Football’s biggest party, the FIFA World Cup 2026, is set to get bigger and better as the FIFA World Cup 2026 edition fast approaches.
The 2026 edition will be hosted across three different countries in the Americas: the United States, Canada and Mexico, commencing on June 11. This will be the first time that a Football World Cup is jointly hosted by three different nations.
Meanwhile, the 2026 edition is going to expand the total number of teams in the tournament to 48, up from 32 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The expansion to 48 teams means for the first time, all six confederation have a guaranteed direct spot in the World Cup group stage.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers began on September 7 in 2023. Each confederation has been allotted a number of teams that can qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 either through direct entry through the playoffs or by playing some extra intercontinental playoff matches.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Slot Allocation
| Confederation | Direct Slots | Playoff Slots | Total Possible |
| UEFA (Europe) | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| AFC (Asia) | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| CAF (Africa) | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| CONMEBOL (South America) | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean) | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| OFC (Oceania) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Of the 48 slots, three slots were allocated to the host nations, the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico, of the total of 6 slots allocated to CONCACAF, and a further two slots for the intercontinental playoffs.
It is UEFA who have the most slots for the FIFA World Cup 2026, 16, all of which are direct slots into the group stage. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has 9 group stage slots and one playoff spot. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has 8 group stage slots and one playoff spot.
Meanwhile, the South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL) has 6 slots into the group stage and one play-off spot, with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) holding one direct group stage and one play-off spot for the FIFA World Cup 2026. This is the first time that OFC has a direct slot for the group stage of the football World Cup.
In short, there are a total of 46 direct slots for the group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026, including all confederations, of which three were allotted to the three host nations. Meanwhile, the remaining 2 slots will be decided through the inter-confederation play-off in March 2026.
List of Teams Qualified so Far for FIFA World Cup 2026
AFC Qualified Teams for World Cup 2026
As of October 2025, 6 Asian teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup. The teams, respectively, are Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea and Uzbekistan. While the likes of Australia, Japan, Iran and South Korea are regular features in the Men’s World Cup, both Jordan and Uzbekistan will be making their debut in the Football World Cup in 2026.
Meanwhile, there are still two direct slots up for grabs with six teams competing for those positions.
Qualified Teams: Australia, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Jordan, Uzbekistan.
CAF Qualified Teams for World Cup 2026
As of October 2025, 5 teams have confirmed their place in the 2026 World Cup from CAF. These five teams include the 2022 World Cup semi-finalist Morocco and the likes of Tunisia, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria. While Egypt is making a comeback after missing the 2022 edition, Algeria has qualified for the first time since 2014. There are still 5 more slots to be confirmed in the coming days.
Qualified Teams: Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia.
CONMEBOL Qualified Teams for World Cup 2026
As of October 2025, all 6 slots allocated to CONMEBOL have been filled. The federation ran a marathon double round-robin home-and-away qualification format where each team played the other 9 teams home and away, totalling 18 matches. The top 6 teams in the standings have qualified for the World Cup. These six teams include the defending champions Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia and Ecuador. Meanwhile, 7th-placed Bolivia have qualified for the inter-confederation play-off match in March.
Qualified Teams: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay.
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CONCACAF Qualified Teams for World Cup 2026
Now CONCACAF were allotted a total of 6 group stage entries, out of which three were allotted to the host nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico. As of October 2025, no other teams have confirmed their entry into the show of shows. There are still three direct slots to be confirmed in the coming days.
Qualified Teams: United States, Canada, Mexico.
OFC Qualified Teams for World Cup 2026
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) had one direct slot for the 2026 World Cup, and New Zealand booked their place by winning a three-match knockout tournament, beating New Caledonia in the final. Meanwhile, New Caledonia have qualified for the inter-confederation play-off in March 2026.
Qualified Teams: New Zealand
UEFA Qualified Teams for World Cup 2026
UEFA has the most slots into the FIFA World Cup 2026, 16. And as of October 2025, the qualification matches are still going on.
Qualified Teams: To Be Confirmed
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