Home of football statistics and historyThe road to the 2026 World Cup will come to its final stop in March when the last set of qualifying matches is scheduled to take place across the globe during the international break.
A total of 42 teams have already secured their spots at the tournament, which begins on June 11, leaving the final six spots up for grabs through the March play-offs.
Read on as we look at the latest state-of-play in the qualifiers and assess which nations are in contention to secure a place at the prestigious tournament.
World Cup 2026 – Qualified Teams
Oceania
- New Zealand
New Zealand booked their place at the World Cup by defeating New Caledonia, but they will be one of the outsiders at the tournament this summer.
The sportsbook linked to this trusted NZ casino site with verified payout rates the Kiwis as 1001.00 shots to lift the trophy, highlighting the size of the task they face.
New Caledonia still have a chance of qualifying via the inter-confederation play-offs, which are scheduled to be played in March.
Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- England
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Scotland
- Spain
- Switzerland
Europe will have 16 representatives at the 2026 World Cup. England were the first team to qualify after claiming top spot in Group K.
Last tournament’s finalists France secured their World Cup berth in November by beating Ukraine while perennial dark horses Belgium sealed their spot by beating Kazakhastan.
The Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Croatia and Spain are among the other top European teams who have already qualified.
Four places are also on offer via a play-off qualification tournament, taking place between 26 and 31 March. Italy are the most notable name having to go through the play-offs.
Asia
- Australia
- Iran
- Japan
- Jordan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Uzbekistan
With the last of Asia’s automatic berths finalised when Qatar and Saudi Arabia qualified in October, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq will battle for a single spot in the inter-confederation play-offs.
North & Central America
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
The United States, Canada and Mexico have qualified automatically as hosts. Three qualification places have yet to be confirmed. Another two are available via the play-offs.
Honduras will qualify if they beat Nicaragua and Costa Rica draw with Haiti on November 13. Jamaica will seal their spot on the same date if they beat Trinidad and Tobago, and Curacao lose to Bermuda.
Suriname, Panama, Guatemala and El Salvador could also qualify automatically or secure a place in the play-offs.
South America
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
All six automatic berths in the South American qualification group have been claimed. Bolivia could be the continent’s seventh representative at the World Cup if they progress via the play-off route.
Africa
- Algeria
- Cape Verde
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Morocco
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tunisia
Nine African teams have qualified automatically for the World Cup. The four best group runners-up were placed in play-offs in November, where DR Congo beat Cameroon and Nigeria to emerge victorious.
DR Congo will join New Caledonia, Bolivia, two teams from North & Central America and one from Asia in the inter-confederation play-offs.
The four lowest-ranked teams in FIFA’s world rankings will play in two single-elimination matches.
The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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