Originally Posted by howard h:
“Please correct..but in the 70's weren't there only 16 teams in th Worlds so the qualifying was harder? Anyone confirm??”
1974 - 98 entrants, 16 finalists.
1978 - 100 entrants, 16 finalists.
2014 - 208 entrants, 32 finalists.
Whether that equates to harder or easier I don't know. You'd have to know how strong the opposing teams were, how many European sides qualify versus other continents and how that has changed down the years, etc, etc. In any case...I never said whether it was harder or easier, I just asked whether the 70s were generally considered to have been a nightmare for England internationally. That is my general perception but I wasn't around so I asked hoping someone would have more insight if they were around at the time.