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 (25/45)
– Europe (1 of 16 qualifiers): England
– 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
– Inter-confederation playoff winners (0/2):
What can be decided in November?
– Europe and Concacaf: The final rounds of the group stage will be completed, and 14 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’s already in? England
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.
How UEFA teams can qualify as the group stage ends
England are through, and we will soon learn the identities of the remaining 11 automatic qualifiers, along with the teams who will be competing in the playoff for the last four spots available to European nations.
GROUP A: Germany (9 points, +5 goal differential) and Slovakia (9, +3) are in the hot seat, and Northern Ireland (6, +1) will surely have to win in Slovakia on Nov. 14 if they are to stay in contention. The final group game between Germany and Slovakia in Leipzig on Nov. 17 looks like being the decider, though.
If Northern Ireland miss out on the top two, they are almost certain to get a playoff through the Nations League route, while Luxembourg (0, -9) are out.
GROUP B: Switzerland (10, +9) hold a lead over Kosovo (7, -1) and their goal difference is worth an extra point. In effect, it means the Swiss will have qualified in all but name if they win at home to Sweden (1, -5) on Nov. 15. If they don’t, it could open the door to Kosovo, who are away to Slovenia (3, -3) before hosting Switzerland in what could be a decider on Nov. 18. Slovenia must beat Kosovo to keep alive their hopes of a playoff.
Sweden are all but out of contention, but are set to get a playoff route through the Nations League.
GROUP C: Denmark (10, +11) and Scotland (10, +5) are the only two teams left that can still qualify for the World Cup. On Nov. 15, it’s Denmark vs. Belarus, while Scotland go to Greece. As long as Scotland avoid defeat, the group is set up nicely for a decider between the top two in Glasgow on Nov. 18; that looks like being a must-win for Scotland as their goal difference is not as good.
Greece and Belarus are eliminated.
GROUP D: France (10, +6) still have work to do to hold off Ukraine (7, +1) in second. On Nov. 13, it’s France vs. Ukraine and Les Bleus will qualify with a victory. Even if France lose, goal difference means they are in strong position with a home game against Azerbaijan (1, -9) to finish up on Nov. 16.
Iceland (4, +2) will hope that France get the win because if Iceland beat Azerbaijan, they will move into the playoff place on goal difference. And that sets up a huge final-day game between Ukraine and Iceland in Warsaw.
Azerbaijan have only a mathematical chance of a playoff.
GROUP E: Spain (12, +15) are top with a 100% record, with Turkey (9, +3) the nearest challengers. Spain have a goal difference advantage of 12 over Turkey, so they will qualify in all but name with a victory in Georgia (3, -3) on Nov. 15 (and it will be certain if Turkey do not win at home to Bulgaria).
Turkey look set for the playoffs, while Bulgaria (0, -15) are out.
GROUP F: Portugal (10, +7) are close to qualification; a win in Republic of Ireland (4, -1) on Nov. 13 seals it for Portugal, while Ireland need results in the race for second place. On the same day, it’s Armenia (3, -7) vs. Hungary (5, +1), with the away team able to seal second place with a win if Ireland lose to Portugal.
On the final day (Nov. 16), it’s Hungary vs. Ireland and Portugal vs. Armenia.
GROUP G: Netherlands (16, +19) sit top ahead of Poland (13, +6), who do still have to host Netherlands on Nov. 14, but their goal difference is 13 worse right now. The Dutch know they can afford to lose that and still top the group as long as they win at home to Lithuania (3, -5) on Nov. 17. With a game in hand on Finland (10, -5) and a far superior goal difference, it looks like Poland will be in the playoffs.
Lithuania and Malta (2, -15) are out.
GROUP H: A surprise win for Romania (10, +5) at home to Austria (15, +16) has reignited the group, but Austria remain favorites to top it.
– Nov. 15: Austria will qualify with a win in Cyprus (8, +2) if Bosnia and Herzegovina (13, +8) draw or lose at home to Romania, who must at least avoid defeat to stay in contention for a playoff spot (though they will get a route as a UEFA Nations League group winner regardless). Romania finish up at home to San Marino, so if they can beat Bosnia they will be odds-on to finish at least second, and that would benefit another country through the UNL route.
– Nov. 18: If Bosnia and Austria both win (or results keep the two teams in touch), then they meet each other in Vienna to decide who qualifies automatically.
Cyprus are out, but the most incredible storyline is that San Marino, who have won only three matches in their history, could stand to benefit from losing by as wide a margin as possible on the final day vs. Romania to preserve their World Cup dreams. This is because the four best-ranked group winners from the UNL who do not finish in the top two of their groups in World Cup qualifying receive spots in the UEFA playoffs.
Romania are currently not in the top two, so they would receive their playoff spot because they were UNL group winners. But if Romania finish second in the group, a spot could very well open up for San Marino, who also won their UNL group.
For this scenario to unfold, Romania almost certainly must win or draw against Bosnia, and no more than three other UNL group winners besides San Marino can finish outside the top two. In this respect, Group A will be one to watch, as Northern Ireland must overtake Slovakia for San Marino to have a chance.
GROUP I: Norway (18, +26) are in control ahead of Italy (15, +10) and it’s Norway’s vastly superior goal difference that means a win at home to Estonia (4, -10) on Nov. 13 should effectively do the job, even if Italy win away to Moldova (1, -22) that day.
On the final day, it’s Italy vs. Norway; if Norway go into it three points ahead, Italy would need a huge win to avoid the playoffs.
GROUP J: Belgium (14, +15) sit at the top of the table and will finish up against two eliminated teams — away to Kazakhstan (7, -4) on Nov. 15 and at home to Liechtenstein (0, -23). As North Macedonia have only one fixture to play, Belgium need three points to qualify, so they would do it by beating Kazakhstan — though the second game against Liechtenstein means it’s effectively a formality. North Macedonia (13, +9) will look to hold off Wales (10, +3) for second.
Wales go to Liechtenstein first up, before a huge game against North Macedonia in Cardiff. Wales need to win by six goals in the first game to go into the match in second on goal difference, which would mean a draw would be enough in the last game. 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.
GROUP K: England (18, +18) have dominated the group, qualifying with a 100% record and not conceding a goal. It was sealed with a 5-0 win in Latvia. Albania (11, +3) hold the playoff place over Serbia (10, 0), and both play England this month. As Albania’s other game is vs. Andorra (1, -12), they are favorites to finish second.
GROUP L: Croatia (16, +19) now look locked-in to qualify for the World Cup and need just one point from their November games: at home to Faroe Islands (12, +4) and away to Montenegro (6, -9). Even if they lose both matches, their goal difference is far better than that of Czechia (13, +4), who have one game left.
A shock win for the Faroe Islands at home to Czechia is unlikely to mean they can gate-crash the playoff place, because Czechia’s last remaining game is at home to Gibraltar (0, -18) on Nov. 17. Faroe Islands are away to Croatia on Nov. 14, and Czechia will be assured of second if the Faroes lose. Montenegro and Gibraltar are eliminated.
– 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’s already in? 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: This group is wide open — and it’s guaranteed to go to the last day. On Nov. 13, it’s Suriname (6) vs. El Salvador (3) and Guatemala (5) vs. Panama (6). The group finishes up on Nov. 18 with Guatemala vs. Suriname and Panama vs. El Salvador.
GROUP B: Jamaica (9) is top of the group and can qualify on Nov. 13 with a victory in Trinidad & Tobago (5) if Curaçao (8) fail to win in Bermuda (0). The last-day showdown between Jamaica and Curaçao in Kingston looks decisive, however.
GROUP C: Honduras (8) is in a good position after beating Haiti (5) in October, and the nearest challengers are Costa Rica (6), who thrashed Nicaragua (1). Nov. 13 sees Honduras go to Nicaragua (1), and a win will send them to the World Cup if Haiti vs. Costa Rica is a draw. On the final day, Nov. 18, it’s Costa Rica vs. Honduras, which could yet be a decider for the automatic qualification place.
Number of World Cup spots: 9 automatic + 1 enters interconfederation playoff
Who’s already in? 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 can be decided in November?
– Check out the latest fixtures and results here | Latest tables
Round 2: The four best runners-up will compete 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 will be played on neutral ground in Morocco, with the semifinals held on Nov. 13 and the final on Nov. 16. The winner of the final will move on to the March playoffs.
Semifinals:
Nigeria (current World Ranking No. 41) vs. Gabon (77)
Cameroon (54) vs. DR Congo (60)
Number of World Cup spots: 9 automatic + 1 enters interconfederation playoff
Who’s already in? 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 will take place Nov. 13 in Abu Dhabi, and the second on Nov. 18 in Basra, Iraq.
Number of World Cup spots: 6 automatic + 1 enters interconfederation playoff
Who’s already in? 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 (Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon 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’s already in? 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)
