UEFA, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL qualification was determined within the confederations, whilst AFC and CAF teams (alongside Australia) competed for one place at the tournament.

Qualification ended on 29 December 1965, when Bulgaria eliminated Belgium in a group tiebreaker to become the final qualifier for the World Cup.

[1] [1] The 16 spots available in the 1966 World Cup were distributed among the continental zones as follows: UEFA, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF had a guaranteed number of places, whereas the CAF and AFC had to contest a play-off to determine which confederation would be represented.

South Africa, who had been expelled from CAF in 1958 due to the country's apartheid policies,[3][1] were placed with the Asian and Oceanian teams.

However, after FIFA declined to change the qualifying format or the allocation of places, citing competitive and logistical issues, all fifteen African teams immediately withdrew in protest: subsequently, CAF informed FIFA that they would refuse to participate in qualifying for 1970 unless at least one African team had an automatic place in the World Cup.

[6] In Group B, Chile and Ecuador finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

[7] In Group 1, Belgium and Bulgaria finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.

In Group 9, the Republic of Ireland and Spain finished level on points, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would qualify.