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How much can you recall the biggest unexpected incidents from FIFA World Cup qualifying matches? Attempt this quiz to find out the number of questions you recall.

World Cup Qualifying Quiz

1. Question 1. During 1973, Poland keeper Jan Tomaszewski delivered a string of stops at Wembley to stop the England a berth at the 1974 edition FIFA World Cup. Tomaszewski had been called 'a gloved clown' by which English manager?

   • Alf Ramsey
   • Coach Brian Clough
   • Manager Don Revie
   • Ron Greenwood
   Reveal Solution

2. 2. The French team's most embarrassing FIFA World Cup disappointment came in 1993, when they failed to make it after defeats in their final two matches at in France to the Israeli team and ...

   • Team Bulgaria
   • Romanian team
   • Team Sweden
   • Luxembourg team
   Display Solution

3. 3. Which person did Gerard Houllier consider responsible for France's defeat, calling him 'the murderer' of their FIFA World Cup chances?

   • Eric Cantona
   • David Ginola the player
   • Bernard Lama
   • Didier Deschamps
   Show Answer

4. Question 4. During 2006, which two Africa teams made their sole World Cup showings to now after beating the Senegalese team and the Nigerian side in qualifying?

   • Togo with Angola
   • Botswana and Zambia
   • Libya with Tanzania
   • Mali and Ethiopia
   Display Result

5. 5. Italy, the four-time world champions, have not managed to qualify for the finals since 2014. Which team eliminated them from the play-offs in 2022?

   • Sweden
   • Switzerland
   • Portugal
   • The North Macedonian team
   Display Result

6. 6. What team made it in front of the Mexican team for the 1982 World Cup, just to suffer defeat in their first game 10-1?

   • Canada
   • The Cuban team
   • El Salvador
   • Honduras
   Reveal Result

7. Question 7. The 1982 finals had a number of unexpected participants. What side secured their sole World Cup participation to date with an 89th minute leveller against New Zealand?

   • Haiti
   • Iraq
   • Kuwait
   • The UAE team
   Reveal Solution

8. Question 8. You will likely recall that a Thierry Henry's hand ball assisted the French team qualify at the Ireland's expense in 2009. However which player did Henry set up to get the goal?

   • Anelka
   • Karim Benzema
   • Player Gallas
   • Govou
   Display Result

9. Question 9. The sole men World Cup the Argentine team have tried and failed to make it for came in 1970. What side took their place?

   • The Brazilian team
   • The Colombian team
   • Peru
   • Uruguay
   Reveal Solution

10. 10. Román Torres' 88th-minute winning goal against the Costa Rican team secured a exciting World Cup 2018 spot for what nation?

    • Honduras
    • The Mexican team
    • Panama
    • Uruguay
    Reveal Solution

11. 11. Which part did Peter Hore play in the Australian team's away-goals defeat to Iran in a play-off for the 1998 FIFA World Cup?

    • Known as a notorious joker, Hore ran onto the pitch and broke a net with the Socceroos ahead 3-1 on aggregate. The stop in play let the Iranian team to recover into the match and score two last-minute goals.
    • Australian centre-back Hore scored own goal that put Iran through the finals at the Socceroos' cost.
    • As Australia minister of foreign affairs, Hore stopped the squad from going to Tehran city, leading to a 3-0 defeat they could not overturn in Melbourne.
    • Peter Hore was a ex Australian assistant who joined Iran's coaching team before the play-off games.
    Display Answer

12. 12. Australia finally finished their lengthy drought for a second World Cup participation by beating which nation on a shootout in 2005?

    • Iran
    • Japan
    • Peru
    • Uruguay
    Display Solution

13. Question 13. The Netherlands team whose 'Total Football' impressed the world in 1974 almost didn't qualify, rescued by a disputed offside flag against ...

    • Belgium
    • Czechoslovakia
    • England
    • Yugoslavia
    Reveal Answer

14. Question 14. Back in 2009, which player got a final minute winner for the Argentine team against the Peruvian team in driving rainfall to rescue their qualification bid?

    • Gonzalo Higuaín
    • Mascherano
    • Player Messi
    • Martín Palermo
    Display Solution

15. Question 15. During the famous 'Davide Gualtieri game' in 1993, how many scores did the English team require to beat the San Marino team by to have a opportunity of qualifying for the World Cup?

    • Three goals
    • 5
    • Seven
    • 10 goals
    Reveal Answer

Test your own knowledge of these famous World Cup qualification events and find out how many you got right.