The three host countries qualified automatically for the 2026 World Cup: Mexico, Canada, and the United States. They will occupy three of the six spots available for the Concacaf region (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean).

This is going to be the first World Cup played with 48 teams, organized in 12 groups. “Adopting 12 groups of four was chosen over the option of 16 groups of three teams, based on a thorough review that took into consideration a number of factors, including team and fan experience, player welfare and sporting integrity,” according to FIFA.

This is the distribution of places per federation:

AFC (Asia): 8 spots, plus one playoff spot

CAF (Africa): 9 spots, plus one playoff spot

Concacaf (North America, Central America and Caribbean): 3 automatic spots, 3 spots and 2 playoff spots

Conmebol: 6 spots, plus one playoff spot

OFC (Oceania): 1 spot and one playoff spot

UEFA (Europe): 16 spots

As of November 2025, 42 teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Sixteen UEFA teams will play a play-off in March 2026 to determine the last four teams from the region to qualify for the World Cup. Likewise, six teams will compete in a playoff tournament for the final two places. It will involve two teams from Concacaf and one team each from the AFC, CAF, Conmebol, and OFC. The four lowest-ranked nations will meet in the semi-finals and the two highest-ranked teams will go directly into the finals. The winners of the two finals will reach the World Cup.

The first national team to qualify on its own merits was Japan on March 20, 2026, followed by New Zealand and Iran, also in March 2025.

The complete list is below, updated in November 2025:

Full list of teams qualified to the 2026 World Cup

1. United States (Concacaf)
2. Canada (Concacaf)
3. Mexico (Concacaf)
4. Japan (AFC)
5. New Zealand (OFC)
6. Iran (AFC)
7. Argentina (Conmebol)
8. Uzbekistan (AFC)
9. Jordan (AFC)
10. South Korea (AFC)
11. Brazil (Conmebol)
12. Ecuador (Conmebol)
13. Australia (AFC)
14. Uruguay (Conmebol)
15. Paraguay (Conmebol)
16. Colombia (Conmebol)
17. Morocco (CAF)
18. Tunisia (CAF)
19. Egypt (CAF)
20. Algeria (CAF)
21. Ghana (CAF)
22. Cabo Verde (CAF)
23. South Africa (CAF)
24. Qatar (AFC)
25. England (UEFA)
26. Senegal (CAF)
27. Ivory Coast (CAF)
28. Saudi Arabia (AFC)
29. France (UEFA)
30. Croatia (UEFA)
31. Norway (UEFA)
32. Portugal (UEFA)
33. Germany (UEFA)
34. Netherlands (UEFA)
35. Belgium (UEFA)
36. Austria (UEFA)
37. Spain (UEFA)
38. Switzerland (UEFA,)
39. Scotland (UEFA)
40. Curaçao (Concacaf)
41. Haiti (Concacaf)
42. Panama (Concacaf)
43. Pending UEFA play-off
44. Pending UEFA play-off
45. Pending UEFA play-off
46. Pending UEFA play-off
47. Pending multi-conference play-off
48. Pending multi-conference play-off