Africa
Africa has 10 representatives in the 2026 tournament after nine sides qualified directly as group winners and the Democratic Republic of the Congo came through the playoffs.
Egypt
Mohamed Salah scored twice in a 3-0 win over Djibouti in Casablanca in October, helping Hossam Hassan’s team secure qualification with a match to spare and erase the disappointment of missing Qatar 2022. It will be Egypt’s fourth appearance at the finals, although they have still never won a game there. In one of the stranger footnotes in World Cup history, Egypt did qualify for the first tournament in 1930, then missed the boat from Marseille to South America after a storm delayed them.
Morocco
The crowd favourites from Qatar 2022 became the first African side to book a place at the 2026 finals, after a 5-0 rout of Niger in Rabat on 5 September. Morocco, the semi-finalists in Qatar, clinched Group E with two games left after Tanzania drew 1-1 in Congo-Brazzaville. The Atlas Lions are heading to their sixth finals, and they will also co-host the 2030 edition with Portugal and Spain, with three opening matches to be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
Tunisia
Tunisia also qualified with two matches remaining in Group H. Mohamed Ben Romdhane’s late winner, backed by goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen’s stubborn refusal to budge in Malabo against Equatorial Guinea, got the job done. It will be Tunisia’s seventh World Cup, and they remain stuck at the group stage for now.
Algeria
Vladimir Petkovic’s side sealed their place with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Somalia in October. Mohamed Amoura scored twice to take his qualifying total to eight for Wolfsburg, while captain Riyad Mahrez added the third. The result left Algeria four points clear of second-placed Uganda in Group G with one round left. It will be their fifth World Cup appearance and their first since Brazil in 2014.
Ghana
Mohamed Kudus scored the winner at home to Comoros as Ghana confirmed qualification in October. The Black Stars have now reached five of the past six World Cups. In March, though, Otto Addo was dismissed after four straight friendly defeats, just 72 days before the tournament was due to begin. Efficient planning, as ever, remains optional in football.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde are headed to a first-ever World Cup after finishing top of Group D with a 3-0 home win over Eswatini in October, which left Cameroon in second place. They have only been involved in qualifying since 2002, but the Blue Sharks will now become the second-smallest country by population to appear at a men’s finals, after Iceland in 2018.
South Africa
South Africa overcame a three-point deduction to finish top of Group C after beating Rwanda 3-0 at home. Benin, who had gone into the final round with a two-point advantage, collapsed to third after losing 4-0 to Nigeria. Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick in that match, which sent the Super Eagles into the playoff round in November. For South Africa, this is their first qualification since they hosted the tournament in 2010.
Senegal
The Lions of Teranga finished top of Group B with a 4-0 win over neighbours Mauritania in October. Sadio Mané scored twice, and Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye also got on the scoresheet. Senegal were knocked out by England in the last 16 in Qatar, but they got a small measure of revenge by beating the Three Lions in a friendly in June.
Côte d’Ivoire
The reigning African champions wrapped up Group F by beating Kenya 3-0 in their final qualifier in October. Amad Diallo, of Manchester United, scored once and set up another as the Ivorians reached the finals for the first time since 2014.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and DR Congo finished as the four best runners-up in the group stage and went into the CAF playoffs in Morocco. Nigeria beat Gabon 4-1 in their semi-final, while DR Congo stunned Cameroon thanks to Chancel Mbemba’s injury-time goal. The final ended 1-1 and went to penalties, where DR Congo won 4-3 after Semi Ajayi missed from the spot.
That sent them into the inter-confederation playoffs in Mexico, where they met Jamaica, who had beaten New Caledonia in their semi-final. Axel Tuanzebe’s extra-time goal was enough for a 1-0 victory and put DR Congo into their first World Cup since 1974, when they competed as Zaire.
Asia
Nine Asian teams have qualified: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and, through the playoffs, Iraq.
Australia
Australia booked their place in June after coming from behind to beat Saudi Arabia in Jeddah. They had failed to beat Bahrain, Indonesia, Japan and Saudi Arabia earlier in the campaign, but finished with four straight wins, including key victories over Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Iran
Iran’s situation is far less straightforward. The country continues preparing for the World Cup, which it first qualified for in 1978, but war in the Middle East has thrown a large and rather unavoidable shadow over everything. FIFA rejected a request from Iran’s football federation to move their matches from the United States to Mexico, and Donald Trump said it would not be appropriate for Iran to be at the finals “for their own life and safety”. As things stand, their participation looks highly uncertain.
Japan
Japan cruised through qualifying and sealed their place with three group games left. They became the first nation to book a spot by beating Bahrain 2-0 in Saitama, with Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scoring in the second half. It will be Japan’s eighth consecutive World Cup. In Qatar, Hajime Moriyasu’s team reached the last 16 before losing to Croatia on penalties.
Jordan
Jordan qualified for their first World Cup finals on 5 June after Ali Olwan scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Oman in Muscat, while South Korea beat Iraq 2-0. The celebrations were suitably large. King Abdullah II was pictured wearing a national team shirt while watching from the Jordan embassy in London, where he was visiting.
South Korea
South Korea reached their 11th straight finals by beating a 10-man Iraq in Basra on 5 June. The tournament is expected to be Son Heung-min’s final World Cup. The Tottenham captain will turn 34 during the tournament and has said it will be his last. Korea’s qualifying record is bettered only by Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina and Spain. After a disappointing 2023 Asian Cup, Jürgen Klinsmann was replaced by Hong Myung-bo, who then oversaw wins over Oman, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait.
Uzbekistan
The White Wolves finally made it to a World Cup finals, some 2,800 miles from home, after a dull 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. Uzbekistan have been moving up at senior level, having reached the quarter-finals of the Under-17 World Cup, the last 16 of the Under-20 World Cup and the Paris Olympics. Timur Kapadze now has two promising senior talents in Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov and winger Abbosbek Fayzullaev, both 22.
Qatar
Qatar beat the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in the fourth round of Asian qualifying to secure a place. It will be their second consecutive World Cup, following their role as hosts in 2022.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, who will host the 2034 tournament, earned a goalless draw with Iraq in Jeddah to clinch qualification. They won Group B in the fourth round of Asian qualifying, finishing level with Iraq on four points but ahead on goals scored after beating Indonesia 3-2.
Iraq
Iraq reached the intercontinental playoffs in dramatic fashion by beating the United Arab Emirates 3-2 on aggregate, with the winning penalty coming in the 17th minute of stoppage time in the second leg in Basra. Their playoff campaign became more manageable from there, with Ayman Hussein’s second-half goal giving them a 2-1 win over Bolivia in Guadalupe. After 21 qualifiers, Iraq are back in the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.
Europe
Europe had 54 teams competing for 16 places, with Russia suspended. Eleven nations went through via the group stage, and four more came through the playoffs.
England
Thomas Tuchel’s England were the first European side to qualify, doing so with a 5-0 win over Latvia in Riga. They finished Group K with a perfect record, scoring 22 goals and conceding none in eight matches. That is the kind of tidy work every manager pretends to want and then immediately does not get.
France
Kylian Mbappé scored twice as France beat Ukraine 4-0 to qualify with a match to spare in Group D. The 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up are heading to their eighth straight World Cup.
Croatia
Croatia came from behind to beat the Faroe Islands 3-1 at home, with 40-year-old Luka Modrić still running the midfield, and secured their place by topping Group L. It will be another finals appearance for the 2018 finalists.
Portugal
Portugal qualified by smashing Armenia 9-1, a result that included hat-tricks for Bruno Fernandes and João Neves. They had briefly delayed matters by losing 2-0 to Ireland in a match in which captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off, but Roberto Martínez’s team still finished top of Group F with 13 points. That gives Ronaldo a chance to appear at a record sixth World Cup.
Norway
Erling Haaland scored 16 goals in eight qualifying matches to drive Norway to their first World Cup since 1998. His second-half double in a 4-1 win in Italy sealed top spot in Group I. Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said, “Haaland is a goal machine,” and added, “I’m happy Italian fans applauded him too. This is an audience who saw great players playing here over the years and I’m happy that they appreciated Haaland’s performance too.” The rest of the tournament now gets to try to keep up.
Germany
Germany lost their opening qualifier 2-0 in Slovakia in September, then responded with five straight wins in Group A, ending with a 6-0 thrashing of the Slovakians in Leipzig. Newcastle forward Nick Woltemade scored four times in the final three matches, including the only goal in a crucial win over Northern Ireland in Belfast in October. Germany won the World Cup in 2014 but have not got past the group stage since.
Netherlands
The Netherlands scored 27 goals in eight qualifiers, with four of them coming in the final match against Lithuania, which confirmed their place. Memphis Depay led the way with eight goals, becoming his country’s all-time top scorer in the process. The Dutch were beaten by Argentina in a tense, bad-tempered quarter-final in Qatar.
Belgium
Belgium finished unbeaten after a 7-0 win over Liechtenstein in their final qualifier. They took five wins from eight matches to finish top of Group J ahead of Wales. After a run to the semi-finals in 2018, Belgium flopped in Qatar and exited in the group stage, which was an awkward way to end a golden generation’s golden dream.
Spain
Spain, the European champions and FIFA’s top-ranked side, sealed qualification with a 2-2 draw against Turkey in their final group game. Mikel Oyarzabal and Mikel Merino shared the scoring lead in qualifying with six goals each. All eyes, though, will be on Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal and whether he can push Spain toward a second World Cup title.
Scotland
Scotland are back at a World Cup finals for the first time in 28 years. Kenny McLean’s shot from the halfway line completed a 4-2 win over Denmark and sent them top of Group C. Captain Andy Robertson said: “That just sums up this squad. Never say die, we just keep going right to the end. One of the craziest games of football. We’ve certainly put the country through it, but I’m sure it’s worth it - we’re going to the World Cup and I can’t believe it.”
Austria
Like Scotland, Austria will be making their first World Cup appearance since France 98. A 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina secured top spot in Group H on the final day. Marko Arnautović, now 36 and playing for Red Star Belgrade, was their leading scorer with eight goals in qualifying.
Switzerland
Switzerland extended their run to every World Cup since 2006 by topping Group B with four wins from six games. Murat Yakin’s side, captained by Granit Xhaka, have exited at the last-16 stage in their past three World Cups, so they will be hoping this is the edition where they finally stay a little longer.
Turkey
Turkey’s qualifying campaign began with a narrow win in Georgia, then collapsed into a 6-0 defeat by Spain in Konya. They recovered well enough to finish the group stage with a respectable 2-2 draw in Seville, and then had a calmer route through the playoffs than most of the European field. A 1-0 win over Romania in Istanbul was followed by a 1-0 victory over Kosovo in Pristina, sending Turkey to their first World Cup since finishing third in 2002.
Sweden
Sweden finished bottom of their group without a win, but reached the playoffs because of their Nations League record. In March, they leaned heavily on Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres, who scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Ukraine and then grabbed an 88th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory over Poland.
Czech Republic
The Czechs did not exactly qualify the easy way. They finished second in their group after a campaign that included a 5-1 defeat in Croatia and an embarrassing 2-1 loss in the Faroe Islands. They then kept their nerve in the playoffs, drawing 2-2 with the Republic of Ireland before winning on penalties, then drawing 2-2 with Denmark and winning that shootout 3-1. It will be their first World Cup since 2006 and only their second since the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1992.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina also survived via the playoffs. A 77th-minute Austria equaliser in their final group game sent them there, but they were composed when it counted. Edin Džeko scored a late equaliser in Cardiff to secure a 1-1 draw with Wales, and Bosnia won the shootout 4-2. Haris Tabaković then scored another late leveller in a 1-1 draw with Italy in Zenica, before Bosnia won that penalty shootout 4-1. It will be their first World Cup since their debut in 2014.
North America, Central America and the Caribbean
The three automatic places went to Curaçao, Haiti and Panama. Jamaica and Suriname entered the intercontinental playoffs as the two best runners-up, but lost to DR Congo and Bolivia respectively. The United States, Canada and Mexico are in automatically as hosts.
Curaçao
Curaçao are going to their first World Cup and, at a population of 156,000, are the smallest country to qualify for a men’s finals. They sealed the place with a goalless draw in Jamaica, even though coach Dick Advocaat, the 78-year-old former Rangers and Netherlands manager, missed the game for personal reasons. Curaçao went through qualifying unbeaten, and Advocaat has since been replaced by fellow Dutchman Fred Rutten.
Haiti
Haiti last appeared at a World Cup in 1974, and they booked their return with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua. The decisive match was played in Curaçao because of unrest in Haiti, where the team have had to use the island for home qualifiers. They are coached by Sébastien Migné, whose previous jobs include Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.
Panama
Panama qualified unbeaten after beating El Salvador 3-0, earning a return to the tournament after their only previous appearance in 2018. They are coached by Thomas Christiansen, formerly of Leeds and Union Saint-Gilloise. Several squad members play in Venezuela or Mexico, while right-back Michael Amir Murillo is at Beşiktaş.
Oceania
Oceania had one automatic place, which went to New Zealand. New Caledonia, a French overseas territory not recognised by FIFA until 2004, reached the intercontinental playoffs after losing the Oceania qualifying final, but were beaten by Jamaica.
New Zealand
In a country where rugby union tends to dominate the national mood, the All Whites’ return to the World Cup after 16 years was worth celebrating. New Zealand beat New Caledonia 3-0 at Auckland’s Eden Park, the home of their 15-a-side counterparts the All Blacks, to qualify. The match did not start smoothly. It was goalless at half-time and captain Chris Wood went off early in the second half with a hip injury. Michael Boxall finally broke the deadlock after an hour, scoring his first international goal at 36, before Kosta Barbarouses doubled the lead and Eli Just added a third in the 80th minute.
South America
Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil all qualified through the league stage. Bolivia were unable to turn the continent’s seventh place into a World Cup berth, losing to Iraq in the playoffs.
Argentina
The holders secured qualification on 25 March when Bolivia drew 0-0 with Uruguay. The main question now is whether Lionel Messi will play at the finals. The Inter Miami forward has stayed vague about his plans, with Lionel Scaloni saying, “I want him to be there. It’s up to him to decide.”
Ecuador
Ecuador reached the finals on 10 June after a goalless draw with Peru in Lima, which confirmed qualification with two games remaining. It was their fifth World Cup this century. They finished second in the standings and also beat eventual table-toppers Argentina 1-0 in Guayaquil, a match that saw both teams reduced to 10 players. Nicolás Otamendi was sent off in the 31st minute, Enner Valencia scored a penalty in first-half stoppage time, and Moisés Caicedo was dismissed in the 50th minute.
Colombia
Colombia are back after missing Qatar 2022, and they sealed qualification with a 3-0 win over Bolivia on 4 September, with James Rodríguez leading the side and Néstor Lorenzo’s team reaching the finals with a match to spare. They reached the quarter-finals in 2014 and still have one of the most watchable squads around, not least Luis Díaz, who scored 30 goals across his last two seasons at Liverpool before moving to Bayern Munich in the summer. Another name to note is Richard Ríos, Benfica’s record signing, who has settled quickly at the Estádio da Luz after arriving from Palmeiras.
Uruguay
Marcelo Bielsa, once adored at Elland Road, guided Uruguay to their fifth consecutive World Cup with a strong 3-0 win over Peru at the Estadio Centenario on 4 September. The campaign had its bumps, but Uruguay still managed to beat Brazil in Montevideo and surprise Argentina in Buenos Aires. Bielsa, 70, is heading to his third World Cup as a coach. His Argentina team were eliminated in the group stage in 2002, and he later took Chile to South Africa 2010, where they lost to Brazil in the last 16. Uruguay’s current crop is less nostalgic and more dangerous, with Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde leading the way. His former club coach Xabi Alonso compared him to peak Steven Gerrard, saying: “Every manager would like a Valverde on the team.”
Brazil
Brazil preserved their record of appearing at every World Cup by beating Paraguay 1-0 on 10 June. They finished fifth in the standings, which is their lowest qualifying position ever. The five-time champions will be making their 23rd appearance, but Carlo Ancelotti has had limited time to prepare after arriving from Real Madrid in May, so he is leaning on team spirit and individual quality. As he put it: “I think more tactical work is needed to refine game strategy. All of this can be very important, but the most important part is not the strategy, it is the attitude of the players on the pitch. For that, it doesn’t take much time to prepare.”
Paraguay
Paraguay will be at a World Cup for the first time since 2010 after holding Ecuador to a 0-0 draw at home on 4 September. Gustavo Alfaro’s team got the point they needed by refusing to blink, which is useful in football and most other parts of life. Miguel Almirón and Julio Enciso, now at Strasbourg, are among their better-known names. Almirón, who was 16 in 2010, said he remembers watching Paraguay’s opening match that year, a 1-1 draw with Italy in Cape Town, with friends in his Asunción neighbourhood. “That fills you with pride, to see your country in this huge competition,” he said. “You always dream of that.”
