The draw took place on 2 February 1990.
Sweden qualified automatically as hosts of the competition, and 34 teams entered the draw, with the
Faroe Islands and
San Marino participating in a European qualifying tournament for the first time. As initially made, the draw placed
East Germany and
West Germany in the same qualifying group; this would have been the first time the two sides had met since
the 1974 World Cup. However, following
German reunification on 3 October 1990, the East German team was withdrawn and its fixtures scrapped, while the unified German team took over the fixtures of West Germany. The qualifiers thus consisted of 33 teams divided into seven groups (two of four teams and five of five teams) were played in 1990 and 1991. Each group winner progressed to the finals. This was the last European Championship qualifying phase which awarded two points for a win; from 1996 onward, teams earned 3 points for a win. ==Summary==