The 2026 FIFA World Cup brings the biggest change in tournament history. FIFA expands from 32 to 48 teams for the first time. The United States, Canada, and Mexico co-host this groundbreaking event from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
This expansion creates more qualification opportunities across all continents. A total of 45 spots remain open after the three host nations receive automatic entry. Each confederation follows unique qualification formats based on their member nations and regional football traditions.
Tournament Expansion Overview
FIFA increases World Cup participation by 50 percent for 2026. The tournament moves from 32 to 48 teams, creating opportunities for nations that historically struggled to qualify.
The format features 12 groups of four teams instead of eight groups of six. Each team plays three group-stage matches. The top two from each group advance automatically, plus the eight best third-placed teams, creating a 32-team knockout round.
Three host nations receive automatic qualification. This leaves 45 spots available through continental qualifying competitions and inter-confederation playoffs.
Continental Allocation Breakdown
FIFA distributes the 45 qualifying spots across six confederations:
- UEFA (Europe): 16 spots
- CAF (Africa): 9 spots + 1 playoff position
- AFC (Asia): 8 spots + 1 playoff position
- CONMEBOL (South America): 6 spots + 1 playoff position
- CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean): 3 spots + 2 playoff positions
- OFC (Oceania): 1 spot + 1 playoff position
The inter-confederation playoffs determine the final two World Cup spots. Six teams compete for these positions in March 2026.
UEFA European Qualifying Format
Europe receives 16 World Cup spots, the most of any confederation. The qualification process runs in two distinct rounds.
First Round – Group Stage
Fifty-four nations compete in 12 groups. Six groups contain five teams, and six groups contain four teams. Teams play home-and-away round-robin matches from March through November 2025.
The 12 group winners qualify directly for the World Cup. Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland secured their places through this route.
Second Round – Playoffs
Sixteen teams compete in knockout playoffs for the remaining four spots. The playoff participants include:
- All 12 group runners-up
- Four best UEFA Nations League group winners who finished outside their qualifying group’s top two
The playoff features four paths with semi-finals and finals. All matches use single-leg format. Seeded teams host semi-final matches, and home teams for finals come from a separate draw.
Semi-finals take place on March 26, 2026. Finals occur on March 31, 2026.
CAF African Qualifying Format
Africa gets 9 automatic World Cup spots plus one playoff position. Fifty-four nations participate in the qualifying competition.
First Round – Group Stage
All teams compete in nine groups of six nations each. Teams play home-and-away round-robin matches. Each nation faces every group opponent twice.
The nine group winners qualify directly for the World Cup. Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia secured qualification through this route.
Second Round – Playoffs
The four best group runners-up enter knockout playoffs. Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria competed for the single CAF playoff spot.
Teams play single-leg matches hosted in Morocco. The playoff winner represents Africa in the inter-confederation playoffs. DR Congo earned this position.
AFC Asian Qualifying Format
Asia receives 8 direct World Cup spots plus one playoff position. The AFC qualification involves five rounds.
First Round
Twenty lowest-ranked teams (ranked 27-46) play home-and-away knockout matches. Ten winners advance to the second round.
Second Round
Thirty-six teams compete in nine groups of four. The top 26-ranked teams join the 10 first-round winners. Teams play home-and-away round-robin matches.
The 18 group winners and runners-up advance to the third round. All 18 teams automatically qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Third Round
Eighteen teams split into three groups of six. Teams play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two from each group qualify directly for the World Cup.
Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Uzbekistan, and Qatar secured qualification through this route. Saudi Arabia and Qatar later qualified through the fourth round.
Third and fourth-placed teams from each group advance to the fourth round.
Fourth Round
Six teams compete in two groups of three. All matches take place at centralized venues. Each team plays opponents once.
The two group winners qualify for the World Cup. The two runners-up advance to the fifth round.
Fifth Round
The two fourth-round runners-up play home-and-away knockout matches. The winner represents Asia in the inter-confederation playoffs. Iraq secured this position.
CONMEBOL South American Qualifying Format
South America gets 6 automatic World Cup spots plus one playoff position. The qualification uses the simplest format of all confederations.
All 10 CONMEBOL nations compete in a single round-robin league table. Each team plays every opponent twice (home and away) for 18 total matches.
The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay secured their spots.
The seventh-place team enters the inter-confederation playoffs. Bolivia earned this position.
CONCACAF North American Qualifying Format
The CONCACAF region gets 3 automatic spots plus 2 playoff positions. The United States, Canada, and Mexico receive automatic entry as host nations.
First Round
The confederation uses a multi-round format starting with lowest-ranked nations. Teams progress through knockout and group stages.
Third Round
The top nations compete in groups for direct qualification spots. Curaçao, Haiti, and Panama qualified directly for the World Cup.
Jamaica and Suriname finished as the best runners-up. Both teams advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.
OFC Oceania Qualifying Format
Oceania receives 1 direct World Cup spot plus 1 playoff position. This marks the first time OFC gets a guaranteed World Cup place.
First Round
Four lowest-ranked teams compete in knockout format. The winner advances to the second round.
Second Round
Eight teams split into two groups of four. Teams play round-robin matches. The top two from each group advance to the third round.
Third Round
Four teams compete in semi-finals and a final. New Zealand defeated New Caledonia 3-0 in the final to qualify directly.
New Caledonia advances to the inter-confederation playoffs as the runner-up.
Inter-Confederation Playoffs
Six teams compete for the final two World Cup spots. The playoff takes place in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico, from March 23-31, 2026.
Playoff Structure
Teams split into two brackets of three nations each. FIFA World Rankings determine seeding.
The two lowest-ranked teams in each bracket play semi-final matches. Winners advance to face the seeded teams in bracket finals.
The two bracket winners qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Confirmed Participants
The six playoff teams represent five confederations:
- AFC (Asia): Iraq
- CAF (Africa): DR Congo
- CONMEBOL (South America): Bolivia
- CONCACAF (North America): Jamaica, Suriname
- OFC (Oceania): New Caledonia
The playoff draw took place on November 20, 2025, in Zurich, Switzerland.
Qualification Timeline
The qualification process spans nearly three years. Different confederations start and finish at different times.
Key Dates
- October 12, 2023: First qualifying matches (AFC)
- March 20, 2025: Japan becomes first nation to qualify
- March 24, 2025: New Zealand secures OFC qualification
- November 2025: Most confederations complete qualification
- December 5, 2025: FIFA World Cup draw
- March 23-31, 2026: Inter-confederation playoffs
- March 26 & 31, 2026: UEFA playoffs
- June 11, 2026: Tournament begins
All 48 teams will be confirmed by March 31, 2026, less than three months before kickoff.
Current Qualification Status
As of November 2025, 42 of 48 World Cup spots are filled. Six positions remain available through playoffs.
Qualified Teams by Confederation
- Host Nations (3): United States, Canada, Mexico
- Europe (12): Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
- Africa (9): Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
- Asia (8): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan
- South America (6): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
- North America (3): Curaçao, Haiti, Panama
- Oceania (1): New Zealand
Historic Qualifications
The 2026 qualifying cycle produces several historic achievements. Multiple nations qualify for their first-ever World Cup.
Cape Verde, Jordan, and Uzbekistan make their tournament debuts. Curaçao becomes the smallest nation ever to qualify with just 156,000 residents.
Haiti returns to the World Cup after 52 years. Scotland qualifies for their first World Cup since 1998. New Zealand secures their first World Cup spot since 2010.
FAQs
1. How many teams participate in the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup features 48 teams, expanding from 32 teams in previous tournaments. This represents a 50 percent increase and creates more qualification opportunities for nations worldwide across all six confederations.
2. Which continent gets the most World Cup qualification spots?
Europe receives 16 spots, the most of any confederation. Africa gets 9 direct spots plus 1 playoff position. Asia receives 8 direct spots plus 1 playoff position for the 2026 tournament.
3. When does World Cup qualifying finish?
All 48 teams will be confirmed by March 31, 2026. UEFA playoffs and inter-confederation playoffs take place from March 23-31, 2026. The tournament begins on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City.
4. How does the inter-confederation playoff work?
Six teams from five confederations compete in two brackets of three teams each. The lowest-ranked teams play semi-finals, with winners facing seeded teams in finals. The two bracket winners qualify for the World Cup.
5. Which teams have already qualified for 2026 World Cup?
Forty-two teams qualified as of November 2025. This includes host nations USA, Canada, and Mexico, plus 12 European teams, 9 African teams, 8 Asian teams, 6 South American teams, 3 CONCACAF teams, and New Zealand.
