Which teams have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026? | Football News

The latest round of qualifiers for the FIFA 2026 World Cup has come to a close, with a clearer picture of who can make it to the global showpiece event next year.

Morocco, who became the first African team to reach the semifinals of a World Cup in 2022, can no longer be caught for top spot in Group E of their Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifiers. Tunisia have also made it through as table toppers in Group H, the pair being the first two African sides to confirm their progress for next year’s competition.

South Africa are on the verge of qualifying, following their 1-1 draw with Nigeria, while the Super Eagles now need to topple Benin, whom they play in their final group game.

The European qualifiers have seen some of the top-tier teams just beginning their four-team groups, while England and Norway are well-positioned in their five-team groups.

Below is the breakdown of how the qualifying process stands around the globe:

Which teams are in the FIFA World Cup 2026?

After the latest round of qualifying matches, here is a breakdown of the confirmed contenders from each of the six regions:

Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia.

Africa: Morocco and Tunisia.

Europe: None of the 54 European teams vying for 16 qualification spots have confirmed their berths as their first-round matches will run until November 18.

North, Central America and the Caribbean: Canada, Mexico and USA. With the World Cup host nations taking three spots, only three are left up for grabs and will be decided on November 18.

Oceania: New Zealand. With one spot up for grabs and 11 nations fighting for it, New Zealand emerged victorious, taking the spot by winning the third-round playoff final against New Caledonia on March 24.

Which major teams have been eliminated from qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Peru are the latest big name to be eliminated from the qualification process, following on from Chile, who were third-place finishers in 1962, already missing out in the South America qualifiers. Venezuela have also been eliminated.

While China are not considered among the football powerhouses in Asia, their focus on building the game at home and seeing themselves in another World Cup, following their 2002 appearance, was crushed on June 5.

Which teams can still qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Apart from the seven African and 16 European spots still up for grabs, the others that are still in the race for a World Cup spot are:

Asia: Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iraq, and Oman are vying for the two direct qualification slots for the World Cup and one intercontinental playoffs spot. The next stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers begins on October 8.

South America: Bolivia have qualified for the intercontinental playoffs, having missed out on one of the six automatic qualifying positions.

North, Central America and Caribbean: Honduras, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Haiti, Panama, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Guatemala, Suriname and El Salvador have all advanced to the third round, from where three teams will directly qualify for the World Cup. The three second-placed teams from each group will then fight for the intercontinental playoffs spot.

Oceania: New Caledonia have qualified for the intercontinental playoffs.

When will all the teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026 be confirmed?

As late as March 31, 2026. With the European qualification rounds stretching to March and the intercontinental playoff final also scheduled for the same month, we will not know our final 48 teams for the World Cup until less than three months before the tournament.

When and where is the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

US President Donald Trump confirmed, in August, that the draw for the World Cup will take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and didn’t rule out that he himself might oversee the event.

“It’s the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports, I guess,” said Trump, who made the announcement in an Oval Office event where he was joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Vice President JD Vance.

When is the FIFA World Cup 2026 scheduled?

The tournament begins in Mexico City on June 11 and ends with the final in New Jersey on July 19.