1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

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.

Format
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.

Draw
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.

Group 1
Uruguay qualified with the second-best record among the group winners.

Group 2
Colombia advanced to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off with the worst record among the group winners.

Group 3
Brazil qualified with the best record among the group winners.

1The 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.

Inter-confederation play-offs
The winner of this play-off qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Qualified teams
The following four teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.


 * 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Goalscorers

 * 5 goals


 * 🇧🇷 Careca
 * Rubén Sosa


 * 4 goals


 * 🇨🇴 Arnoldo Iguarán


 * 3 goals


 * Juan Carlos Letelier


 * 2 goals


 * 🇧🇷 Bebeto
 * Jorge Aravena
 * 🇪🇨 Raúl Aviles
 * Javier Ferreira


 * 1 goal


 * 🇧🇴 José Milton Melgar
 * 🇧🇴 Tito Montaño
 * 🇧🇴 Álvaro Peña
 * 🇧🇴 William Ramallo
 * 🇧🇴 Erwin Sánchez
 * 🇧🇷 Branco
 * 🇧🇷 Romário
 * 🇧🇷 Paulo Silas
 * Ivo Basay
 * Jaime Vera
 * Patricio Yáñez
 * Iván Zamorano
 * 🇨🇴 Rubén Darío Hernández
 * 🇨🇴 Albeiro Usuriaga
 * 🇪🇨 Álex Aguinaga
 * 🇪🇨 Pietro Marsetti
 * Roberto Cabañas
 * José Luis Chilavert
 * Alfredo Mendoza
 * Gustavo Neffa
 * 🇵🇪 Andrés Aurelio González
 * 🇵🇪 José del Solar
 * Antonio Alzamendi
 * Enzo Francescoli
 * 🇻🇪 Ildemaro Fernández


 * 1 own goal


 * Hugo González (playing against Brazil)
 * Alfonso Domínguez (playing against Bolivia)
 * 🇻🇪 Pedro Acosta (playing against Brazil)