# 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC and OFC)

Listed below are the dates and results for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian and Oceanian zone (AFC and OFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 21 AFC and OFC teams entered the competition. However, Iran withdrew before the draw was made. The Asian and Oceanian zone was allocated 2 places (out of 24) in the final tournament.

## Format

There would be two rounds of play:
* First Round: The remaining 20 teams would be divided into 4 groups. The groups had different rules, as follows:
** Group 1 had 5 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.
** Group 2 had 5 teams. The teams played against each other once in Saudi Arabia. The group winner would qualify.
** Group 3 had 4 teams. The teams played against each other once in Kuwait. The group winner would qualify.
** Group 4 had 6 teams. All matches were played in Hong Kong. There would be four stages of play:
*** Classification matches: All teams would be paired up to play preliminary matches to determine group classification.
*** Group stage: Based on the results of the classification matches, the 6 teams were divided into 2 groups of 3 teams each. The teams played against each other once. The group winners and runners-up would advance to the semifinals.
*** Semifinals: The winner of Group A played against the runner-up of Group B in a single match, and the winner of Group B played against the runner-up of Group A in a single match. The winners would advance to the Final.
*** Final: The 2 teams played against each other in a single match. The winner would advance to the Final Round.
* Final Round: The 4 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner and runner-up would qualify.

## First round
### Group 1

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | |
| 1 | New Zealand | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 3 | +28 | 14 | Advance to Final round | — | 3–3 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 13–0 |
| 2 | Australia | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 10 | | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–2 | 10–0 |
| 3 | Indonesia | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 6 | | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 3–3 |
| 4 | Chinese Taipei | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 5 | | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | — | 0–0 |
| 5 | Fiji | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 35 | −29 | 5 | | 0–4 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — |
New Zealand advanced to the Final Round.

### Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 8 | Advance to Final round |
| 2 | Iraq | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Qatar | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Bahrain | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 2 | |
| 5 | Syria | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | |
Saudi Arabia advanced to the Final Round.

### Group 3

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Kuwait | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 6 | Advance to Final round |
| 2 | South Korea | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 4 | |
| 3 | Malaysia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | |
| 4 | Thailand | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 1 | |
Kuwait advanced to the Final Round.
To date, it is last time that South Korea failed to qualify.

### Group 4
#### Classification matches

Based on the results, China PR, Japan and Macau were placed in Group A, while Hong Kong, Korea DPR and Singapore were placed in Group B.

#### Group 4A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | China | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 4 | Advance to Zonal semi-finals |
| 2 | Japan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 2 | Advance to Zonal semi-finals |
| 3 | Macau | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 | |
China and Japan advanced to the Group 4 Semifinals.

#### Group 4B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | North Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | Advance to Zonal semi-finals |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | Advance to Zonal semi-finals |
| 3 | Singapore | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 | |
Korea DPR and Hong Kong advanced to the Group 4 Semifinals.

#### Zonal semi-finals

Korea DPR advanced to the Group 4 Final.
China PR advanced to the Group 4 Final on penalties.

#### Zonal final

China PR advanced to the Final Round.

## Final round

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | |
| 1 | Kuwait | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 | Qualification for 1982 FIFA World Cup | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 7 | Advance to Play-off | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| 3 | China | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 7 | Advance to Play-off | 3–0 | 0–0 | — | 4–2 |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 16 | −12 | 1 | | 0–1 | 0–5 | 0–2 | — |

### Notes

* ^ The matches were held in Malaysia due to China and Saudi Arabia not having diplomatic relations.

### Play-off

At the time, goals scored and head-to-head results were not used to rank teams level on points and goal difference. As China PR and New Zealand finished level on points and goal difference, a play-off on neutral ground was played to determine who would qualify.
The match was originally planned to be played in Kuala Lumpur until New Zealand protested due to the venue hosting previous matches for China. Melbourne was also considered before Singapore was ultimately chosen.
Kuwait and New Zealand qualified.

## Qualified teams

The following two teams from AFC and OFC qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup |
| Kuwait | Final Round winners | 14 December 1981 | 0 (debut) |
| New Zealand | Play-off winners | 10 January 1982 | 0 (debut) |
    $^1$ Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

## Goalscorers
### 9 goals

* Gary Cole
* Steve Sumner
* Brian Turner

### 8 goals

* Grant Turner
* Steve Wooddin

### 5 goals

* Huang Xiangdong
* Abdulaziz Al-Anberi

### 4 goals

* Gu Guangming
* Faisal Al-Dakhil
* Wynton Rufer

### 3 goals

* Dave Mitchell
* Rong Zhixing
* Deng Chyan
* Ratu Jone
* Jasem Yaqoub
* Kim Yong-nam
* Li Yong-sob
* Mansour Muftah
* Majed Abdullah

### 2 goals

* John Kosmina
* Eddie Krncevic
* Chen Jingang
* Zuo Shusheng
* Meli Vuilabasa
* Herry Risdianto
* Kazushi Kimura
* Nassir Al-Ghanem
* Fathi Kameel
* Ibrahim Din
* Ricki Herbert
* Li Chang-ha
* Saud Jassem
* Choi Soon-ho
* Shait Ahmed Jehad

### 1 goal

* Murray Barnes
* Ken Boden
* Gary Byrne
* Alan Davidson
* Tony Henderson
* Peter Sharne
* Fouad Bushegir
* Cai Jinbiao
* Chen Xirong
* Shen Xiangfu
* Chang Kuo Chi
* Jyn Tson
* John Morris Williams
* Choi Jork Yee
* Wan Chi Keung
* Wu Kwok Hung
* Hadi Ismanto
* Budi Johannis
* Nazar Ashraf
* Hadi Ahmed
* Adnan Dirjal
* Adel Khudhair
* Hussein Saeed
* Haruhisa Hasegawa
* Hideki Maeda
* Sami Al-Hashash
* Mahboub Juma'a
* Mohammed Karam
* James Wong Chye Fook
* Duncan Cole
* Adrian Elrick
* Keith Mackay
* Billy McClure
* Li Yong-man
* Ibrahim Khalfan
* Khalid Salman
* Shaye Al Nafeesah
* Ahmed Al Nifawi
* Yousef Aboloya
* Amin Dabo
* Thasmbiayah Pathmanathan
* Choi Jong-duk
* Hong Sung-ho
* Lee Kang-jo
* Lee Tae-ho
* Oh Seok-jae
* Piyapong Pue-On
* Khan Thatat Songwuti
* Sompit Suwannapluoh

### 1 own goal

* Upendran Choy (playing against Indonesia)