2026 World Cup tracker: Who's qualified, how many spots are left?

Thirteen out of a possible 48 nations have booked their tickets to the 2026 World Cup, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States included as co-hosts. By the end of 2025, we'll know 42 of the 48 participants. The FIFA qualifying cycle ends in March 2026, when the last remaining spots are decided. Below, we're keeping track of every team that's confirmed its place in the supersized tournament so far.

What's the breakdown?

*The final two World Cup berths will be determined by inter-confederation playoffs in March 2026. Six teams will take part - two from CONCACAF and one each from Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America. The two with the best FIFA ranking will go directly to one of two finals, while the other four will be drawn to play semifinal matches. New Caledonia has already secured the playoff spot for Oceania (OFC). Europe, the largest confederation, has its own separate playoff process that determines UEFA's final four tournament representatives.

Who's qualified?

Ecuador 🇪🇨

• Confederation: CONMEBOL
• Date of qualification: June 10, 2025

Defensive solidity is the name of the game for Ecuador, which will feature at the World Cup for the fifth time in its history next summer. Sebastian Beccacece's team is among the most difficult in the world to break down; Ecuador secured its place with a 0-0 draw against Peru, its third consecutive goalless stalemate in CONMEBOL qualifying. Goals haven't exactly been flowing - La Tri have just 13 in 16 qualifying matches - but they've conceded only five in that time, by far the best mark in South America.

Brazil 🇧🇷

• Confederation: CONMEBOL
• Date of qualification: June 10, 2025

Carlo Ancelotti achieved his primary goal, guiding a previously misfiring Brazil to the World Cup with a victory over Paraguay in his second match in charge. The Italian, brought in to much acclaim to replace Dorival Junior, will now be tasked with bringing more excitement to the Selecao's play and entertaining supporters who have been desperate for a revival of the expressive "Joga Bonito" style that has defined the national team for much of its illustrious history. Brazil, the five-time World Cup champion, maintains its record of qualifying for every edition of the men's tournament.

Australia 🇦🇺

• Confederation: AFC
• Date of qualification: June 10, 2025

Australia is heading to its sixth consecutive men's World Cup, sealing its place in North America with a 2-1 comeback victory over Saudi Arabia. The Socceroos went into the contest knowing they simply needed to avoid losing by a five-goal margin to punch their ticket, and, despite conceding an early tally in Jeddah, Tony Popovic's men fought back to get the required result. The Aussies join Japan in emerging out of Group C in the third round of AFC qualifying and will look to replicate - or exceed - their Round of 16 appearance from four years ago.

Jordan 🇯🇴

• Confederation: AFC
• Date of qualification: June 5, 2025

Jordan was the second Asian nation to secure its World Cup debut in a single day after Uzbekistan booked its spot just over two hours earlier. Several key figures from Jordan's recent football history are no longer part of the team due to international retirement or simply falling out of favor, but the likes of Yazan Al-Naimat, who's Marco Verratti's teammate at Qatari side Al-Arabi, and skillful Rennes winger Mousa Al-Tamari will try to ensure their country's first World Cup outing is more than a miserable group-stage exit.

South Korea 🇰🇷

• Confederation: AFC
• Date of qualification: June 5, 2025

South Korea booked its 11th consecutive appearance at the World Cup after overcoming 10-man Iraq in its penultimate Group B game during the third round of AFC qualifiers. Son Heung-min is still a key presence in the squad but his influence is fading for club and country, potentially giving Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in the chance to establish himself as the poster boy of the latest Taegeuk Warriors generation. Hong Myung-bo is set to oversee his second World Cup as South Korea boss after the team recorded just one draw and two defeats under his watch in 2014.

Uzbekistan 🇺🇿

• Confederation: AFC
• Date of qualification: June 5, 2025

Uzbekistan became the 81st different country to reach the men's World Cup following a goalless draw against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. Each of the White Wolves' five qualification wins in this cycle came by a one-goal margin, which emphasizes the importance of Manchester City's Abdukodir Khusanov and fellow defenders Husniddin Aliqulov and Rustamjon Ashurmatov in a stubborn back-three. Roma forward Eldor Shomurodov is another star of Uzbek football and is the all-time leading scorer for the men's team with 41 goals.

Argentina 🇦🇷

• Confederation: CONMEBOL
• Date of qualification: March 25, 2025

The reigning World Cup champion already qualified for the 2026 edition before taking the pitch in Buenos Aires, sealing a place by virtue of Bolivia's goalless draw with Uruguay earlier in the day. There was less at stake in Argentina's much-anticipated qualification tilt with Brazil. However, La Albiceleste took care of business nonetheless, crushing their hated rivals 4-1 to further assert their dominance in South American qualifying. Lionel Scaloni's side will be a popular pick to conquer the globe again despite the fact that talismanic captain Lionel Messi turns 39 before the tournament's group stage is over.

Iran 🇮🇷

• Confederation: AFC
• Date of qualification: March 25, 2025

Iran confirmed its fourth consecutive World Cup appearance, and seventh in the history of its men's team program, after racing to 20 points from its first eight matches in the third round of Asian qualifiers. Carlos Queiroz isn't in charge of this latest group, but the rest of the squad will be familiar to many onlookers: Eight of the 11 starters from the World Cup-clinching draw with Uzbekistan are aged 30 or over, including mainstays Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and Saman Ghoddos.

New Zealand 🇳🇿

• Confederation: OFC
• Date of qualification: March 24, 2025

To the surprise of nobody, New Zealand clinched Oceania's single automatic World Cup berth after winning each of its five qualification matches. The All Whites brushed aside Tahiti, Vanuatu, and Samoa before thumping Fiji 7-0 in the third round's semifinals, then officially punching their ticket to North America with a 3-0 win over New Caledonia. Chris Wood's nine goals during the qualification process are more than twice the total of the second top scorer, fellow Kiwi attacker Elijah Just.

Japan 🇯🇵

• Confederation: AFC
• Date of qualification: March 20, 2025

Japan became the first team to qualify on the pitch for the 2026 World Cup - and did so with three matches to spare - when Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo's sumptuous finishes sunk Bahrain in Saitama. Japan is an early candidate for the World Cup's "dark horse" tag as the Samurai Blue's exciting generation is highlighted by goal-scorers Kamada and Kubo, and the likes of England-based players Kaoru Mitoma, Wataru Endo, and Ao Tanaka.

Mexico 🇲🇽

• Confederation: CONCACAF
• Date of qualification: Feb. 14, 2023 (co-host)

Things were looking up after Mexico beat Canada and Panama to win the Nations League in March. Raul Jimenez was scoring again and promising to forge a potent strike partnership with AC Milan marksman Santiago Gimenez in time for the World Cup. However, a 1-0 win over Turkey to conclude El Tri's pre-Gold Cup friendlies was overshadowed by the 4-2 defeat to Switzerland in Salt Lake City that preceded it.

Canada 🇨🇦

• Confederation: CONCACAF
• Date of qualification: Feb. 14, 2023 (co-host)

American coach Jesse Marsch has been saying the right things to boost his popularity in Canada, but his charm offensive will lose its luster if his team can't score in big games. Banging in four goals against Ukraine in June helped lift belief, but Canada failed to score in its subsequent June fixture against the Ivory Coast, should've posed more of a threat against Mexico in the Nations League semifinals in March, and wasn't exactly free-scoring during its 2024 Copa America run. Finding the right strike partner to complement top scorer Jonathan David will be key for Marsch in the buildup to the World Cup.

United States 🇺🇸

• Confederation: CONCACAF
• Date of qualification: Feb. 14, 2023 (co-host)

Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure. The United States failed to deliver Nations League glory following March's surprise semifinal defeat to Panama, and its misery was compounded when it fell to Canada in the third-place game. The USMNT then made it four defeats in a row in June's friendlies with a 2-1 reverse to Turkey and harrowing 4-0 loss to Switzerland. There are several issues - including underperforming stars and some starters not playing enough for their clubs - that could lead to the USMNT disappointing fans on home soil in 2026.

Key dates ahead

Sept. 1-9: World Cup qualifying
Oct. 6-14: World Cup qualifying
Nov. 10-18: World Cup qualifying
December 2025: World Cup draw (exact date TBD)
March 23-31, 2026: Final World Cup qualifying matches
June 1-9, 2026: Pre-tournament friendly matches
June 11, 2026: World Cup opening match