FIFA World Cup 2026 – Meet the teams A total of 39 nations have already sealed qualification, joining co-hosts United States, Mexico and Canada in the draw for next year’s showpiece, with six places to be decided via play-offs Erling Haaland Norway qualify for first time since 1998 South America: 6 North America: 6 Europe: 16 places Asia: 8 Africa: 9 Play-offs: 2 Oceania: 1 March 2026: Inter- continental play-offs Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname play-off for two places QUALIFIED TEAMS Teams ordered by 2026 qualification position Best finish Tournaments (inc. 2026) NORTH AMERICA 3 Canada Group stage 1986, 2022 18 Mexico Quarter-final 1970, 86 12 USA Third-place 1930 2 Panama Group stage 2018 1 Curaçao Debut 2 Haiti Group stage 1974 SOUTH AMERICA 19 Argentina 3-time winner 5 Ecuador Round of 16, 2006 7 Colombia Quarter-final 2014 15 Uruguay Winner 1930, 1950 23 Brazil 5-time winner 9 Paraguay Quarter-final 2010 OCEANIA 3 New Zealand Groups 1982, 2010 EUROPE 21 Germany 4-time winner 13 Switzerland 3-time quarter-final 9 Scotland 8-time group stage 17 France Winner 1998, 2018 17 Spain Winner 2010 9 Portugal Third-place 1966 12 Netherlands 3-time final 8 Austria Third-place 1954 4 Norway Round of 16, 1998 15 Belgium Third-place 2018 17 England Winner 1966 7 Croatia inal 2018 March 2026: European play-offs Twelve runners-up and four best ranked UEFA Nations League teams compete. Split into four play-off paths – four path winners will qualify for FIFA World Cup ASIA 7 Iran 6-time group stage 12 South Korea Fourth place 2002 8 Japan 4-time round of 16 1 Uzbekistan Debut 1 Jordan Debut 7 Australia Round of 16, 2006, 22 2 Qatar Group stage 2022 7 Saudi Arabia Round of 16, 1994 AFRICA 4 Egypt Group stage 1990, 2018 4 Senegal Quarter-final 2002 4 South Africa 3-time group stage 1 Cape Verde Debut 7 Morocco Fourth-place 2022 4 Côte d’Ivoire 3-time group stage 5 Algeria Round of 16, 2014 7 Tunisia 6-time group stage 5 Ghana Quarter-finals 2010 Source: FIFA Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS