2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Who’s In, Who’s Out, and What’s Still to Play For

The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup—set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada—has reached a high-stakes phase, with nearly every continent closing in on final qualifiers. For the first time, the World Cup will feature 48 nations, opening the door to both opportunity and unpredictability.

Here’s where the global qualifiers stand.

South America
In CONMEBOL, where 10 teams play each other home and away in a double round-robin format, Argentina leads the standings with 35 points from 16 matches and has already booked its spot. Ecuador and Brazil, with 25 points each, have also secured qualification.

Uruguay and Paraguay are each on 24 points and need only a point from their final two matches to advance. Colombia sits sixth with 22 points, while Venezuela is close behind with 18. The top six teams qualify directly, and the seventh will enter an intercontinental playoff.

Europe
Europe has 16 World Cup berths and no room for error. UEFA has divided its qualifiers into 12 groups, with group winners qualifying directly. The 12 runners-up, along with four Nations League top-performing teams that haven’t qualified, will enter playoffs for the final four spots.

Most groups have yet to begin play, but some early movement is happening. Bosnia and Herzegovina started strong in Group H with nine points from three games. Group G features an early battle between the Netherlands and Poland. Group I sees Norway ahead with 12 points from four matches, while Italy lags slightly behind.

Groups E, F and several others have yet to kick off, but big names like Spain, Portugal, Belgium and England are all under pressure to perform.

Asia
Six Asian teams have already punched their tickets: Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, Uzbekistan and Jordan. Two more direct spots remain, with a third place in the intercontinental playoff also available.

Teams including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, UAE and Indonesia have advanced to the fourth round. These six will be split into two groups, with each group winner qualifying for the World Cup. The runners-up will play a fifth-round match, with the winner heading to the global playoff.

Africa
Africa will send nine teams directly, with one additional team advancing via an intercontinental playoff. The continent’s 54 teams are split into nine groups of six. Only group winners qualify directly, while the four best runners-up compete for the final playoff slot.

Egypt leads Group A with 16 points, while Morocco tops Group E with 15. Ivory Coast and Gabon are neck and neck in Group F, and Ghana is in control of Group I. With four matches remaining for most teams, nothing is guaranteed.

North and Central America
The three host nations—United States, Mexico and Canada—are automatically qualified, leaving three direct spots and one playoff slot available for the rest of CONCACAF.

Early qualifying featured six groups. The top two teams from each moved on, forming three final groups of four teams. The group winners will qualify directly, and the best runner-up will earn a playoff spot.

Teams still in the running include Costa Rica, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador and others.

Oceania
New Zealand has again emerged as the dominant force in Oceania and has qualified directly. New Caledonia will represent the region in the intercontinental playoff, hoping to pull off an upset and reach the World Cup for the first time.

What’s Ahead
With more spots up for grabs than ever before, traditional powerhouses are facing tough challenges from rising nations. Some big names are already in, while others are still in danger. The final stretch of qualifiers promises drama, breakthroughs and heartbreak.

The Kirib will continue to follow every step of the global qualification path as the world counts down to the biggest World Cup in history.