Finalizing the 42/48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup.

The 2026 World Cup finals have determined 42 out of 48 teams that will participate in the biggest football event on the planet.

Panama brilliantly secured a ticket to the 2026 World Cup - Photo: REUTERS

On the morning of November 19th, the final matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) region concluded with some dramatic results. Curacao wrote a fairytale story by securing their place in the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Haiti is making its first return to the world's biggest football tournament after a 52-year wait. Panama is also participating for the second time.

In Europe, the final five direct qualification spots have also been determined. Besides familiar names like Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain, attention is now focused on Austria and Scotland.

Both teams ended their World Cup droughts, which had lasted since 1998, to return to the tournament. Scotland, in particular, staged a spectacular comeback, scoring two goals in injury time to beat Denmark 4-2 and secure top spot in their group.

The joy of the Haitian people as their national team qualifies for the 2026 World Cup - Photo: REUTERS

Here is the list of 42 teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup:

Europe: Germany, France, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Croatia, Belgium, Switzerland, Scotland, Austria, Norway.

Asia: Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, Jordan, Uzbekistan.

South America: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay. (Bolivia will participate in the intercontinental play-offs).

Africa: Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, Cape Verde.

CONCACAF : USA, Mexico, Canada (co-hosts), Panama, Haiti, Curacao.

Oceania: New Zealand.

How will the final six tickets be decided?

The remaining 6 spots will be determined through play-off rounds taking place in March 2026:

European Play-offs (4 spots): 16 teams, including giants like Italy, Denmark, Turkey, and Ukraine, will be divided into 4 brackets. The teams will compete in a single-elimination format to select the final 4 teams from Europe.

Intercontinental Play-offs (2 spots): Teams from Asia (Iraq), Africa (Congo), South America (Bolivia), Oceania (New Caledonia) and CONCACAF (Jamaica, Suriname) will compete for the last two tickets to the 2026 World Cup.

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chot-42-48-doi-tham-du-world-cup-2026-20251119112058221.htm