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Premier League

2026 World Cup: All 48 Teams That Qualified, and How the Tournament Ended

By eplreport 4 min read

2026 World Cup teams and trophy

The 2026 World Cup was the first with 48 teams, the first hosted by three countries and the biggest edition of the tournament ever staged. Played across the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026, it ended with Spain beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final. This guide lists every country that qualified, how the places were shared out and what happened when the tournament was played.

How qualification for the 2026 World Cup worked

Expanding from 32 to 48 teams meant every confederation received more places. The three hosts qualified automatically, and the final two spots were decided by an inter-confederation play-off in March 2026. The format then split the 48 teams into 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams reaching a new round of 32. That made 104 matches in total, played in 16 host cities: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

theScore has a detailed breakdown of how all 48 teams qualified.

Every team at the 2026 World Cup

Europe (UEFA): 16 teams

England, France, Croatia, Norway, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Scotland, Spain, Austria and Belgium qualified directly. The four European play-off paths were won by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Türkiye and Czechia. Italy lost in the play-offs and missed a third consecutive World Cup.

South America (CONMEBOL): 6 teams

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.

North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF): 6 teams

Hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States, plus Curaçao, Haiti and Panama, who all qualified on the same remarkable night in November 2025. Read our stories on Curaçao, the smallest nation ever to qualify, and Haiti’s return after 52 years.

Africa (CAF): 10 teams

Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia qualified directly. DR Congo took a tenth African place by beating Jamaica 1-0 in the inter-confederation play-off.

Asia (AFC): 9 teams

Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Korea qualified directly. Iraq claimed the last place at the tournament by beating Bolivia 2-1 in the inter-confederation play-off.

Oceania (OFC): 1 team

New Zealand, who earned the first guaranteed Oceania place in World Cup history.

Debutants and long-awaited returns

Four countries played at the 2026 World Cup for the first time: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. Curaçao, with a population of around 156,000, became the smallest nation ever to appear at the finals.

Several others ended long absences. Haiti and DR Congo, who played as Zaire, were back for the first time since 1974. Iraq returned for the first time since 1986, while Scotland, Norway and Austria were all back for the first time since 1998. Czechia and Türkiye ended waits that stretched back to the 2000s, and South Africa, Paraguay and New Zealand returned for the first time since 2010.

Memorable moments from the group stage

  • Germany 7-1 Curaçao: Germany’s big opening win made them the all-time top scorers in World Cup history, but Livano Comenencia still scored Curaçao’s first ever World Cup goal.
  • Curaçao 0-0 Ecuador: Goalkeeper Eloy Room made 15 saves to earn the debutants a historic point.
  • Scotland 1-0 Haiti: John McGinn’s goal gave Scotland their first World Cup win since 1990.
  • Group C: Brazil and Morocco both finished on seven points, with Brazil topping the group on goal difference.

Ecuador, led by their record goalscorer, scraped through as one of the best third-placed teams. Find out where Enner Valencia plays now after the tournament.

The 2026 World Cup final

The final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July brought together Spain, the European champions, and Argentina, the holders. It was goalless after 90 minutes, the first World Cup final to stay level that long since 1994.

Argentina finished with ten men after Enzo Fernández was sent off, and Emiliano Martínez made ten saves, a record for a World Cup final. Spain finally broke through in the 106th minute, when substitute Ferran Torres scored the only goal. ABC News has the full report from the final.

It was Spain’s second World Cup, after their win in South Africa in 2010, and it ended Argentina’s bid to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back titles. Coming two years after their Euro 2024 triumph, it confirmed Spain’s young generation as the best in the world. We covered the start of that story in our report on Lamine Yamal’s stunner against France.

What the 2026 World Cup means for the Premier League

The expanded format put more Premier League players on the world stage than ever before, from established stars with England, France and Brazil to players from smaller nations who used the tournament to raise their profile. Clubs scouted heavily during the summer, and several transfers before the 2026/27 season followed strong World Cup displays.

The bigger tournament also lengthened the summer break for many players, which affected pre-season preparation for the clubs with the most internationals. For more coverage, visit our international football section.