1938 FIFA World Cup qualification

A total of 37 teams entered the 1938 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. For the first time the title holders and the host country were given automatic qualification. Therefore, France, as the hosts, and Italy, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition.

Due to the Spanish Civil War, Spain withdrew from the competition. The remaining 34 teams were divided into 12 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows:

However, due to the withdrawal of Austria after qualifying (they had been annexed by Germany), only 15 teams actually competed in the final tournament. FIFA did not offer participation to the runner-up of the group that Austria had played in, Latvia.
 * Groups 1 to 9 – Europe: 11 places, contested by 23 teams (including Egypt and Palestine).
 * Groups 10 and 11 – The Americas: 2 places, contested by 9 teams.
 * Group 12 – Asia: 1 place, contested by 2 teams.

A total of 21 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 22 qualifying matches were played, and 96 goals were scored (an average of 4.36 per match).

Format
The 12 groups had different rules, as follows:
 * Group 1 had 4 teams. The teams played against each other once. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
 * Groups 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 had 2 teams each. The teams, except in Group 5, played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. In Group 5, Switzerland and Portugal were to play only one match on a neutral ground with the winner to qualify.
 * Groups 6 and 8 had 3 teams each. The strongest team of each group was seeded. There would be two rounds of play:
 * First Round: The seeded team received a bye and advanced to the Final Round directly. The remaining 2 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the Final Round.
 * Final Round: The seeded team played against the winner of the First Round at home. The winner would qualify.
 * Group 9 had 3 teams. The teams played against each other once. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.
 * Group 10 had 2 teams. The group winner would qualify.
 * Group 11 had 7 teams. The group winner would qualify.
 * Group 12 had 2 teams. The group winner would qualify.

Key:
 * Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finals.
 * Teams highlighted in Orange qualified for the final phase of their group.

Group 1
Germany and Sweden qualified.

Group 2
Norway qualified.

Group 3
Poland finished above Yugoslavia on goal average, and thus qualified.

Group 4
Egypt were to play Romania on 17 December 1937. However, Egypt withdrew from the competition after Egyptian officials objected to playing on this date since it was in the holy month of Ramadan. Therefore, Romania qualified after Egypt invited Austrian club side First Vienna to play the friendly match against the national team.

Group 5
Switzerland qualified.

First round
Greece qualified for the final round.

Final round
Hungary qualified.

Group 7
Czechoslovakia qualified.

First round
Latvia qualified for the final round.

Final round
Austria qualified, but was later incorporated by Germany during the Anschluss. FIFA offered the place to England (winner of the 1937–38 British Home Championship), who had opted not to enter the competition, but they declined the offer; FIFA decided not to allow anyone else to qualify, leaving the World Cup one team short.

Group 9
Netherlands and Belgium qualified.

Group 10
Argentina withdrew, so Brazil qualified automatically.

First round
Costa Rica, Dutch Guiana, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia and the United States all withdrew, so Cuba qualified automatically for the second round.

Second round
All other teams than Cuba had withdrawn from competition, so thus qualified automatically for the finals.

Group 12
Japan withdrew, so the Dutch East Indies qualified automatically.

Qualified teams



 * 🇦🇹 austria withdrew after qualifying due to the Anschluss.
 * (h) – qualified automatically as hosts
 * (c) – qualified automatically as defending champions

Goalscorers

 * 5 goals


 * 🇭🇺 Gyula Zsengellér
 * 🇱🇻 Fricis Kaņeps


 * 4 goals


 * 🇳🇴 Reidar Kvammen


 * 3 goals


 * Ladislav Šimůnek
 * 🇩🇪 Ernst Lehner
 * Kleanthis Vikelidis
 * 🇭🇺 József Nemes
 * 🇱🇻 Iļja Vestermans
 * Piet de Boer
 * 🇸🇪 Lennart Bunke
 * 🇸🇪 Gustav Wetterström


 * 2 goals


 * Oldřich Nejedlý
 * 🇪🇪 Georg Siimenson
 * 🇩🇪 Josef Gauchel
 * 🇩🇪 Helmut Schön
 * 🇩🇪 Otto Siffling
 * 🇭🇺 Pál Titkos
 * Jimmy Dunne
 * 🇱🇻 Vaclavs Borduško
 * Jonas Paulionis
 * 🇳🇴 Alf Martinsen
 * 🇵🇱 Leonard Piontek
 * 🇸🇪 Gustaf Josefsson


 * 1 goal


 * 🇦🇹 Franz Binder
 * 🇦🇹 Camillo Jerusalem
 * 🇧🇪 Raymond Braine
 * 🇧🇪 Hendrik Isemborghs
 * 🇧🇪 Bernard Voorhoof
 * 🇧🇪 François Devries
 * 🇧🇬 Georgi Pachedzhiev
 * Josef Ludl
 * Jan Říha
 * 🇪🇪 Richard Kuremaa
 * 🇪🇪 Heinrich Uukkivi
 * 🇩🇪 Fritz Szepan
 * 🇩🇪 Adolf Urban
 * Lefteris Makris
 * Antonis Migiakis
 * 🇭🇺 Jenő Vincze
 * Harry Duggan
 * Matty Geoghegan
 * Kevin O'Flanagan
 * Juozas Gudelis
 * 🇱🇺 Gusty Kemp
 * 🇱🇺 Camille Libar
 * Peri Neufeld
 * Kick Smit
 * Henk van Spaandonck
 * 🇵🇱 Ernst Wilimowski
 * 🇵🇱 Jerzy Wostal
 * Fernando Peyroteo
 * 🇸🇪 Sven Jonasson
 * 🇸🇪 Erik Persson
 * 🇸🇪 Kurt Svanström
 * Georges Aeby
 * Lauro Amadò
 * Blagoje Marjanović