Jump to content

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Tournament details
Dates7 September 2023 – 31 March 2026
Teams206 (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played392
Goals scored1,067 (2.72 per match)
Attendance6,786,633 (17,313 per match)
Top scorer(s)Qatar Almoez Ali
(12 goals)
← 2022
2030 →
All statistics correct as of 19 November 2024.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification determines which teams will join Canada, Mexico, and the United States as teams in the tournament. It started on September 7, 2023, with three matches in the CONMEBOL zone.[1]


Qualified countries

[change | change source]
  Teams qualified
  Teams whose qualification status has yet to be decided
  Teams failed to qualify
  Teams withdrew or suspended
  Not a FIFA member

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Although the United bid was selected on 13 June 2018, the automatic berths given to the hosts were not confirmed until a decision by the FIFA Council on 14 February 2023.[2]
  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 have a group stage.
  4. ↑ The 1938 World Cup was a straight knockout tournament between 15 teams and did not have a group stage.

Qualification process

[change | change source]

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

Summary of qualification

[change | change source]
Confederation Direct slots Play-off slots Teams started Teams eliminated Teams qualified Qualifying start date Qualifying next match date Qualifying end date
AFC 8 1 46 28 0 12 October 2023 20 March 2025 18 November 2025
CAF 9 1 53 0 0 15 November 2023 March 2025 November 2025
CONCACAF 3+3 2 32+3 2 0+3 22 March 2024 4 June 2025 November 2025
CONMEBOL 6 1 10 0 0 7 September 2023 20 March 2025 September 2025
OFC 1 1 11 7 0 6 September 2024 21 March 2025 24 March 2025
UEFA 16 0 54 0 0 21 March 2025 21 March 2025 31 March 2026
Play-offs 2N/a (6) 0 0 March 2026 March 2026 March 2026
Total 45+3 6 206+3 37 0+3 7 September 2023 20 March 2025 31 March 2026

    Top goalscorers

    [change | change source]

    There have been 1,067 goals scored in 392 matches, for an average of 2.72 goals per match (as of 19 November 2024). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.

    12 goals

    10 goals

    8 goals

    7 goals

    6 goals

    Notes

    [change | change source]

        References

        [change | change source]
        1. ↑ "Arrancan las Eliminatorias Sudamericanas hoy con tres partidos. ¿Por dónde verlos?". futbol.com.uy - Montevideo Portal (in Spanish). 7 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
        2. ↑ "FIFA Council highlights record breaking revenue in football". FIFA. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
        Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2026_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification&oldid=10733317"