Qualification for championships ( CONMEBOL) |
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The South American ( CONMEBOL) zone of qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup saw 9 teams competing for 2 direct places at the finals, with one extra place potentially on offer to the winner of a play-off. CONMEBOL member Argentina qualified automatically as reigning World Cup champions.
Teams were divided into 3 groups of 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The 2 group winners with the best record would qualify. The group winner with the worst record would advance to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.
The draw for the qualifying groups took place in Zürich, Switzerland on 12 December 1987. During the draw teams were drawn from 3 seeded pots into the 3 qualifying groups.
Pot A | Pot B | Pot C |
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Uruguay qualified with the second-best record among the group winners.
Uruguay | 2–0 | Bolivia |
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Sosa 31' Francescoli 39' |
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Colombia advanced to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off with the worst record among the group winners.
Ecuador | 0–0 | Colombia |
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Ecuador | 3–1 | Paraguay |
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Aguinaga 26' Marsetti 72' Avilés 82' |
Neffa 18' |
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Brazil qualified with the best record among the group winners.
1 The match was abandoned in the 67th minute with Brazil leading 1–0 after Chile walked off the field when a firecracker thrown from the crowd supposedly hit goalkeeper Roberto Rojas in the head, leaving him bloodied and having to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher; a subsequent FIFA investigation found that Rojas's injury was self-inflicted, using a razor blade concealed in his glove. On 13 September, the match was awarded 2–0 to Brazil, and Chile were banned from qualifying for the next World Cup. Rojas was given a lifetime ban from competitive football (lifted in 2001), as was Chile manager Orlando Aravena, vice-captain Fernando Astengo and team doctor Daniel Rodriguez.
The winner of this play-off qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
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Colombia | 1–0 | Israel | 1–0 | 0–0 |
The following four teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup 1 |
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Argentina | Defending champions | 29 June 1986 | 9 ( 1930, 1934, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986) |
Uruguay | Group 1 winners | 24 September 1989 | 8 ( 1930, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986) |
Brazil | Group 3 winners | 13 September 1989 | 13 ( 1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986) |
Colombia | CONMEBOL-OFC playoff winners | 30 October 1989 | 1 ( 1962) |