World Cup Qualifications, the complete guide. Who could advance this week, what do countries need and what is the Play-Off tournament?
Twenty-eight teams have secured their place at next summer’s World Cup finals, including the three co-hosts, with many more joining them over the next 10 days.
Defending champions Argentina, Brazil and England top the heavyweight nations rankings, already qualified in seven months for the world finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Who could be next to join them?
Here we examine the state of play:
EUROPE (16 direct places)
What the groups look like as the international break approaches.
The 12 group winners automatically qualify. The finalists advance to a 16-team play-off competition that also includes the four highest-ranked Nations League section winners who did not finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying groups.
The 16 teams will be drawn into four play-off stages, each comprising four teams, with the semi-finals and one-way finals taking place in March 2026. The four winners will qualify.
So far only England have qualified for the group stage, with Thomas Tuchel’s men coming through Group K with six wins from six.
Who could be next?
FRANCE: will qualify if they beat Ukraine on Thursday.
SWISS: will qualify if they beat Sweden and Kosovo fail to beat Slovenia. OR, they draw against Sweden and Kosovo lose to Slovenia.
BELGIUM: will qualify if they beat Kazakhstan.
THE NETHERLANDS: will qualify if they beat Poland.
AUSTRIA: will qualify if they beat Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina fail to defeat Romania.
PORTUGAL: will qualify if they beat the Republic of Ireland. OR, they draw against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary fail to beat Armenia.
NORWAY: will qualify if they beat Estonia and Italy fail to beat Moldova. OR, they draw against Estonia and Italy lose to Moldova.
SPAIN: will qualify if they beat Georgia and Turkey fail to defeat Bulgaria.
NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA (Six direct places + two places for Play-Off tournaments)
What the groups look like as the international break approaches.
No team has qualified yet.
Who could be next?
HONDURAS: will qualify if they beat Nicaragua and Costa Rica draws against Haiti.
JAMAICA: will qualify if they beat Trinidad and Tobago and Curaçao loses to Bermuda.
AFRICA (Nine direct places + one place for the Play-Off Tournament)
How the group stage ended.
Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast and South Africa qualified.
Top four group finalists – Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and DR Congo – play this week to determine the nation that will participate in the Play-Off tournament.
ASIA (Eight direct places + one place for the Play-Off tournament)
How the group stage ended.
Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan qualified.
Iraq and United Arab Emirates play-off this week to determine the nation that will participate in the Play-Off tournament.
SOUTH AMERICA (Six direct places + one place for the Play-Off tournament)
How the group stage ended.
Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay qualified.
Bolivia will participate in the Play-Off tournament.
OCEANIA (A direct place + a place in the Play-Off Tournament)
How the group stage ended.
New Zealand qualified.
New Caledonia will participate in the Play-Off tournament.
What is the Play-Off tournament?
A newly created and designed event that will determine the final two qualifiers.
Six teams will compete with the four lowest-performing nations in the FIFA World Rankings meeting in the semi-finals. The two highest ranked teams will advance directly to the final.
The winners of the two finals will earn a place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
