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: November 18, 2024
| Confederation | Slots | Playoff Slots | Teams Started | Teams Eliminated | Teams Left | Teams Qualified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC | 8 | 1 | 46 | 28 | 18 | 0 | |
| CAF | 9 | 1 | 53 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| CONCACAF | 6 | 2 | 32 | 2 | 30 | 3 | |
| CONMEBOL | 6 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| OFC | 1 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | |
| UEFA | 16 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 55 | 0 | |
| Playoffs | 2 | 0 |
AFC - Asian Football Confederation in Asia and Australia
Notes: Round two ended in June. Round three starts in September 2024.
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams (28): Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Yemen
CAF - Confederation of African Football in Africa
Notes: Round one started in November 2023 and is still going until October 2025.
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams:
CONCACAF - Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football in North America and Central America
Notes: Second Round started in June, 2024 and is done this year, will finish in June of 2025. Third round then starts in September 2025 with 12 teams.
Qualifying Teams (3): United States, Mexico, Canada
Eliminated Teams (2): Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands
CONMEBOL - Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol in South America
Notes: Round one started in September 2023 and ends in September 2025. This is the only round. Games will continue in Sept of 2024.
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams:
OFC - Oceania Football Confederation in Oceania
Notes: Round one will start in September 2024. No link since tournament hasn’t started
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams:
American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga,Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
UEFA - Union of European Football Associations in Europe
Notes: Round one will start in March 2025. No link since tournament hasn’t started
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams:
Playoffs
Notes: Six teams will play for these 2 spots. Top 2 seeds move on to second Round to play 2 of the other 4 teams. The four-game Playoff tournament is to be played in one or more of the host countries and to be used as a test event for the FIFA World Cup.
Qualifying Teams:
Eliminated Teams: