Teams around the world are finishing up their World Cup qualifying matches. Many countries have now earned their place at the 2026 tournament. The qualifying games started two years ago & most teams have completed their journey to reach the World Cup. Several nations confirmed their spots in the past few days. The process has been long but the end is near. Soon we will know all the teams that will compete in the big event next summer.
African teams dominated the latest round of qualifiers that ended on Tuesday. Several big soccer nations like Egypt, Ghana and South Africa secured their spots as expected. But the real surprise came from Cape Verde, a small island nation with less than 600000 people. They shocked everyone by beating Cameroon & winning their qualifying group. This unexpected victory means Cape Verde will join the other African teams in the next stage of the competition. It’s rare to see such a small country outperform a traditional soccer powerhouse like Cameroon. The African qualifying matches have shown that both established teams and underdogs can succeed at the highest level.
Qatar qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. They are now one of 24 teams that will play in the tournament. The World Cup will be bigger next year with 48 teams & will take place in Canada Mexico & the United States. After Qatar’s spot was confirmed England Ivory Coast Saudi Arabia Senegal and South Africa also got their tickets to the World Cup. This means 28 teams are now ready for the tournament. Portugal almost joined them but they failed to win their game. They let Hungary score a late goal in their match. This means Portugal will have to wait longer to secure their place in the World Cup.
Several key soccer games are happening in North America Central America and the Caribbean region. Important matches are also taking place across Europe. Some national teams must wait until November’s qualifying games to know if they will advance. The next round will decide which teams move forward and which ones stay behind.
The race to qualify for the 2026 World Cup is heating up. Many teams are fighting for spots in the expanded tournament which will be hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada. Some nations are close to booking their place while others face tough battles ahead. The bigger World Cup format means 48 teams will play instead of 32. This gives more countries a chance to reach the finals. Teams from Asia have already started their qualifying games. South American teams are also well into their campaign. European teams will begin their main qualifying matches later this year. Africa’s teams are still in early qualifying rounds. The hosts USA Mexico & Canada don’t need to qualify since they get automatic spots. Several teams could lock up their World Cup spots in the next few months. The qualifying process will continue until late 2025 when all spots are filled.
These Nations Have Already Secured Their Spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup – Full List Revealed!
The next FIFA World Cup in 2026 will be much bigger than before. Instead of 32 teams like in Qatar last year it will have 48 teams playing. So far 28 countries have earned their spot through recent qualifying matches. This means there are still 20 places left for teams to fight for. The bigger tournament will give more countries a chance to play on soccer’s biggest stage. Many fans are excited about seeing new teams join the competition. The expanded format will bring fresh energy to the World Cup and let more nations dream of World Cup glory.
These are all the teams that have earned their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far: United States (host nation) Mexico (host nation) Canada (host nation) That’s all for now. More teams will join this list as they win their qualifying matches over the next two years. The tournament will be bigger than ever with 48 teams playing instead of the usual 32. Note: This list shows confirmed teams as of October 14.
The teams for the tournament are split up by regions.
– From North America the host countries are Canada, Mexico and the United States.
– Asia has eight teams: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan Qatar, Saudi Arabia South Korea and Uzbekistan.
– Africa sends nine teams: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
– No additional teams from North America have qualified yet besides the hosts.
– Europe has one team so far with England.
– From Oceania New Zealand will take part.
– South America brings six teams: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Who’s In? Full List of Countries That Have Officially Qualified for FIFA World Cup 2026 So Far
World Cup qualifying games are coming to an end. Each region has its own timeline and rules for finishing. Some areas will be done sooner than others since they all follow different plans.
At the moment, there are 10 teams (mostly hailing from Europe) that could claim a place at the 2026 World Cup with the right results in the coming days:
Austria has a big chance to reach the World Cup for the first time in many years. They haven’t played in the tournament since 1998. Now they just need to beat Cyprus in their next game on November 15. They also need Bosnia and Herzegovina to lose or draw against Romania. If both these things happen Austria will qualify for the World Cup. This would be huge news for Austrian soccer fans who have waited a long time to see their team on the biggest stage.
Croatia is very close to reaching the World Cup again. They only need to get a draw in their next game to win Group L and qualify. This would be their eighth World Cup in a row. They will play at home against the Faroe Islands on November 14 in Rijeka. The Faroe Islands helped Croatia by beating the Czech Republic in a surprise victory on Sunday. This unexpected result made Croatia’s path to qualification much easier.
France’s national team came close to winning their UEFA qualifying group after playing just four matches. The team known as “Les Bleus” now has a chance to secure their World Cup spot in November. They will play against Ukraine who sits in second place. The important game will take place in Paris on November 13. If France wins this match they will book their ticket to the World Cup. The French team has shown strong form so far and looks ready to finish the job at home.
Honduras has a good chance to make it to the World Cup. The team needs to beat Nicaragua on November 13. They also need Haiti and Costa Rica to end their game in a tie on the same day. If both these things happen Honduras will reach the World Cup for the fourth time in their history. The team known as “Los Catrachos” could soon celebrate a big win in Group C of the Concacaf tournament. Their fans are hoping for the best results in these important matches.
Jamaica’s national team showed their strength with a big 4-0 victory against Bermuda in the Concacaf Group B matches. The team known as the “Reggae Boyz” now has a good chance to move forward. They need to beat Trinidad and Tobago in their next game on November 13. They also need Bermuda to defeat Curaçao. If both these things happen Jamaica will secure their place in the next round.
The Netherlands national team has a clear path to qualify for Euro 2024. They just need to beat Poland in their next match on November 14. If the Dutch team wins this game they will secure their spot in next summer’s tournament. The team known as “Oranje” has full control over their qualification chances. Everything depends on their performance in this important away game against Poland.
Norway is doing really well in Group I. The team led by star player Erling Haaland has almost secured their place in the World Cup. They just need one more step to make it official. If Norway beats Estonia on November 13 and gets a better result than Italy’s game against Moldova they will qualify. This would be a big achievement for the Norwegian team. Their strong performance has shocked many football fans who didn’t expect them to do so well in the group.
Portugal had a tough game against Hungary. Dominik Szoboszlai scored a last-minute goal that made the game end in a tie. This was not what Portugal wanted but they still have a good chance to make it to the tournament. They can secure their spot if they beat Ireland in their next away game on November 13. They could also qualify if Hungary does not win their match against Armenia on the same day. Despite the recent setback Portugal remains in a strong position to advance.
Spain has a big chance to qualify on November 15. They will play against Georgia and need to win this game. But that’s not all they need. Spain also has to hope that Bulgaria doesn’t lose to Turkey. If both these things happen Spain will win Group E and book their spot in the tournament. Spain has been perfect so far with four wins in four games. One more win could be enough to send them through.
Switzerland has a good opportunity to secure their spot in Group B this November. The team can qualify if they perform better than Kosovo during the matches on November 15. It’s pretty simple: Switzerland will advance if they win and Kosovo only gets a draw. They can also move forward if Switzerland gets a draw while Kosovo loses their game. The Swiss team controls their own destiny and just needs to focus on getting the right result to move ahead in the competition.
Just One Win Away! These Teams Are on the Brink of 2026 World Cup Qualification
Europe got 16 spots which is the most of any region. Africa will send 9 teams to compete. Asia earned 8 spots plus a chance at one more through playoffs. South America received 6 direct spots and could get one extra through playoffs. North and Central America got 6 spots including the 3 host nations (USA Mexico & Canada). Oceania got 1 direct spot. The last 2 spots will be decided in a playoff tournament between teams from different regions. The new format means more teams can join the World Cup. This gives smaller nations a better chance to qualify. It also means fans will see more matches since there are more teams playing. The tournament will be much bigger than before with games played across three countries. This is the first time the World Cup will have 48 teams. The old format only had 32 teams so this is a big change for world soccer. Many people are excited to see new teams get their chance on the biggest stage in sports.
Canada Mexico and the United States got their spots in the tournament right away because they are hosting it. These three countries did not need to play any qualifying games since they were chosen as the host nations.
Eight teams from Asia have made it to the tournament. One more spot is still up for grabs through a playoff game. Iraq will play against the United Arab Emirates in November. The winner of this match will get a final chance to qualify through the intercontinental playoff. The Asian Football Confederation has done well to get so many teams into the competition.
In Africa, 54 nations competed for World Cup spots. They played in nine different groups with six teams each. One team dropped out though – Eritrea from Group E. The team that finished first in each group got a direct ticket to the World Cup. Four teams that came in second place – Cameroon DR Congo, Gabon and Nigeria – will play against each other in Morocco this November. Only one of these four teams can win. The winner gets one more chance to qualify by playing against a team from another continent.
The third round of Concacaf qualifying started on September 4. There are three groups and each group has four teams. The teams that win their groups will go straight to the next stage. The two teams that finish second best across all groups will get another chance through the intercontinental playoff matches.
UEFA has 54 teams trying to reach the World Cup. These teams play in 12 different groups. The team that wins each group gets a direct ticket to the World Cup. The teams that finish second in their groups have another chance. They can join a playoff tournament along with four top teams from the Nations League who didn’t win their groups. These playoffs will happen in March 2026. The winners of these playoffs will get the last four spots for European teams in the World Cup.
New Zealand has secured the only direct spot from Oceania for the 2026 World Cup. New Caledonia will need to compete in the intercontinental playoff for a chance to qualify.
The South American World Cup qualifiers have ended. CONMEBOL’s long tournament gave six teams direct spots for the World Cup. Bolivia also got a chance to qualify through the playoff games against teams from other regions. The matches were tough and teams had to play many games to earn their spots. This format is typical for South American teams trying to reach the World Cup.
New Caledonia and Bolivia have earned their places in a special tournament. This event will have six teams and take place in March 2026. It’s an intercontinental playoff that will be important for both teams. The other four teams are not yet known but will join them when the time comes.
