| 1 | Omer Khalifa | SUD | 3:41,93 | Q |
| 2 | Steve Cram | GBR | 3:42,05 | Q |
| 3 | Peter Rono | KEN | 3:42,26 | Q |
| 4 | Steve Scott | USA | 3:42,43 | Q |
| 5 | Rémy Geoffroy | FRA | 3:42,45 | Q |
| 6 | Mike Hillardt | AUS | 3:42,79 | Q |
| 7 | Peter Wirz | SUI | 3:43,00 | |
| 8 | Ray Flynn | IRL | 3:43,06 | |
| 9 | Andres Vera | ESP | 3:43,24 | |
| 10 | David Campbell | CAN | 3:43,80 | |
| 11 | Dieudonné Kwizera | BUR | 3:44,36 | |
| 12 | Manuel Balmaceda | CHI | 3:49,52 | |
| Ari Suhonen | FIN | DNS |
| 1 | Abdi Bile | SOM | 3:38,05 | Q | |
| 2 | Jens-Peter Herold | GDR | 3:38,10 | Q | |
| 3 | Steve Crabb | GBR | 3:38,11 | Q | |
| 4 | Peter Bourke | AUS | 3:38,18 | Q | |
| 5 | Marcus O'Sullivan | IRL | 3:38,20 | Q | |
| 6 | Dieter Baumann | FRG | 3:38,31 | Q | |
| 7 | Mogens Guldberg | DEN | 3:38,67 | q | |
| 8 | Joseph Chesire | KEN | 3:38,71 | q | |
| 9 | Teofilo Benito | ESP | 3:38,90 | q | |
| 10 | Zeki Öztürk | TUR | 3:40,38 | q | |
| 11 | Chuck Aragon | USA | 3:40,82 | q | |
| 12 | Getahun Ayana | ETH | 3:42,29 | ||
| 13 | Mohamed Abdullah Moubarak | UAE | 3:51,04 | NR |
| 1 | Kipkoech Cheruiyot | KEN | 3:40,22 | Q |
| 2 | José Luís Gonzalez | ESP | 3:40,28 | Q |
| 3 | Han Kulker | NED | 3:40,32 | Q |
| 4 | Jim Spivey | USA | 3:40,48 | Q |
| 5 | Uwe Becker | FRG | 3:40,63 | Q |
| 6 | Leonid Masunov | URS | 3:40,68 | Q |
| 7 | Mário Silva | POR | 3:40,99 | q |
| 8 | Adrian Passey | GBR | 3:41,44 | |
| 9 | Markus Hacksteiner | SUI | 3:42,04 | |
| 10 | Pat Scammell | AUS | 3:44,93 | |
| 11 | Gerry O'Reilly | IRL | 3:45,77 | |
| 12 | Johnny Kroon | SWE | 3:49,06 | |
| Moctar El | MTN | DNF |
| 1 | Abdi Bile | SOM | 3:35,67 | Q |
| 2 | José Luís Gonzalez | ESP | 3:35,68 | Q |
| 3 | Steve Cram | GBR | 3:35,78 | Q |
| 4 | Joseph Chesire | KEN | 3:35,82 | Q |
| 5 | Steve Scott | USA | 3:35,91 | Q |
| 6 | Han Kulker | NED | 3:36,08 | q |
| 7 | Rémy Geoffroy | FRA | 3:37,47 | q |
| 8 | Leonid Masunov | URS | 3:38,24 | |
| 9 | Peter Bourke | AUS | 3:38,42 | |
| 10 | Chuck Aragon | USA | 3:39,45 | |
| 11 | Zeki Öztürk | TUR | 3:42,17 | |
| 12 | Dieter Baumann | FRG | 3:47,71 |
| 1 | Jens-Peter Herold | GDR | 3:40,57 | Q |
| 2 | Jim Spivey | USA | 3:40,63 | Q |
| 3 | Kipkoech Cheruiyot | KEN | 3:40,64 | Q |
| 4 | Omer Khalifa | SUD | 3:40,79 | Q |
| 5 | Mike Hillardt | AUS | 3:40,95 | Q |
| 6 | Mário Silva | POR | 3:41,12 | |
| 7 | Marcus O'Sullivan | IRL | 3:41,24 | |
| 8 | Teofilo Benito | ESP | 3:41,89 | |
| 9 | Steve Crabb | GBR | 3:42,12 | |
| 10 | Uwe Becker | FRG | 3:43,73 | |
| 11 | Peter Rono | KEN | 3:44,76 | |
| 12 | Mogens Guldberg | DEN | 3:50,79 |