Countries making their World Cup debuts: Updated list of countries making their first FIFA appearances in 2026 originally appeared on Sports news. Add “Sports News” as Preferred source by clicking here.
GO TO:
Advertising
In most four-year World Cup cycles, several countries manage to qualify for a major FIFA tournament that have never competed in the hallowed competition before.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the completion of qualifying, a number of potential debutants are on the verge of securing a place at the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This time it's special because the expansion to 48 teams provides the best chance for smaller nations to take the field, knowing that more spots available means a more realistic path to a coveted spot in the finals.
The Sporting News provides information on the World Cup debutants who have already confirmed their place at the 2026 competition, as well as others who are eyeing a potential place if they maintain their current level.
Advertising
MORE:How will the draw for the 2026 World Cup take place and who will go into which basket?
Countries that will debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The following countries have secured a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and have never participated in the tournament before.
|
Nation |
FIFA rank |
Confederation |
Qualified through |
|
Uzbekistan |
54 |
AFK |
2nd place – Group A |
|
Jordan |
62 |
AFK |
2nd place – Group B |
|
Cape Verde |
70 |
CAF |
1st place – Group D |
MORE: Host countries, cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. | Teams that qualified for the 2026 World Cup
Uzbekistan
Founded in 1994 as an independent state after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan has slowly risen on the international stage. They have been competitive at youth level for several years, reaching the knockout stages of the 2013, 2015 and 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup and winning Asian Cup titles in various age groups.
Advertising
They came very close in 2014, losing to Jordan on penalties in the AFC qualifying tournament for a place in the Intercontinental Playoffs after a 2–2 draw.
Jordan
Having first joined FIFA in 1958, Jordan did not participate in World Cup qualifying until the 1986 cycle. They previously came closest in 2014 when they qualified for the intercontinental play-offs but were brutally drawn by Uruguay, who thrashed them 5-0 in the all-important match.
Finally, in 2026, they were given a qualifying draw of sorts in the third round of the AFC, finishing second to South Korea in their group and securing an automatic spot, leaving Iraq and Oman to compete in further rounds.
Advertising
Cape Verde
The tiny island nation off the west coast of Africa, with a population of about 600,000, qualified for the 2026 World Cup for the first time. In doing so, they edged out CAF giants Cameroon to finish top of their group, eclipsing the five-time AFCON winners by a whopping four points.
The Blue Sharks, who became independent from Portugal in 1975 and began playing for the national team three years later, have only competed in World Cup qualifying since the 2002 cycle. Until the 2026 cycle, in which they won eight of 10 qualifying matches, they had never won more than four matches in any World Cup qualifying match.
Potential World Cup debutants with realistic path to 2026 qualification
The following countries, which had never previously appeared at a FIFA World Cup, competed for the right to participate in 2026 in their qualifying sections.
Advertising
North Macedonia
North Macedonia entered a winner-take-all showdown with Wales in Cardiff in the final round of UEFA Group J, with a place in the knockout stages trailing group winners Belgium.
It was a tough night for Blagoja Milewski's side as Wales won 7-1.
Curacao
If Curacao avoids defeat at the hands of Jamaica, who were beaten 2-0 in October, they will become the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup.
If the Reggae Boyz win, Curacao could advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.
Benin
Benin entered the final matchday of their CAF qualifying group sitting top of the table and knew a win over inconsistent Nigeria would secure their place in the finals.
Advertising
However, the Super Eagles emerged to claim a 4-0 win thanks to a hat-trick from Victor Osimhen. The result left Nigeria ahead of Benin on goal difference, with South Africa topping Group C with a 3-0 win over Rwanda.
Suriname
Suriname led Group A heading into the final round of CONCACAF matches, level on points with Panama. If they improve on Panama's record at home to El Salvador when they travel to Guatemala, they will be guaranteed qualification. Both Guatemala and El Salvador have already dropped out.
If Suriname misses the match, it is likely that they will qualify for the inter-confederation playoffs.
Gabon
Gabon entered the CAF qualifying play-off round as the top runners-up. Thierry Muyuma's side won eight matches and lost just one of their 10 matches, finishing one point behind group winners Ivory Coast.
Advertising
But in the second round of the playoffs, which determined CAF's entry into the inter-confederation playoffs, they lost to Nigeria 4–1 after extra time.
Albania
Albania's decisive 1-0 win away to Serbia in October saw Albania leapfrog their immediate neighbors into second place in UEFA Group K behind runaway winners England.
This earned the club a place in the UEFA play-off round in March.
Kosovo
Kosovo finished second in Group B behind Switzerland, losing just one match as both Slovenia and Sweden endured dismal campaigns.
However, they could face Sweden again as the Scandinavian country has earned one of four knockout spots allocated based on results in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League.
