Qualifying process for 2026 World Cup hits the final stretch

The list of national teams participating in the 2026 World Cup is taking its final shape.

November will introduce more qualifying national teams than any other month during the process, with France being the first national team this month to join the previous 28 qualifiers. Many more teams, particularly from Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, are due to qualify in the next few days.

By the end of this qualifying window we’ll know 42 of the 48 national teams that will compete for the cup next year. The final six will come from two playoffs: a European playoff that will define four more teams, and a global playoff (without a European team) that will select the last two teams.

The draw to distribute these teams in four groups will take place Dec. 5 at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Among the 28 teams that qualified before this window are first-timers like Jordan, Uzbekistan and the island of Cape Verde, the second smallest country in terms of population ever to qualify to a World Cup. The smallest is Iceland, which made it to Russia in 2018.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the U.S., will include 48 national teams, up from 32 in Qatar in 2022. The three host teams qualified automatically, taking three spots from the Concacaf region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean).

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The 2026 World Cup will be played in 16 host cities, 11 of them in the U.S. The Bay Area will host six matches, five during the group stage from June 13 to June 25, and a round of 32 game July 1. The group matches for the three hosts have been assigned: The U.S. will play in Los Angeles and Seattle; Canada in Vancouver and Toronto; and Mexico in Guadalajara and Mexico City. The rest of the qualifiers will be placed in their groups through a lottery.

The final will be held July 19, 2026, in New Jersey.

Every region has a certain allocation of spots, but all of them — except Europe — also earn spots for a playoff that will define the final two places to get to the total of 48.

Here’s how FIFA distributed the tickets to 2026:

• AFC (Asia): 8 tickets, plus one playoff spot
• CAF (Africa): 9 tickets, plus one playoff spot
• Concacaf (North America, Central America and Caribbean): 3 automatic spots for the hosts, 3 tickets and 2 playoff spots
• CONMEBOL (South America): 6 tickets, plus one playoff spot
• OFC (Oceania): 1 ticket and one playoff spot
• UEFA (Europe): 16 tickets

Full list of teams qualified to the 2026 World Cup

1. United States (Concacaf, host)
2. Canada (Concacaf, host)
3. Mexico (Concacaf, host)
4. Japan (AFC, qualified on March 20)
5. New Zealand (OFC, qualified on March 24)
6. Iran (AFC, qualified on March 25)
7. Argentina (CONMEBOL, qualified on March 25)
8. Uzbekistan (AFC, qualified on June 5)
9. Jordan (AFC, qualified on June 5)
10. South Korea (AFC, qualified on June 5)
11. Australia (AFC, qualified on June 10)
12. Brazil (CONMEBOL, qualified on June 10)
13. Ecuador (CONMEBOL, qualified on June 10)
14. Uruguay (CONMEBOL, qualified on Sept. 4)
15. Colombia (CONMEBOL, qualified on Sept. 4)
16. Paraguay (CONMEBOL, qualified on Sept. 4)
17. Morocco (CAF, qualified on Sept. 5)
18. Tunisia (CAF, qualified on Sept. 8)
19. Egypt (CAF, qualified on Oct. 8)
20. Algeria (CAF, qualified on Oct. 9)
21. Ghana (CAF, qualified on Oct. 12)
22. Cape Verde (CAF, qualified on Oct. 13)
23. South Africa (CAF, qualified on Oct. 14)
24. Qatar (AFC, qualified on Oct. 14)
25. England (UEFA, qualified on Oct. 14)
26. Senegal (CAF, qualified on Oct. 14)
27. Ivory Coast (CAF, qualified on Oct. 14)
28. Saudi Arabia (AFC, qualified on Oct. 14)
29. France (UEFA, qualified on Nov. 13)