The FIFA World Cup in 2026 is swiftly approaching, and the broader 48-team group is close to completion. A total of forty-two nations have already secured their position at next summer’s competition in North America, with only the play-off contests determining the last six qualifications.
This iteration will mark the introduction of the revised 48-team framework, which incorporates an additional 16 slots compared to the 2022 event, and adjusted allocation among the six confederations: UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is assigned 16 direct placements, CAF (Confederation of African Football) nine, AFC (Asian Football Confederation) eight, CONMEBOL (Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol) and CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) are granted six each, while OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) will get a definitive spot for the first occasion.
Six placements are pending decision through playoffs, two coming from the intercontinental Play-off Tournament, which involves two teams from CONCACAF along with one entrant each from AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC, and four from a European Play-Off. Europe’s playoff structure will feature 12 runners-up from groups in addition to the four highest-ranked group winners of the UEFA Nations League who did not achieve direct qualification.
Keep up with the determination of the 48-team bracket leading up to the forthcoming World Cup.
UEFA
UEFA is granted the largest number of placements among the confederations, with 16 teams able to earn their invitation to the competition.
During the first phase of the qualifying tournament, the victors of each of the 12 groups moved immediately to the World Cup. The four outstanding placements will be ascertained by means of a play-off tournament featuring the 12 runners-up, along with the four highest-ranked teams within the UEFA Nations League.
Qualified: England, France, Croatia, Norway, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland
Qualified for European Play-off: Italy, Denmark, Türkiye, Ukraine, Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ireland Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia and Northern Ireland
CONCACAF
As the trio of host nations, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will all receive automatic qualifying offers for the 2026 World Cup. Consequently, those three nations will take up three of the confederation’s six qualifying spots, in addition to CONCACAF holding two places within the playoff tournament.
Qualified: United States, Canada, Mexico, Curaçao, Haiti and Panama
Qualified for intercontinental play-off: Jamaica and Suriname
AFC
The Asian Football Confederation, representing Eurasia alongside Asia, set its list of qualified teams through a multi-stage competition in 2025, lasting into the autumn.
Japan was the initial team outside of the host countries to guarantee a position back in March, followed by the remainder of the group.
Qualified: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan
Qualified for intercontinental play-off: Iraq
CAF
The tournament filtered the CAF roster from 53 countries down to nine qualifiers, as well as one play-off spot. Morocco, after reaching the semifinals in 2022, will be among the frontrunners as they head into 2026. With the CAF tournament nearing its completion this past autumn, Morocco became the first African team to qualify in September, with Tunisia subsequently following.
Qualified: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia
Qualified for intercontinental play-off: Congo DR
CONMEBOL
Among the various qualifying formats, CONMEBOL’s is the most simple: The confederation’s contingent of 10 teams participated in a league-based setup, with the top six teams advancing to the World Cup, and the seventh—Bolivia, in this instance—representing CONMEBOL within the play-off tournament.
Argentina, the current reigning champions, were quickly gaining ground during the preliminary phase, which led to their qualification for 2026 as far back as March.
Qualified: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay
Qualified for intercontinental play-off: Bolivia
OFC
The broader design means that Oceania will receive an ensured position for the first time. It comes as no real surprise that New Zealand—by far the largest country in the confederation—will be OFC’s emissary during the World Cup, marking an exhilarating moment for the country. New Zealand has qualified for the World Cup only two other times, even throughout the years since Australia shifted from OFC to join AFC. New Caledonia, in the meantime, will participate in the play-off tournament; however, a victory there would be a remarkable upset, given that the nation is currently 150th in FIFA’s rankings, putting them considerably below all of its rivals.
Qualified: New Zealand
Qualified for intercontinental play-off: New Caledonia
World Cup play-offs
European Semifinals – March 26
Italy vs. Northern Ireland
Ukraine vs. Sweden
Türkiye vs. Romania
Denmark vs. North Macedonia
Wales vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Poland vs. Albania
Slovakia vs. Kosovo
Czech Republic vs. Ireland
European Finals – March 31
Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Italy or Northern Ireland
Ukraine or Sweden vs. Poland or Albania
Slovakia or Kosovo vs. Turkey or Romania
Czech Republic or Ireland vs. Denmark or North Macedonia
Intercontinental semifinals – March 23-31
New Caledonia vs. Jamaica
Bolivia vs. Suriname
Intercontinental Finals – March 23-31
Congo vs. New Caledonia or Jamaica
Iraq vs. Bolivia or Suriname
