Determining 42 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup

After the matches taking place on the morning of November 19 (Vietnam time), the International Football Federation (FIFA) has determined the first 42 teams to have tickets to the 2026 World Cup Finals. The remaining six spots will be determined through a play-off series in March 2026.

Scotland qualified for the World Cup after 28 years. (Photo: FIFA)

42 teams have tickets to the 2026 World Cup

CONCACAF (6 teams): USA, Canada, Mexico (3 co-host countries), Haiti, Curacao, Panama.

Asia (8 teams): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar.

South America (6 teams): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Europe (12 teams): England, France, Croatia, Norway, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Spain, Austria, Belgium.

Oceania (1 team): New Zealand.

Africa (9 teams): Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana.

The list above features many notable milestones. Curacao qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history and became the smallest country to ever participate (444 km²). Haiti returned to the world stage after more than half a century, since the last time in 1974.

On the morning of November 19, the final round of European qualifying took place with much drama. Scotland made a dramatic comeback against Denmark, from being eliminated to the top of the group with a 4-2 victory in extra time. This is the first time in 28 years that Scotland has returned to the World Cup.

Austria also closed out their qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw with Bosnia, marking their return to the tournament since 1998. Switzerland, Spain and Belgium were the final three European teams to join the group of 12 teams with direct tickets.

In the North, Central America and Caribbean region, the final round of matches saw many changes. Curacao drew 0-0 with Jamaica to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. Panama took advantage of Suriname's surprise 3-1 loss to Guatemala to advance to the knockout stage. Haiti also completed a convincing qualifying run with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua, thereby securing a place for the second time in history.

Final six: Competition in March 2026

FIFA will conduct the play-off draw on November 20 to determine the final six spots for the 2026 World Cup.

In Europe, 16 teams will participate in the play-off round, including 12 second-placed teams in the qualifying round (Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, Ukraine, Türkiye, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Bosnia, Italy, Wales, Albania, Czech Republic) and 4 teams that won places from the UEFA Nations League (North Macedonia, Sweden, Romania, Northern Ireland).

The teams are divided into four seed groups: group 1 includes Italy, Denmark, Türkiye, Ukraine; group 2 includes Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia; group 3 includes Republic of Ireland, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo; group 4 includes Sweden, Romania, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland.

In addition, the intercontinental play-off round will determine the remaining two spots with the participation of six teams: Iraq (Asia), Congo (Africa), Jamaica and Suriname (CONCACAF), Bolivia (South America) and New Caledonia (Oceania).

According to the rules, Iraq and Congo - the two teams with the highest FIFA rankings in the group - will go straight to the deciding match, while the remaining four teams will compete from the semi-finals to choose the final two opponents to compete for tickets to the World Cup.

HUY AN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/xac-dinh-42-doi-tuyen-gop-mat-tai-world-cup-2026-post924185.html