Ready for the world’s biggest sporting event? The countdown is on for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Spread across the countries (Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.), 48 teams will take part in the largest edition of the tournament ever next summer. Which teams are in?
JUMP TO: Qualified Teams | Playoffs | Region-by-Region Recap
When is the World Cup?
The World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The FOX family of networks and the FOX Sports app are your complete home for World Cup content, including live matches, complete highlights, commentary and analysis, and full-match replays.
What we know:
- 48 teams will participate in the World Cup;
- 42 of the 48 teams have qualified directly, with four qualifying via the European (UEFA) playoff and two via the intercontinental playoff in March 2026;
- Three co-host teams — Canada, Mexico, and the United States — are in along with Panama, Curaçao, and Haiti from CONCACAF;
- Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Scotland, Switzerland and Portugal from Europe (UEFA) are in;
- Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay are in after qualifying through the South American (CONMEBOL) confederation;
- Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Qatar are in after qualifying through the Asian (AFC) confederation;
- Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia are in after qualifying through the African (CAF) confederation;
- New Zealand is in after qualifying through the Oceania (OFC) confederation;
Who is in (total World Cup appearances, including 2026):
These teams are in! Who else will join? Listed by geographical region:
Asia (AFC; 8 eight teams)
- Australia (7 appearances)
- Iran (7 appearances)
- Japan (8 appearances)
- Jordan (will make debut in 2026)
- Qatar (2 appearances)
- Tunisia (7 appearances)
- South Korea (12 appearances)
- Uzbekistan (will make debut in 2026)
Africa (CAF; 9 teams)
- Algeria (5 appearances)
- Cape Verde (will make debut in 2026)
- Egypt (4 appearances)
- Ghana (5 appearances)
- Ivory Coast (4 appearances)
- Morocco (7 appearances)
- Senegal (4 appearances)
- South Africa (4 appearances)
- Tunisia (7 appearances)
Europe (UEFA; 12 teams)
- Austria (6 appearances)
- Belgium (15 appearances)
- Croatia (6 appearances)
- England (16 appearances)
- France (17 appearances)
- Germany (21 appearances)
- Netherlands (12 appearances)
- Norway (4 appearances)
- Scotland (9 appearances)
- Spain (17 appearances)
- Switzerland (13 appearances)
- Portugal (9 appearances)
North America, Central America, Caribbean (CONCACAF; 6 teams)
- Canada (co-hosts; 3 appearances)
- Mexico (co-hosts; 18 appearances)
- United States (co-hosts; 12 appearances)
- Haiti (2 appearances)
- Curaçao (will make debut in 2026)
- Panama (2 appearances)
South America (CONMEBOL; 6 teams)
- Argentina (19 appearances)
- Brazil (23 appearances)
- Colombia (6 appearances)
- Ecuador (5 appearances)
- Paraguay (8 appearances)
- Uruguay (14 appearances)
Oceania (OFA; 1 team)
- New Zealand (3 appearances)
The Intercontinental Playoff, Explained:
Six teams who didn’t directly qualify will participate in a mini-tournament of their own to reach the big stage. This event will take place in March 2026, and reportedly will take place at two neutral venues in Mexico. All regions will be represented at this tournament, except Europe (UEFA).
- 1 Africa (DR Congo)
- 1 Asia (Iraq)
- 2 North and Central America/Caribbean (Jamaica, Suriname)
- 1 Oceania (New Caledonia)
- 1 South America (Bolivia)
These six teams will be placed in two separate three-team brackets. The two teams with the highest FIFA rankings will get byes to the two separate finals. The other four teams will face each other to reach those finalists. The two teams to emerge from this playoff round will go to the World Cup.
The UEFA Playoff, Explained:
As for Europe (UEFA), it will have its own playoff tournament to finalize the last four teams from the region who will go to the World Cup.
Remember, 12 European teams will head directly to the World Cup, having won their respective four-team qualifying groups. The runner-ups of those 12 groups will be joined by four other lower-ranked European teams based on their Nations Leagues standings. These 16 teams will then be bracketed into a mini-tournament of their own in March 2026 to decide those remaining four World Cup spots.
Much like the World Cup, the UEFA playoff format will see the participating teams placed into pots. The four highest ranked teams based off FIFA’s World Rankings will be in Pot 1. The next four highest ranked teams will go into Pot 2. The same goes for Pots 3 and 4.
Teams from Pot 1 host Pot 3 teams, while teams from Pot 2 will host Pot 4. The winners advance to play for the four remaining World Cup spots (called paths A, B, C, and D), with the higher-ranked team hosting.
Based on current FIFA rankings, these would be the pots:
Pot 1
- Italy
- Denmark
- Türkiye
- Ukraine
Pot 2
- Poland
- Wales
- Czechia
- Slovakia
Pot 3
- Ireland
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Kosovo
Pot 4
- Romania
- Sweden
- North Macedonia
- Northern Ireland
Region-by-Region Recap:
AFC (Asia)
How many World Cup teams can qualify?
8 automatically, 1 enters the intercontinental playoff round
Who is in?
Australia, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar
Who remains in contention?
Iraq (intercontinental playoff spot participant)
How did it finish?
The qualifying tournament in Asia started back in October 2023 with 46 teams participating. After three rounds of qualifying, six teams have booked World Cup spots, with two more direct spots up (and one playoff berth) up for grabs. Round 4 consisted of six teams (the third- and fourth-placed teams from Round 3), and split into two groups. Those group winners advanced to the World Cup. The Round 4 runners-up (Iraq and the United Arab Emirates) played each other in Round 5 in November to book the region’s intercontinental qualifying spot. Iraq sealed the deal 3-2 over the two-legged series. Final full standings can be found here.
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CAF (Africa)
How many World Cup teams can qualify?
9 automatically, 1 enters the intercontinental playoff round
Who is in?
Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
Who remains in contention?
DR Congo (intercontinental playoff participant)
How did it finish?
In all, 54 teams (which was later reduced to 52) were split into nine groups of six teams each. The nine group winners (listed above) advanced directly to the World Cup. The four best second-placed teams played a mini-tournament to decide the intercontinental playoff participant, with the DR Congo emerging and having a shot in March to reach the World Cup. Full final standings can be found here.
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CONCACAF (North & Central America and the Caribbean)
How many World Cup teams can qualify?
6 automatically (3 co-hosts, 3 through qualifying), 2 enter the intercontinental playoff round
Who is in?
Canada, Mexico, United States, Haiti, Curaçao, Panama
Who remains in contention?
Jamaica, Suriname (intercontinental playoff participant)
How did it finish?
The three co-hosts are in, which left three automatic spots for the region. There are also two spots for the intercontinental playoff to be determined. Initially, 32 teams began the process, with 30 teams – six groups of five teams – advancing into the second round of qualification, which concluded in June. The top two teams from each group advanced to Round 3.
It took the final day of games to settle everything. In the end three teams – Haiti, Curaçao and Panama – booked spots. That left
Full standings can be found here.
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CONMEBOL (South America)
How many World Cup teams can qualify?
6 automatically, 1 enters the intercontinental playoff round
Who is in?
Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay
Who remains in contention?
Bolivia (intercontinental playoff participant)
How did things finish?
Six teams from the 10-team region have clinched, with Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador moving onto the World Cup. Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia also booked their spots. Bolivia will be heading to the intercontinental playoff. Venezuela, Chile and Peru are officially eliminated. Full final standings can be found here.
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OFC (Oceania)
How many World Cup teams have qualified?
1 automatically, 1 enters the intercontinental playoff round
Who is in?
New Zealand
Who else is in contention?
New Caledonia (intercontinental playoff participant)
How did it finish?
The 11-team qualifying tournament from this region, consisting of countries and territories in the South Pacific, concluded in March. One team emerged from Round 1, joining the seven top-ranked teams of the region. Those eight teams were split into two groups for Round 2, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals. New Zealand will head to the World Cup after beating New Caledonia, who’ll be one of the six teams in the intercontinental playoff in March 2026. Full final standings can be found here.
How many World Cup teams can qualify?
16 (12 automatically, 4 through a UEFA-only playoff)
Who is in?
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Scotland, Switzerland, Portugal
Who else is in contention?
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine, Wales
How did things finish?
There were 54 (excluding Russia) teams who began the qualifying process in March. In all, there are 12 groups of either four or five teams each. The winner of each group clinched World Cup spots.
The 12 runners-up move to a subsequent playoff round, added by the four best-ranked Nations League group teams that did not finish their World Cup qualifying group in first or second place. These 16 teams will then be bracketed to clinch Europe’s remaining four World Cup spots in March 2026. Final full standings can be found here.
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