The only Asian team banned by FIFA from participating in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers

The Northern Mariana Islands are out of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The AFC has a total of 47 members and the only team that has been excluded is the Northern Mariana Islands, a small US territory located in the Pacific Ocean. The reason is that the team is not officially recognized by FIFA. Therefore, they are not allowed to participate in any stage of the World Cup qualifiers.

The AFC also eliminated Northern Mariana from the play-off round for the 2027 Asian Cup, leaving them with no chance of competing at any level. Previously, the team fell into a similar situation when they were eliminated from the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the recent Asian Cups.

In 2015, Northern Mariana Islands, considered an emerging nation in the AFC system, participated in the Challenge Cup, where they lost 0-6 to Nepal, 0-9 to Palestine and 0-4 to Bangladesh.

Still, soccer is taking off here. "Soccer hasn't surpassed baseball in popularity yet, but we have a year-round league for all ages," says Ruselle Zapanta, executive director of the Northern Mariana Soccer Federation. "People are starting to talk about soccer more, and we want to make soccer a source of pride for the island in the future."

The 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, which will feature 46 teams, also serve as qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Cup. Eight teams – Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Japan, Australia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – have already secured their place in North America. Meanwhile, the UAE and Iraq will play in a two-legged tie for a spot in the intercontinental play-offs.

Source: https://znews.vn/doi-chau-a-duy-nhat-bi-fifa-cam-du-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-post1602504.html