The 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada will, fairly actually, be the most important one but.
Forty-eight groups will compete for soccer’s biggest prize subsequent summer season; an growth from the 32-team format that has been in impact since 1998.
The match, which runs from 11 June to 19 July, will even be simply the second time the lads’s competitors has been co-hosted – following Japan and South Korea in 2002 – and the primary time three nations will share internet hosting duties.
With qualifying for the showpiece occasion in full swing, and the principle draw set for five December, we’re looking on the nations who’ve already booked their place on the finals subsequent yr.
What number of locations does every confederation get?
The three host nations qualify mechanically, whereas the six different confederations of UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean), AFC (Asia), OFC (Oceania) and CAF (Africa) stage their very own qualifying campaigns and are given a set variety of assured slots.
UEFA (Europe) has been given 16 assured locations, with the 12 group winners progressing on to the finals. The 12 runners-up and 4 additional groups primarily based on their Nations League rating will enter 4 play-off paths, with every offering an additional spot on the finals.
9 spots are given to CAF (Africa), eight to AFC (Asia), and a minimal of six to each CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean). In one other first, OFC (Oceania) has been given one assured slot for the finals.
The ultimate two locations might be determined by way of a six-team inter-confederation play-off match, made up of 1 group per confederation (excluding UEFA), plus one further group from the confederation of the host nations.
Just one group from Europe has clinched qualification. No group from North/Central America or the Caribbean has certified to hitch the three hosts on the match but.
Who has already certified?
The hosts
Courtesy of their standing as host nations, the USA, Mexico and Canada have mechanically booked their place on the finals subsequent summer season.
Conversations round geopolitics will undoubtedly dominate the headlines within the build-up however, on the pitch, the US group, boasting a squad suffering from gifted gamers plying their commerce in Europe’s prime leagues, might be hoping for a powerful match.
Nevertheless, outcomes beneath former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino have been largely detached, although Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Australia, which adopted a 1-1 draw with Ecuador, could enhance the sensation across the group.
After a disappointing exhibiting ultimately yr’s Copa America, Mexico hit again with triumph in each the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup this summer season, beating fierce rivals USA within the closing of the latter.
Javier Aguirre’s facet, with former Barcelona participant and nationwide icon Rafael Marquez as assistant coach, noticed a nine-match unbeaten run ended this month with a 4-0 loss to Colombia.
In the meantime, Canada, who have been touted by many as darkish horses previous to their debut World Cup finals look in 2022 earlier than crashing out with out registering a single level, might be searching for an improved exhibiting on house soil.
They drew with Colombia on Tuesday following defeat to Australia final week.
Africa
Morocco made historical past in 2022 by turning into the first-ever African nation to achieve a males’s World Cup semi-final, the place they finally fell to France.
The Atlas Lions might be hoping to once more go deep within the match after reserving their place on the finals subsequent yr at a canter.
Tunisia reached the finals as they went unbeaten by qualifying with out conceding a purpose, whereas Egypt certified final week with a 3-0 win over Djibouti.
They have been joined by one other North African facet in Algeria, who will contest the finals for the primary time since 2014 after sealing their place with a 3-0 defeat of Somalia final Thursday.
Ghana comfortably noticed off Comoros to win their qualifying group and might be hoping to copy their run to the quarter-finals in 2010.
There have been joyous scenes in Praia as Cape Verde reached the finals for the primary time of their historical past, beating Eswatini 3-0. South Africa, in the meantime, will seem at a World Cup for the primary time since internet hosting in 2010.
Bafana Bafana denied Benin a primary finals berth, defeating them 3-0 to win Group C forward of Nigeria.
Ivory Coast sealed their spot with a 3-0 win towards Kenya, with the Elephants set to return after lacking out on the finals in 2018 and 2022. Senegal punched their ticket with a 4-0 win over Mauritania.
Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon be a part of Nigeria in a four-team play-off, the winner of which is able to progress to the Inter-confederation play-offs.
Certified:
Morocco
Tunisia
Egypt
Algeria
Ghana
Cape Verde
South Africa
Ivory Coast
Senegal
Asia
There might be a well-recognized contingent from Asia subsequent summer season within the type of Australia, Iran, Japan and South Korea, who’ve all appeared a number of occasions on the finals.
Nevertheless, the 2026 finals will see debuts for Jordan and Uzbekistan, who’ve each been sturdy all through qualifying.
Qatar, hosts in 2022, might be again for a repeat look after beating the UAE on Tuesday, whereas a 0-0 draw with Iraq was sufficient for Saudi Arabia to seal their spot.
Iraq and the UAE will face off in a play-off, with the winner going to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Certified:
Australia
Iran
Japan
Jordan
South Korea
Uzbekistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Oceania
New Zealand nabbed the one Oceania assured place having dominated their qualifying group, profitable all three matches, scoring 19 and conceding only one on the method.
New Caledonia will progress to the inter-confederation play-off.
Certified:
New Zealand
South America
Gone are the times when the world champions achieve an computerized likelihood to defend their crown 4 years later. However that appeared to matter little to holders Argentina, who breezed into subsequent yr’s finals 9 factors clear on the prime of the group.
Whereas it stays to be seen whether or not 38-year-old Lionel Messi – who was prime scorer in qualifying with eight objectives – will play at what would a record-breaking sixth World Cup finals, one factor is for sure: Argentina may have a shot at turning into solely the third nation, after Italy and Brazil, to efficiently retain the trophy.
Brazil stuttered by qualifying in fifth however stay the one nation to have appeared at each World Cup finals.
Carlo Ancelotti’s facet misplaced a 3rd of their matches however with the likes of Raphinha, Vinicius Jr., and Estevao of their ranks, who would wager towards them going far within the match subsequent summer season.
Elsewhere in South American qualifying, Ecuador turned a number of heads by ending second, whereas Colombia and Uruguay – the latter managed by Marcelo Bielsa – additionally reached the finals.
Paraguay might be making their first look since a quarter-final defeat to eventual winners Spain in 2010, and Bolivia, whose final World Cup finals expertise got here the final time the USA hosted in 1994, secured the confederation’s intercontinental play-off place.
Certified:
Argentina
Brazil
Ecuador
Uruguay
Colombia
Paraguay
Europe
England grew to become the primary group from the UEFA part to qualify as a 5-0 demolition of Latvia made it eight wins from eight.
One win from their subsequent two video games will seemingly be sufficient for European champions Spain to hitch them, whereas the equation is basically the identical for Norway as they search a primary finals look since 1998, the Scandinavians boasting a vastly superior purpose distinction than Italy in Group I.
Crushed 2022 finalists France will qualify in the event that they beat Ukraine subsequent month, whereas Netherlands simply want a win over Poland to clinch their place. Portugal will guarantee Cristiano Ronaldo will get one other shot at glory in the event that they beat Eire in Dublin.
Germany are within the field seat to qualify mechanically from Group A however can ill-afford a slip-up in video games with Luxembourg and Slovakia, whereas Belgium look sure to come back by a tough Group J. One win from two video games might be sufficient for Group B leaders Switzerland, however Group C appears prone to come right down to a winner-take-all conflict between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park.
It may very well be the identical state of affairs in Group H, wherein Austria maintain a two-point lead over Bosnia Herzegovina, whom they face of their closing qualifier in Vienna.
Certified:
England
