Which countries have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

Cameron Smith

• 7 Oct 2025 14:00 CDT
• 3 min read

News

The October international break sees qualifying for the 2026 World Cup edge closer to completion, with countries across the globe aiming to book their place at the tournament.

A record-breaking 48 teams will compete in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico next summer after FIFA decided to increase the number of participating countries from 32.

43 countries will book their place at the tournament via World Cup qualifying, while the three host countries were given automatic entry. The final two spots at the 2026 World Cup will be earned by the two winners of the inaugural FIFA Play-Off Tournament, which will be held in March.

So far, a total of 18 teams have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Which countries have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Japan and Australia have all secured qualification for the World Cup from the AFC after finishing inside the top two places of their respective groups.

Iran, Korea Republic and Japan won Group A, B and C respectively, while Uzbekistan, Jordan and Australia finished second. The teams who finished third and fourth will enter a single round-robin competition to determine the AFC’s two representatives at the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

Morocco and Tunisia have both qualified from the CAF after winning Group E and Group H. They will be joined by the other seven group winners - all of whom are yet to be decided.

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying ended in September, with Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay all booking their place at the 2026 tournament via finishing in the top six of the South American standings.

Meanwhile, New Zealand beat New Caledonia 3-0 in the OFC’s World Cup qualifying final to secure the confederation’s only direct spot at the tournament.

No team from Europe has officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup yet, although that is expected to change by the end of the October international break.

A total of 18 countries across the world are able to secure qualification for the World Cup this week, including England, France, Portugal and Spain.

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