121 teams entered the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for 24 places in the final tournament. Mexico, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition. The draw took place on 7 December 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland. The 24 spots available in the 1986 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows: A total of 110 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 308 qualifying matches were played, and 801 goals were scored (an average of 2.60 per match).

Confederation qualification

AFC

CAF

CONCACAF

CONMEBOL

OFC

UEFA

Inter-confederation play-offs: UEFA v OFC

The two teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Qualified teams

The following 24 teams qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup: (h) – qualified automatically as hosts (c) – qualified automatically as defending champions

[Final qualification status {{legend|#000cff|Country qualified for World Cup}} {{legend|#ffb400|Country failed to qualify}} {{legend|#000000|Country did not enter World Cup}} {{legend|#ababab|Country not a FIFA member|undefined | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/1986///world///cup///qualification.png]

Top goalscorers