Over many years, the World Cup's qualification has evolved, from having no qualification at all in [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], when the tournament was invitational and only 13 teams entered, to a two-year process in [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] which started in 1933. The first World Cup qualifying match was played on 11th June 1933 when Sweden defeated Estonia 6-2 in Stockholm. The first ever goal in a World Cup qualifying match was scored 7 minutes into the game: it was scored according to some sources by Swedish captain [[Knut Kroon]], or according to other sources by Estonian goalkeeper [[Evald Tipner]] (own goal).
While the number of teams which qualified for the finals has increased steadily, from 16 between 1934 and 1978, to 24 between 1982 and 1994, and finally to 32 starting from 1998, the qualification format has been basically the same throughout the history of the World Cup. The teams have been grouped continentally, and they competed for a fixed number of berths, with one or two berths reserved for winners of the intercontinental play-offs.
<div id="1"><sup>'''1'''</sup>Egypt and Syria formed a joint association in 1960 and entered the preliminary competition for World Cup 1962 as a joint team, called United Arab Republic, though they withdrew before playing any game. Later, Egypt entered the preliminary rounds for World Cup 1966 under the name of United Arab Republic, but withdrew yet again before playing.</div>
