quite confusing. Moreover, the winners of the four weakest continental zones: North America (NAFC), Central America and Caribbean (CCCF), Africa (CAF) and Asia (AFC), were not guaranteed direct spots in the final tournament. Instead, each of them had to enter a play-off against a team from either Europe (UEFA) or South America (CONMEBOL), with the winners of the three play-offs qualifying.
The 16 spots available in the 1962 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:
A total of 49 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 92 qualifying matches were played, and 325 goals were scored (an average of 3.53 per match).
Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.
The 30 teams were divided into 10 groups. The groups had different rules, as follows:
Sweden and Switzerland finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.
Switzerland qualified for FIFA World Cup 1962 in Chile
Bulgaria and France finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.
Bulgaria qualified for FIFA World Cup 1962 in Chile
West Germany qualified.
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