A total of 37 teams entered the 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Switzerland, as the hosts, and Uruguay, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition. 37 teams were divided into 13 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows: A total of 33 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 57 qualifying matches were played, and 208 goals were scored (an average of 3.65 per match). Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.

Groups

The 13 groups had different rules, as follows:

Group 1

West Germany qualified.

Group 2

Belgium qualified. This was the first time Sweden failed to qualify.

Group 3

This group was also the 1953–54 British Home Championship. England and Scotland qualified.

Group 4

France qualified.

Group 5

Austria qualified.

Group 6

Spain and Turkey finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify. Luigi Franco Gemma, a 14-year-old Italian boy whose father worked at the stadium, picked Turkey's name from the lots with his eyes blindfolded. Therefore, Turkey qualified. This is the first time Spain failed to qualify. Since the 1970 FIFA World Cup finals, goal difference has been used as a tiebreaker for future qualifying rounds. Had those rules been in place, Spain would have qualified, and Turkey would have been eliminated. This was the only time winner of aggregate score failed to qualify.

Group 7

Poland withdrew and Iceland had their entry rejected so Hungary qualified automatically.

Group 8

Czechoslovakia qualified. This was the first time Romania failed to qualify.

Group 9

Italy qualified.

Group 10

Yugoslavia qualified.

Group 11

Brazil qualified. Despite having participated in every World Cup, this was the first time they played qualifying matches.

Group 12

**Mexico ** qualified.

Group 13

South Korea qualified.

Qualified teams

(h) – qualified automatically as hosts (c) – qualified automatically as defending champions (w) – qualified automatically because Poland withdrew

Goalscorers