Top 5 teams who had to qualify for the FIFA World Cup via play-offs

#2. Argentina- 1994

An own goal took Argentina to the 1994 World Cup

This may come as a surprise to many, but there has been an instance when Argentina had to qualify for the World Cup through the play-offs. It was the qualifiers of the 1994 World Cup when the CONMEBOL qualification had two groups, one containing four teams and the other containing five teams.

Argentina were in the group consisting of four teams where the winner would qualify and the runner-up would advance to the CONMEBOL/CONCACAF/OFC inter-continental play-off.

Argentina’s group had Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru. They had a pretty average performance during the qualifiers as they lost two matches to Colombia which included a 5-0 trouncing at home.

However, Argentina somehow managed to finish second in their group and they were into the inter-continental play-off where they would play the winner between Australia and Canada. Australia beat Canada 4-1 on penalties after both teams were 3-3 on aggregate and would now have to play Argentina.

The first leg at Sydney ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to an equalizer from Australia’s Aurelio Vidmar, who cancelled out Abel Balbo’s opener. In the second leg at Buenos Aires, an own goal from Alex Tobin helped Argentina win the play-off 2-1 on aggregate and qualify for the 1994 World Cup.