As the World Cup qualifiers progress, the qualifying spots for each continent are gradually being finalized, with 22 teams already securing their spots in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City. Tomorrow morning, the final round of the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will conclude, with all nine direct qualifying teams confirmed. Meanwhile, the fourth stage of the Asian qualifiers will also conclude tomorrow, determining the two qualifying spots.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will kick off on October 12, 2023, with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams taking the lead in the first round. On March 20 of this year, Japan became the first team to qualify from the World Cup qualifiers.
In addition to the three hosts (the United States, Mexico, and Canada), 45 of the 48 teams in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 will be determined through World Cup qualifiers. Currently, 19 teams have secured direct qualifiers: Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, and Cape Verde.
1. October World Cup Qualifying Progress
Europe and CONCACAF: World Cup qualifiers will continue until November, but the first European teams to qualify may be determined in October.
Africa: The final two rounds of the World Cup qualifiers group stage will be held in October, at which time the nine teams that have secured direct qualifiers will be determined, as will the four teams that will participate in the African play-offs.
Asia: The fourth stage of the World Cup qualifiers will conclude in October, determining the two remaining teams that will advance to the World Cup and the two teams that will compete for the continental play-off spots.
South America and Oceania: Completed.
2. Specific Situation by Continent
[Africa] 9.5 places: 9 direct qualifiers + 1 continental play-off spot
A total of 54 teams participated in the World Cup qualifying draw, but Eritrea subsequently withdrew.
Phase 1: Divided into 9 groups, the top team in each group advances directly to the 2026 World Cup, and the four best runners-up advance to the next stage.
Phase 2: The four best runners-up will compete for one continental play-off spot, which will feature two semifinals and one final. Four teams will be grouped according to the FIFA World Rankings released at the end of October: highest-ranked vs. lowest-ranked, and second-ranked vs. third-ranked.
Teams that have secured direct qualifiers: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, and Cape Verde.
[Europe] 16 places: 12 direct qualifiers + 4 places determined through the European play-offs
UEFA has 55 member countries and 54 teams participating in the competition, with Russia still banned.
The European qualifiers for the World Cup are divided into 12 groups of 4-5 teams, playing home and away. This stage of the competition concludes in November. The top team in each group advances directly to the 2026 World Cup, and the runner-up in each group advances to the European play-offs.
The 12 runner-up teams + 4 teams that qualified through the UEFA Nations League will make up the 16 teams that will compete in the play-offs. The 12 runner-up teams in the European qualifiers are divided into pots 1-3 according to the world rankings. The four teams that qualified through the UEFA Nations League will be placed directly in pot 4. The teams will be drawn into four groups, each with four teams from each pot, and will play a single-elimination match. The semi-finals will be: Pot 1 vs. Pot 4, and Pot 2 vs. Pot 3. In the semi-finals, the higher-ranked team plays at home, while the home venue for the final will be determined by a draw. The four teams that win the four finals will advance to the 2026 World Cup.
Currently, no European team has been confirmed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
[CONCACAF] 3 host nations + 3 direct qualifying spots + 2 intercontinental playoff spots
Since the hosts already have three spots, CONCACAF still has three direct qualifying spots and two intercontinental playoff spots remaining.
Currently in the third stage, the 12 teams are divided into three groups. A double round-robin group stage will be played. The top team in each group will advance directly to the World Cup, and the two best runners-up will participate in the intercontinental playoffs.
[Asia] 8.5 spots: 8 final tournament spots + 1 intercontinental playoff spot
The third stage of the Asian FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be divided into three groups. The top two teams in each group will advance directly to the 2026 World Cup (Japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia, Jordan, and Uzbekistan). The third and fourth place finishers in each group will advance to the next stage. In the fourth stage, the six teams will be divided into two groups and play a single round-robin tournament. The top team in each group will advance to the World Cup finals, while the runner-up in each group will compete for a spot in the continental play-offs. This stage of the tournament will conclude in October. Currently, the UAE and Saudi Arabia top Group A and Group B, respectively, and Indonesia has been eliminated.
[South America] 6.5 places: 6 direct qualifiers + 1 continental play-off spot
Currently, the South American World Cup qualifiers have all concluded. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia, and Paraguay have qualified directly for the World Cup, while Bolivia will participate in the continental play-offs.
[Oceania] 1.5 places: 1 direct qualifier + 1 continental play-off spot
The Oceania World Cup qualifiers have already concluded. New Zealand has qualified directly for the World Cup, while New Caledonia will participate in the continental play-offs.
3. Intercontinental Playoffs
The Intercontinental Playoffs will be held in March of next year, with six teams vying for two World Cup final spots. Teams from all five continents, excluding Europe, will participate.
One African team + one Asian team + two teams from Central America and the Caribbean + one Oceania team + one South American team.
The two teams with the highest FIFA rankings will receive seeded spots and advance directly to the finals. The remaining four teams will compete in the semifinals, a two-on-one match and a single match. Ultimately, the two teams that win the finals will secure World Cup berths.
Currently, New Caledonia from Oceania and Bolivia from South America have advanced to the Intercontinental Playoffs.
