IND, CHN failed to qualify for the WC next year
ENG are the first European country to book their spot
USA, MEX and CAN will be hosting the 48-team tournament next year
With the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers heading towards the penultimate stage, five new nations have confirmed their slots for the upcoming marquee tournament that will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada next year.
28 countries have already booked their ticket for the perennial tournament that will see an expanded 48-team contest. USA, Canada and Mexico automatically qualify as hosts nation. Japan was the first country to seal it's spot in the WC followed by New Zealand and Iran.
The likes of Qatar, England, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Senegal are the latest few countries to confirm their World Cup qualification. However, the world's populated countries have not qualified for the WC.
Asia countries notably China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan, which make 42.2% of the world's population, have not qualified for the tournament next year. Other major nations that failed to seal the spot were Peru, Chile and Venezuela.
Speaking of India, they were not top contender to book their spot in the AFC Confederation and some poor performances saw they crash out of the WC 2026 qualification race.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualified Countries:
Hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States
Asia (AFC): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan
Africa (CAF): Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
South America (CONMEBOL): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
Oceania (OFC): New Zealand
Europe (UEFA): England
