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2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

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2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Tournament details
Dates7 September 2023 – 31 March 2026
Teams206 (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played883
Goals scored2,480 (2.81 per match)
Attendance15,071,582 (17,069 per match)
Top scorerNorway Erling Haaland (16 goals)
← 2022
2030 →
All statistics correct as of 18 November 2025.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Qualification began on 7 September 2023 with three matches of the CONMEBOL zone played that day.[1] The first goal of the qualification series was scored by Colombian player Rafael Santos Borré against Venezuela.[2][3]

Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan all qualified for the first time, with Curaçao becoming the smallest nation to ever qualify,[4] while Qatar had their first successful qualifying campaign after making their debut in the previous edition as hosts.[5][6]

Slot allocation

On 30 March 2017, the Bureau of the FIFA Council (composed of the FIFA president and the presidents of each of the six confederations) proposed a slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The recommendation was submitted for the ratification by the FIFA Council.[7][8]

On 9 May 2017, two days before the 67th FIFA Congress, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation in a meeting in Manama, Bahrain. This included an intercontinental play-off tournament involving six teams to decide the last two FIFA World Cup spots.[9]

The ratification of slot allocation also gave the OFC a guaranteed berth in the final tournament for the first time in FIFA World Cup history; as such, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament in which all six confederations have at least one guaranteed berth.

Qualified teams

  Teams qualified
  Teams still able to qualify
  Teams failed to qualify
  Teams withdrew or suspended
  Not a FIFA member
Team Method of
qualification 		Date of
qualification 		Total
times
qualified 		Last
time
qualified 		Current
consecutive
appearances 		Previous best
performance
 Canada Hosts 14 February 2023[a] 3 2022 2 Group stage (1986, 2022)
 Mexico Hosts 14 February 2023[a] 18 2022 9 Quarter-finals (1970, 1986)
 United States Hosts 14 February 2023[a] 12 2022 2 Third place (1930)
 Japan AFC third round Group C winners 20 March 2025 8 2022 8 Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)
 New Zealand OFC third round winners 24 March 2025 3 2010 1 Group stage (1982, 2010)
 Iran AFC third round Group A winners 25 March 2025 7 2022 4 Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)
 Argentina CONMEBOL winners 25 March 2025 19 2022 14 Winners (1978, 1986, 2022)
 Uzbekistan AFC third round Group A runners-up 5 June 2025 1[b] — 1 —
 South Korea AFC third round Group B winners 5 June 2025 12 2022 11 Fourth place (2002)
 Jordan AFC third round Group B runners-up 5 June 2025 1 — 1 —
 Australia AFC third round Group C runners-up 10 June 2025 7 2022 6 Round of 16 (2006, 2022)
 Brazil CONMEBOL fifth place 10 June 2025 23 2022 23 Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
 Ecuador CONMEBOL runners-up 10 June 2025 5 2022 2 Round of 16 (2006)
 Uruguay CONMEBOL fourth place 4 September 2025 15 2022 5 Winners (1930, 1950)
 Colombia CONMEBOL third place 4 September 2025 7 2018 1 Quarter-finals (2014)
 Paraguay CONMEBOL sixth place 4 September 2025 9 2010 1 Quarter-finals (2010)
 Morocco CAF Group E winners 5 September 2025 7 2022 3 Fourth place (2022)
 Tunisia CAF Group H winners 8 September 2025 7 2022 3 Group stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022)
 Egypt CAF Group A winners 8 October 2025 4 2018 1 First round[c] (1934), group stage (1990, 2018)
 Algeria CAF Group G winners 9 October 2025 5 2014 1 Round of 16 (2014)
 Ghana CAF Group I winners 12 October 2025 5 2022 2 Quarter-finals (2010)
 Cape Verde CAF Group D winners 13 October 2025 1 — 1 —
 South Africa CAF Group C winners 14 October 2025 4 2010 1 Group stage (1998, 2002, 2010)
 Qatar AFC fourth round Group A winners 14 October 2025 2 2022 2 Group stage (2022)
 England UEFA Group K winners 14 October 2025 17 2022 8 Winners (1966)
 Saudi Arabia AFC fourth round Group B winners 14 October 2025 7 2022 3 Round of 16 (1994)
 Ivory Coast CAF Group F winners 14 October 2025 4 2014 1 Group stage (2006, 2010, 2014)
 Senegal CAF Group B winners 14 October 2025 4 2022 3 Quarter-finals (2002)
 France UEFA Group D winners 13 November 2025 17 2022 8 Winners (1998, 2018)
 Croatia UEFA Group L winners 14 November 2025 7[d] 2022 4 Runners-up (2018)
 Portugal UEFA Group F winners 16 November 2025 9 2022 7 Third place (1966)
 Norway UEFA Group I winners 16 November 2025 4 1998 1 Round of 16 (1998)
 Germany UEFA Group A winners 17 November 2025 21[e] 2022 19 Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
 Netherlands UEFA Group G winners 17 November 2025 12 2022 2 Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)
 Belgium UEFA Group J winners 18 November 2025 15 2022 4 Third place (2018)
 Austria UEFA Group H winners 18 November 2025 8 1998 1 Third place (1954)
  Switzerland UEFA Group B winners 18 November 2025 13 2022 6 Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)
 Spain UEFA Group E winners 18 November 2025 17 2022 13 Winners (2010)
 Scotland UEFA Group C winners 18 November 2025 10[f] 1998 1 Group stage (1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998)
 Panama CONCACAF Group A winners 18 November 2025 2 2018 1 Group stage (2018)
 Haiti CONCACAF Group C winners 18 November 2025 2 1974 1 Group stage (1974)
 Curaçao CONCACAF Group B winners 18 November 2025 1 — 1 —

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Although the United bid was selected on 13 June 2018, the automatic berths allocated to the hosts were not confirmed until a decision by the FIFA Council on 14 February 2023.[10]
  2. ^ Until 1991, Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union, which competed at seven World Cup tournaments. FIFA considers Russia to be the successor team of the Soviet Union.
  3. ^ The 1934 World Cup was a straight knockout tournament between 16 teams and did not feature a group stage.
  4. ^ Until 1992, Croatia was part of Yugoslavia, which competed at eight World Cup tournaments. FIFA considers Serbia to be the successor team of Yugoslavia.
  5. ^ From 1950 to 1990, Germany competed as West Germany, as a separate East German team existed during that period.
  6. ^ Scotland qualified 10 times, but only participated 9 times as they withdrew in 1950.

Qualification process

On 9 May 2017, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation scheme for the new 48-team final format.[9]

Summary of qualification

Confederation Direct slots Play-off slots Teams started Teams eliminated Teams can still qualify Teams qualified Qualifying start date Qualifying next match date Qualifying end date
AFC 8 1 46 37 1 8 12 October 2023 — 18 November 2025
CAF 9 1 53 43 1 9 15 November 2023 — 16 November 2025
CONCACAF 3+3 (hosts) 2 32+3 (hosts) 27 2 3+3 (hosts) 22 March 2024 — 18 November 2025
CONMEBOL 6 1 10 3 1 6 7 September 2023 — 9 September 2025
OFC 1 1 11 9 1 1 6 September 2024 — 24 March 2025
UEFA 16 0 54 26 16 12 21 March 2025 26 March 2026 31 March 2026
Play-offs 2 — (6) 0 (6) 0 26 March 2026 26 March 2026 31 March 2026
Total 45+3 (hosts) 6 206+3 (hosts) 145 22 39+3 7 September 2023 26 March 2026 31 March 2026

Suspensions and withdrawals

Russia were suspended indefinitely on 28 February 2022 from participating in UEFA and FIFA competitions due to the country's invasion of Ukraine.[11] A circular distributed by UEFA on 11 November 2024 stated 192 group stage matches would take place, confirming Russia's exclusion from the tournament.[12]

Sri Lanka were suspended in January 2023 for an unspecified reason[13] and they did not appear in the draw information the AFC released in early July.[14] However, they were re-added with the condition that their federation would hold elections at least ten days before qualification would begin.[15]

Eritrea withdrew from qualification on 10 November 2023, prior to playing any matches, due to concerns that players would seek political asylum if allowed to travel overseas.[16][17]

Congo were suspended on 6 February 2025 due to government interference in Congolese Football Federation operations.[18][19] No announcement regarding their status was immediately available, and CAF initially cancelled their remaining matches.[20] The suspension was lifted by FIFA on 14 May 2025,[21] and Tanzania and Zambia were awarded 3–0 victories by forfeit.[22]

Format

Each confederation was responsible for its own qualification tournament, which consisted of at least one round of competition using the following formats (Regulations Article 11.3):[23]

  • A double round-robin (or "league") format in which each team in a group played all other teams in their group twice – once at home and once away.
  • A single round-robin format in which each team in a group played all other teams in their group once, with the venues either drawn at random or assigned by the confederation with the agreement of the playing associations.
  • A knockout format in which each team in a round played one other team over two legs – once at home and once away.
  • With FIFA's permission, a tournament held in one of the participating nations or in neutral territory.
  • With FIFA's permission, a single-leg knockout format.

Tiebreakers

In the round-robin and tournament formats, the tiebreaker criteria were as follows (Regulations Article 11.5):[23]

  1. Greatest number of points obtained in all group matches (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss)
  2. Greatest goal differential in all group matches
  3. Most goals scored in all group matches

Should two or more teams still have equal rank after criteria 1–3 were applied, then the following criteria were used:

  1. Greatest number of points obtained in all matches amongst the concerned teams
  2. Greatest goal differential in all matches amongst the concerned teams
  3. Most goals scored in all matches amongst the concerned teams
  4. Most goals scored away from home in all matches amongst the concerned teams
  5. The best team conduct score using the following table:
    1. First yellow card: –1 point
    2. Second yellow card/indirect red card: –3 points
    3. Direct red card: –4 points
    4. Yellow card and direct red card: –5 points
    Only one score was applied to any player or team official in any match, e.g. a player who received a second yellow card would only have –3 points applied and not –4 (–1 for the first and –3 for the second).
  6. Drawing of lots by FIFA

If the tournament were held in a single host nation or in neutral territory, then criterion 7 would not be applied (Regulations Article 11.6).[23]

In the home-and-away knockout format, the team scoring more goals on aggregate won the tie and advanced. If the aggregate score were level, then 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If the score were still level at the end of extra time, the away goals rule would not be applied and the winners would be decided by a penalty shoot-out (Regulations Article 11.9).[23] In the single-leg knockout format, the team scoring more goals in a single match wins and advances. If the teams are tied after regulation, then extra time will be played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score is still level (Regulations Article 11.10).[23]

Confederation qualification

AFC

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

On 1 August 2022, the Asian Football Confederation Executive Committee approved the qualification format for Asia's road to the 2026 World Cup, as well as the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, in preparation for the eight direct spots and the single intercontinental play-off slot allocated to the AFC by FIFA following the expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams.[24] The draw for the first round was held on 27 July 2023 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[25] The draw for the second round took place two hours later.

The qualification structure was as follows:

  • First round: Twenty teams (ranked 27–46) played home-and-away over two legs.[26] The ten winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: Thirty-six teams (those ranked 1–26 and the ten first-round winners) were divided into nine groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The eighteen group winners and group runners-up advanced to the third round.
  • Third round: The eighteen teams that advanced from the second round were divided into three groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the World Cup, while the third-placed and fourth-placed teams of each group advanced to the fourth round.
  • Fourth round: The six teams that advanced from the third round were drawn into two groups of three teams each to play a single round-robin. The winners qualified for the World Cup, and the runners-up advanced to the fifth round.
  • Fifth round: The fourth round group runners-up competed in a two-legged play-off tie that determined the Asian representation at the inter-confederation play-offs.

Final positions (third round)

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round
Legend
  Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  Advanced to the fourth round

Group A
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Iran 10 23
2  Uzbekistan 10 21
3  United Arab Emirates 10 15
4  Qatar 10 13
5  Kyrgyzstan 10 8
6  North Korea 10 3
Source: AFC, FIFA

Group B
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  South Korea 10 22
2  Jordan 10 16
3  Iraq 10 15
4  Oman 10 11
5  Palestine 10 10
6  Kuwait 10 5
Source: AFC, FIFA

Group C
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Japan 10 23
2  Australia 10 19
3  Saudi Arabia 10 13
4  Indonesia 10 12
5  China 10 9
6  Bahrain 10 6
Source: AFC, FIFA

Final positions (fourth round)

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round
Legend
  Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  Advanced to the fifth round

Group A
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Qatar (H) 2 4
2  United Arab Emirates 2 3
3  Oman 2 1
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Group B
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Saudi Arabia (H) 2 4
2  Iraq 2 4
3  Indonesia 2 0
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts

Final positions (fifth round)

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fifth round

The winner advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
United Arab Emirates 2–3 Iraq1–11–2

CAF

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

The CAF Executive Committee announced a new African qualification format on 19 May 2023.[27][28] The draw was held on 13 July 2023 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.[29][30] All 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from CAF entered qualification. Eritrea withdrew before matches began due to fears that players would seek political asylum abroad.[31][32]

The qualification structure was as follows:

  • First round: Teams were drawn into nine groups of six teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winner of each group qualified for the World Cup.
  • Second round: The four best-ranked group runners-up participated in a play-off to determine which team would advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Final positions (first round)

Legend
  Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  Advanced to the second round
  Withdrew
Group A
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Egypt 10 26
2  Burkina Faso 10 21
3  Sierra Leone 10 15
4  Guinea-Bissau 10 10
5  Ethiopia 10 9
6  Djibouti 10 1
Source: FIFA
Group B
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Senegal 10 24
2  DR Congo 10 22
3  Sudan 10 13
4  Togo 10 8
5  Mauritania 10 7
6  South Sudan 10 5
Source: FIFA
Group C
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  South Africa 10 18
2  Nigeria 10 17
3  Benin 10 17
4  Lesotho 10 12
5  Rwanda 10 11
6  Zimbabwe 10 5
Source: FIFA
Group D
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Cape Verde 10 23
2  Cameroon 10 19
3  Libya 10 16
4  Angola 10 12
5  Mauritius 10 6
6  Eswatini 10 3
Source: FIFA
Group E
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Morocco 8 24
2  Niger 8 15
3  Tanzania 8 10
4  Zambia 8 9
5  Congo 8 1
6  Eritrea 0 0
Source: FIFA
Group F
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Ivory Coast 10 26
2  Gabon 10 25
3  Gambia 10 13
4  Kenya 10 12
5  Burundi 10 10
6  Seychelles 10 0
Source: FIFA
Group G
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Algeria 10 25
2  Uganda 10 18
3  Mozambique 10 18
4  Guinea 10 15
5  Botswana 10 10
6  Somalia 10 1
Source: FIFA
Group H
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Tunisia 10 28
2  Namibia 10 15
3  Liberia 10 15
4  Malawi 10 13
5  Equatorial Guinea 10 11
6  São Tomé and Príncipe 10 3
Source: FIFA
Group I
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Ghana 10 25
2  Madagascar 10 19
3  Mali 10 18
4  Comoros 10 15
5  Central African Republic 10 8
6  Chad 10 1
Source: FIFA

Due to Eritrea's withdrawal from qualification resulting in differing group sizes, results from matches against sixth-place teams were discounted when ranking group runners-up.[47]

Ranking of runners-up
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Gabon 8 19
2  DR Congo 8 16
3  Cameroon 8 15
4  Nigeria 8 15
5  Burkina Faso 8 15
6  Niger 8 15
7  Madagascar 8 13
8  Uganda 8 12
9  Namibia 8 9
Source: FIFA

Final positions (second round)

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round

The teams were allocated into semi-finals based on their FIFA Men's World Ranking of 17 October 2025, with the highest-ranked side taking on the lowest and the second-highest taking on the third-highest.[48][49][50]

The winner advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
13 November 2025 – Rabat (Hassan)
 
 
 Nigeria (a.e.t.)4
 
16 November 2025 – Rabat (Hassan)
 
 Gabon1
 
 Nigeria1 (3)
 
13 November 2025 – Rabat (Al Barid)
 
 DR Congo (p)1 (4)
 
 Cameroon0
 
 
 DR Congo1
 

CONCACAF

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

Three teams in CONCACAF—Canada, Mexico and the United States—automatically qualified as host nations. On 28 February 2023, CONCACAF announced the qualifying format for 2026 World Cup qualification.[51]

  • First round: Four CONCACAF teams, ranked 29 to 32 based on the FIFA ranking of December 2023, were divided into two matchups to be played on a two-legged home-and-away basis. The two winners advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: Thirty teams – the two winners from the first round and CONCACAF teams ranked 1 to 28 based on the FIFA ranking of December 2023 – were drawn into six groups of five teams. They played single round-robin matches (two home and two away), with group winners and runners-up advancing to the third round.
  • Third round: The twelve teams that advanced from the second round were drawn into three groups of four teams. They played double round-robin home-and-away matches, with the three group winners qualifying for the World Cup. The two best-ranked runners-up advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Final positions (third round)

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF third round
Legend
  Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  Advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs

Group A
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Panama 6 12
2  Suriname 6 9
3  Guatemala 6 8
4  El Salvador 6 3
Source: FIFA

Group B
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Curaçao 6 12
2  Jamaica 6 11
3  Trinidad and Tobago 6 7
4  Bermuda 6 1
Source: FIFA

Group C
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Haiti 6 11
2  Honduras 6 9
3  Costa Rica 6 7
4  Nicaragua 6 4
Source: FIFA

Ranking of runners-up
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Jamaica 6 11
2  Suriname 6 9
3  Honduras 6 9
Source: FIFA

CONMEBOL

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

On 22 August 2022, CONMEBOL petitioned FIFA to keep the qualification format which had been used since the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, where all CONMEBOL members play home-and-away round-robin matches against each other.[52][53][54][55] This was approved, with the first games of the qualifiers played in September 2023.[56]

Before the qualification competition began, Ecuador were penalized 3 points for using falsified birth documents for Byron Castillo in the previous World Cup qualification cycle.[57]

Final positions

Legend
  Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  Advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Argentina 18 38
2  Ecuador 18 29
3  Colombia 18 28
4  Uruguay 18 28
5  Brazil 18 28
6  Paraguay 18 28
7  Bolivia 18 20
8  Venezuela 18 18
9  Peru 18 12
10  Chile 18 11
Source: FIFA

OFC

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

The 2026 World Cup marked the first time OFC was granted one guaranteed slot, as well as a possible second slot via the inter-confederation play-offs.

The qualification structure was as follows:[58]

  • First round: The four lowest-ranked teams played a three-match knockout round in September 2024. The winner, Samoa, advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: The winning team from the first round joined the seven highest-ranked teams in two four-team groups in October and November 2024. The top two teams from each group advanced to the third round.
  • Third round: The four teams advancing from the second round played a three-match knockout round in March 2025. The winner, New Zealand, qualified for the World Cup and the runner-up, New Caledonia, advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Final positions (third round)

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC) § Third round

The winner qualified for the World Cup, while the runner-up advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
21 March 2025 – Wellington
 
 
 New Caledonia 3
 
24 March 2025 – Auckland
 
 Tahiti 0
 
 New Caledonia 0
 
21 March 2025 – Wellington
 
 New Zealand 3
 
 New Zealand 7
 
 
 Fiji 0
 

UEFA

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

The UEFA Executive Committee announced a new European qualification format on 25 January 2023. Teams were drawn into twelve groups of four or five teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches from March to November 2025. The group winners qualified for the World Cup, while the runners-up will participate in play-off matches,[59] for a total of 16 teams qualifying for the finals.

The qualification draw took place on 13 December 2024 in Zürich, Switzerland.[60] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia's national team was suspended, and their exclusion was confirmed in a circular distributed by UEFA on 11 November 2024.[61]

  • First round (group stage): Twelve groups of either four or five teams were drawn, with group winners qualifying for the World Cup.
  • Second round (play-off): Sixteen teams (twelve group runners-up and the four best Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group) were drawn into four play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals with the seeded teams hosting, followed by finals, with the home teams drawn from the semi-final pairings). The four path winners will qualify for the World Cup.[62]

Final positions (first round)

Legend
  Qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  Advanced to the second round
Group A
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Germany 6 15
2  Slovakia 6 12
3  Northern Ireland 6 9
4  Luxembourg 6 0
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group B
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1   Switzerland 6 14
2  Kosovo 6 11
3  Slovenia 6 4
4  Sweden 6 2
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group C
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Scotland 6 13
2  Denmark 6 11
3  Greece 6 7
4  Belarus 6 2
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group D
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  France 6 16
2  Ukraine 6 10
3  Iceland 6 7
4  Azerbaijan 6 1
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group E
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Spain 6 16
2  Turkey 6 13
3  Georgia 6 3
4  Bulgaria 6 3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group F
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Portugal 6 13
2  Republic of Ireland 6 10
3  Hungary 6 8
4  Armenia 6 3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group G
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Netherlands 8 20
2  Poland 8 17
3  Finland 8 10
4  Malta 8 5
5  Lithuania 8 3
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group H
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Austria 8 19
2  Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 17
3  Romania 8 13
4  Cyprus 8 8
5  San Marino 8 0
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group I
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Norway 8 24
2  Italy 8 18
3  Israel 8 12
4  Estonia 8 4
5  Moldova 8 1
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group J
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Belgium 8 18
2  Wales 8 16
3  North Macedonia 8 13
4  Kazakhstan 8 8
5  Liechtenstein 8 0
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group K
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  England 8 24
2  Albania 8 14
3  Serbia 8 13
4  Latvia 8 5
5  Andorra 8 1
Source: FIFA, UEFA
Group L
Pos Team
 Pld Pts
1  Croatia 8 22
2  Czech Republic 8 16
3  Faroe Islands 8 12
4  Montenegro 8 9
5  Gibraltar 8 0
Source: FIFA, UEFA

Next stage (second round)

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round

The winners of each path will qualify for the World Cup.

Path A

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
26 March 2026 – Cardiff
 
 
 Wales
 
31 March 2026 – Cardiff or TBD
 
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 
Winner semi-final 2
 
26 March 2026 – TBD
 
Winner semi-final 1
 
 Italy
 
 
 Northern Ireland
 

Path B

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
26 March 2026 – TBD
 
 
 Ukraine
 
31 March 2026 – TBD or Solna
 
 Sweden
 
Winner semi-final 3
 
26 March 2026 – TBD
 
Winner semi-final 4
 
 Poland
 
 
 Albania
 

Path C

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
26 March 2026 – TBD
 
 
 Slovakia
 
31 March 2026 – TBD or Pristina
 
 Kosovo
 
Winner semi-final 6
 
26 March 2026 – TBD
 
Winner semi-final 5
 
 Turkey
 
 
 Romania
 

Path D

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
26 March 2026 – TBD
 
 
 Czech Republic
 
31 March 2026 – TBD or Dublin
 
 Republic of Ireland
 
Winner semi-final 8
 
26 March 2026 – Copenhagen
 
Winner semi-final 7
 
 Denmark
 
 
 North Macedonia
 

Inter-confederation play-offs

Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)

A play-off tournament involving six teams – one each from AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC and two from CONCACAF – will be held to decide the last two FIFA World Cup berths. The bottom four teams in the November 2025 FIFA World Rankings were drawn into two single-elimination matches. The winners of those matches will advance to play the top two teams in a further round of single-elimination matches, and the winners will qualify for the World Cup. The play-offs will be held in March 2026 in Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico.[63]

Semi-finalFinal
      
31 March 2026 – Zapopan
 DR Congo
26 March 2026 – Zapopan
Winner match 1
 New Caledonia
 Jamaica
Semi-finalFinal
      
31 March 2026 – Guadalupe
 Iraq
26 March 2026 – Guadalupe
Winner match 2
 Bolivia
 Suriname

Top goalscorers

There have been 2,480 goals scored in 883 matches, for an average of 2.81 goals per match (as of 18 November 2025). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

16 goals

12 goals

10 goals

9 goals

8 goals

Below are goalscorer lists for all confederations:

See also

Notes

References

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