The road to the 2026 World Cup is hitting its final stretch. After the latest round of qualifiers, 42 national teams have officially secured their spots in the tournament to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the first World Cup in history featuring 48 participants.

The qualifications of Spain, Belgium, Austria, Scotland, Switzerland, along with Panama, Haiti and Curaçao, completed a new wave of confirmed teams and left the picture almost fully defined. Only six tickets remain, to be decided in March 2026 through the European and intercontinental playoffs.

Europe will award four final berths via a playoff draw in Nyon, featuring 12 group runners-up — such as Italy, Denmark, Ukraine, Poland and Turkey — plus four Nations League entrants, including Sweden and Romania.

Intercontinental Playoffs: Two Spots, Six Contenders

The global lineup will be completed with two spots from the intercontinental playoffs, to be held in Mexico. Competing in that mini-tournament will be Bolivia, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, New Caledonia, Jamaica and Suriname, in a showdown that promises total tension.

FIFA will hold the draw this Thursday in Zurich, setting the final stretch on the road to 2026.

With the 42 qualified nations confirmed, the places are distributed as follows:

UEFA: England, France, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Croatia, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Scotland and Switzerland.
CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay.
CONCACAF: Mexico, United States and Canada (hosts), plus Panama, Haiti and Curaçao.
AFC: Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, Jordan and Uzbekistan.
Africa: Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, South Africa, Ghana and Tunisia.
Oceania: New Zealand.

Spain Leads the FIFA Ranking; Italy Drops Out of the Top 10

The latest FIFA ranking update delivered another headline: Spain remains the number one national team in the world. Behind La Roja appear Argentina, France and England, while Brazil regained ground and climbed to fifth.

The negative news came for Italy, which fell to 12th after its stumble against Norway, a team that sealed its return to the elite with its World Cup qualification.

Among the biggest risers are Uzbekistan, back in the Top 50 after nine years, and the record climbs of the Philippines, Turkmenistan and Malta.
Additionally, Kosovo continues to be the national team with the strongest sustained progress of the year.

With 42 names confirmed and just six still up for grabs, the 2026 World Cup is already taking shape. The rest will be decided in March, in what promises to be one of the most competitive playoff rounds in recent years.