The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is set to be a historic tournament with an expanded format featuring 48 teams for the first time. As qualification pathways progress across the globe, several nations have already secured their places, while many others are vying for a coveted spot in this prestigious competition.
Who's In?
As of September 3, 2025, the following teams have officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
- Hosts: United States, Canada, and Mexico
- AFC (Asia): Japan, Iran, Australia, South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Jordan
- OFC (Oceania): New Zealand
- CONMEBOL (South America): Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador
Japan was the first nation to qualify alongside the hosts, marking their eighth consecutive World Cup appearance. Defending champions Argentina also secured their spot early in the CONMEBOL qualifiers. Jordan and Uzbekistan will be making their debut in the tournament.
Qualification Pathways and Potential Qualifiers
With the expanded format, FIFA has allocated slots to each confederation:
- AFC (Asia): 8 direct slots
- CAF (Africa): 9 direct slots + 1 inter-confederation play-off slot
- CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean): 6 direct slots
- CONMEBOL (South America): 6 direct slots
- OFC (Oceania): 1 direct slot
- UEFA (Europe): 16 direct slots
The remaining two spots will be determined through intercontinental play-offs.
Europe (UEFA)
The European Qualifiers began in March 2025 and will continue through November 2025, with play-offs in March 2026. 16 teams from UEFA will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The 12 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup, and the four remaining berths will be determined by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up.
Africa (CAF)
The CAF qualification process involves nine groups of six teams playing home-and-away round-robin matches. The winner of each group will directly qualify for the World Cup. The four best group runners-up will participate in play-offs to determine the CAF representative at the inter-confederation play-offs.
South America (CONMEBOL)
The CONMEBOL qualifiers started in September 2023. Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador have already qualified, with other strong contenders like Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia still in contention. Venezuela currently holds a play-off spot.
North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF)
The CONCACAF Qualifiers began in March 2024. With the United States, Canada, and Mexico already qualified as hosts, other nations in the region will compete for the remaining three direct slots.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to be a global spectacle with more nations than ever before participating. As the qualification process continues, football fans worldwide eagerly await to see which other teams will join the confirmed list and compete for the ultimate prize in football.
