GOAL breaks down all the confirmed qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, plus the teams who could soon be on their way.
The 2026 World Cup will feature a total of 48 teams for the first time in history, with FIFA opting to expand the 32-team tournament format that has been in place since the 1998 edition. That means more international teams than ever will converge upon the United States, Canada and Mexico for what promises to be a historic occasion.
UEFA is guaranteed 16 slots at the tournament, while CAF gets nine and AFC gets eight. There will be a minimum of six each from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, while OFC has one guaranteed slot for the first time. The remaining two places will be decided through the intercontinental playoffs.
Here, GOAL brings you all the teams that have qualified for World Cup 2026:
Which teams have qualified for World Cup 2026?
CanadaCONCACAFHostsMexicoCONCACAFHostsUnited StatesCONCACAFHostsJapanAFCMarch 20, 2025New ZealandOFCMarch 24, 2025IranAFCMarch 25, 2025ArgentinaCONMEBOLMarch 25, 2025UzbekistanAFCJune 5, 2025South KoreaAFCJune 5, 2025JordanAFCJune 5, 2025AustraliaAFCJune 10, 2025BrazilCONMEBOLJune 10, 2025EcuadorCONMEBOLJune 10, 2025UruguayCONMEBOLSeptember 4, 2025ParaguayCONMEBOLSeptember 4, 2025ColombiaCONMEBOLSeptember 4, 2025MoroccoCAFSeptember 5, 2025TunisiaCAFSeptember 8, 2025EgyptCAFOctober 8, 2025AlgeriaCAFOctober 9, 2025GhanaCAFOctober 12, 2025Cape VerdeCAFOctober 13, 2025South AfricaCAFOctober 14, 2025QatarAFCOctober 14, 2025EnglandUEFAOctober 14, 2025Saudi ArabiaAFCOctober 14, 2025SenegalCAFOctober 14, 2025Cote d'IvoireCAFOctober 14, 2025FranceUEFANovember 13, 2025CroatiaUEFANovember 14, 2025PortugalUEFANovember 16, 2025NorwayUEFANovember 16, 2025GermanyUEFANovember 17, 2025NetherlandsUEFANovember 17, 2025AustriaUEFANovember 18. 2025BelgiumUEFANovember 18, 2025ScotlandUEFANovember 18, 2025SpainUEFANovember 18, 2025SwitzerlandUEFANovember 18, 2025CuracaoCONCACAFNovember 18, 2025HaitiCONCACAFNovember 18, 2025PanamaCONCACAFNovember 18, 2025AdvertisementWho could qualify next?
Here is a picture of the various regional qualification campaigns and the teams that are close to securing qualification:
AFC
The last two automatic spots from Asian qualifying were filled in October, with Iraq then beating the UAE in November to secure a place in the inter-confederation play-offs.
See the full AFC World Cup 2026 qualifying picture here.
CAF
Qualifying in Africa lasted almost two years, with the last of the nine automatic qualifiers confirmed in October. DR Congo then saw off both Cameroon and Nigeria in the CAF play-offs to secure themselves a place in the inter-confederation play-offs.
See the full CAF World Cup 2026 qualifying picture here.
CONCACAF
With the United States, Canada and Mexico qualifying automatically as hosts, the CONCACAF qualification stage has a different complexion with a number of less-established sides in the battle for qualification. With the three automatic qualifiers resolved in November, Jamaica and Suriname progressed to the inter-confederation play-offs.
CONMEBOL
Qualifying in South America concluded in September as the last of the continent's six automatic qualifiers were confirmed. Seventh-placed Bolivia have earned a spot in March's inter-confederation play-offs as they aim to secure their first World Cup appearance since 1994.
See the full CONEMBOL World Cup 2026 qualifying picture here.
OFC
With New Zealand having secured automatic qualification back in March, New Caledonia advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
See the full OFC World Cup 2026 qualifying picture here.
UEFA
UEFA qualifying got under way in March, though some teams didn't kick-off their campaigns until September due to the Nations League. All of the automatic spots are now gone, with play-offs to decide the final four selections among the 16 teams who have entered them. Among the teams still aiming to book their spot are four-time winners Italy, as well as Denmark, Turkey, Sweden, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
See the full UEFA World Cup 2026 qualifying picture here.
ImagnHaitiQualified on:November 18, 2025Qualified as:CONCACAF Group C winnersLast tournament:1974
Haiti ended a 51-year wait to qualify for their second World Cup appearance in stunning fashion as they beat Honduras and Costa Rica to top spot in CONCACAF Group C. Star striker Duckens Nazon powered Les Grenadiers’ run, and if not for Curacao’s own remarkable qualification, Haiti would be the unquestioned story of the region.
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GettyCuracaoQualified on:November 18, 2025Qualified as:CONCACAF Group B winnersLast tournament:Debut
Curacao, with its population of just 156,115, became the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup after securing a draw with Jamaica on the final matchday to win Group B in CONCACAF. This will mark the country’s first appearance at the tournament, with the team led by former Manchester United youth product Tahith Chong.
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