Ahead of the December 5 group-stage draw, 42 teams had already booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The United States, Canada and Mexico all qualified automatically as co-hosts for world football's flagship international tournament, which has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams for the first time.
Three more nations will join the host trio from North America (CONCACAF), while Europe (UEFA) will be the most represented confederation with 16 teams. Twelve of these are already set, with four to be determined in the UEFA playoff in March 2026.
There are also eight teams from Asia (AFC), nine from Africa (CAF), six from South America (CONMEBOL) and New Zealand as the lone Oceania (OFC) representative so far.
Each confederation, aside from UEFA, will be represented at the inter-confederation playoff in March, from which two finalists will emerge.
Below is a rundown of who remains in World Cup contention and how each nation can still qualify.
2026 WORLD CUP HQ: World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule
Which teams have qualified for the World Cup?
To this point, 42 teams have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Co-hosts United States, Canada and Mexico join 39 other nations that have qualified via their respective confederation paths.
Below is a list of all countries by region with a spot in the 2026 World Cup. The six remaining spots will be decided after the UEFA and inter-confederation playoffs in March 2026.
Africa
- Algeria
- Cape Verde
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Morocco
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tunisia
Asia
- Australia
- Iran
- Japan
- Jordan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Uzbekistan
Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- England
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Scotland
- Spain
- Switzerland
North America
- Canada (Host)
- Mexico (Host)
- USA (Host)
- Curacao
- Haiti
- Panama
South America
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
Oceania
- New Zealand
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:
UEFA World Cup qualification playoffs
- Teams that can still qualify: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czechia, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales
The UEFA playoff round comprises the 12 runners-up from the confederation's World Cup qualifying groups, plus the four best finishers in the 2024/25 Nations League that did not secure a top-two finish during qualification.
Those 16 teams have been split into four playoff paths, which will be contested in a single match, straight knockout format. The teams were divided into four pots based on their FIFA ranking, with the teams from the top two pots granted home semifinals.
Teams from Pot 1 were drawn against those from Pot 4 — the four Nations League qualifiers — and Pot 2 nations were drawn against those from Pot 3. A separate draw was then conducted to decide which semifinal in each path will produce the final host.
Path A: Italy, Wales, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Northern Ireland
Path B: Ukraine, Poland, Albania, Sweden
Path C: Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo, Romania
Path D: Denmark, Czechia, Republic of Ireland, North Macedonia
UEFA Playoffs Path A
Semifinals
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 26 | Wales | vs. | Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| March 26 | Italy | vs. | Northern Ireland |
Final
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | SF1 | vs. | SF2 |
UEFA Playoffs Path B
Semifinals
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 26 | Ukraine | vs. | Sweden |
| March 26 | Poland | vs. | Albania |
Final
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | SF1 | vs. | SF2 |
UEFA Playoffs Path C
Semifinals
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 26 | Slovakia | vs. | Kosovo |
| March 26 | Turkey | vs. | Romania |
Final
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | SF1 | vs. | SF2 |
UEFA Playoffs Path D
Semifinals
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 26 | Czechia | vs. | Republic of Ireland |
| March 26 | Denmark | vs. | North Macedonia |
Final
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | SF1 | vs. | SF2 |
FIFA inter-confederation playoffs
- Teams that can still qualify: DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname, New Caledonia
The remaining two places will be decided in the inter-confederation playoff, which will be staged in Mexico during the March international window. Every confederation, except UEFA, is represented, with CONCACAF granted two spots as the host region.
The teams were split into two three-team brackets, with the two unseeded teams in each section playing a semifinal for the right to face the seeded team in the final. The seeds were determined based on the November 2025 FIFA rankings.
FIFA Inter-Confederation Playoffs Path A
Semifinal
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 26 | New Caledonia | vs. | Jamaica |
Final
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | Dr Congo | vs. | New Caledonia/Jamaica |
FIFA Inter-Confederation Playoffs Path B
Semifinal
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 26 | Bolivia | vs. | Suriname |
Final
| Date | Home | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 31 | Iraq | vs. | Bolivia/Suriname |
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:
- Last time the World Cup was in United States
- Revisiting the first World Cup in 1930
- Most World Cup wins by country
- Future World Cup locations for 2030 and beyond
- Guide to host countries, cities for 2026 World Cup