Helmut Schön’s German side qualified for the 1970 finals in Mexico at the expense of Scotland, Austria and Cyprus, finishing top of their four-team group with eleven points from a possible twelve – though things were perhaps not so clear-cut as the final analysis would suggest. The two games against the Scots were close, and Cyprus somehow managed to keep a clean sheet in Nicosia right until the dying moments when the prolific Gerd Müller – who scored in every game of the campaign – struck the winner for the Mannschaft. The return fixture against the Cypriots in Essen produced a completely different result however, with Germany winning 12-0 – a German record for a World Cup qualifying game.
Match Results and Details
v Austria, Praterstadion, Wien, 13.10.1968
2-0 (1-0)
Müller 16., Eigenstiller og 49. / –
Team: Maier – Vogts, Höttges – Beckenbauer, W. Schulz (c), W. Weber – B. Dörfel, Ulsaß, G. Müller, Netzer, Held
v Cyprus, Lefkosia, 23.11.1968
1-0 (0-0)
Müller 90. / –
Team: H. Wolter – Vogts, Höttges (67. Gerwien) – W. Weber, W. Schulz (c) (46. Patzke), Lorenz – Wimmer, B. Dörfel, G. Müller, Overath, Held
v Scotland, Hampden Park, Glasgow, 16.04.1969
1-1 (1-0)
Müller 39. / Murdoch 85.
Team: H. Wolter (46. Maier) – Patzke, Vogts – Beckenbauer, W. Schulz (c), Schnellinger – B. Dörfel, Haller, G. Müller, Overath (79. Lorenz), Held
v Austria, Frankenstadion, Nürnberg, 10.05.1969
1-0 (0-0)
Müller 88. / –
Team: Lehmann – Maier – Höttges, Vogts – Beckenbauer, W. Schulz (c), Patzke – B. Dörfel, Overath, G. Müller, Held (77. Heynckes), Brenninger (66. Volkert)
v Cyprus, Georg-Melches-Stadion, Essen, 21.05.1969
12-0 (7-0)
G. Müller 3., 44., 48., 85., Overath 5., 12., 63., Haller 17., 46., Lorenz 32., Held 41., Höttges 51. / –
Team: Maier – Vogts, Höttges (84. L. Müller) – Beckenbauer, W. Schulz (c), Lorenz (75. Patzke) – Libuda, Haller, G. Müller, Overath, Held
v Scotland, Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, 22.10.1969
3-2 (1-1)
Fichtel 37., Müller 59., Libuda 79. / J. Johnstone 3., Gilzean 62.
Team: Maier – Höttges, Vogts – Beckenbauer, W. Schulz, Fichtel – Libuda, Seeler, G. Müller, Overath (c), Haller
Final Group Standings
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Germany FR (Q) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 3 | +17 | 11 |
 | Scotland | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 7 |
 | Austria | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 6 |
 | Cyprus | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 35 | -32 | 0 |
Other results: Austria 7-1 Cyprus; Scotland 2-1 Austria; Cyprus 0-5 Scotland; Cyprus 1-2 Austria; Scotland 8-0 Cyprus; Austria 2-0 Scotland.
Goals Summary: G. Müller (9), Overath (3), Haller (2), Fichtel, Held, Höttges, Libuda, Lorenz (1), own goals (1). Total 20.