So far, 42 teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, with six more spots available for next summer’s 48-team tournament.
Curacao is among the countries that have already made reservations, making the Caribbean island the smallest country to qualify for the World Cup.
Curaçao will join hosts Argentina, home countries England and Scotland in the tournament, which will be held between June 11 and July 19 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, won the Qatar World Cup and will defend the title in 2026.
This will be the largest to date, with 48 countries participating, 16 more than Qatar in 2022. The countries that have qualified for the tournament so far are:
Who else can qualify?
There are six spots yet to be decided, four of which will be won by European teams through the UEFA play-offs.
However, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales all failed to qualify through this route after losing in the semi-finals and will not be competing in this summer’s tournament.
The remaining two spots in the World Cup will be taken by teams from other federations. Suriname and New Caledonia both lost in the playoff semi-finals. Jamaica and Bolivia will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq respectively in the battle for a spot in the World Cup.
Who will play against whom in the playoffs?
The draw for the World Cup playoffs was held at FIFA headquarters in November.
Wales lost on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the Republic of Ireland lost on penalties to the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland lost to Italy 0-2.
With Wales and Northern Ireland in the same draw, the two countries could have met in the play-off final, but Bosnia and Herzegovina instead hosted Italy. The Czech Republic will play Denmark, while in the other final Sweden will visit Poland and Turkey will visit Kosovo.
The final will take place on Tuesday 31st March with kick-off at 7:45pm.
World Cup qualifying playoffs ended in a complete draw
Playoff Pass A:
Semi-final: Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland
Semi-finals: Wales 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Pence 2-4)
Final: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy
Playoff Pass B:
Semi-finals: Ukraine 1-3 Sweden
Semi-final: Poland 2-1 Albania
Final: Sweden vs Poland
Playoff Pass C:
Semi-finals: Türkiye 1-0 Romania
Semi-final: Slovakia 3-4 Kosovo
Final: Kosovo vs Türkiye
Playoff Pass D:
Semi-final: Denmark 4-0 North Macedonia
Semi-finals: Czech Republic 2-2 Republic of Ireland (Pence 4-3)
Final: Czech Republic vs Denmark
Inter-federation playoffs ended in a draw
Playoff Pass A:
Semi-final: New Caledonia 0-1 Jamaica
Final: Jamaica vs Congo
Playoff Pass B:
Semi-final: Bolivia 2-1 Suriname
Final: Bolivia vs Iraq
When is the 2026 World Cup draw?
The draw for the 2026 World Cup was held in Washington on December 5th, with US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino deciding the group stage brackets.
England begin their match against Croatia, while Scotland begin their match against Haiti.
US President Donald Trump and FIFA Director General Gianni Infantino hold the World Cup trophy in the Oval Office.
2026 World Cup Match Schedule
The full schedule for the World Cup was announced after the draw, with the opening game being held in Mexico City.
The final game will be held at New York/New Jersey (MetLife) Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.
Group Stage: June 11th-27th
Round of 32: June 28th to July 3rd
Round 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9th-11th
Semi-finals: July 14th-15th
3rd place match (“Bronze Final”): July 18th
Last day: July 19th
