Which teams can secure a spot in the World Cup this week? Here's the current situation and the possible outcomes for each region vying for a place in the 2026 FIFA finals.

For certain countries, reaching the FIFA World Cup quadrennially is a fundamental expectation from their supporters.

Nonetheless, other nations will be delighted to participate in the competition every four years, or even to be included at all.

With the 2026 World Cup set to be the first ever with 48 teams in the final competition, hosted by The United States, Canada, and Mexico, the chance to achieve that is greater than it has ever been.

AllSportsPeople guides you through who has already been confirmed to participate for next summer's event, and who might secure a spot shortly as numerous openings remain available.

Now that South American and African qualifying matches have concluded, with the exception of determining CAF participants in intercontinental playoffs, attention shifts to the European and North American qualifying rounds.

A reference to a "magic number" signifies that any points earned by the team, or points lost by the team ranked immediately below them, would guarantee their spot in the finals.

MORE: How the 2026 World Cup draw will work and who is sorted into which pot

Which teams can secure their spot in the World Cup during this week's matches?

JUMP TO: Europe | Africa | North and Central America | Asia | Teams already qualified

AllSportsPeople offers an analysis of the qualification standings for various federations as the November international break approaches.

CONMEBOL, for instance, has wrapped up its qualification matches. In contrast, UEFA still has numerous crucial games to play.

UEFA

Several European countries are poised to secure berths in the 2026 FIFA World Cup this week, contingent upon achieving particular outcomes.

Belgium

Belgium will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Belgium beat Liechtenstein, OR...
• They draw or lose their game, and Wales vs. North Macedonia is a draw, OR...
• They drew with Liechtenstein; AND Wales or North Macedonia won, but it wasn't enough to achieve a better goal difference.

Belgium missed the opportunity to secure qualification with a match remaining, as they were held to a draw by Kazakhstan; however, they still hold a comfortable advantage in their own destiny.

North Macedonia

North Macedonia will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• They beat Wales AND Belgium lose, OR...
• Belgium draw AND North Macedonia win by enough to overturn their goal-difference deficit

Wales

Wales will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• They beat North Macedonia AND Belgium lose, OR...
• Belgium draw AND Wales win by enough to overturn their goal-difference deficit

Austria

Austria will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Austria avoid defeat against Bosnia-Herzegovina

Group H's outcome hinges on a direct contest between Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ralf Rangnick's squad holds the advantage, as a tie will secure them the first position in the standings.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia-Herzegovina will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Austria

Spain

Spain will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Spain avoid defeat to Turkey, OR...
• They lose to Turkey by a small enough margin to remain ahead on goal difference

Turkey is close behind Spain, but Spain will secure first place if they don't lose by a margin of seven goals or more.

Turkey

Turkey will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Turkey beat Spain by 7+ goals

Switzerland

Switzerland will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Switzerland avoid defeat to Kosovo, OR...
• They lose to Kosovo but by a small enough margin to retain their goal-difference advantage

Switzerland's decisive victory against Sweden puts their fate squarely in their own control. It would take an incredibly lopsided loss to Kosovo for them to relinquish their leading position.

Kosovo

Kosovo will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Kosovo beat Switzerland by a big enough margin to overturn a goal-difference deficit of +11

Denmark

Denmark will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Denmark avoid defeat to Scotland

Group C is set for a direct confrontation following Denmark's unexpected tie against Belarus. Should they manage to not lose to Scotland, qualification is assured; a victory for Scotland would send the Tartan Army to North America.

Scotland

Scotland will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Scotland beat Denmark

CONCACAF

Honduras and Jamaica both had an opportunity to secure qualification in October, yet neither managed to seize the chance.

As a reminder, USA, Canada and Mexico automatically qualified as host nations.

Suriname

Suriname will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Suriname do not lose to Guatemala AND Panama do not beat El Salvador, OR...
• Suriname and Panama win, but Suriname retain their +3 goal-difference advantage, OR...
• Suriname and Panama lose, but Suriname retain their +3 goal-difference advantage

Suriname and Panama share the same number of points at the summit of Group A, though Suriname holds the edge due to their superior goal difference. A victory against Guatemala would almost certainly secure their qualification.

Panama

Panama will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Panama beat El Salvador AND Suriname do not defeat Guatemala, OR...
• Panama draw AND Suriname lose, OR...
• Suriname and Panama win, and Panama overturn the goal-difference deficit

Honduras

Honduras will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Honduras beat or draw with Costa Rica AND Haiti do not beat Nicaragua, OR...
• Honduras and Haiti win, but the former retains goal-difference superiority

Honduras shares the top spot in Group C with Haiti, necessitating a result that matches Haiti's and preserves their goal-difference advantage of at least two.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Costa Rica beat Honduras AND Haiti do not beat Nicaragua

Haiti

Haiti will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Haiti beat Nicaragua AND Honduras do not win against Costa Rica, OR...
• Haiti win by a sufficient margin to overtake Honduras on goal difference

Jamaica

Jamaica will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Jamaica beat Curacao

Jamaica's previous draw against Trinidad and Tobago has resulted in them ceding control of Group B to Curacao. Securing a victory in this concluding match is essential for Their World Cup qualification; a failure to do so will lead to their opponents' celebration.

Curacao

Curacao will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Curacao avoid defeat against Jamaica

CAF

Direct qualification spots for the 2026 finals in the CAF World Cup qualifiers have been finalized. Nevertheless, DR Congo can still secure a place in the group stage through the intercontinental playoffs. They defeated Nigeria on penalties in the final of the CAF playoff tournament this month.

AFC

Following the selection of the eight direct qualifiers from The Asian confederation, only one more qualifying match remains to decide the single intercontinental playoff participant.

Having secured second place in their respective three-team groups during the fourth round, United Arab Emirates and Iraq are set to compete in a two-legged playoff to decide which team advances.

The first leg ended 1-1, with the return game taking place on November 18.

Teams that have secured spots in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Locations yet to be finalized for the 2026 FIFA World Cup