World Cup Qualifiers
The FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification journey is underway, with teams from around the world competing for a spot in the tournament. Each continent hosts its own rigorous matches to determine the best teams. The USA, Canada, and Mexico automatically qualify as hosts. Below is the latest data on the qualification progress.
Last Updated: September 9, 2025
| Confederation | Slots | Playoff Slots | Teams Started | Teams Eliminated | Teams Left | Teams Qualified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 8 | 1 | 46 | 34 | 6 | 6 | |
| CAF | 9 | 1 | 53 | 14 | 37 | 2 | |
| CONCACAF | 6 | 2 | 35 | 20 | 12 | 3 | |
| CONMEBOL | 6 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| OFC | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | |
| UEFA | 16 | 0 | 54 | 2 | 52 | 0 | |
| Playoffs | 2 | 0 |
AFC - Asian Football Confederation in Asia and Australia
Notes: Round three ended in June. Round four starts on October 9, 2025.
Qualifying Teams: Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Iran, Uzbekistan, Australia
Eliminated Teams (34): Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China PR, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong (China), India, Korea DPR, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Yemen
CAF - Confederation of African Football in Africa
Notes: Round one began in November 2023 and will conclude in November 2025.
Qualifying Teams: Morocco, Tunisia
Eliminated Teams (14): Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Eswatini, Kenya, Mauritania, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Somalia, The Gambia, Togo, South Sudan
CONCACAF - Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football in North America and Central America
Notes: The second round is complete. The third round starts in September 2025 with 12 teams.
Qualifying Teams (3): United States, Mexico, Canada
Eliminated Teams (20): Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands
CONMEBOL - Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol in South America
Notes: Six teams have already qualified directly. Bolivia and Venezuela remain in contention for the inter-confederation playoff spot. Chile and Peru have been eliminated.
Qualifying Teams: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay
Eliminated Teams (2): Chile, Peru
OFC - Oceania Football Confederation in Oceania
Notes: All rounds are complete. Nine teams were eliminated. One team qualified and one team moves on to the playoffs.
Qualifying Teams (1): New Zealand
Eliminated Teams (9): American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu
Playoff Entrant: New Caledonia
UEFA - Union of European Football Associations in Europe
Notes: Round one started on March 21, 2025. Currently on pause until September 4, 2025.
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams (2): Gibraltar, Liechtenstein
Playoffs
Notes: Six teams will play for these 2 spots. Top 2 seeds move on to the second round to play 2 of the other 4 teams.
The four-game playoff tournament will be played in one or more of the host countries and will serve as a test event for the FIFA World Cup.
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams: