Which Nations have Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, as the United States is set to co-host the world’s biggest tournament next summer for the first time since the USA hosted in 1994.

The U.S. Men’s National Team is automatically qualified as a host, as are Mexico and Canada. For the first time in history, FIFA has expanded the tournament to 48 teams. That left 45 other spots for countries to secure their place, with the final teams clinching on March 31.

Each confederation had an allotted set of spots. Concacaf, for example, had six tickets outside of the host nations. The qualifying process wasn’t the same for every confederation, as some used group stages and league tables while others used knockout rounds. Most of the tournament field was set by December 2025, when FIFA held the World Cup draw on Dec. 5. The two final spots were decided in an inter-confederation playoff between six teams in March 2026 for the first time. Teams in each confederation, except UEFA, had a chance at the playoff. Concacaf had two playoff spots while every other confederation had one. 

2026 World Cup spots by confederation:

• AFC (Asia): 8 World Cup places
• CAF (Africa): 9 World Cup places
• Concacaf (North/Central America & Caribbean): 6 World Cup places (excluding hosts)
• CONMEBOL (South America): 6 World Cup places
• OFC (Oceania): 1 World Cup place
• UEFA (Europe): 16 World Cup places

Here’s a running tracker of every qualified nation:

*including 2026