FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers are now underway as nations vie for a place at the biggest Soccer World Cup ever. The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest tournaments for members of the Six Nations confederations worldwide. All FIFA-associated teams qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will join hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In this tournament, 48 teams will compete, with the qualification process starting on 7 September 2023. Below is the list of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers from UEFA, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, CAF, and AFC.
The FIFA executive committee allowed the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification process on 9 May 2017 in Zürich. Before the tournament, all 210 remaining FIFA member associations are eligible to enter the qualifying process. Canada, Mexico, and the United States are the host nations, so they will qualify automatically.
- 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
- FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualified Teams– USA, Mexico and Canada
- Total Qualifying Teams: 206
- Teams eliminated – 68
- Teams Qualified – 13 (Updated: 06 June 2025)
- Dates: from 7 September 2023 to 31 March 2026
Format for the qualification process
Table of Contents
All you need to know about the FIFA World Cup 26 Format for the qualification process. Here is all about the qualifying process for the expanded 48-team tournament.
- Each confederation is responsible for its qualification tournament
- League format
- Single round-robin format
- Knockout format
- One of the participating nations or in neutral territory
- Single-leg knockout format
FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers
Confederation qualification of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers below –
- Qualifying campaigns are currently in progress, having commenced in September 2023.
- Expanded 48-Nation will participate in the tournament
AFC (Asia)
The FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for the Asian qualifiers feature a multi-round format, starting with lower-ranked teams in the first round and gradually bringing in higher-ranked nations by the second and third rounds.
The top teams from the third round will directly qualify, while others will enter the intercontinental playoffs. Powerhouses like Japan, South Korea, Iran, and Australia remain favourites to secure early qualification.
- Total FIFA World Cup 26 Seats: 8 direct slots (+1 for intercontinental playoffs)
- First round – 20 teams (ranked 27–46) – Round Completed
- Second round – 36 Teams (round-robin ) – Round Completed
- Third round – 18 Teams (round-robin) – Matchday 6 Round Completed
- Fourth round – 6 Teams – from 8 October 2025 to 14 October 2025
- Fifth round – inter-confederation play-offs – from 13 November to 18 November 2025
- Teams started – 46
- Teams eliminated – 34
- Qualified Teams – 6 ( Australia, Japan, Iran, Jordan, Uzbekistan and South Korea)
- Next Qualifying Match – Started from 8 October 2025
CAF (Africa)
Africa’s World Cup 2026 qualifiers are more intense this time, with a new format involving nine groups, where each group winner directly qualifies for the 2026 World Cup. Additionally, the four best second-placed teams may enter a playoff round to compete for a possible intercontinental spot.
With more direct slots than ever before, traditional giants like Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, and Egypt face rising competition from emerging African nations.
- Total FIFA World Cup 26 Seats: 9 direct slots (+1 for intercontinental playoffs)
- First round – 9 groups of 6 teams (round-robin)
- Second round – 4 best-ranked group runners-up (inter-confederation play-offs)
- Teams started – 53
- Teams eliminated – 4
- Qualified Teams – 0
- Next Qualifying Match – Starts from September 2025
CONCACAF (North, Central America & Caribbean)
The road to World Cup 2026 qualifying groups in CONCACAF began in March 2024 with smaller nations competing in the first two rounds, while Mexico, USA, and Canada (already qualified as hosts) entered later. In the second round, 30 teams (excluding the hosts) were drawn into six groups of five teams each.
The top two from each group advanced to the newly formed third (Final) round—a total of 12 teams split into three groups of four, drawn on June 12, 2025. Each group engages in home-and-away matches across the September, October, and November 2025 FIFA windows.
At the end, the three group winners will earn direct qualification, and the two best runners-up will vie for one of the inter-confederation playoff slots in March 2026
- Total FIFA World Cup 26 Seats: 6 direct slots
- Host Teams: 3 (Canada, Mexico, USA (3))
- First round – 4 teams (FIFA ranked 29 to 32)
- Second round – 30 Teams (CONCACAF teams ranked 1 to 28)
- Third round – 12 Teams (inter-confederation play-offs)
- Teams started – 32 + 3 (Host)
- Teams eliminated -20
- Qualified Teams – 0 + 3 host (Canada, Mexico, USA) = 3
- Next Qualifying Match – Starts from September 2025
CONMEBOL (South America)
The FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers in South America are being played in a league format, where all ten nations face each other home and away. With six direct spots and one intercontinental playoff slot available, the battle is fiercer than ever.
Argentina and Brazil lead the standings, while Uruguay, Colombia, and Ecuador are also pushing hard for qualification.
- Total FIFA World Cup 26 Seats: 6 direct slots (+1 for intercontinental playoffs)
- Qualified Teams: 3
- 10 nations in CONCACAF (round-robin)
- Teams started – 10
- Teams eliminated – 1
- Qualified Teams: 3 (Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador)
- Next Qualifying Match – September 2025
OFC (Oceania Football Confederation)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign in the Oceania region continues its long-shot journey with a single slot available.
On March 24, 2025, New Zealand defeated New Caledonia 3–0 in the OFC qualification final and clinched the single direct slot for the 2026 FIFA World Cup from Oceania. They’ll be making their return to the tournament for only the third time in history, having previously participated in 1982 and 2010.
- Total FIFA World Cup 26 Seats: 1 direct slot (+1 for intercontinental playoffs)
- Qualified Teams: 0
- First round: 4 OFC teams (FIFA Ranking(4 lowest FIFA-ranked teams and play round-robin)
- Second round: 7 highest-ranked teams
- Third round: The 4 OFC teams ( inter-confederation play-offs)
- Teams started – 11
- Teams eliminated – 9
- Qualified Teams – 1 (New Zealand)
- Next Qualifying Match – Completed (Play-offs – March 2026)
UEFA (Union of European Football Associations
UEFA’s World Cup Qualifiers 2026 began in March 2025, following the traditional group stage format, with top teams earning direct qualification and others advancing through the Nations League playoff path.
With 16 spots available for Europe, the battle among elite football nations like France, Germany, England, Portugal and Spain promises high-stakes action.
- Total FIFA World Cup 26 Seats: 16 direct slots
- Qualified Teams: 0
- First round: 12 groups of 4 or 5 teams
- Second round: The 16-group runner-up (National League overall ranking)
- Teams started – 54
- Teams eliminated – 0
- Qualified Teams – 0
- Next Qualifying Match – Started from 4 September 2025
Inter-confederation play-offs
- Six nations will compete in a mini-tournament
- Qualifying Match – March 2026
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualified Teams
“Below is the latest group-wise breakdown of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers across all confederations.”
| S No | Teams | Previous Best | Qualified As |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | Group stage (1986, 2022) | Host |
| 2 | Canada | Quarter-finals (1970, 1986) | Host |
| 3 | Mexico | Third place (1930) | Host |
| 4 | Japan | Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022) | AFC 3rd round – Group C winners |
| 5 | New Zealand | Group stage (1982, 2010) | OFC 3rd round winners |
| 6 | Iran | Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022) | AFC 3rd round – Group A winners |
| 7 | Argentina | Winners (1978, 1986, 2022) | CONMEBOL top six |
| 8 | Jordan | Debut | AFC 3rd round – Group A runners-up |
| 9 | Uzbekistan | Debut | AFC 3rd round– Group A runners-up |
| 10 | South Korea | Fourth place (2002) | AFC 3rd round– Group B winners |
| 11 | Australia | Round of 16 (2006, 2022) | AFC 3rd round– Group C runners-up |
| 12 | Brazil | Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) | CONMEBOL top six |
| 13 | Ecuador | Round of 16 (2006) | CONMEBOL top six |
Starting on 7 September 2023, 206 teams from six confederations participated in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. After 580 matches, 13 teams successfully secured their spots in the final round.
Top goalscorers
- 12 goals
- Almoez Ali – Qatar
- 10 goals
- Son Heung-min – South Korea
- Mehdi Taremi – Iran
- 9 goals
- Ali Olwan – Jordan
- Chris Wood – New Zealand
- 8 goals
- Sardar Azmoun – Iran
- Aymen Hussein – Iraq
- Yazan Al-Naimat – Jordan
- Fábio Lima – United Arab Emirates
- Ayase Ueda – Japan
- 7 Goals
- Musa Al-Taamari – Jordan
- Luis Díaz – Colombia
- 6 Goals
- Lionel Messi – Argentina
- Kusini Yengi – Australia
- Kōki Ogawa – Japan
- Joel Kojo – Kyrgyzstan
- Mohammad Mohebi – Iran
- Mohamed Salah – Egypt
- Harib Abdalla – UAE
Awesome Performance of AFC and CONMEBOL Teams