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Who has certified for the 2026 World Cup?
How does qualification work?
When does the World Cup begin?
Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is into its closing phases.
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On the finish of the November worldwide break, the id of 42 of the 48 finalists for the expanded worldwide soccer showpiece might be identified.
The remaining six spots might be crammed by the UEFA and inter-confederation playoffs in March.
Argentina will defend their title after accomplished his lengthy and sometimes tortuous path to glory on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. La Albiceleste have since retained their Copa America title and completed prime of the notoriously gruelling CONMEBOL qualifying part.
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This is every little thing it’s good to learn about World Cup qualification, who has made it to the finals and what number of groups from every continent will participate.
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Who has certified for World Cup 2026?
Every confederation has extra slots out there below the expanded format. The AFC has double the qualification spots it had at Qatar 2022, up from 4 assured locations to eight, whereas there might be 9 African nations as an alternative of 5.
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CONCACAF may have at the least double its 2022 representatives, up from three to 6, though half of these slots are accounted for by the US, Mexico and Canada qualifying routinely as hosts. As was the case on the earlier World Cup, two slots might be determined through an inter-continental playoff.
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Of be aware, Uzbekistan and Jordan each certified for his or her first-ever World Cup appearances in the summertime of 2025. By ending prime two of their group within the third spherical of AFC qualification, they secured an automated bid to the competitors.
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Following them shortly after was Cape Verde, because the tiny island nation of simply 600,000 individuals earned their first-ever World Cup spot by successful their group forward of Cameroon. Beating that in November was Curacao, who turned the smallest-ever nation to qualify for a World Cup with their inhabitants of 150,000.
Groups certified for the 2026 World Cup
Nation
Confederation
Final World Cup look
United States (host)
CONCACAF
2022
Mexico (host)
CONCACAF
2022
Canada (host)
CONCACAF
2022
Panama
CONCACAF
2018
Haiti
CONCACAF
1974
Curacao
CONCACAF
None (First look)
Japan
AFC
2022
Iran
AFC
2022
Uzbekistan
AFC
None (First look)
Australia
AFC
2022
South Korea
AFC
2022
Jordan
AFC
None (First look)
Saudi Arabia
AFC
2022
Qatar
AFC
2022
Morocco
CAF
2022
Tunisia
CAF
2022
Egypt
CAF
2018
Algeria
CAF
2014
Ghana
CAF
2022
Cape Verde
CAF
None (First look)
South Africa
CAF
2010
Senegal
CAF
2022
Ivory Coast
CAF
2014
Argentina
CONMEBOL
2022
Ecuador
CONMEBOL
2022
Brazil
CONMEBOL
2022
Colombia
CONMEBOL
2018
Uruguay
CONMEBOL
2022
Paraguay
CONMEBOL
2010
New Zealand
OFC
2010
England
UEFA
2022
France
UEFA
2022
Croatia
UEFA
2022
Portugal
UEFA
2022
Norway
UEFA
1998
Germany
UEFA
2022
Netherlands
UEFA
2022
Spain
UEFA
2022
Belgium
UEFA
2022
Switzerland
UEFA
2022
Austria
UEFA
1998
Scotland
UEFA
1998
_
UEFA (playoffs)
_
UEFA (playoffs)
_
UEFA (playoffs)
_
UEFA (playoffs)
Inter-continental playoff winner 1
_
Inter-continental playoff winner 1
_
How does qualification work for 2026 World Cup?AFC
The AFCbegan its essential third spherical of qualification in September 2024. Eighteen groups had been break up throughout three six-team teams to contest 10 video games in a round-robin format. The highest two in every of Teams A, B and C certified routinely for the World Cup.
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The groups positioned third and fourth in every group superior to a fourth spherical break up between two teams of three. These teams had been performed out throughout the October worldwide break, with Qatar and Saudi Arabia – the earlier and subsequent World Cup hosts – going by way of to the finals.
Runners-up the United Arab Emirates and Iraq performed a two-legged tie in November to determine the AFC consultant on the inter-confederation playoff. Iraq prevailed 3-2 on combination.
CAF
9 teams of six groups performed one another house and away in Africa. The winner of every part on the finish of the ten video games progressed on to the World Cup.
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The 4 finest runners-up from the preliminary round-robin part entered right into a playoff. DR Congo prevailed to with the playoff on penalties in opposition to Nigeria, shifting them into March’s inter-confederation spherical.
Chancel Mbemba DR Congo 012724
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CONCACAF
CONCACAF started the second spherical of its qualification part in June 2024, with 30 groups drawn into six teams of 5. Every crew performed each opponent of their group as soon as, with two away video games and two house video games as soon as the part concluded in June 2025.
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The highest two in every group superior to the 12-team third spherical, the place there have been three teams of 4. Starting in September 2025, the nations in every group performed each other house and away. The three group winners advance to the World Cup, with the 2 best-ranked runners-up going into the inter-confederation playoff.
CONMEBOL
South America retained its celebrated marathon World Cup qualification spherical, with all 10 of the confederation’s international locations taking part in each other house and away in a gruelling league format.
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The expanded World Cup means qualification is a bit simpler, with the highest six advancing routinely. Seventh-placed Bolivia will try to return to the World Cup for the primary time since USA ’94 within the inter-confederation playoff.
Argentina clinched their place on the finals due to . The Selecao ended the marketing campaign in fifth spot, one in all 4 groups to complete the marketing campaign on 28 factors.
OFC
The 2026 World Cup is the primary time the OFC has been assured a consultant on the finals. The second spherical, working throughout October and November 2024, noticed two teams of 4 taking part in for the 4 spots in spherical three.
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The highest two in every round-two group superior to a three-match playoff in March 2025. New Caledonia defeated Tahiti within the first semifinal, with New Zealand thrashing Fiji 7-0 within the different.
New Zealand then claimed the automated qualifying place by successful the OFC closing 3-0. New Caledonia will enter the inter-confederation playoffs, in order that they have one other probability to get there, albeit a slim one.
UEFA
Twelve of UEFA’s 16 spots might be taken by the group winners from the preliminary format of 4 or five-team teams. The 12 runners-up, together with the that completed outdoors of the highest two of their World Cup qualifying teams, enter the playoffs.
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These 16 groups might be drawn into 4 paths with two single-game rounds. The seeded groups might be at house within the semifinals, with a house nation for the 4 finals to be drawn previous to the match. The winners from every path advance to the World Cup. UEFA is the one confederation with no consultant within the inter-continental playoff.
Jack Grealish
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Inter-continental playoff
The 2 groups within the six-nation playoff with the very best FIFA rating might be seeded. The 4 unseeded groups play an efficient semifinal, with the 2 winners progressing to face a seed apiece to determine the ultimate two locations on the World Cup.
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The four-game playoff might be used as a World Cup check occasion and performed in a number of of the host international locations.
Intercontinental Playoff members
Nation
Confederation
Certified Through
Final World Cup look
_
AFC
Fifth Spherical playoff winner
DR Congo
CAF
1978
_
CONCACAF
Highest-ranking Third Spherical group runner-up
_
CONCACAF
2nd-highest rating Third Spherical group runner-up
Bolivia
CONMEBOL
Seventh Place in CONMEBOL qualification desk
1994
New Caledonia
OFC
Third Spherical runners-up
None (By no means certified)
When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, with co-hosts Mexico in motion on the Azteca, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host the ultimate on July 19. The general span of 40 days will make this the longest World Cup in historical past, with the 48 finalists contesting a complete of 104 matches.
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When is the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw takes place on December 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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