World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: Who’s Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup So Far?

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers are in full motion with teams competing for a spot from all across the globe. The majority of the biggest national teams are yet to get a spot in the new format of World Cup. FIFA extended the old 32-team format which was the same since 1998. The FIFA World Cup 2026 will have 48 teams instead of 32 teams and it will be co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico.

The European Confederation (UEFA) is set to have guaranteed 16 slots, whereas the African Confederation (CAF) have nine and the Asian Confederation (AFC) have eight. Further, there will be six each from the South American Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). There will be a new confederation getting a guaranteed spot for the first time with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) making its way into the FIFA World Cup 2026.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: List of Qualified Teams

Latest From FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2026

The UEFA qualifiers have just started so as of now no European national team will be confirmed soon. Similarly, the CONCACAF and CAF will not have any team confirmed in March as well. Below are the teams given who have qualified already excluding the hosts of the tournament namely USA, Mexico and Canada.

The Oceania Football Confederation crowned their team which will play in the FIFA World Cup 2026. New Zealand defeated Fiji in the semi-final and then faced New Caledonia which beat Tahiti in their semi-final. New Zealand won the final against New Caledonia, which guaranteed their spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Argentina, the current title holders of the FIFA World Cup also attained their spot in the WC 2026 after Bolivia drew with Uruguay hence they have qualified on the points which they attained so far.

Japan on the other hand gained qualification in third round since they are first in the table with 20 points winning six matches and drawing two matches. Iran and Ubzekistan might join Japan in the FIFA WC 2026 if they do not proceed to drop points in the upcoming days.

Which European Teams Are Expected to Qualify for FIFA 2026?

The big European national teams, namely Spain, France, England, and others, are bound to do well in their World Cup 2026 qualifiers campaign. Eight national teams will gain qualification for the WC 2026 if they win their groups in the first stage. Spain, the current Euros champions, are favorites to win the FIFA World Cup 2026 due to their impeccable form.

Germany, which last won the World Cup in 2014, went through a poor phase at the previous two World Cups in 2018 and 2022, respectively but are now back in form as well. England, under new manager Thomas Tuchel, are also always one of the favorites to win the World Cup because of their stacked squad.

France manager Didier Deschamps has done incredibly well with Les Bleus ever since he took over in 2012. France have since won the 2018 edition of the World Cup, reached the final in 2022, and have made remarkable progress in other national tournaments as well. France have one of the most talented squads and will give it their all at the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is Didier Deschamps’ last year as manager. The Netherlands under Ronald Koeman, have made commendable progress as well and have one of the most talented teams in Europe. They are bound to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 as well.

Other than that, a few teams such as Switzerland and Portugal, which are not as capable as the above-mentioned teams but have a great squad, are also very likely to do well in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. Last but not least, Italy will do their best to make it to the FIFA World Cup 2026 since they used to be one of the best teams in the world and in Europe alongside Spain, France and a few others.

Italy have fallen far from it’s glory and failed to qualify for the last two editions of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history. Their last appearance in a knockout game of the FIFA World Cup was back in 2006 when they last won the tournament, beating France on penalties in the final.

Who’s at Risk in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2026?

Some of Europe’s teams will have to fight much harder in their World Cup 2026 qualifying groups. These teams do include a few who once used to be amongst the best in the world. At first, Croatia’s team, which endured a poor run at the UEFA Euros in 2024, have to do well to get in form for qualification.

The same goes for Denmark’s team, which also had a disappointing UEFA Euros 2024 campaign. There are a lot of expectations on Belgium as well which similarly had a poor campaign. Belgium parted ways with former manager Domenico Tedesco and appointed Rudi Garcia to start a new era however, he has to deliver results in a very short time.

A few teams which have gotten better over the years are Norway and Austria. Norway have a good chance of qualification since they are drawn alongside Israel, Estonia, Moldavia and Italy in their World Cup 2026 qualifying group. Austria on the other hand have improved under Ralf Rangnick and will look to improve upon their performances after a poor UEFA Euros 2024 campaign. Poland are also expected to qualify smoothly through the play-offs.