 Gregorio <unk> and his assistant José <unk> coached the team in the qualifying stages for the 1970 FIFA World Cup . This was the first time El Salvador participated in World Cup qualifying . As host , Mexico automatically qualified so there was just one qualification spot up for grabs . El Salvador won group 3 , playing four games , winning three and losing one . Their record was 10 goals for and 5 goals against with 6 points . As a result , they qualified for a 3 @-@ game playoff against group 2 winner and traditional rival , Honduras . The first game , hosted on 8 June 1969 in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa , was won 1 – 0 by the home team and was followed by crowd violence . The second game , hosted on 15 June 1969 in the Salvadoran capital of San Salvador , was won 3 – 0 by El Salvador , and was followed by even greater violence . A play @-@ off match took place in Mexico City on 26 June 1969 . El Salvador won 3 – 2 after extra time . As a result of existing tensions being exacerbated by these matches , on 14 July 1969 the two countries began the a 100 @-@ hour @-@ long war known as the Football War . As a result of the conflict , El Salvador and Honduras were both disqualified from entering the 1969 CONCACAF Championship qualification . 
