The 2026 World Tournament will be historic. For the first time, 48 nations will fight for the trophy, and the road has already been laid. While the last, exciting qualifiers are to be played, a total of 42 teams have already secured the coveted ticket to the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Among the qualifiers we find established great powers, surprising debutants and nations that return after a long absence. The big question in the run-up is: Who will take the last six places?
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Here is the complete overview of the teams already ready for the 2026 World Cup:
| Country | Confederation |
|---|---|
| Argentina | CONMEBOL |
| Algeria | CAF |
| Australia | AFC |
| Belgium | UEFA |
| Brazil | CONMEBOL |
| Canada | CONCACAF |
| Colombia | CONMEBOL |
| Curaçao | CONCACAF |
| Ecuador | CONMEBOL |
| Egypt | CAF |
| Ivory Coast | CAF |
| England | UEFA |
| France | UEFA |
| Ghana | CAF |
| Haiti | CONCACAF |
| Iran | AFC |
| Japan | AFC |
| Jordan | AFC |
| Cape Verde | CAF |
| Croatia | UEFA |
| Morocco | CAF |
| Mexico | CONCACAF |
| Netherlands | UEFA |
| New Zealand | OFC |
| Norway | UEFA |
| Panama | CONCACAF |
| Paraguay | CONMEBOL |
| Portugal | UEFA |
| Qatar | AFC |
| Saudi Arabia | AFC |
| Senegal | CAF |
| Scotland | UEFA |
| South Africa | CAF |
| South Korea | AFC |
| Spain | UEFA |
| Switzerland | UEFA |
| Tunisia | CAF |
| Germany | UEFA |
| Uruguay | CONMEBOL |
| Uzbekistan | AFC |
| USA | CONCACAF |
| Austria | UEFA |
The journey to the World Cup: How the teams qualified
CONCACAF (North and Central America)
The hosts Mexico, the United States and Canada were automatically qualified. In addition, Panama, Curaçao and Haiti secured places as group winners – with the last two being the big surprises. Two spots remain to be filled via a playoff in March 2026.
AFC (Asia)
Asia will broadcast eight teams live, including historic debutants such as Jordan and Uzbekistan – a result of the expanded World Cup format. Japan, Iran and South Korea are back as expected.
OFC (Oceania)
New Zealand dominated and took the one direct spot from Oceania, securing their third World Cup participation.
CONMEBOL (South America)
The top six from the tough South American qualifiers are ready: Argentina (World Champion), Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay. The seventh-placed team will get another chance in an intercontinental playoff.
CAF (Africa)
Nine African teams are ready. The biggest sensation is Cape Verde, who qualified for their very first World Cup at the expense of established nations such as Cameroon and Nigeria.
UEFA (Europe)
Europe already has 12 of its 16 participants ready. They qualified as winners of their respective groups:
- Group A: Germany
- Group B: Switzerland
- Group C: Denmark
- Group D: France
- Group E: Spain
- Group F: Portugal
- Group G: Netherlands
- Group H: Austria
- Group I: Norway
- Group J: Belgium
- Group K: England
- Group L: Croatia
The last four European places will be decided through a playoff in March 2026.
Ready for kick-off?
With a record number of teams, the 2026 World Cup promises to be a multifaceted and unpredictable tournament, and it is also likely that a lot will happen outside the stadium.
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