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Here’s Who Has Qualified For The 2026 FIFA World Cup, And Who Still Can

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International soccer teams across the globe are forging onward on the path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with most teams involved set to play two more qualifying matches in a November international window that began on Thursday.

For the first time ever, the final field is expanded to 48 teams for the event, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

As the time of publication, 29 teams had already punched their ticket, with 13 more expected to do so by the time the window concludes. The remaining six four spots will be decided in March, after the World Cup draw to be held on Dec. 5 in Washington.

Of the 48 spots, 46 are doled out directly by the six continental federations or by FIFA to the co-host nations. The remaining two will be decided by a six-team intercontinental playoff.

Here’s a look at who has already qualified, and who still can, broken down across each of the six federations.

Who Has Qualified From Asia

The Asian Football Confederation has already determined the eight teams it will send directly to the tournament, with a ninth still to advance to the intercontinental playoff.

The first six qualified by finishing in the top two places of their six-team, round-robin groups during the third round. The next two did so by winning their three-team, fourth-round group.

The second-place finishers from the fourth round are currently engaged in a two-leg aggregate goals series to determine Asia’s inter-continental playoff representative. The UAE and Iraq drew the first leg 1-1 in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, with the return leg set for Tuesday in Basra.

3rd round group winners and runners up:

  • Australia
  • Iran
  • Japan
  • Jordan
  • South Korea
  • Uzbekistan

4th round group winners:

Still alive:

Who Has Qualified From Africa

The CAF has already qualified nine winners of four-team, six-match groups for the tournament. The top four finishing runners up were sent into a four-team continental playoff tournament, with the winner of that to play in the intercontinental playoffs.

Nigeria and the DR Congo won their continental playoff semifinals on Thursday, and will meet with a berth to the intercontinental playoffs on the line next week.

Group winners:

  • Algeria
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Ghana
  • Ivory Coast
  • Morocco
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • Tunisia

Still alive:

Who Has Qualified From CONCACAF

CONCACAF governs soccer in North America, Central America at the Caribbean. It will send six teams – including the three co-host nations – directly to the 48 team field, and two more into the inter-continental playoffs.

The three qualifying group winners will join the hosts as automatic entrants. But none of the four-team groups were settled heading into Thursday’s action, and only Bermuda had been mathematically eliminated of the 12 teams involved.

The top two second-place finishers in each group will be sent into intercontinental playoffs.

Host nations:

Qualifying group winners:

Still alive:

  • Costa Rica
  • Curacao
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Jamaica
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Suriname
  • Trinidad and Tobago

Who Has Qualified From South America

Despite its lengthy 18-match format, CONMEBOL concluded the automatic portion of its qualifying session back in September. The top six finishers in the 10-team round robin advance directly into the tournament, with the seventh-place finisher – Bolivia – earning an intercontinental playoff berth.

Qualifying top six:

  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Colombia
  • Ecuador
  • Paraguay
  • Uruguay

Still alive:

Who Has Qualified From Oceania

For the first time, the OFC will send a guaranteed representative to the World Cup rather than having to settle for an intercontinental playoff berth only.

New Zealand won the federation’s knockout-style tournament. By virtue of its second-place finish, New Caledonia has earned an intercontinental playoff spot.

Confederation winner:

Still alive:

Who Has Qualified From Europe

The European format involves 12 groups of four or five teams. The winner of each group will qualify automatically for one of the 16 total berths doled out by UEFA. The 12 second-place finishers will join four teams determined by the recent UEFA Europa League standings in a 16-team, single-elimination playoff system for four more spots.

After Thursday’s matches, England and France were the only two European nations to seal their spot in the tournament.

The two playoff rounds for the final four spots will be contested in March in the same international window as the intercontinental playoffs. Unlike other confederations, UEFA will not send any nations to the inter-continental playoffs.

Group winners:

Still alive:

  • Albania
  • Austria
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Belgium
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Faroe Islands
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Italy
  • Kosovo
  • Moldova
  • Netherlands
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Republic of Ireland
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Scotland
  • Serbia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Turkiye
  • Ukraine
  • Wales

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianquillen/2025/11/13/heres-who-has-qualified-for-the-2026-fifa-world-cup-and-who-still-can/