Which countries have qualified for the 2026 World Cup so far?

The international break this week 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.

This week saw four more countries confirm their places in the tournament including England after their 5-0 win over Latvia, with Thomas Tuchel’s side becoming the first UEFA nation to qualify.

Cote d’Ivoire, Saudi Arabia and Senegal also secured a spot this week through their respective continental qualification routes.

There are now just 20 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 in November.

The 28 teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup

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.

The teams who finished third and fourth will enter a single round-robin competition to determine the AFC’s two representatives at the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

All nine of Africa’s automatic places have been filled, with the four best runners-up – DR Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria – competing in November’s playoffs.

Nigeria face Gabon while Cameroon take on DR Congo in the semi-finals, with all ties to be played in Morocco. The winner of the final will 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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