The 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada will, quite literally, be the biggest one yet.
Forty-eight teams will compete for football’s greatest prize next summer; an expansion from the 32-team format that has been in effect since 1998.
The tournament, which runs from 11 June to 19 July, will also be just the second time the men’s competition has been co-hosted – following Japan and South Korea in 2002 – and the first time three nations will share hosting duties.
With qualifying for the showpiece event in full swing, and the main draw set for 5 December, we are taking a look at the nations who have already booked their place at the finals next year.
How many places does each confederation get?
The three host nations qualify automatically, while the six other confederations of UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean), AFC (Asia), OFC (Oceania) and CAF (Africa) stage their own qualifying campaigns and are given a set number of guaranteed slots.
UEFA (Europe) has been given 16 guaranteed places, with the 12 group winners progressing directly to the finals. The 12 runners-up and four further teams based on their Nations League ranking will enter four play-off paths, with each providing a further spot at the finals.
Nine spots are given to CAF (Africa), eight to AFC (Asia), and a minimum of six to both CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean). In another first, OFC (Oceania) has been given one guaranteed slot for the finals.
The final two places will be decided via a six-team inter-confederation play-off tournament, made up of one team per confederation (excluding UEFA), plus one additional team from the confederation of the host countries.
No team from Europe or North/Central America and Caribbean (other than the three host countries) has secured qualification yet.
Who has already qualified?
The hosts
Courtesy of their status as host nations, the USA, Mexico and Canada have automatically booked their place at the finals next summer.
Conversations around geopolitics will undoubtedly dominate the headlines in the build-up but, on the pitch, the US team, boasting a squad littered with talented players plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues, will be hoping for a strong tournament.
However, results under former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino have been largely indifferent. A recent 2-0 win over Japan, coming after back-to-back defeats against South Korea and Mexico, will do little to ease the pressure on the Argentine coach.
After a disappointing showing at last year’s Copa America, Mexico hit back with triumph in both the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup this summer, beating fierce rivals USA in the final of the latter.
Javier Aguirre’s side, with former Barcelona player and national icon Rafael Marquez as assistant coach, are unbeaten in nine matches.
Meanwhile, Canada, who were touted by many as dark horses prior to their debut World Cup finals appearance in 2022 before crashing out without registering a single point, will be looking for an improved showing on home soil.
Under the stewardship of former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, Canada this week inflicted a first defeat on new Wales manager Craig Bellamy in Swansea.
Africa
Morocco made history in 2022 by becoming the first-ever African nation to reach a men’s World Cup semi-final, where they eventually fell to France.
The Atlas Lions will be hoping to again go deep in the tournament after booking their place at the finals next year at a canter, winning all seven of their qualifying fixtures so far, and conceding just two goals in the process.
Tunisia are the other African nation to have reached the finals, having not conceded a single goal in their eight qualifying matches so far.
Egypt and Mohamed Salah are also on the brink of qualification, while Cape Verde – currently top of their group – will be hoping to reach the finals for the very first time.
Qualified:
Morocco
Tunisia
Asia
There will be a familiar contingent from Asia next summer in the form of Australia, Iran, Japan and South Korea, who have all appeared multiple times at the finals.
However, the 2026 finals will see debuts for Jordan and Uzbekistan, who have both been strong throughout qualifying.
The remaining two guaranteed spots will be contested by Qatar, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Indonesia.
Qualified:
Australia
Iran
Japan
Jordan
South Korea
Uzbekistan
Oceania
New Zealand nabbed the one Oceania guaranteed place having dominated their qualifying group, winning all three matches, scoring 19 and conceding just one on the process.
New Caledonia will progress to the inter-confederation play-off.
Qualified:
New Zealand
South America
Gone are the days when the world champions gain an automatic chance to defend their crown four years later. But that seemed to matter little to holders Argentina, who breezed into next year’s finals nine points clear at the top of the group.
While it remains to be seen whether 38-year-old Lionel Messi – who was top scorer in qualifying with eight goals – will play at what would a record-breaking sixth World Cup finals, one thing is for certain: Argentina will have a shot at becoming only the third nation, after Italy and Brazil, to successfully retain the trophy.
Brazil stuttered through qualifying in fifth but remain the only nation to have appeared at every World Cup finals.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost a third of their matches but with the likes of Raphinha, Vinicius Jr., and Estevao in their ranks, who would bet against them going far in the tournament next summer.
Elsewhere in South American qualifying, Ecuador turned a few heads by finishing second, while Colombia and Uruguay – the latter managed by Marcelo Bielsa – also reached the finals.
Paraguay will be making their first appearance since a quarter-final defeat to eventual winners Spain in 2010, and Bolivia, whose last World Cup finals experience came the last time the USA hosted in 1994, secured the confederation’s intercontinental play-off place.
Qualified:
Argentina
Brazil
Ecuador
Uruguay
Colombia
Paraguay
