The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification is the qualifying process for the FIFA World Cup 26 in joining hosts Canada, Mexico, and the US. It is the process that will define which teams are playing in the FIFA World Cup 26. The next edition of the FIFA World Cup is going to be held with 48 teams for the 1st time in Soccer history, you all going to witness these nations playing for the golden trophy. The 23rd edition of the World Cup but the first to feature 48 teams and three host countries: Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
All pots were created based on the national team’s October 2017 FIFA World Ranking, with the highest-ranked teams in Pot 1, the next highest-ranked teams in Pot 2, and so on. List of all 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification round matches. The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification list is the qualifying process that will decide the national teams that will join hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Teams
List of the qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 26 below.
- Europe (UEFA): 16 Teams
- North, Central America, and the Caribbean(CONCACAF): 6 Teams
- South America (CONMEBOL): 6 Teams
- Oceania Football Confederation (OFA): 1 Team
- Confederation of African Football (CAF): 9 Teams
- Asia (AFC): 8 Teams
- Play Off: 2 Teams
Confederation qualification
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification process includes in-depth qualification guides and the latest data.
| S. No | Teams | Method of qualification |
| 1 | Canada | Hosts |
| 2 | Mexico | Hosts |
| 3 | United States | Hosts |
A full list of qualifiers for the 23rd FIFA World Cup can be found below
| Continent | Teams |
|---|---|
| Asia | 8 |
| Africa | 9 |
| UEFA (EUROPE) | 16 |
| North America, Central America, and the Caribbean | 3 host + 3 |
| South America | 6 |
| Oceania | 1 |
| Play Off | 2 |
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is European football’s administrative and controlling body. This Football Association has 55 members part of this association and all represent their respective countries. Here is the list of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification teams below
| Confederation | Available slots in finals | Teams started | Qualifying start date | Qualifying end date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 8 | 46 | 12 October 23 | November 25 |
| CAF | 9 | 54 | 15 November 23 | 18 November 25 |
| CONCACAF | 6 | 34 | March 2024 | November 2025 |
| CONMEBOL | 6 | 10 | 7 September 23 | September 2025 |
| OFC | 1 | 7 | September 2024 | March 2025 |
| UEFA | 16 | 55 | March 2025 | March 2026 |
| Play Off | 2 | 6 | March 2026 | March 2026 |
The FIFA World Cup is the largest and biggest playing sport in the world. 16 groups of 3 teams and 80 matches in total were played in the 16 Venues (16 host cities) in World Cup 2026.
AFC (Asian Football Confederation)
| The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification first round | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team 1 | Aggregate score from 2 lags | Team 2 | |||||
| Afghanistan | 2–0 | Mongolia | |||||
| Maldives | 2–3 | Bangladesh | |||||
| Singapore | 3–1 | Guam | |||||
| Yemen | 4–1 | Sri Lanka | |||||
| Myanmar | 5–1 | Macau | |||||
| Cambodia | 0–1 | Pakistan | |||||
| Chinese Taipei | 7–0 | Timor-Leste | |||||
| Indonesia | 12–0 | Brunei | |||||
| Hong Kong | 4–2 | Bhutan | |||||
| Nepal | 2–1 | Laos | |||||
| Group A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | Qatar | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Kuwait | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | India | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 2 | 0 |
| Group B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | Japan | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | North Korea | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Syria | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Myanmar | 2 | 0 |
| Group C | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | South Korea | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | China | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Thailand | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Singapore | 2 | 0 |
| Group D | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | Oman | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Malaysia | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Chinese Taipei | 2 | 0 |
| Group E | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | Iran | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 2 | 0 |
| Group F | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Jordan | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Tajikistan | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Pakistan | 2 | 1 |
| Group G | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | Qatar | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | India | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Kuwait | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 2 | 0 |
| Group H | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | U A E | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Bahrain | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Yemen | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Nepal | 2 | 0 |
| Group I | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| POA | TEAMS | PLD | PTS |
| 1 | Australia | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Palestine | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Lebanon | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 2 | 1 |
CAF (Confederation of African Football)
CAF 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Teams and Schedule
- First round: 9 groups of 6 teams
- Second round: The 4 first-round group winners will play in a two-legged home and away series. It will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
- Third round: The three-round winners will join the top five CONCACAF teams.
CONCACAF (Central America and Caribbean Association Football)
Three nations in CONCACAF—Canada, Mexico, and the United States qualified for WC 2026 as a host nation.
- First round: CONCACAF teams ranked 29 to 32 based on the FIFA ranking of November 23. 2 winners will be in 2nd Round.
- Second round: 30 teams and the 2 first-round group winners will play in a two-legged ranked 1 to 28 based on the FIFA rankings of November 2023, play next round. It is 6 groups of 5 teams. Toal The three winners will advance to the final round
- Third round: The three-second round winners will join the top 12 CONCACAF teams. It is 3 groups of 4 teams. The two best-ranked runners-up will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation)
10 nations in CONCACAF members play home-and-away round-robin matches.
| Pos | Teams | Pld | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 6 | 15 |
| 2 | Uruguay | 6 | 13 |
| 3 | Colombia | 6 | 12 |
| 4 | Venezuela | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | Ecuador | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | Brazil | 6 | 7 |
| 7 | Paraguay | 6 | 5 |
| 8 | Chile | 6 | 5 |
| 9 | Bolivia | 6 | 3 |
| 10 | Peru | 6 | 2 |
OFC (Oceania Football Confederation)
Qualifying was expected to begin in September 2024.
First round: The 4 OFC teams would be split into two groups based on their FIFA Ranking(4 lowest FIFA-ranked teams), and play round-robin matches at a centralized location.
Second round: The 7 highest-ranked teams would play knockout two-legged home-and-away matches with the top two teams from each group.
Third round: The 4 OFC teams play known out-stage matches. The eventual winner would advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
UEFA (Union of European Football Associations
The qualification format was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Switzerland on 25 January 2023. The qualification will depend on all 12 groups being divided into 4 or 5 teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches.
- First-round: 12 groups of 4 or 5 teams with group winners qualifying for the World Cup final.
- Second round: The 16-group runner-up would be joined by the best 2 Nations League group winners, based on the National League overall ranking.
Inter-confederation play-offs
six teams will be held to decide the last two FIFA World Cup berths. 1 from per confederation except UEFA.
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification Top Goal Scorers
There have been more than 91 goals have been scored in the 40 total matches, with an average of 2.27 goal scorers in each match. Here is the list of top Goal scorers from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying team schedule.
- Ayase Ueda | 5 golas
- Darwin Núñez | 5 golas
- Almoez Ali | 5 golas
- Mohamed Salah | 4 golas
- Saleh Al-Shehri | 4 Goals
- Lionel Messi | 3 golas
