The last international break saw more teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with 28 countries now confirming their place in next summer’s tournament to be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The new-look competition will see 48 countries feature, up from the previous 32, with 43 nations qualifying as well as the three host sides, who have an automatic entry.
The final two places will be earned by the winner of the inaugural FIFA Play-Off tournament in March.
England became the first UEFA nation to qualify, doing so already in October. In November, Croatia, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Portugal followed suit.
There are now just 14 spots remaining for teams to seal their place in the most prestigious tournament in the footballing world, with the final round of fixtures to be played this month.
The 28 teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup
| Country | Confederation |
|---|---|
| Canada | Host Country |
| Mexico | Host Country |
| USA | Host Country |
| Iran | AFC |
| Qatar | AFC |
| Uzbekistan | AFC |
| Jordan | AFC |
| Korea Republic | AFC |
| Japan | AFC |
| Australia | AFC |
| Saudi Arabia | AFC |
| Algeria | CAF |
| Egypt | CAF |
| Cote d’Ivoire | CAF |
| Cape Verde | CAF |
| Ghana | CAF |
| Morocco | CAF |
| Senegal | CAF |
| South Africa | CAF |
| Tunisia | CAF |
| Argentina | CONMEBOL |
| Brazil | CONMEBOL |
| Ecuador | CONMEBOL |
| Uruguay | CONMEBOL |
| Colombia | CONMEBOL |
| Paraguay | CONMEBOL |
| New Zealand | OFC |
| Croatia | UEFA |
| England | UEFA |
| France | UEFA |
| Germany | UEFA |
| Norway | UEFA |
| Netherlands | UEFA |
| Portugal | UEFA |
Eight nations from Asia have qualified for the World Cup, with Iraq and UAE going into a regional playoff in November, and the winner featuring in the intercontinental playoffs in March.
Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Australia have all secured qualification for the World Cup from the AFC after finishing inside the top two places of their respective groups.
All nine of Africa’s automatic places have been filled, with the four best runners-up – DR Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria – pitted against each other in November.
Nigeria beat Gabon while Cameroon suffered a shock loss to DR Congo in the semi-finals. DR Congo continued their upset streak by defeating Nigeria on penalties to get the chance to represent Africa in the intercontinental playoffs in March.
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying ended in September, with Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay all booking their place at the 2026 tournament via finishing in the top six of the South American standings.
Meanwhile, New Zealand beat New Caledonia 3-0 in the OFC’s World Cup qualifying final to secure the confederation’s only direct spot at the tournament.
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