Qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup began on Oct. 12, 2023, when countries from the Asian confederation played their first round of matches and Myanmar's Lwin Moe Aung scored the very first goal in a 5-1 win over Macau.
Now, all confederations' competitions are drawing to a close, but we're still a long way from discovering the full list of 45 nations that will join World Cup hosts United States, Mexico and Canada to make up the field of 48.
Japan was the first country to qualify on March 20, but who else are we waiting for?
Qualified teams (27/45)
– Europe (4 of 16 qualifiers): England, France, Croatia, Portugal
– North America, Central America and Caribbean (0/3):
– Africa (9/9): Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
– Asia (8/8): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Korea
– South America (6/6): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
– Oceania (1/1): New Zealand
– Interconfederation playoff winners (0/2):
What can be decided in November?
– Europe and Concacaf: The final rounds of the group stage will be completed, and 15 more teams will qualify for the World Cup. The UEFA playoff field and the two Concacaf nations that will enter the six-team interconfederation playoff in March 2026 (there are two teams from Concacaf and one team apiece from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and OFC) will also be known.
– Africa: The CAF's interconfederation playoff spot will be decided by a winner-take-all mini tournament, with four teams in the running to be crowned on Nov. 16. In the semifinals, it's Nigeria vs. Gabon and Cameroon vs. DR Congo.
– Asia: UAE and Iraq will play a two-legged tie on Nov. 13 and Nov. 18 to determine who receives the interconfederation playoff spot.
– South America and Oceania: Qualification complete.
Number of World Cup spots: 12 automatic + 4 via confederation playoff
Who has qualified? England, France, Croatia, Portugal
There are 55 European nations, although 54 will compete as Russia remain suspended due to the invasion of Ukraine.
There are 12 groups of four or five teams, playing home and away matches. The group-stage qualifying process ends with a doubleheader in November.
The 12 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup, with the 12 runners-up entering the playoff system.
Qualifying began in March 2025 when most of the European teams who were not in UEFA Nations League (UNL) action played their first matches.
What happened this week?
We will soon learn the identities of all the automatic qualifiers, along with the teams that will be competing in the playoffs for the last four spots available to European nations.
Sunday
GROUP F: Portugal fumbled their chance to qualify Thursday by losing 2-0 in Republic of Ireland, a match that included a straight red card on Cristiano Ronaldo. But even without the all-time top scorer in men's internationals, the reigning Nations League holders beat Armenia 9-1 in Porto to qualify for the World Cup as group winners with 13 points and a goal difference of plus-13.
But the real thrills were in Budapest, where Ireland came from 2-1 down to beat Hungary 3-2 and seal a UEFA playoff spot. Troy Parrot's hat trick confirmed Ireland as runners-up with 10 points, two more than Hungary. Armenia finished bottom on three points and a goal difference of minus-16.
Saturday
GROUP E: Spain (15, plus-19) are still top with a 100% record after beating Georgia (3, minus-7), with Turkey (12, plus-5) the nearest challengers. Spain have a goal difference advantage of 14 over Turkey, so they qualify as long as they don't lose by 7 when the sides meet on Tuesday.
Turkey look set for the playoffs, while Bulgaria (0, minus-17) are out.
GROUP C: Denmark (11, plus-11) and Scotland (10, plus-4) are the only two teams left that can still qualify for the World Cup, and they'll face each other in Glasgow on Tuesday. Scotland's loss to Greece on Saturday ensures that Steve Clarke's men must win against the Danes if they're to avoid the playoff.
Greece and Belarus have been eliminated.
GROUP H: Austria (18, plus-18) won at Cyprus (8, 0), but they've not yet secured qualification because Bosnia and Herzegovina (16, plus-10) also won on Saturday, defeating Romania (10, plus-3). Austria and Bosnia will meet on Tuesday to determine who gets the automatic berth.
Romania's loss eliminates them from contention for a playoff place as runners-up, although they still can move into the playoff as UEFA Nations League group winner. Northern Ireland's loss to Slovakia in Group A on Friday means that San Marino no longer have a chance to qualify through the Nations League path.
GROUP B: Switzerland (13, plus-12) hold a lead over Kosovo (10, plus-1) and their goal difference is worth an extra point. It means the Swiss have effectively qualified in all but name with their win over Sweden (1, minus-8). Only a Kosovo win over Switzerland by 6 or more goals on Tuesday will keep the Swiss from earning automatic qualification. If they don't, it could open the door to Kosovo, who are away to Slovenia (3, minus-3) before hosting Switzerland in what could be a decider on Tuesday.
Slovenia's (3, minus-5) hopes of making the playoff were extinguished with Saturday's loss to Kosovo. Sweden are all but out of contention, but are set to get a playoff route through the Nations League.
GROUP J: Belgium (15 points, plus-15 goal differential) still sit at the top of the table and will finish up against already-eliminated Liechtenstein (0, minus-24) on Tuesday, but they failed to seal qualification on Saturday after drawing with Kazakhstan (8, minus-4). The Red Devils need a draw against Liechtenstein in their finale to automatically qualify. North Macedonia (13, plus-9) will look to hold off Wales (13, plus-4) for second.
Wales' 1-0 win over Lichtenstein on Saturday didn't give them the goal-differential swing needed to leapfrog North Macedonia for second in the group, meaning that Craig Bellamy's team will need a win on Tuesday in order to secure second. While both North Macedonia and Wales are guaranteed a playoff route through the Nations League, finishing in second gives a better seeding — and for Wales a home semifinal.
Friday
GROUP A: Germany (12, plus-7) and Slovakia (12, plus-4) both took care of business by defeating Luxembourg (0, minus-11) and Northern Ireland (6, 0), respectively. That sets the stage for a Monday match between the top two sides with a World Cup spot on the line. Germany's goal-differential advantage means a win or a draw will seal first place in the group, while Slovakia must win to avoid the playoffs.
Despite finishing third in the group, Northern Ireland can still make the World Cup through the playoffs, as one of the four best-ranked Nations League group winners that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group.
GROUP G: Netherlands (17, plus-19) and second-place Poland (14, plus-6) managed a 1-1 draw, meaning the Netherlands have all but locked up qualification thanks to their superior goal differential. As a result, Poland will surely be in the playoffs regardless of their final-day result, after Finland (10, minus-6) lost 1-0 to Malta (5, minus-14) on Friday.
GROUP L: Croatia qualified with a 3-1 win at home over the Faroe Islands. The Faroes' loss also guaranteed Czechia second place, regardless of their match on the final day, which means Czechia will have a spot in the playoffs.
Thursday
GROUP D: France (13, plus-10 goal differential) qualified with a 2-0 win over Ukraine (7, minus-3). That means Iceland (7, plus-2), after beating Azerbaijan (1, minus-11), have moved into the playoff place on goal difference.
This sets up a massive showdown between Ukraine and Iceland in Warsaw on Sunday; Ukraine must win to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
GROUP I: Norway (21, plus-29) effectively clinched automatic qualification with a 4-1 win over Estonia (4, -13). Italy (18, plus-10) still technically have a chance to top the group, but even after defeating Moldova (1, minus-24), Norway's vastly superior goal difference means Italy would need an impossibly massive win against Norway on the final day to avoid the playoffs.
GROUP K: England (21, plus-20) have dominated the group, qualifying with a 100% record and not conceding a goal. That continued Thursday with a 2-0 win over Serbia (10, minus-2). And with Albania (14, plus-4) defeating Andorra (1, minus-13), Albania sealed second place in the group and a spot in the UEFA playoffs.
What can be decided in November?
– Check out the latest fixtures and results here | Tables
PLAYOFFS: The final four places at the World Cup will be determined via the UEFA playoffs, to be played in March 2026. There is no path to the World Cup through FIFA's interconfederation playoffs.
The UEFA playoffs involve 16 teams: the 12 group stage runners-up, plus the four best-ranked group winners from the UNL who did not finish in the top two in World Cup qualifying. This creates four routes, each with four teams featuring a one-legged semifinal and a final for a place at the World Cup.
The priority order for the four World Cup playoff places through the UNL is: Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, England, Norway, Wales, Czechia, Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Moldova, San Marino.
Of the 14 teams to win their UNL groups, 10 of those were in Pot 1 or 2 for the World Cup qualifying draw — so on ranking would finish in the top two of their group. If that comes to pass, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Moldova and San Marino would get a playoff place. However, that now appears unlikely with Romania and Sweden struggling to finish in the top two.
Seeding:
– Pot 1: Four World Cup qualifying group runners-up with the best FIFA World Ranking
– Pot 2: As above, teams fifth to eighth in the FIFA World Ranking list order
– Pot 3: As above, teams ninth to 12th in the FIFA World Ranking list order
– Pot 4: UEFA Nations League teams
Semifinals:
– Pot 1 vs. Pot 4
– Pot 2 vs. Pot 3
Number of World Cup spots: 3 automatic + 2 enter interconfederation playoff
Who has qualified? None
Usually, Concacaf would have six automatic places in qualifying — but for the 2026 World Cup, three of the six are taken up by the hosts (United States, Mexico, Canada). That leaves three places to be won, plus two spots in the interconfederation playoff path.
Concacaf saw 32 nations enter the race to make the World Cup.
ROUND 1: The four lowest-ranked Concacaf nations battled it out in two-legged ties. Anguilla and British Virgin Islands eliminated Turks and Caicos Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands, respectively, on penalties.
ROUND 2: The top 28-ranked nations, plus the two winners from Round 1, were drawn into six groups of five teams. Teams played each other only once, rather than home and away. This stage was played in two blocks, in June 2024 and June 2025.
The six group winners and six group runners-up moved on to Round 3.
Advanced: Bermuda, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago
ROUND 3: The 12 remaining teams were drawn into three groups of four teams.
This phase started in September and will be completed in November.
The group winners will qualify for the World Cup, with the two runners-up with the best record going on to take part in the interconfederation playoffs.
– Check out the fixtures and results | Latest tables
What can be decided in November?
By the end of the month, we will know which three group winners have qualified for the World Cup, and which two runners-up will move on to the playoffs.
GROUP A: On Thursday, Suriname (9, +5) defeated El Salvador (3, -6) and Panama (9, +2) beat Guatemala (5, -1) in a tight 3-2 contest. El Salvador and Guatemala have been eliminated, but they will have a say in who wins the group on Tuesday. It will be Guatemala vs. Suriname and Panama vs. El Salvador, and as Suriname have the superior goal differential, Panama must better Suriname's result to qualify automatically. The second-place team will be left hoping its point total and goal differential is enough to advance to the interconfederation playoffs.
GROUP B: Curaçao (11) went top of the group Thursday after a comprehensive 7-0 victory over Bermuda (0) and a 1-1 draw between Jamaica (10) and Trinidad & Tobago (6). It's all to play for on Tuesday in Kingston, as Jamaica and Curaçao face off to decide who will earn qualification and who will enter the playoffs, or even be eliminated if the second-place team is the worst of the three group runners-up.
GROUP C: A surprise loss Thursday by Honduras (8, +3) to Nicaragua (4, -6) has thrown this group into chaos. A 1-0 victory by Haiti (8, +1) over Costa Rica (6, +2) means all of the teams save for Nicaragua could yet win the group and qualify for the World Cup on the final day. Tuesday's matchups will be Costa Rica vs. Honduras and Haiti vs. Nicaragua.
Number of World Cup spots: 9 automatic + 1 enters interconfederation playoff
Who has qualified? Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
There were 54 FIFA-affiliated nations in the draw. However, Eritrea subsequently withdrew over fears its players would try to seek political asylum during trips abroad.
Round 1: The teams were in eight groups of six nations, and one group of five (with Eritrea removed).
The nine group winners qualified for the World Cup, while the four best second-place teams moved on to Round 2.
The stage began in November 2023 and was completed in October 2025.
What happened this week?
– Check out the latest fixtures and results here | Latest tables
Round 2: The four best runners-up are competing in the CAF playoffs (two semifinals and a final) to decide which one country will go to the interconfederation playoffs. The fixtures were created using the FIFA World Ranking — the highest rank plays the lowest rank, and second faces third. This stage is played on neutral ground in Morocco, with the semifinals held Thursday and the final on Sunday. The winner of the final will move on to the March playoffs.
On Thursday, Nigeria defeated Gabon 4-1 after extra time, and DR Congo won 1-0 over Cameroon, setting the matchup for the final.
Semifinals, Nov. 13:
Nigeria 4-1 Gabon
Cameroon 0-1 DR Congo
Final, Nov. 16:
Nigeria vs. DR Congo
Number of World Cup spots: 9 automatic + 1 enters interconfederation playoff
Who has qualified? Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
This is by some distance the most complicated route to the World Cup, with a layered qualifying process featuring a dual group stage to find the eight automatic qualifiers. But all of them have now been determined.
Round 1: The 20 lowest-ranked nations played two-legged ties in October 2023: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore and Yemen advanced.
Round 2: Those 10 winners joined the 26 best-ranked nations. The 36 teams were drawn into nine groups of four teams, with the top two nations going through to Round 3. This stage began in November 2023 and was completed in June 2024.
Advanced: Australia, Bahrain, China, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, North Korea, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan
Round 3: We were left with 18 nations, drawn into three groups of six teams. Matches began in September 2024.
The group winners and runners-up took the first six places at the 2026 World Cup and their campaign is complete.
Japan became the first team to qualify for the World Cup on March 20, followed by Iran, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Australia.
– Check out the results | Final tables
Round 4: The six teams in this stage were drawn into two groups of three. They played each other once, so two matches in total per team, in one host country in October. The winners of the groups qualified for the World Cup: Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The runners-up, UAE and Iraq, advanced to Round 5.
What can be decided in November?
Round 5: UAE and Iraq will play a two-legged tie to earn a place in the interconfederation playoffs. The first leg took place Wednesday in Abu Dhabi and ended in a 1-1 draw. The second leg will be held Tuesday in Basra, Iraq.
Number of World Cup spots: 6 automatic + 1 enters interconfederation playoff
Who has qualified? Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
As in recent qualifying competitions, all 10 nations played each other home and away. The top six nations qualified directly to the finals. The seventh-placed team goes into the interconfederation playoffs in March.
The first qualifiers took place in September 2023, with the league phase completed in September 2025.
Bolivia are in the interconfederation playoffs.
– Check out the results | Final table
Number of World Cup spots: 1 automatic + 1 enters interconfederation playoff All 11 members of the OFC region took part. Round 1: The four lowest-ranked nations played a knockout format (two semis and a final) in Samoa in September 2024. American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga were in this round. Samoa beat Tonga 2-1 in the final to advance. Round 2: Samoa and the seven top-ranked nations were drawn into two groups of four nations, with matches played in October and November 2024. Games were held in Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. The top two countries in each group — New Caledonia, Tahiti, New Zealand and Fiji — went on to Round 3. – Check out the results here | Final tables Round 3: The four remaining countries then played a one-legged knockout format (two semis and a final) in New Zealand in March 2025. Semifinals, March 21 Final, March 24 As winners of the final, New Zealand qualified for the World Cup, with losers New Caledonia moving onto the interconfederation playoffs. The playoffs, to be held in March 2026, will determine the final two qualifiers. Six countries will take part. Each of the five confederations (apart from UEFA) will provide one country, while the host confederation (Concacaf) receives a second slot. 1 – Africa (DR Congo or Nigeria) The two nations with the best FIFA World Ranking will be seeded and go straight into one of the two finals. The four other countries will be drawn to play a semifinal, feeding through to play a seed for one of the two places at the World Cup. The playoffs are due to be held in one of the World Cup host nations as a test event.
Who has qualified? New Zealand
New Caledonia 3-0 Tahiti
New Zealand 7-0 Fiji
New Caledonia 0-3 New Zealand
Interconfederation playoffs (2 places)
1 – Asia (Iraq or UAE)
2 – Concacaf
1 – Oceania (New Caledonia)
1 – South America (Bolivia)
