2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Qualification began on 7 September 2023 with three matches of 2026 FIFA [World Cup qualification |the CONMEBOL zone] played that day. The first goal of the qualification series was scored by Colombian player Rafael Santos Borré against Venezuela.
Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan all qualified for the first time, with Curaçao becoming the smallest nation to ever qualify, while Qatar had their first successful qualifying campaign after making their debut in the previous edition as hosts.
Slot allocation
On 30 March 2017, the Bureau of the FIFA Council proposed a [|slot allocation] for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The recommendation was submitted for the ratification by the FIFA Council.On 9 May 2017, two days before the 67th FIFA Congress, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation in a meeting in Manama, Bahrain. This included an intercontinental play-off tournament involving six teams to decide the last two FIFA World Cup spots.
The ratification of slot allocation also gave the OFC a guaranteed berth in the final tournament for the first time in FIFA World Cup history; as such, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament in which all six confederations have at least one guaranteed berth.
Qualified teams
| Team | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Total times qualified | Last time qualified | Current consecutive appearances | Previous best performance |
| Hosts | 14 February 2023 | 3 | 2022 | 2 | Group stage | |
| Hosts | 14 February 2023 | 18 | 2022 | 9 | Quarter-finals | |
| Hosts | 12 | 2022 | 2 | Third place | ||
| AFC third round#Group C|AFC third round Group C] winners | 20 March 2025 | 8 | 2022 | 8 | Round of 16 | |
| OFC third round winners | 24 March 2025 | 3 | 2010 | 1 | Group stage | |
| AFC third round Group A winners | 25 March 2025 | 7 | 2022 | 4 | Group stage | |
| CONMEBOL winners | 25 March 2025 | 19 | 2022 | 14 | Winners | |
| 5 June 2025 | 1 | — | 1 | — | ||
| AFC third round Group B winners | 5 June 2025 | 12 | 2022 | 11 | Fourth place | |
| 5 June 2025 | 1 | — | 1 | — | ||
| 10 June 2025 | 7 | 2022 | 6 | Round of 16 | ||
| CONMEBOL fifth place | 10 June 2025 | 23 | 2022 | 23 | Winners | |
| CONMEBOL runners-up | 10 June 2025 | 5 | 2022 | 2 | Round of 16 | |
| CONMEBOL fourth place | 4 September 2025 | 15 | 2022 | 5 | Winners | |
| CONMEBOL third place | 4 September 2025 | 7 | 2018 | 1 | Quarter-finals | |
| CONMEBOL sixth place | 4 September 2025 | 9 | 2010 | 1 | Quarter-finals | |
| CAF Group E|CAF Group E] winners | 5 September 2025 | 7 | 2022 | 3 | Fourth place | |
| CAF Group H winners | 8 September 2025 | 7 | 2022 | 3 | Group stage | |
| CAF Group A winners | 8 October 2025 | 4 | 2018 | 1 | First round, group stage | |
| CAF Group G winners | 9 October 2025 | 5 | 2014 | 1 | Round of 16 | |
| CAF Group I winners | 12 October 2025 | 5 | 2022 | 2 | Quarter-finals | |
| CAF Group D winners | 13 October 2025 | 1 | — | 1 | — | |
| CAF Group C winners | 14 October 2025 | 4 | 2010 | 1 | Group stage | |
| AFC fourth round Group A winners | 14 October 2025 | 2 | 2022 | 2 | Group stage | |
| UEFA Group K winners | 14 October 2025 | 17 | 2022 | 8 | Winners | |
| AFC fourth round Group B winners | 14 October 2025 | 7 | 2022 | 3 | Round of 16 | |
| CAF Group F winners | 14 October 2025 | 4 | 2014 | 1 | Group stage | |
| CAF Group B winners | 14 October 2025 | 4 | 2022 | 3 | Quarter-finals | |
| UEFA Group D winners | 13 November 2025 | 18 | 2022 | 8 | Winners | |
| UEFA Group L winners | 14 November 2025 | 7 | 2022 | 4 | Runners-up | |
| UEFA Group F winners | 16 November 2025 | 9 | 2022 | 7 | Third place | |
| UEFA Group I winners | 16 November 2025 | 4 | 1998 | 1 | Round of 16 | |
| UEFA Group A winners | 17 November 2025 | 21 | 2022 | 19 | Winners | |
| UEFA Group G winners | 17 November 2025 | 12 | 2022 | 2 | Runners-up | |
| UEFA Group J winners | 18 November 2025 | 15 | 2022 | 4 | Third place | |
| UEFA Group H winners | 18 November 2025 | 9 | 1998 | 1 | Third place | |
| UEFA Group B winners | 18 November 2025 | 13 | 2022 | 6 | Quarter-finals | |
| UEFA Group E winners | 18 November 2025 | 17 | 2022 | 13 | Winners | |
| UEFA Group C winners | 18 November 2025 | 10 | 1998 | 1 | ||
| 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – [CONCACAF third round#Group A|CONCACAF Group A] winners | 18 November 2025 | 2 | 2018 | 1 | ||
| CONCACAF Group C winners | 18 November 2025 | 2 | 1974 | 1 | ||
| CONCACAF Group B winners | 18 November 2025 | 1 | — | 1 | — |
'''Notes'''
Qualification process
On 9 May 2017, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation scheme for the new 48-team final format.Summary of qualification
Suspensions and withdrawals
were suspended indefinitely on 28 February 2022 from participating in UEFA and FIFA competitions for the country's invasion of Ukraine. A circular distributed by UEFA on 11 November 2024 stated 192 group stage matches would take place, confirming Russia's exclusion from the tournament.Sri Lanka were suspended in January 2023 for an unspecified reason and they did not appear in the draw information the AFC released in early July. However, they were re-added with the condition that their federation would hold elections at least ten days before qualification would begin.
Eritrea withdrew from qualification on 10 November 2023, prior to playing any matches, having concerns that players would seek political asylum if allowed to travel overseas.
Congo were suspended on 6 February 2025 for government interference in Congolese Football Federation operations. No announcement regarding their status was immediately available, and CAF initially cancelled their remaining matches. The suspension was lifted by FIFA on 14 May 2025, and Tanzania and Zambia were awarded 3–0 victories by forfeit.
Format
Each confederation was responsible for its own qualification tournament, which consisted of at least one round of competition using the following formats :- A double round-robin format in which each team in a group played all other teams in their group twice – once at home and once away.
- A single round-robin format in which each team in a group played all other teams in their group once, with the venues either drawn at random or assigned by the confederation with the agreement of the playing associations.
- A knockout format in which each team in a round played one other team over two legs – once at home and once away.
- With FIFA's permission, a tournament held in one of the participating nations or in neutral territory.
- With FIFA's permission, a single-leg knockout format.
Tiebreakers
Should two or more teams still have equal rank after criteria 1–3 were applied, then the following criteria were used:
If the tournament were held in a single host nation or in neutral territory, then criterion 7 would not be applied.
In the home-and-away knockout format, the team scoring more goals on aggregate won the tie and advanced. If the aggregate score were level, then 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If the score were still level at the end of extra time, the away goals rule would not be applied and the winners would be decided by a penalty shoot-out. In the knockout format, the team scoring more goals in a single match wins and advances. If the teams are tied after regulation, then extra time will be played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score is still level.
Confederation qualification
AFC
On 1 August 2022, the Asian Football Confederation Executive Committee approved the qualification format for Asia's road to the 2026 World Cup, as well as the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, in preparation for the eight direct spots and the single intercontinental slot allocated to the AFC by FIFA following the expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams. The draw for the first round was held on 27 July 2023 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The draw for the second round took place two hours later.The qualification structure was as follows:
- First round: Twenty teams played over two legs. The ten winners advanced to the second round.
- Second round: Thirty-six teams were divided into nine groups of four teams to play Round-robin tournament| matches. The eighteen group winners and group advanced to the third round.
- Third round: The eighteen teams that advanced from the second round were divided into three groups of six teams to play matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the World Cup, while the and teams of each group advanced to the fourth round.
- Fourth round: The six teams that advanced from the third round were drawn into two groups of three teams each to play a single. The winners qualified for the World Cup, and the runners-up advanced to the fifth round.
- Fifth round: The fourth round group runners-up competed in a two-legged tie that determined the Asian representation at the .
Final positions (third round)
| Legend |
Final positions (fourth round)
| Legend |
Final positions (fifth round)
The winner advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.CAF
The CAF Executive Committee announced a new African qualification format on 19 May 2023. The draw was held on 13 July 2023 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification. Eritrea withdrew before matches began due to fears that players would seek political asylum abroad.The qualification structure was as follows:
- First round: Teams were drawn into nine groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winner of each group qualified for the World Cup.
- Second round: The four best-ranked group runners-up participated in a play-off to determine which team would advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Final positions (first round)
Due to Eritrea's withdrawal from qualification resulting in differing group sizes, results from matches against sixth-place teams were discounted when ranking group runners-up.
Final positions (second round)
The teams were allocated into semi-finals based on their FIFA Men's World Ranking of 17 October 2025, with the highest-ranked side taking on the lowest and the second-highest taking on the third-highest.The winner advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.
CONCACAF
Three teams in CONCACAF—Canada, Mexico and the United States—automatically qualified as host nations. On 28 February 2023, CONCACAF announced the qualifying format for 2026 World Cup qualification.- First round: Four CONCACAF teams, ranked 29 to 32 based on the FIFA ranking of December 2023, were divided into two matchups to be played on a Two-legged tie| basis. The two winners advanced to the second round.
- Second round: Thirty teams – the two winners from the first round and CONCACAF teams ranked 1 to 28 based on the FIFA ranking of December 2023 – were drawn into six groups of five teams. They played single round-robin tournament| matches, with group winners and advancing to the third round.
- Third round: The twelve teams that advanced from the second round were drawn into three groups of four teams. They played double round-robin home-and-away matches, with the three group winners qualifying for the World Cup. The two advanced to the .
Final positions (third round)
| Legend |
CONMEBOL
On 22 August 2022, CONMEBOL petitioned FIFA to keep the qualification format which had been used since the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, where all CONMEBOL members play round-robin tournament| matches against each other. This was approved, with the first games of the qualifiers played in September 2023.Before the qualification competition began, Ecuador were penalized 3 points for using falsified birth documents for Byron Castillo in the previous World Cup qualification cycle.
Final positions
OFC
The 2026 World Cup marked the first time OFC was granted one guaranteed slot, as well as a possible second slot via the inter-confederation play-offs.The qualification structure was as follows:
- First round: The four lowest-ranked teams played a knockout round in September 2024. The winner, Samoa, advanced to the second round.
- Second round: The winning team from the first round joined the seven teams in two four-team groups in October and November 2024. The top two teams from each group advanced to the third round.
- Third round: The four teams advancing from the second round played a knockout round in March 2025. The winner, New Zealand, qualified for the World Cup, and the runner-up, New Caledonia, advanced to the .
Final positions (third round)
UEFA
The UEFA Executive Committee announced a new European qualification format on 25 January 2023. Teams were drawn into twelve groups of four or five teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches from March to November 2025. The group winners qualified for the World Cup, while the will participate in matches, for a total of 16 teams qualifying for the finals.The qualification draw took place on 13 December 2024 in Zürich, Switzerland. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia's national team was suspended, and their exclusion was confirmed in a circular distributed by UEFA on 11 November 2024.
- First round : Twelve groups of either four or five teams were drawn, with group winners qualifying for the World Cup.
- Second round : Sixteen teams were drawn into four paths, playing two rounds of . The four path winners will qualify for the World Cup.
Final positions (first round)
Next stage (second round)
The winners of each path will qualify for the World Cup.Path A
Path B
Path C
'''Path D'''