See main article: 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification. The South American (CONMEBOL) zone of qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup saw 9 teams competing for 2 direct places at the finals, with one extra place potentially on offer to the winner of a play-off. CONMEBOL member Argentina qualified automatically as reigning World Cup champions.
Teams were divided into 3 groups of 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The 2 group winners with the best record would qualify. The group winner with the worst record would advance to the CONMEBOL / OFC Intercontinental Play-off.
The draw for the qualifying groups took place in Zürich, Switzerland on 12 December 1987. During the draw teams were drawn from 3 seeded pots into the 3 qualifying groups.
| width=15% | Pot A | width=15% | Pot B | width=15% | Pot C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Uruguay qualified with the second-best record among the group winners.
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1The match was abandoned in the 67th minute with Brazil leading 1–0 after Chile walked off the field when a firecracker thrown from the crowd supposedly hit goalkeeper Roberto Rojas in the head, leaving him bloodied and having to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher; a subsequent FIFA investigation found that Rojas's injury was self-inflicted, using a razor blade concealed in his glove. On 13 September, the match was awarded 2–0 to Brazil, and Chile were banned from qualifying for the next World Cup. Rojas was given a lifetime ban from competitive football (lifted in 2001), as was Chile manager Orlando Aravena, vice-captain Fernando Astengo and team doctor Daniel Rodriguez.
See main article: 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL–OFC play-off). The winner of this play-off qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
The following four teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | data-sort-type="number" | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 (1930, 1934, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986) | ||||
| 8 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1986) | ||||
| 13 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986) | ||||
| 1 (1962) | ||||
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
José Milton Melgar Tito Montaño Álvaro Peña William Ramallo Erwin Sánchez
Branco Romário Paulo Silas
Rubén Darío Hernández Albeiro Usuriaga
Álex Aguinaga Pietro Marsetti
Andrés Aurelio González José del Solar
Ildemaro Fernández Pedro Acosta (playing against Brazil)