The 2026 World Cup is now set with all 48 teams finally confirmed for this summer’s tournament.
The United States is preparing to welcome the top nations in the game in 2026, alongside Mexico and Canada.
It’s an expanded field, with a massive 48 nations taking part from six confederations.
We already knew 42 of the teams prior to December’s draw but the final six have been confirmed after the drama of March’s play-offs. There’s all of the usual giants bar Italy once again, as well as some surprise debutants.
Who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
AFC
Australia
Until 2006, Australia’s only previous World Cup was in 1974. However, since then, they’ve maintained a strong qualification record, making it to each of the last five editions and making it to the round of 16 twice — including in Qatar. The Socceroos have extended that run to seven straight World Cups, losing just once in 16 qualification matches, ensuring one of the neutral’s favourite faces of this tournament will be there once again.
Iran
Iran have an equally impressive qualification record, making it to six of the last 10 editions in which they’ve been eligible. Like Australia, they also lost just one match during qualification. However, they still await their first knockout berth having won just three of their 18 finals matches to date.
Iraq
Iraq were both the final Asian country and final country in general to qualify for this summer’s tournament. They did so with a 2-1 playoff win over Bolivia, ending a 40-year wait for a second World Cup appearance, and will not mind that they are in the hardest group on paper alongside France, Senegal and Norway. Aymen Hussein and Mohanad Ali are the stars up front and there is also former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal in the ranks.
Japan
Japan made their World Cup debut in 1998 and have been mainstays of the tournament ever since, reaching the round of 16 in four of their seven attempts — including the last two. The Samurai Blue breezed through qualifying unbeaten in 14 games and are dark horses for many to cause a stir next year with the likes of Takefusa Kubo, Kaoru Mitoma and Daizen Maeda around.
Jordan
At the 11th attempt, Jordan have finally qualified for the World Cup, finishing second in their third-round group, behind South Korea in Group B, ahead of Iraq, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait.
The vast majority of their squad play in their home country, but they do have a couple of standout stars in forwards Musa Al-Taamari and Ibrahim Sabra, who play for Rennes and Goztepe, respectively. The former has 23 goals in 85 caps to date, while the latter is just 19 years old.
Qatar
Qatar are back at the World Cup and this time they’ve earned their place on the pitch. The Maroons made their World Cup debut in 2022, bowing out at the group stage. But they qualified automatically as hosts, not having to go through AFC’s complicated process which had proved too much before.
They did have to wait until the fourth round to qualify, having finished fourth in their third-round group — the lowest possible position to advance. That was a tough group for Qatar, who lost five of their 10 games. But Qatar went unbeaten in the fourth round, which saw them play just two games in a three-team group — in a round-robin format.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia are at the World Cup for the third successive tournament, and they like to go on little runs. After making their debut in 1994, Saudi Arabia appeared in four-straight tournaments before failing to qualify in 2010. After two tournaments away, Saudi Arabia qualified in 2018 and have followed that up with appearances in 2022 and now 2026. They’ve only made it out of the groups once, though, in their debut tournament in 1994.
South Korea
Another Asian staple at the World Cup, South Korea matched Japan as remaining unbeaten during qualifying. This will be their 11th straight World Cup and 12th overall and while they’ve never gone beyond the round of 16 outside their own nation, they will fancy themselves to cause a shock with the likes of Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae in their squad.
Uzbekistan
Another debutant, Uzbekistan finished second in their third-round group to Iran in Group A, and ahead of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea. There’s an exciting clutch of Uzbek players around right now, headed up by Man City youngster Abdukodir Khusanov and experienced Roma forward Eldor Shomurodov.
CAF
Algeria
Algeria ran away with their qualifying group, winning eight of their 10 games, drawing one and losing the other. They’re back in the World Cup after two tournaments out, last featured in 2014. Algeria reached the knockout stage of the first time in that tournament, making it to the round of 16. But they also controversially missed out on a spot in the second group stage in 1982 due to the Disgrace of Gijon.
Cape Verde
Another team set to make their World Cup debut, Cape Verde had a dream qualifying campaign. Cape Verde won eight of their 10 qualifying games, topping their group ahead of Cameroon. It’s just one fewer win than they managed in their past three World Cup qualifying campaigns combined (nine).
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo qualified for just their second-ever World Cup with a 1-0 playoff win over Jamaica. Having not featured since they were known as Zaire in 1974, Axel Tuanzebe’s goal in extra-time sparked wild scenes of celebration in the African country. Tuanzebe isn’t the only Premier League player in the side with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Yoane Wissa and Noah Sadiki also set to star in the summer.
Egypt
Despite their standing in African football, Egypt have only appeared at three World Cups so far, with 2026 set to be their fourth. They reached the round of 16 on debut in 1934, but have bowed out at the group stage in both 1990 and 2018. Egypt are still awaiting their first win at the World Cup, but they did pick up eight victories in qualifying this time.
Ghana
Ghana have become regulars at the World Cup, only missing one of the past five editions of the tournament — in 2018. They reached the knockout stages twice, including the quarter-finals of 2010 when they were cruelly beaten by Uruguay. Since then, though, Ghana have exited their two tournament appearances in the group stage. They were another African nation to win eight of their qualifying games, taking 25 points from a possible 30.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast had a run of three successful World Cups between 2006 and 2014, though they failed to make it out of the group stage on each occasion. They then failed to qualify for the next two, but the Ivory Coast will be back for 2026. Les Elephants were unbeaten in their group stage, winning eight and drawing two — but it was only just enough to secure automatic promotion, with Gabon just one point behind.
Morocco
Morocco were the first African nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and are set to make their seventh appearance at the tournament. Of course, no one can forget their 2022 run, reaching the semi-finals. It was just the second time they had made it out of the group. So now it’s all about making sure that run was the start of Morocco becoming knockout stage regulars.
Morocco secured their spot in the World Cup with ease, going perfect in their eight games to top Group E.
Senegal
Senegal are at the World Cup for the third successive tournament, extending their best such run. They’ve got a decent record at the tournament too, reaching the knockout stages in two of their three appearances so far — including a run to the quarter-finals on debut. In Qatar, Senegal made it to the last-16, bowing out to England. So they’ll be looking to build on that, and Senegal were unbeaten in their qualifying group, finishing two points clear of DR Congo.
South Africa
South Africa were in a tough qualifying group, with just one point separating the top three. Fortunately, they did finish one point clear of the rest, not hampered by a forfeited result against Lesotho when they fielded an ineligible player. Qualification secured South Africa’s first appearance at the World Cup since 2010, when they hosted the tournament. It will be their fourth appearance overall, and South Africa will be hoping to reach the knockout stages for the first time. They could it difficult to get going, however, as they’ll take on co-hosts Mexico in the tournament’s opening game.
Tunisia
Tunisia are at the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament, matching their previous best run of appearances. They’re also appearing at the World Cup for the seventh time in total. But they have never really fared well once getting to the World Cup. Tunisia are yet to reach the knockout stages, winning just three of their 18 World Cup games so far.
They had no issues in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, securing their spot with two games to spare. And they ended the group with 28 points from a possible 30.
Concacaf
Canada
One of the three hosts, Canada didn’t have to run the qualifying gauntlet this time, meaning they’ve long been assured of their third-ever World Cup.
If everyone is fit, this is a very exciting group, including Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan, managed by Jesse Marsch. They’ve lost all six of their World Cup matches to date, but will aim to put that right on home soil.
Curacao
Another nation making their tournament debut, Curacao made history in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. They’re the smallest nation to ever qualify for a men’s World Cup, and they were excellent en route. Curacao won seven of their 10 qualifying matches, drawing the other three. It was a journey which started in the second round, with Curacao winning all four of their matches. They then topped their third-round group ahead of Jamaica to seal passage to the World Cup. The likes of Leandro Bacuna, Jurgen Locadia and Tahith Chong will be looking forward to flying the flag next summer.
Haiti
Haiti are at the World Cup for just the second time in their history. And they ended a long wait since their first appearance in 1974. There, Haiti finished bottom of their group, losing all three games, conceding a whopping 14 goals. Qualification has been tough since, but they’ve finally made it back to the world stage. Haiti were another to come through the second round, finishing as runners-up behind Curacao in that group. But they then took 11 points from their six third-round games to qualify, ahead of Honduras and Costa Rica.
Mexico
Co-host number two, Mexico are preparing for their ninth straight World Cup and 18th overall. It would have been their 10th in a row had they not been banned in 1990 after using overaged players at youth level.
Mexico exited at the group stage in Qatar, ending a run of seven straight round of 16 exits. But there’s huge talent in the group, including Santiago Gimenez, Edson Alvarez and the evergreen Raul Jimenez. Another knockout appearance should be the absolute minimum expectation as a co-host.
Panama
Panama made their World Cup debut eight years ago, but it was an unhappy first appearance. Los Canaleros finished bottom of their group, losing all three matches and conceding 11 goals. Panama missed out in 2022 with a prolonged campaign, finishing fifth in the single-league round robin format. This time around, they cruised through the second qualifying round with four wins from four. They then finished top of their third-round group unbeaten, winning three and drawing three of their six games. It saw Panama finish ahead of second-placed Suriname, who had been on course for a dream qualification.
United States
Like Canada and Mexico, the United States qualified automatically for this World Cup, which will be their 12th overall, second in a row and ninth in the last 10 editions. They’ve made it to the round of 16 in each of their last three, but just a couple of years ago, many were looking at the young talent in this group as potential dark horses for a much deeper run at this competition.
Things haven’t been smooth for them so far under Mauricio Pochettino, but results are starting to pick up. What’s more, in the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Chris Richards, they have top talents. And behind them, there is a very exciting emerging group including Ricardo Pepi, Yunus Musah and Malik Tillman.
Conmebol
Argentina
Surely, it was never in doubt that the holders would qualify for what will be their 19th World Cup and 14th in a row. All three of their titles have come within that run, while they’ve reached a further two finals. In fact, Argentina have played in two of the last three World Cup finals, so they’ll be heavily fancied once again.
Will Lionel Messi play? Probably. Regardless, there’s an exciting crop behind him that includes Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez. Not to mention teenager Franco Mastantuono, who is set to join Real Madrid from River Plate this summer.
Argentina romped to qualification in the famously brutal Conmebol qualifying table, finishing nine points clear at the top. They were also 18 points ahead of the inter-confederation play-offs spot.
Brazil
Brazil are even more reliable than Argentina when it comes to reaching the World Cup, with this latest success meaning they’ve qualified for all 23 editions of the tournament so far. They did have to settle for a fifth-placed finish in the group, though.
That’s an absolutely incredible return, as is their record five tournament wins. However, they find themselves in a drought at the moment, exiting at the quarter-final stage in four of the last five editions and failing to reach a final since they last won it in 2002. In fact, this is the longest Brazil have ever gone without reaching a final and the joint-longest without winning it since they first lifted the trophy in 1958.
Colombia
Colombia are in the World Cup for the seventh time, and back at the tournament after missing out in 2022. Such is the brutality of the Conmebol qualifying campaign. Los Cafeteros have made it to the knockout stages in three of their six World Cup appearances so far, including each of their past two times at the tournament.
They reached the last-16 in 2018, losing to England on penalties. Colombia finished third in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, winning seven of their 18 matches. The likes of David Ospina, Santiago Arias and James Rodriguez will be looking for one last World Cup runout for their nation.
Ecuador
Ecuador enjoyed an excellent qualifying campaign, finishing second in the group. And that’s even with a three-point deduction. La Tri first qualified for the World Cup in 2002, and this will be their fifth appearance at the tournament. With them, they bring an immensely talented group, including Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho and Kendry Paez.
Another dark horse, perhaps?
Paraguay
Paraguay have missed the past three World Cups, after a run of four successive tournaments between 1998 and 2010. The 2026 World Cup will be Paraguay’s ninth appearance at the tournament, with their quarter-final exit in 2010 the best they have done.
But they have fallen victim to both the tough qualifying group and poor form since. Seven wins wasn’t enough for Paraguay in 2018 as they finished seventh in the group. But it did the trick this time around, helped by the fact that they only lost four matches.
Uruguay
Uruguay complete the automatic Conmebol qualifying set, finishing fourth in the group. They were one of four nations tied on 28 points, winning seven of their 18 games and losing four. But the record and placement doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that they were eight points clear of the play-off spot.
Two-time winners of the World Cup, Uruguay haven’t reached the final since they won the first edition of the tournament in 1930. Their 1950 win came in a pure group stage format. But Uruguay have been at the World Cup 14 times in total, with 2026 being their 15th appearance.
OFC
New Zealand
This marks the first time that the Oceania Football Confederation has had a direct qualification slot into the World Cup, and New Zealand have taken full advantage. By far the strongest nation in their region, the All Whites won all three of their group games against Tahiti, Vanuatu and Samoa, before thrashing Fiji and New Caledonia 7-0 and 3-0, respectively, during the knockouts.
This will be New Zealand’s first World Cup since 2010 and just their third overall. But they caused a fuss last time they were here at South Africa 2010, drawing against Paraguay, Slovakia and, most famously, Italy — even finishing above the four-time champions in third.
Chris Wood will be leaned on heavily to try and help them to their first knockout berth, but New Zealand do have other quality in Wrexham defender Liberato Cacace and former Bayern Munich forward Sarpreet Singh, who now plays for FC TSC in Serbia.
Uefa
Austria
Believe it or not, Austria’s last World Cup appearance came in 1998. They bowed out at the group stage, drawing two and losing one of their three matches. And they had failed to qualify for the tournament since. But Austria are now back on the big stage, finally getting over the line for 2026. Austria finished top of a close group, sitting two points clear of second-placed Bosnia-Herzegovina. They won six of their eight group games, with Marko Arnautovic leading the charge.
Belgium
Belgium are once again World Cup regulars, with this being their fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament. They’ve reached the quarter-finals, finished third and been knocked out of the group stage during that time. Belgium haven’t really had issues qualifying in recent years, and it was the same this time around. The Red Devils are now unbeaten in their past four qualifying campaigns, but they did cut it a bit close this time. Belgium finished only two points clear of second-placed Wales, winning five and drawing three of their eight matches.
Bosnia
Bosnia qualified for just their second World Cup as an independent nation following incredible penalty shootout wins over Wales and Italy. Having finished ahead of Romania and just two points behind group winners Austria, the Bosnians were brilliant throughout qualification and will be confident of going one better than 2014 when they went out at the group stages. It is certain to be national hero Edin Dzeko’s final World Cup and he and his team will be looking to make their mark.
Croatia
Croatia have had an excellent time at the World Cup in recent years. After losing to France in the 2018 World Cup final, the Blazers finished third in 2022. And they’ve been practically ever-present since making their debut as Croatia in 1998. Croatia only failed to qualify in 2010. But they have now made it to four World Cups in a row — a record for the nation — with qualification for 2026. Croatia finished top of their qualifying group, dropping just one point from their eight games.
Czech Republic
The Czechs ended a 20-year wait for a World Cup in the playoffs in the most dramatic fashion, beating both the Republic of Ireland and Demmark on penalties in Prague.
Having twice finished as runner-ups as part of Czechslovakia, they have disappointed since independence in 1993 with a group stage exit in 2006 all they have to show. After doing so well to make it this time, Patrik Schik, Tomas Soucek and co. will be hoping to make an impact.
England
England were the first European nation to secure a spot at the World Cup, aided by a staggered start and a favourable group. The Three Lions won all eight of their qualifying games, scoring 22 goals and not conceding any. England are at the World Cup for the eighth consecutive campaign, but are still searching for a first title win since 1966. Thomas Tuchel is now the man in charge, looking to build on the progress made under Gareth Southgate.
France
Two-time world champions, France will be looking to retain the crown they lost four years ago. Les Bleus were beaten finalists in 2022, losing to Argentina in one of the best World Cup finals in recent memory. France’s qualification isn’t a surprise. They haven’t failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1994, when they missed two tournaments back-to-back. Les Bleus had a delayed start to qualifying owing to their Nations League knockout appearance, and were placed in a four-team group. But France made light work of the group, winning five and drawing one of their six matches.
Germany
Germany haven’t had the best of times at the World Cup in recent years, bowing out at the group stage in each of the past two tournaments. That’s after lifting the World Cup for the fourth time in 2014. And three appearances in the final four in the previous three tournaments. Germany are now at the World Cup for the 18th consecutive tournament, since they were banned from entering in 1950. Die Mannschaft were another to have a shorter qualifying campaign, winning five of their six group matches. Even a shock defeat to Northern Ireland couldn’t derail Germany’s World Cup qualifying charge.
Netherlands
The Netherlands are at the World Cup for the second successive tournament — ensuring their 2018 absence was just a blip. The Oranje reached the quarter-finals in Qatar and will be looking to build on that. They are also still searching for their first-ever World Cup title after final defeats in 1974, 1978 and 2010 — the most of any nation without winning it. Netherlands went unbeaten in their group with six wins and two draws, finishing three points clear of second-placed Poland. And Poland were the only team to stop the Netherlands from winning.
Norway
Norway will be at the World Cup for just the fourth time in their history. And 2026 will be their first appearance since 1998. For context, Erling Haaland wasn’t even born when Norway made it to the last-16 in France. But he will be involved when they travel to North America, and he played a big part in them qualifying. Norway have had it tough in qualifying in recent years, always paired alongside a big boy. It was the same case in 2026, but they thrashed the big boys in Italy to go perfect in their group. Norway scored a whopping 37 goals too, only failing to score more than three goals in two of their eight matches.
Portugal
Portugal will be taking part in their seventh consecutive World Cup tournament, having become one of Europe’s heavyweights. They reached the quarter-finals in 2022, but haven’t made the final four since 2006. Portugal had a shortened qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, starting late due to their success in the 2025 Uefa Nations League. Portugal won four of their six games, finishing three points clear of second-placed Republic of Ireland.
Scotland
What a moment it was for Scotland. They beat Denmark in dramatic fashion in their final qualifying game, to top the group and reach the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Scotland have never made it out of the group stage at the World Cup, so they’ll be looking to change that next year. And they’ll want to make sure the celebrations weren’t in vain. Scotland were placed in one of the smaller qualifying groups, winning four of their six games to finish two points clear of Denmark.
Spain
Spain have underwhelmed at recent World Cups, bowing out at the group stage and the last-16 twice since lifting the trophy in 2010. But they are the defending European champions. And are fancied to do well at the World Cup in 2026. This will be their 13th consecutive appearance at the World Cup and 17th overall. Spain won five of their six qualifying matches, only dropping points in a draw against Turkey. But qualification had already been secured at that point.
Sweden
Sweden are undoubtedly the country who qualified in the most backwards fashion, having made it to the playoffs via their 2024 Nations League performances despite finishing bottom of their qualification group.
Their wins over Ukraine and Poland do mean it is now 13 World Cups for the Swedes and a return after missing out in 2022. They have finished as runners-up once and in third place twice, including on their last trip Stateside. With a star-studded attack featuring Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, their lucky route to the finals could be the start of something.
Switzerland
Switzerland are becoming World Cup regulars. They’ve now qualified for six consecutive World Cups, extending their best-ever run of tournament appearances. And they’ve made it to the last-16 in four of their previous five appearances. Switzerland won their qualifying group with 14 points from six games, to finish three points clear of second-placed Kosovo.
Turkey
Rather incredibly, this is just the third World Cup Turkey have qualified for after 1954 and 2002. Wins over Romania and Kosovo in the playoffs sealed their passage and this is a side that could do far. In Hakan Calhanoglu, Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, the Turks have one of the most creative midfields in the entire tournament. A repeat of the stunning third-placed finish 24 years ago feels unlikely but this a team to watch out for.