As of October 15, a total of 28/48 teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals. Among them, there are 3 co- host teams: the US, Mexico and Canada, along with 25 teams that passed the qualifying round to affirm their position in the biggest arena on the planet.
The Asia region has identified 8 teams that have won tickets to the 2026 World Cup, including Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Of which, Jordan and Uzbekistan are the first teams to participate.
Meanwhile, South America has 6 representatives including Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay and Paraguay. The Atlantic region has only one team, New Zealand, while Africa has nine representatives: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Laos. In Europe, England became the first team to qualify for the final.
In the upcoming matches, 3 more spots will be determined in the CONCACAF region and 15 spots in Europe, including 11 spots in the remaining groups and 4 play-off spots, along with two spots in the intercontinental play-off round scheduled to take place in March 2026.
The 2026 World Cup, which will be expanded to 48 teams for the first time, also saw many teams participate in the finals for the first time, creating a historic turning point for the tournament. As of now, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Cape Verde are the names appearing for the first time.
After the upcoming FIFA Days in November, about 90% of the teams participating in the 2026 World Cup will be determined, with only the remaining play-offs in Europe and intercontinental regions. At the same time, FIFA will also hold a draw for the tournament group stage.
The 3 co-host teams have been fixed. The US will compete in Group D with the code D1, while Mexico will play the opening match at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Group A and have the code A1. Canada is the remaining host team, in Group B with the code B1.
With 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup finals, FIFA will draw teams into 12 groups, each group consisting of 4 teams.
After the group stage, the 2nd place teams in each group and the 8 third-placed teams with the best results will qualify for the round of 32. The teams will continue to compete in a knockout format in the round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11, 2026 to July 19, 2026. The opening match is scheduled to be held at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, while the final will take place at MetLife Stadium.
