We are 6-7 months away from the Fifa World Cup of 2026 and 42 out of the 48 spaces have already been filled for the world cup. This prestigious tournament will be hosted in 3 different countries; the United states of America, Mexico and Canada. The final will be on the 19th of July in the MetLife stadium.

How Qualifiers Work?

• Europe: The 12 group runners-up from the UEFA qualifiers will compete in the play-offs for the final four European spots at the World Cup next summer. They will be split into three pots according to seedings, and four nations that have not yet qualified based on Nations League rankings will compete. (Sport)

• Asia: With a record eight countries poised for direct qualification and an additional slot conceivable through the Play-off Tournament, there is tremendous excitement among FIFA's most populous confederation. The eight direct spots Asia has been given at the FIFA World Cup 26 are determined via a total of five qualifying stages, with one more country moving on to the FIFA Play-off Tournament. The fourth and fifth rounds of the FIFA World Cup 26 AFC qualifying will happen later in 2025. The third round ended on June 10.

(“ FIFA World Cup 26 Qualifying: All You Need to Know”)

• CONCACAF:Co-hosts Canada, Mexico and USA all receive automatic berths, leaving three direct slots and a possible further two via the Play-off Tournament up for grabs in Concacaf. The qualification tournament began in March 2024, with the region's four lowest-ranked teams meeting in two-legged ties and the winners advancing. The second qualification round ran from June 2024 to June 2025 where 30 Concacaf sides battled in six groups of five teams. The group winners and runners-up (12 teams in total) progressed to the third and final round. That dozen were split into three groups of four teams. Within each group, teams played each other home and away. The three group winners qualified directly for the World Cup, joining hosts Canada, Mexico and USA. (“ FIFA World Cup 26 Qualifying: All You Need to Know”)

• Africa: There will be two rounds to the African qualifications. Nine groups of six teams each will compete in the first, which will take place in a group stage. Every side will play two games against each of their rivals, both at home and away. Each group's best finisher will advance to World Cup 26.(“Everything You Need to Know About 2026 World Cup Qualifying for Africa”)

Teams Already Qualified

• Co-hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA

• AFC: Australia, IR Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan

• CAF: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia

• Concacaf: Curaçao, Haiti, Panama

• CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

• OFC: New Zealand

• UEFA: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland