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As of now (14/3/2025), no teams have officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The qualification process is ongoing and varies by region, with some confederations having just started their campaigns and others yet to begin. Here’s a breakdown of the qualification process and the teams that are likely to qualify based on current standings and historical performance:
Qualification Process Overview
The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams, up from 32 in previous tournaments. The allocation of spots by confederation is as follows:
- AFC (Asia): 8 direct slots + 1 intercontinental playoff slot
- CAF (Africa): 9 direct slots + 1 intercontinental playoff slot
- CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean): 6 direct slots (including hosts USA, Canada, and Mexico) + 2 intercontinental playoff slots
- CONMEBOL (South America): 6 direct slots + 1 intercontinental playoff slot
- OFC (Oceania): 1 direct slot + 1 intercontinental playoff slot
- UEFA (Europe): 16 direct slots
Teams Likely to Qualify
While no teams have officially qualified yet, here are some teams that are strong favorites based on their historical performance and current form:
CONCACAF (Hosts Automatically Qualify)
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
CONMEBOL (South America)
- Argentina (defending champions)
- Brazil
- Uruguay
- Colombia
- Ecuador
UEFA (Europe)
- France
- England
- Spain
- Germany
- Portugal
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Croatia
AFC (Asia)
- Japan
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
- Iran
- Australia
CAF (Africa)
- Morocco (2022 semifinalists)
- Senegal
- Nigeria
- Egypt
- Ivory Coast
OFC (Oceania)
- New Zealand (likely to dominate the region)
Qualification Timeline
- CONCACAF: Qualification began in March 2024, with the final round running through 2025.
- CONMEBOL: The round-robin qualification tournament began in September 2023 and will conclude in 2025.
- UEFA: Qualification began in March 2025 and will run through 2025.
- AFC: Qualification began in October 2023 and will conclude in 2025.
- CAF: Qualification began in November 2023 and will conclude in 2025.
- OFC: Qualification will begin in 2024 and conclude in 2025.
Intercontinental Playoffs
The intercontinental playoffs will feature 6 teams competing for the 2 remaining spots. These teams will come from the confederations with playoff slots (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC).
When Will We Know the Qualified Teams?
The majority of teams will secure their spots by late 2025, with the intercontinental playoffs taking place in early 2026, just before the tournament begins.
If you’d like updates on specific regions or teams as the wc qualifiers progress, let wc 2026 know!
