World Cup teams qualified: List of nations playing at 2026 FIFA tournament and how qualification works

How does qualification work? When does the World Cup start? The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be the biggest tournament of its kind, as the global football governing body has expanded its field for the upcoming competition.

Hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, there will now be 104 games played across the entirety of the tournament, up from 64 in 2022 when only 32 teams participated, meaning more nations than ever will get a chance to play for soccer's most coveted prize. Defending champions Argentina are back, set to be challenged by fellow favorites France, England, and Spain amongst other top football nations like Brazil, Germany, and Uruguay. Some countries, meanwhile, are still vying for a place at the competition as they contest the final playoff games at the end of March.

The Sporting News brings you a look at all the countries who have booked a spot in the biggest World Cup to date, and who can still lock down a place in this summer's tournament. 2026 WORLD CUP HQ: Latest World Cup news | World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets Who has qualified for World Cup 2026? Forty-eight teams will gear up to participate in the 2026 World Cup, the first time there has ever been that high a number at FIFA's global championship competition.

Each confederation has been handed a higher number of available slots than four years prior under the expanded format. The AFC (Asia) has double the qualification spots it had at Qatar 2022, up from four guaranteed places to eight, while there will be nine African nations instead of five. CONCACAF (North America) will have at least double its 2022 representatives, up from three to six.