| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 29 April – 21 September 1973 |
| Teams | 10 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 34 (2.13 per match) |
| Top scorer |  Rubén Ayala (5 goals) |
←1970 1978 → | |
| Qualification for championships (CONMEBOL) |
|---|
Listed below are the dates and results for the1974 FIFA World Cupqualification rounds for theSouth American Zone (CONMEBOL). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article1974 FIFA World Cup qualification.
10 teams entered, withBrazil qualified automatically as holders.The9 remaining teams were divided into 3 groups of 3 teams each. 2.5 spots were open for competition. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The Groups 1 and 2 winners qualified directly, while the Group 3 winner advanced to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
Venezuela withdrew. Remaining8 teams.
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Uruguay | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 5 |
| 2 |  Colombia | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 |
| 3 |  Ecuador | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 2 |
Uruguay qualified ongoal difference.
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 7 |
| 2 |  Paraguay | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 5 |
| 3 |  Bolivia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
Argentina qualified.
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1= |  Chile | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1= |  Peru | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| — |  Venezuela | withdrew | |||||||
Chile and Peru finished level on points andgoal difference, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
Chile advanced to theUEFA–CONMEBOL intercontinental play-off.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Soviet Union  | w.o.[note 1] | Chile | 0–0 | 0–2[note 1] |
Chile advanced by walkover to the1974 FIFA World Cup.
The following four teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previousappearances inFIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Brazil | Defending champions | 21 June 1970 | 9 (1930,1934,1938,1950,1954,1958,1962,1966,1970) |
| Uruguay | Group 1 winners | 8 July 1973 | 6 (1930,1950,1954,1962,1966,1970) |
| Argentina | Group 2 winners | 7 October 1973 | 5 (1930,1934,1958,1962,1966) |
| Chile | UEFA–CONMEBOL play-off winners | 21 November 1973 | 4 (1930,1950,1962,1966) |
