Key
edit| W | Champions |
| RU | Runners-up |
| SF | Semi-finalists |
| 3 | 3rd Place |
| 4 | 4th Place |
| QF | Quarter-finalists |
| R1 | Eliminated in the First Round |
| R2 | Eliminated in the Second Round |
| Grp | Eliminated in the Group Stage |
| DNQ | Did not qualify for the Final Tournament |
| WD | Withdrew from the Competition |
| Ban | Banned from the Competition |
| Did not enter the Competition |
Overview
edit| Team |  1930 |  1934 |  1938 |  1950 |  1954 |  1958 |  1962 |  1966 |  MEX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania | DNQ 45th | ||||||||
 Algeria | WD | ||||||||
 Argentina | RU 2nd | R1 10th= | WD | WD | Grp 13th | Grp 10th | QF 6th | ||
 Australia | DNQ 50th | ||||||||
 Austria | 4 4th | WD/R1 16th | WD 24th= | 3 3rd | Grp 15th | DNQ 37th | |||
 Belgium | Grp 11th | R1 15th | R1 13th | WD 24th= | Grp 13th | DNQ 22nd | DNQ 40th | DNQ 17th= | Grp 10th= |
 Bolivia | Grp 12th | Grp 8th | DNQ 26th | DNQ 28th= | DNQ 35th | ||||
 Brazil | Grp 6th | R1 14th | 3 3rd | RU 2nd | QF 6th | W 1st | W 1st | Grp 11th | W 1st |
 Bulgaria | DNQ 26th | DNQ 19th | DNQ 31st | DNQ 25th | Grp 15th | Grp 15th | Grp 12th | ||
 Burma | WD | ||||||||
 Cameroon | WD | ||||||||
 Canada | DNQ 42nd | WD | |||||||
| Chile | Grp 5th | WD | Grp 10th | DNQ 33rd | DNQ 33rd | 3 3rd | Grp 14th | ||
 China | DNQ 48th | ||||||||
 Colombia | WD | DNQ 35th | Grp 14th | DNQ 36th | |||||
 Costa Rica | WD | DNQ 29th | DNQ 23rd | DNQ 26th | |||||
 Cuba | DNQ 28th | QF 8th | DNQ 22nd | DNQ 51st | |||||
 Cyprus | WD | DNQ 41st | |||||||
 Czechoslovakia | RU 2nd | QF 5th | Grp 12th | Grp 9th | RU 2nd | DNQ 21st | Grp 15th | ||
 Denmark | DNQ 37th | DNQ 42nd | |||||||
  East Germany | DNQ 31st | DNQ 39th | DNQ 28th | ||||||
 Ecuador | WD | DNQ 34th | DNQ 17th= | ||||||
 El Salvador | WD | Grp 16th | |||||||
| England | Grp 7th | QF 7th | Grp 11th | QF 8th | W 1st | QF 5th | |||
 Estonia | DNQ 25th | DNQ 23rd | |||||||
 Ethiopia | DNQ 49th | WD | |||||||
 Finland | DNQ 25th | DNQ 20th | DNQ 30th | DNQ 40th | DNQ 42nd | DNQ 43rd | |||
| France | Grp 9th | QF 9th | QF 6th | DNQ 17th | Grp 11th | 3 3rd | DNQ 21st | Grp 13th | |
 Gabon | WD | ||||||||
 Ghana | DNQ 32nd | WD | |||||||
 Greece | DNQ 22nd | DNQ 22nd | DNQ 20th | DNQ 36th | DNQ 37th | DNQ 34th | |||
 Guatemala | DNQ 44th | DNQ 50th | |||||||
 Guinea | WD | ||||||||
  Haiti | DNQ 29th | DNQ 34th | |||||||
 Honduras | DNQ 45th | DNQ 53rd | |||||||
 Hong Kong | WD | ||||||||
   Hungary | QF 7th | RU 2nd | RU 2nd | Grp 10th | QF 6th | QF 5th | |||
 Iceland | DNQ 38th | ||||||||
 India | WD/Grp 16th | ||||||||
 Indonesia (1950-1962)  Dutch East Indies (1938) | R1 15th | WD | WD 46th | WD | |||||
 Israel (1950-1962)  Palestine, British Mandate (1934-1938) | DNQ 19th | DNQ 27th | DNQ 28th | DNQ 32nd | DNQ 17th | DNQ 35th | DNQ 40th | Grp 13th | |
 Italy | W 1st | W 1st | Grp 6th | Grp 10th | DNQ 27th | Grp 9th | Grp 9th | RU 2nd | |
 Jamaica | DNQ 38th | ||||||||
 Japan | WD | DNQ 25th | DNQ 33rd | ||||||
 Latvia | DNQ 20th | ||||||||
 Liberia | WD | ||||||||
 Libya | WD | ||||||||
 Lithuania | DNQ 21st | DNQ 26th | |||||||
 Luxembourg | DNQ 27th | DNQ 24th | DNQ 26th | DNQ 35th | DNQ 39th | DNQ 38th | DNQ 46th | ||
 Mali | WD | ||||||||
  Mexico | Grp 13th | DNQ 17th | WD | Grp 13th | Grp 14th | Grp 16th | Grp 11th | Grp 12th | QF 8th |
 Morocco | DNQ 18th | WD | Grp 14th | ||||||
| Netherlands | R1 10th= | R1 14th | DNQ 19th | DNQ 27th | DNQ 32nd | ||||
 Netherlands Antilles | DNQ 43rd | DNQ 36th | DNQ 48th | ||||||
 Nigeria | DNQ 48th | WD | |||||||
 North Korea | QF 7th | ||||||||
 Northern Ireland (1954-1962)  Ireland (IFA) (1950) | DNQ 23rd | DNQ 28th | QF 8th | DNQ 26th | DNQ 20th | ||||
 Norway | R1 12th | DNQ 29th | DNQ 32nd | DNQ 41st | DNQ 22nd | ||||
  Paraguay | Grp 8th | Grp 11th | DNQ 18th | Grp 12th | DNQ 17th | DNQ 29th | |||
  Peru | Grp 10th | WD | WD | WD | DNQ 28th | DNQ 31st | DNQ 27th | QF 7th | |
 Philippines | WD | ||||||||
 Poland | DNQ 18th | R1 11th | WD | DNQ 18th | DNQ 28th= | DNQ 33rd | |||
 Portugal | DNQ 20th | DNQ 21st | DNQ 19th | DNQ 26th | DNQ 30th | DNQ 25th | 3 3rd | ||
 Taiwan | WD | WD | |||||||
 Republic of Ireland (1954-1962) Ireland (FAI) (1950) Irish Free State (1934-1938) | DNQ 23rd | DNQ 18th | DNQ 18th | DNQ 19th | DNQ 23rd | DNQ 43rd | DNQ 19th | ||
  Romania | Grp 7th | R1 12th | R1 9th | DNQ 21st | DNQ 21st | WD 51st | DNQ 31st | Grp 10th= | |
 Saar | DNQ 24th | ||||||||
 Scotland | WD/Grp 15th | Grp 15th | Grp 14th | DNQ 22nd | DNQ 23rd | ||||
 Senegal | WD | ||||||||
 South Africa | Ban | ||||||||
 South Korea | Grp 16th | DNQ 19th | WD | ||||||
 Soviet Union | QF 7th | QF 5th | 4 4th | QF 6th | |||||
  Spain | QF 5th | 4 4th | DNQ 17th | DNQ 20th | Grp 13th | Grp 10th | |||
 Sudan | WD 41st | WD | WD | ||||||
 Suriname | WD | DNQ 46th | DNQ 49th | ||||||
| Sweden | QF 8th | 4 4th | 3 3rd | DNQ 23rd | RU 2nd | DNQ 20th | DNQ 25th | Grp 9th | |
| Switzerland | QF 6th | QF 7th | Grp 9th | QF 5th | DNQ 34th | Grp 16th | Grp 16th | ||
 Syria | DNQ 27th | WD | |||||||
 Trinidad and Tobago | DNQ 52nd | ||||||||
 Tunisia | DNQ 44th | WD | |||||||
 Turkey | WD | WD/Grp 14th | Grp 9th | WD | DNQ 24th | DNQ 44th | |||
| Uruguay | W 1st | W 1st | 4 4th | DNQ 24th | Grp 12th | QF 8th | 4 4th | ||
 United Arab Republic (1962)  Egypt (1934-1958) | R1 13th | WD | DNQ 27th | WD 47th | WD | WD | |||
  United States | SF 3rd | R1 16th | WD | Grp 12th | DNQ 22nd | DNQ 45th | DNQ 47th | DNQ 47th | |
 Venezuela | WD | DNQ 39th | |||||||
 Wales | DNQ 21st | DNQ 36th | QF 6th | DNQ 28th= | DNQ 24th | ||||
West Germany (1954-1962)  Germany (1934-1938) | 3 3rd | R1 10th | W 1st | 4 4th | QF 7th | RU 2nd | 3 3rd | ||
  Yugoslavia | SF 4th | DNQ 24th | DNQ 17th | Grp 5th | QF 8th | QF 5th | 4 4th | DNQ 30th |