Twenty-eight nations have officially secured their places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the conclusion of the latest qualification fixtures, with Africa completing all nine of its direct qualification slots, according to updated figures released Tuesday.
The latest round of matches saw global powerhouses and rising regional contenders confirm their tickets, with England, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and South Africa among the final wave of teams to qualify directly. The nine African slots, overseen by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), are now entirely filled, highlighting the continent’s major presence in the expanded 48-team tournament.
The qualified African nations include Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia. Four other African teams—Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria—will now advance to the intercontinental play-offs for the opportunity to secure Africa’s final potential berth.
”The conclusion of the African qualifiers has underscored the depth of competition and the successful expansion of the tournament format,” stated football analyst, Dr. Elias Abasi. “To have nine teams qualify directly is a monumental achievement for the continent, setting the stage for a truly global championship.”
The qualification picture is also firming up elsewhere. In Asia, eight teams have confirmed their spots: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.
The South American campaign, run by CONMEBOL, is now settled for its top six teams: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Host nations Canada, Mexico, and the United States were automatically qualified.
Only England has so far confirmed its berth through the European (UEFA) qualifiers, while New Zealand represents the lone qualifier from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to date. Qualification campaigns continue across the globe to fill the few remaining direct spots and the final play-off positions.
