For decades, soccer teams across every continent have battled through grueling qualifying campaigns for a coveted place on the sport’s biggest stage: the FIFA World Cup. Now, with the tournament expanded to 48 nations, there are more World Cup spots up for grabs than ever before. And with kickoff set for June 11, the field is finally complete.
So how did each team punch its ticket? We’ve got you covered. This is your guide to the World Cup Qualifiers and the journey behind the biggest World Cup bracket in history.
Keep up with all the action on DIRECTV, your destination for all things World Cup, on FOX Sports and Telemundo. Get MySports® for just $44.99/mo. for your first two months to watch all the action for less!
When is the FIFA World Cup 2026™?
The FIFA World Cup begins June 11 at 3:00 p.m. ET when Mexico hosts South Africa at Estadio Azteca. The tournament concludes with the World Cup final on July 19.
See the full 2026 FIFA World Cup TV Schedule here.
How to Watch the FIFA World Cup™
Fans can watch and stream all the action from the global tournament on the following channels:
- FOX – Find your local FOX network
- FS1 – Channel 219
- Telemundo (Spanish Coverage) – Channel 406
- Peacock (Spanish Coverage) – Connect to your DIRECTV account
FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers — How Do Teams Earn a Spot?
Teams qualify for the FIFA World Cup through regional qualifying competitions held by FIFA’s six confederations in the years between World Cups.
The confederations are UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), CONCACAF (North & Central America and the Caribbean) and OFC (Oceania).
For the 2026 World Cup bracket, most nations earned their place based on their performance within their confederation’s qualifying format, while hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States qualified automatically.
The final two World Cup qualifying teams in the 48-team tournament were decided through an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring teams from multiple regions.
Which Teams Qualified for the World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a record 48 teams, which they finalized with a dramatic play-off tournament. Here are the World Cup qualifiers from each of the confederations.
UEFA (Europe)
Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Austria, Norway, Belgium, England and Croatia all qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by winning their UEFA qualifying groups.
CONMEBOL (South America)
Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay all qualified for the 2026 World Cup based on their performance in CONMEBOL play. Bolivia advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs but fell short of a World Cup berth.
CAF (Africa)
Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia and Ghana all qualified for the World Cup by winning their group in CAF matches. DR Congo secured one of the final World Cup bids in the play-off.
AFC (Asia)
Qatar, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Australia advanced to the World Cup qualifying third round. Iraq secured its place with a dramatic victory in the inter-confederation play-offs.
CONCACAF (North & Central America)
Canada, Curaçao, Haiti, Mexico, Panama and the United States qualified through CONCACAF play, with Canada, Mexico and the United States automatically qualifying as tournament hosts.
OFC (Oceania)
New Zealand is the lone qualifier from OFC.
Play-off Tournament – Final World Cup Qualifiers
The final two spots in the 2026 FIFA World Cup were decided through the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament, an inter-confederation playoff featuring six teams from around the world. The slot allocation was determined by the FIFA Council in 2017, and the tournament took place in Mexico in March 2026 and included representatives from the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC regions.
The teams were divided into two three-team brackets based on FIFA World Rankings. In each bracket, two unseeded teams played a semifinal, with the winner advancing to face a seeded team in the final. All matches were single elimination, with extra time and penalty shootouts used if necessary.
Iraq and DR Congo emerged victorious from the tournament, winning dramatic knockout matches to secure the final two places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Related: Explore 2026 World Cup Bracket
Stream 2026 FIFA World Cup™ Live with DIRECTV
Fans can keep up with all the World Cup action on FOX, FS1 and Telemundo with DIRECTV.
Keep up with all the action on DIRECTV, your destination for all things World Cup, on FOX Sports and Telemundo. Get MySports® for just $44.99/mo. for your first two months to watch all the action for less!
Frequently asked questions
How were the final two spots in the World Cup chosen?
How many World Cup qualifying teams are there in 2026?
How do teams qualify for the World Cup?
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