The 2026 World Cup will be the largest ever edition of FIFA's flagship international football tournament.
North America will welcome 48 teams — a significant increase from the 32 that have contested the past seven editions.
One side-effect of this is it makes qualification more straightforward for football's traditional heavyweights in most instances.
Brazil limped to fifth place in the CONMEBOL qualifier, a performance that would have previously left the only country to contest every single World Cup in jeopardy. However, the top six in South America now go through directly, with seventh getting a shot at the inter-confederation playoff.
The other side of this coin is the opportunities granted to lesser lights of the global game who have been able to secure a seat at the World Cup table for the first time.
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Smallest countries ever in the World Cup
Iceland became the smallest country to take part in a World Cup when they qualified for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Heimir Hallgrimsson's side claimed a famous 1-1 draw against Argentina in their opening match, when Hannes Halldorsson saved a penalty from Lionel Messi after Alfred Finnbogason cancelled out Sergio Aguero's first-half opener.
Not only were Iceland the smallest country to reach a World Cup, they were also the only nation with a population of under one million to take part in the tournament. Their population stood at 350,000 for the 2018 finals.
That will change in 2026 after Curacao and Cape Verde qualified for their debut World Cups. Curacao are now the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup, both in terms of population (150,000) and land area (171 square miles).
Where is Curacao?
Curacao is a Caribbean island located roughly 40 miles north of Venezuela.
As such, the Curacao national team — ranked 82nd in the world by FIFA prior to the 2026 World Cup draw — play under the auspices of CONCACAF.
Curacao population
As per its 2023 census, Curacao has a population of 155,826.
Where is Cape Verde?
Cape Verde is situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. It comprises 10 volcanic islands.
The Cape Verde national team progressed through CAF qualification as winners of Group D ahead of African giants Cameroon. They are 68th in the FIFA rankings.
Cape Verde population
As per its 2021 census, Cape Verde — which takes its name from the Portuguese for "green cape" — has a population of 491,233, making it one of the least populous countries in Africa.
Smallest country to win the World Cup
Uruguay has consistently punched well above its weight in global football and the winners of the inaugural World Cup in 1930, as well as the 1950 tournament, are comfortably the smallest country to lift the trophy.
When Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 on soil in the first World Cup final, it had a population of around 1.5 million. This had risen to 2 million when they stunned Brazil at the Maracana to regain the crown in 1950.
The 15-time South American champions, home to modern football greats such as Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, presently draw from a population in the region of 3.5 million.