We look ahead to the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw with the key facts and stats for all the qualified nations.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw takes place on Friday 5 December at 18:00 CET in Washington D.C.
Ahead of the draw, we look at the teams to have already qualified for the finals next summer, the six teams that could join them via the play-offs, and the need-to-know facts and stats on every nation.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the 23rd edition of the tournament, taking place 96 years after the inaugural event held in Uruguay in 1930. It will feature a record 48 teams competing across 104 matches — the most in World Cup history.
This tournament will mark the first time the FIFA World Cup is staged across three countries — Canada, Mexico and the United States. It is also only the second instance of the tournament being co-hosted, following the joint effort by Japan and South Korea in 2002.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw Pots
The 48 teams have been divided into four pots containing 12 teams each. Pot 1 consists of the three co-hosts, the United States, Mexico and Canada, as well as the top nine teams in the current FIFA rankings.
Pots 2-4 were also decided by the FIFA rankings, meaning the lowest-ranked teams to qualify, plus all six of the play-off winners are in Pot 4. The 12 groups for the 2026 World Cup will then be formed by one team from each pot.
Teams from the same confederation can’t be drawn in the same group, except for UEFA nations, as there will be 16 of those teams in the draw. There will, though, be a maximum of two European teams in any group at the 2026 tournament.
Once drawn, FIFA will finalise and release the match schedule for the 2026 World Cup on Saturday 6 December, detailing match dates and kick-off times.
Qualified Teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026
There will be 42 known teams in the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw, plus six placeholders for the unconfirmed qualifiers from the play-offs.
The 2026 World Cup will feature at least four debutants: Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. That’s the most since the 2006 edition, which saw six teams make their debut in the tournament. The last debutants to reach the knockout stage were Slovakia in 2010.
Here, we look at the key Opta facts for each of the nations to have already sealed their place at the World Cup next summer.
Canada: The 2026 tournament will mark Canada’s third appearance at the FIFA World Cup, after 1986 and 2022, but it’s the first time they have qualified for back-to-back tournaments. They have lost all six of their World Cup matches coming into this tournament – only El Salvador have matched that number of appearances while losing every game at the World Cup.Mexico: This will be their 18th World Cup and their ninth consecutive appearance. Their previous best appearance came as hosts in 1970 and 1986 (quarter-finals). They hold the record for the most World Cup matches without ever winning the trophy (60 games).United States: The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the USA’s 12th appearance, and their second as hosts after reaching the round of 16 in 1994 when they were eliminated by eventual champions Brazil. They have the second-lowest win rate among teams with 30+ World Cup matches, winning just nine of their 37 games – a rate of 24%, just behind Korea Republic (18%).Spain: Reigning UEFA European Championship winners Spain will look to become the fourth nation to simultaneously hold both the Euro title and the FIFA World Cup after West Germany (Euro 1972, WC 1974), France (WC 1998, Euro 2000) and Spain themselves (Euro 2008, WC 2010, Euro 2012). They are currently unbeaten in their last 31 competitive matches (W25 D6), since a 2-0 loss at Scotland in March 2023 – their longest ever run without defeat.
Argentina: Argentina head to the 2026 World Cup as the reigning champions after defeating France on penalties in the 2022 final. They will attempt to become the third team to win back-to-back World Cup titles after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962). Overall, only Brazil (5), Germany (4) and Italy (4) have won the men’s World Cup more often than Argentina. Lionel Messi will look to build upon his own record of playing in a tournament-high 26 matches – in 2022 he scored (7) or assisted (3) 10 of their 15 goals on the way to glory.France: Since 1998, France have reached the World Cup final in four of the seven editions (1998, 2006, 2018, 2022), at least two times more than any other nation during that period. They will also attempt to become only the third team to reach the final in three consecutive editions after West Germany (1982, 1986, 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998, 2002). Coach Didier Deschamps is one of just three individuals to win the tournament as a player and head coach, alongside Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer.England: Making their 17th World Cup appearance overall, England’s qualification was their eighth in a row – their best uninterrupted run in history. Since winning the World Cup in 1966, England have only progressed past the quarter-finals on two occasions: losing to West Germany in the 1990 semi-final and being knocked out at the same stage in 2018 to Croatia. Thomas Tuchel will experience his first World Cup as a coach, becoming just the third non-Englishman to lead them in the tournament after Sven-Göran Eriksson (2002 and 2006) and Fabio Capello (2010).Brazil: Brazil are the only team to have taken part in every single FIFA World Cup since its original edition in 1930 – this will be their 23rd appearance. They have won the World Cup more than any other team (5) and have the best win rate in the tournament’s history (67% – 76 wins in 114 matches). They have gone five successive tournaments without winning the World Cup; however, last lifting it in 2002.
Portugal: Portugal are one of just five European teams to have made an appearance in every FIFA World Cup edition since 2002, alongside England, France, Germany and Spain. They have reached the knockout stages in four of the last five World Cup tournaments, but their best-ever finish came 60 years ago when they finished third in the 1966 edition. Cristiano Ronaldo already holds the record for scoring in the most editions of the World Cup (five – 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022) and will be looking to add a sixth in 2026.Netherlands: This will be the Netherlands’ 12th FIFA World Cup appearance. No other team has finished runner-up as often as the Dutch without ever winning the trophy (three times – 1974, 1978 and 2010). Assuming he remains in post, this will be Ronald Koeman’s first World Cup as head coach. As a player, he featured in the 1990 and 1994 editions with the Dutch national team, while it’ll be his second major tournament as Netherlands head coach after guiding them to the semis at Euro 2024.Belgium: The Red Devils are making their 15th World Cup appearance; no European team has qualified for as many tournaments without ever winning the trophy. Rudi Garcia is set to lead them as head coach in the tournament, becoming the fourth non-Belgian to take charge of them at a World Cup after Jack Butler (1938), Doug Livingstone (1954) and Roberto Martínez (2018 and 2022).Germany: Germany have won the World Cup four times, the joint-most for a European nation alongside Italy, while only Brazil have lifted the trophy on more occasions (5) overall. This will be their 21st World Cup appearance, the most of any European nation, but they have been knocked out in the group stage in each of the last two tournaments (2018 and 2022). This will be Julian Nagelsmann’s first World Cup as head coach. At 38, he could become the youngest head coach to take charge of a team at the 2026 tournament, while the last head coach to win the World Cup in his 30s was César Luis Menotti with Argentina in 1978 (39).Croatia: Taking part in their seventh World Cup finals, Croatia are one of only two teams to have reached the semi-finals in each of the last two editions, alongside France. A team that you wouldn’t want to face in a penalty shootout, Croatia have won all four of their FIFA World Cup shootouts; the joint-best record in the competition’s history along with Germany. They’ll be led by coach Zlatko Dalić for a fifth successive major international tournament.Morocco: Morocco will play in their seventh World Cup tournament, but this current run of three World Cup qualifications in a row (2018, 2022, 2026) is their best run yet. They finished fourth in the 2022 World Cup, marking the best finish by any African nation in World Cup history. Colombia: This will be Colombia’s seventh World Cup appearance, and their first since 2018. Their best performance came in 2014 when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by hosts Brazil. Néstor Lorenzo should experience his first FIFA World Cup as head coach – he is one of three bosses set to be at the 2026 tournament to have played in a World Cup final, having featured for Argentina in the 1990 showpiece against West Germany.Uruguay: Inaugural champions in 1930 and again in 1950, Uruguay are one of only six teams to have won the FIFA World Cup multiple times, alongside Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina and France. This will be their 15th World Cup participation, and their fifth in a row. Head coach Marcelo Bielsa will likely be managing at his third different World Cup after previously leading Argentina in 2002 and Chile in 2010.Switzerland: Switzerland are one of only two European teams to have reached the knockout stage in each of the last six major international tournaments (World Cup and Euros) alongside France. This will be their sixth consecutive participation, setting their longest run of appearances at the World Cup, with this the second successive World Cup led by coach Murat Yakin.Japan: This will be Japan’s eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance – a run stretching back to 1998. They have never advanced beyond the round of 16 and hold the record for the most matches played without ever reaching the quarter-finals at the tournament (25).Senegal: Senegal have qualified for their fourth World Cup, after 2002 (quarter-final), 2018 (group stage) and 2022 (round of 16). It’s their third World Cup in a row, the joint-longest ongoing streak of appearances for an African team alongside Morocco and Tunisia.Iran: This will be Iran’s seventh appearance at the World Cup, but they are yet to progress past the first round. In fact, only Scotland (8) have made more appearances in the finals without making it past the first round. Among nations to have played 15+ games in World Cup tournaments, Iran have the lowest goals-per-game average (0.72).Korea Republic: This will be South Korea’s 12th appearance at the FIFA World Cup, the most of any AFC nation. They reached the semi-finals as co-hosts in 2002, but have the lowest win rate of all countries to have played at least 30 World Cup matches (18.4%). They were, though, the only unbeaten side in the AFC qualifiers for this tournament (W11 D5 L0).Ecuador: This will be Ecuador’s fifth participation at a men’s World Cup. The only time they reached the knockout stage was in 2006 when they were eliminated by England in the round of 16. They finished second behind Argentina in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, equalling their best-ever performance in a qualifying campaign for the tournament (alongside 2002). They also conceded just five goals in 18 games, the best record of any South American team in this qualification cycle.
Austria: Austria have qualified for their eighth World Cup, finishing top of their group ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s their first participation since 1998 when they were knocked out in the group stage. Ralf Rangnick should become the second head coach to lead Austria at two major international tournaments, after Josef Hickersberger (1990 World Cup and Euro 2008).Australia: This World Cup will be Australia’s seventh, and the sixth in succession that they have qualified for. They have never progressed past the round of 16, however, though the last edition in 2022 marked the first time they won more than one match in a single edition (2).Norway: This will be Norway’s fourth FIFA World Cup appearance and their first since 1998. Their best performance came in that 1998 edition, reaching the round of 16 before being eliminated by Italy. Striker Erling Haaland scored 16 goals in eight matches in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, double the amount of any other European player and averaging 2.04 goals per 90 minutes.
Panama: Panama are playing in their second FIFA World Cup and their first since 2018 in Russia, finishing bottom of Group G, consisting of third-place Belgium, fourth-place England and Tunisia. They conceded more goals than any other side (11) at that tournament.
Egypt: Egypt are making their fourth appearance at the World Cup after 1934, 1990 and 2018. They will look for inspiration from star man Mohamed Salah, as only Honduras (9) have played more World Cup matches without winning than Egypt (7).Algeria: Algeria will be making their fifth FIFA World Cup appearance, with this their first since 2014 when they were knocked out by eventual winners Germany in the round of 16. Their main threat next summer looks to be Mohammed Amoura, who finished as top scorer in the CAF qualifiers for these finals, netting 10 goals and assisting four more in 10 matches.Scotland: Scotland are appearing in their first men’s World Cup since 1998, ending a 28-year hiatus from the finals of the tournament, topping a UEFA World Cup qualifying group for the first time since 1982. They have failed to advance from the first round in any of their previous eight appearances at the World Cup, more often than any other side yet to make it to the second round.Paraguay: This will be Paraguay’s ninth FIFA World Cup appearance — and their first since 2010. Their best performance came in that edition in South Africa, where they reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by eventual champions Spain. They will be led by boss Gustavo Alfaro, who will experience his second World Cup as head coach, after leading Ecuador in the 2022 edition, where they were eliminated in the group stage.Tunisia: This will be Tunisia’s seventh appearance at the FIFA World Cup – only Scotland (8) have made more appearances in the finals without ever making it past the first round. Tunisia were the first African nation to ever win a match at the World Cup, beating Mexico 3-1 in 1978.Côte d’Ivoire: This will be Côte d’Ivoire’s first World Cup tournament since 2014, and they have never progressed past the group stage in any of their previous three appearances. They didn’t concede a single goal in their 10 CAF qualification matches for this World Cup, though.Uzbekistan: Another debutant at the World Cup next summer, Uzbekistan are set to be led by former Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro, who won the World Cup as captain of Italy in 2006. They lost only one of their 16 qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, coming against Qatar, in which the hosts scored the winner in the 12th minute of added time.Qatar: This will be Qatar’s second appearance at the World Cup, following their appearance as hosts in 2022. They finished bottom of their group back then, losing all three matches and scoring just one goal. Julen Lopetegui is in line to become the second Spanish coach to lead Qatar at a FIFA World Cup after Félix Sánchez in 2022.Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia caused one of the biggest World Cup shocks in history in the last edition, defeating eventual winners Argentina 2-1 in the group stage. That was as good as it got for them, however, as they finished bottom of the group and failed to advance to the knockout stage. Overall, they have lost 68% of their World Cup matches (13/19), the highest loss rate of any nation to have played 15 or more games at the tournament.
South Africa: South Africa are set to make their fourth FIFA World Cup appearance, and their first away from home since 2002. They have yet to progress beyond the first round at the tournament. None of South Africa’s previous nine matches at the World Cup have ended goalless, while their two wins came against Slovenia in 2002 and France in 2010.Jordan: Jordan are making their FIFA World Cup debut at the 2026 edition and will look to become the first team to reach the knockout stage in their debut appearance since Slovakia in 2010. Their coach Jamal Sellami would be just the third Moroccan to manage at a World Cup tournament after Abdellah Blinda (1994) and Walid Regragui (2022), but the first to lead a nation other than Morocco.Cabo Verde: Another World Cup debutant this summer, Cabo Verde finished top of their qualifying group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ahead of Cameroon. They will be aiming to become the first African team to reach the knockout stage on their maiden appearance at the World Cup since Ghana in 2006.Ghana: Speaking of whom, Ghana will make their fifth World Cup appearance — all of them in the 21st century. Their best performance came in 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa before being eliminated by Uruguay on penalties. Coach Otto Addo also managed them at the 2022 World Cup and played in Ghana’s 2006 tournament appearance.Curaçao: Curaçao have reached the FIFA World Cup finals for the very first time – they are the smallest nation by both area and population to ever reach the finals of the tournament. Their coach is Dick Advocaat, who, at 78 years old, could become the oldest head coach in World Cup history. He’s previously coached Korea Republic and the Netherlands at the tournament.Haiti: Haiti are making their second appearance at a World Cup finals, and their first since the 1974 edition. In their only appearance to date, Haiti conceded 14 goals in three group games. In fact, the 52-year gap between Haiti’s first appearance (1974) and second appearance (2026) at the FIFA World Cup is the fourth-longest in the tournament’s history.
New Zealand: New Zealand will make their third appearance at a World Cup tournament, after 1982 and 2010. They have so far failed to make it out of the first round or win a single match, although they were the only unbeaten side in the 2010 edition (D3).
FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualification Play-Offs
With 42 nations already in the hat for the World Cup 2026 draw, there are still six spots up for grabs via the play-offs.
The UEFA play-offs will consist of sixteen teams made up of the 12 runners-up from the UEFA qualification groups, along with four teams that progressed based on their 2024–25 UEFA Nations League ranking. The teams have been divided into four paths, each containing four teams, with each play-off path featuring two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final.
Path A will see Wales host Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy host Northern Ireland in the semi-finals before the winners meet in the final. Path B pits Ukraine against Sweden and Poland against Albania in the semis, while Path C consists of Slovakia vs Kosovo and Turkey vs Romania in the semi-finals.
The inter-confederation play-offs will involve six teams from across AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and OFC regions, competing for two spots at the 2026 World Cup finals.
In Path 1, the winner of New Caledonia vs Jamaica will face DR Congo in the final for a place in the tournament, while in Path 2, Bolivia play Suriname in the semis before the winner faces Iraq in the final.
The six teams that have progressed through the play-offs will all be decided by 31 March 2026, meaning all 48 teams will be confirmed on that date.
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World Cup 2026 Draw Pots: Stats and Facts on Every Qualified Team Opta Analyst.
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