Fourteen teams qualified from this process to join host nation Mexico and defending champions England in the 16-team final tournament.

[13][14] Mexico as the host nation and England as reigning World Cup champions were granted automatic qualification, with the remaining 14 finals places divided among the continental confederations.

The draw for the qualifying stages was conducted on 1 February 1968 in Casablanca, Morocco,[14] with matches beginning in May 1968 and the final fixtures being concluded in December 1969.

[18][19] El Salvador qualified for the finals after beating Honduras in a play-off match, which was the catalyst for a four-day conflict in July 1969 known as the Football War.

Aside from the Estadio Luis Dosal, all the stadia had only been constructed during the 1960s, as Mexico prepared to host both the World Cup and the 1968 Summer Olympics.

As a result, in contrast to the previous tournament staged in England, most teams arrived in the region well in advance of their opening fixtures to prepare for this factor.

[41] Both this opening match of Group 1 and many others during the competition kicked off at noon for the benefit of European television schedules, meaning play under the midday sun.

[10] The match produced a goalless draw, prompting some media to predict the entire tournament would be played at the slow tempo that featured in this game given the conditions involved.

[42][43] Following the half-time interval Anatoliy Puzach became the first substitute to be used in FIFA World Cup history as the Soviets made use of the new competition rule.

[21] Both teams won their remaining two games to progress from the group at the expense of Belgium and World Cup debutants El Salvador.

[47] Owing to the lack of a seeding system, Group 3 allowed the reigning World Cup holders England to be paired together with the two-time former champion Brazil, considered by many the pre-tournament favourites for the trophy.

[33] England's preparations were hampered by the arrest of their captain Bobby Moore in Colombia for allegedly stealing a bracelet from a jeweller's shop;[48] the charges were later dropped.

[63] Play in Group 4 began with Bulgaria taking a two-goal lead against Peru, but a second half comeback gave the South Americans a 3–2 victory.

[64] Morocco, the first African World Cup representatives since 1934,[15] also began strongly by taking the lead against the 1966 runners-up West Germany, but the Germans came back to win 2–1.

[66] Mexico and the Soviet Union had finished tied at the top of Group 1 on both points and goal difference, meaning that the drawing of lots was required to rank them.

On 12 June, the draw allocated the Soviet Union the group winners' berth, meaning that they would face Uruguay at the Estadio Azteca, while the host nation were paired against Italy in the smaller Toluca venue.

The reigning champions took a two-goal lead, but Franz Beckenbauer halved the deficit when his low shot beat England's second-choice goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, who was playing after Gordon Banks suffered food poisoning the day before.

In the all-South American tie, controversially switched from the capital to the lower altitude of Guadalajara,[76] Brazil came from behind to defeat Uruguay 3–1 and earn the right to contest their fourth World Cup Final.

[77] The all-European meeting between Italy and West Germany produced a match regarded by many as one of the greatest World Cup games of all time.

Having led from the eighth minute through Roberto Boninsegna's strike, Italy were pegged back in injury time when sweeper Karl-Heinz Schnellinger scored his only international goal.

[81] In the final, Brazil opened the scoring when Pelé headed in a cross from Rivellino in the 18th minute, but Roberto Boninsegna equalised for Italy after a series of blunders in the Brazilian defence.

Further goals from Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto rewarded Brazil's attacking play and secured a 4–1 victory and a record third World Cup triumph, which earned them the right to permanently keep the Jules Rimet Trophy.

[87] The officiating of the opening match, commentated by some media as overly strict,[88][89][90] set a standard of discipline that instead helped protect skillful players in accordance with FIFA's stated wish.

[55][91][92] The eventual champions Brazil, led by Carlos Alberto, and featuring Pelé, Clodoaldo, Gérson, Jairzinho, Rivellino, and Tostão, is often cited as the greatest-ever World Cup team.

The Telstar was the first World Cup ball to use the now-familiar truncated icosahedron for its design, consisting of 12 black pentagonal and 20 white hexagonal panels.

[98][100] The name came from the Telstar communications satellite, which was roughly spherical and dotted with solar panels, somewhat similar in appearance to the football.

Tie-breaking criteria The eight teams that had advanced from the group stage entered a single-elimination style tournament, which also featured a third place play-off contested between the two losing semi-finalists.