We are just over one year away from the 2026 World Cup and the battle for qualification is in full gear.  And while the definitive list of the 48 teams that will participate in the largest edition of the tournament hasn’t been set, we do know the teams that are currently in and which ones are closer to booking their spot. Let’s dive in. 

What we know:

• 48 teams will participate in the World Cup;
• 46 of those will qualify directly; the other two will be via the six-team intercontinental playoff;
• Three co-host teams — Canada, Mexico, United States — are in;
• Argentina is in after qualifying through the South American (CONMEBOL) confederation;
• Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea and Uzbekistan are in after qualifying through the Asian (AFC) confederation;
• New Zealand is in after qualifying through the Oceania (OFC) confederation;

Who is in (alphabetical order, history of World Cup appearances):

• Argentina (18 appearances)
• Canada (2 appearances)
• Iran (6 appearances)
• Japan (7 appearances)
• Jordan (will make debut in 2026)
• Mexico (17 appearances)
• New Zealand (2 appearances)
• South Korea (11 appearances)
• United States (11 appearances)
• Uzbekistan (will make debut in 2026)

What’s at stake this week:

Asia (AFC) — Five countries have booked their spots, including a trio of regional powerhouses in Iran, Japan, and South Korea. But there are two surprise sides in Jordan and Uzbekistan who will be making their first ever World Cup trips next year. Australia is on the verge of booking its spot if they don’t lose big to Saudi Arabia in Tuesday’s clash. 

South America (CONMEBOL) — Who from the region can join Argentina? Ecuador is on the cusp of clinching a spot if it beats Peru on Tuesday, while top teams like Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay still have work to do. 

Europe (UEFA) — No teams will be able to clinch a spot during this window. Four notable squads – Spain, France, Germany, and Portugal — still haven’t begun qualifying due to playing in the UEFA Nations League finals last week. Other heavyweights like England, Italy and the Netherlands have begun their World Cup qualifying campaigns.

North America/Central America/Caribbean (CONCACAF) — Aside from the three co-hosts, no one from this region has booked their spot yet. The second of three rounds of qualifying wraps up on Tuesday, but look for teams like Costa Rica, Honduras, and Jamaica to remain in the mix. 

Africa (CAF) — Another region that won’t see any qualified participants just yet, with these teams not playing in June. Egypt has a sizable lead in its qualifying group, as do other contenders like Morocco and Senegal.

Oceania (OFA) — This is done and dusted, with New Zealand already in and having this confederation’s only direct spot. The tiny island of New Caledonia, officially a French overseas territory, still has a shot as a participant in the intercontinental playoff. 

The intercontinental playoffs, explained:

Ahead of the World Cup, two spots will be clinched in the playoffs that will take place in March 2026. Six teams will participate, with Europe (UEFA) being excluded from this round:

• 1 Africa (TBD)
• 1 Asia (TBD)
• 2 North and Central America/Caribbean (TBD)
• 1 Oceania (New Caledonia)
• 1 South America (TBD)

The two teams with the highest FIFA rankings will get byes to the two separate finals. The other four teams will face each other to reach those finals. The two teams to emerge go to the World Cup. 

Region-by-region breakdown:

AFC (Asia)

How many World Cup teams can qualify? 
8 automatically, 1 enters the playoffs

Who is in?
Iran, Jordan, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan

What’s on tap:

The qualifying tournament in Asia actually started back in October 2023, and we are now in Round 3 of the phase. In all, 46 teams have participated with now just 18 teams – in three groups of six – left.

In Group A, Iran has qualified along with tournament debut side Uzbekistan. Both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are trying to reach the next round to keep their qualification hopes alive. 

In Group B, South Korea is in and so is debut side Jordan. Iraq, Oman, and Palestine are trying to reach the next round to keep their qualification hopes alive. 

In Group C, Japan is in. Australia will go through as long as they don’t get blown out by Saudi Arabia. Indonesia also has a shot to get through.

Here’s how the table stands, with World Cup-qualified teams noted by an asterisk (*). 

For the teams that don’t book spots in June, fear not. AFC has two more rounds for the third- and fourth-placed teams, which will be played later this year. Round 4 will consist of six teams, split into two groups. Those group winners advance to the World Cup. The runners-up go to Round 5, with the winner then heading to the intercontinental playoff.  

Tuesday, June 10 (all times ET)

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CAF (Africa)

How many World Cup teams can qualify?
9 automatically, 1 enters the playoffs

Who is in?
None qualified yet

What’s on tap:

Nothing in June. Having last played in March, the 54 teams (now reduced to 52) return to action in September. 

The nine group winners will advance directly to the World Cup, and the four best second-place teams will fight for an intercontinental playoff spot. At the halfway point of the qualification phase, there are plenty of top teams in control of their respective groups. 

Teams like Egypt and South Africa are in control of their respective groups for the moment. Morocco, the 2022 World Cup surprise semifinals, are also in control in their group. 

The one wrinkle is Group E – which has been reduced to four teams after the disqualification of Congo and Eritrea – and how that could potentially affect whoever finishes in second place, since it may not have enough points to be considered for the intercontinental playoff phase. 

Here are the current top two teams in each group. 

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CONCACAF (North & Central America and the Caribbean)

How many World Cup teams can qualify?
6 automatically (3 co-hosts, 3 through qualifying), 2 enter the playoffs

Who is in?
Canada, Mexico, United States

What’s on tap:

The three co-hosts are in, leaving three more automatic spots for the region. There are also two spots for the intercontinental playoff to be determined.  Initially 32 teams began the process, with now 30 teams – six groups of five teams – in the second round of qualification. The top sides from the six groups advance to the third round. 

In Group A, Honduras is looking to advance. Cuba and Bermuda are the main contenders battling for second place. 

In Group B, two previous World Cup participants – Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago – are battling for the top two spots. Those two teams won’t play each other until later this year though.

In Group C, Curaçao and Haiti will move onto the third round of qualifying.

In Group D, Nicaragua and Panama are also in control to move on, with Guyana having an outside shot. 

In Group E, Guatemala is the surprise side and will be joining Jamaica as the two teams that move on. 

In Group F, it feels like it’s anyone’s group to win. Suriname currently leads with El Salvador and Puerto Rico on its heels. 

Here are the top two teams from each group, as things stand. 

Once the two teams from each group are settled, those 12 teams will be placed in three groups of four. Each team will play its opponents in round-robin home-and-away matches. The three group winners advance to the World Cup and the two best group runners-up move to the playoffs.

Tuesday, June 10

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CONMEBOL (South America)

How many World Cup teams can qualify?
6 automatically, 1 enters the playoffs

Who is in?
Argentina

What’s on tap: 

It’s shaping up to be a fairly cut-and-dry campaign in this 10-team region, but two of these three teams – Ecuador, Brazil, and Paraguay – will clinch. 

The simplest way for Ecuador to assure its place is to beat Peru, with Venezuela beating Uruguay.  Brazil and Paraguay play each other on Tuesday, but need some favorable results to happen elsewhere. 

Colombia still needs more results to qualify, but it would bode well if they could beat Argentina on Tuesday. Peru and Chile are in danger of being eliminated. 

Tuesday, June 10

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OFC (Oceania)

How many World Cup teams have qualified?
1 automatically, 1 enters the playoffs

Who is in?
New Zealand, New Caledonia (playoff team)

What’s on tap:

The 11-team qualifying tournament from this region, consisting of countries and territories in the South Pacific, concluded in March. New Zealand will head to the World Cup, while New Caledonia will be one of the six teams in the intercontinental playoff. 

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UEFA (Europe)

How many World Cup teams can qualify?
16 (12 automatically, 4 through a UEFA-only playoff)

Who is in?
None qualified yet

What’s on tap:

There are 54 (excluding Russia) teams who began the qualifying process in March. Some teams have already begun to play (England, Norway, Poland) while the teams who were ousted in the Nations League quarterfinals (including Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands) will only begin this week. The four Nations Leagues semifinalists – France, Germany, Spain, Portugal – won’t enter the fold until September. 

In all, there are 12 groups of either four or five teams each. The winner of each group will clinch World Cup spots.

The 12 runners-up move to a subsequent playoff round, added by the four best-ranked Nations League group winners that did not finish their World Cup qualifying group in first or second place. These 16 teams will then be bracketed to clinch the remaining four World Cup spots in March 2026.

European teams cannot reach the World Cup via the intercontinental playoff.

Tuesday, June 10

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