The countries that have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup and those that are close to booking their place | OneFootball

The European qualifiers for the World Cup may have only just begun but four nations have already booked their place at the 2026 World Cup.

The UK nations have endured mixed starts to their qualification campaigns. England made it two wins from two while Wales were held to a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia having beaten Kazakhstan in their first game. Find the best UK online casinos with a free £5 no deposit.

Although the Nations League has kept some European national sides busy, including Scotland who were demoted in the competition, World Cup qualifiers have already been underway across the rest of the world. Four countries from three different continents have secured their entry into football’s biggest tournament, joining host nations USA, Canada and Mexico.

Japan

Japan have qualified as unbeaten for the 2026 World Cup. They won six and drew one of their opening seven matches as they secured qualification with three matches remaining. Their unstoppable form saw them score 24 times whilst only conceding twice.

Japan have a talented squad including Brighton’s Karou Mitoma, Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, Bayern Munich’s Hiroki Ito and more. These Japanese stars have helped their country to secure World Cup qualification for the eighth successive tournament.

Iran

Iran became the second team to qualify from Asia for the World Cup. Despite scoring less and conceding more than Japan, Iran have also maintained an unbeaten record throughout the qualification process. The 2026 World Cup will be Iran’s fourth time at the tournament in a row, and their seventh time in history.

Inter Milan’s Mehdi Taremi has been key for his country. The Iranian has scored nine and assisted to fire his country into the World Cup. He was also supported by Roma’s Sardar Azmoun, who notched an impressive 13 combined goals and assists during the qualification process.

New Zealand

New Zealand defeated New Caledonia and have qualified for their third ever World Cup and their first since 2010. It is the first time in history that the Oceanian World Cup qualifiers offered a direct qualification slot. A consequence of the expansion of football’s greatest tournament, New Zealand became the first beneficiaries of this new change.

Since Australia compete in the Asian qualifiers, New Zealand were huge favourites in the Oceanian qualifiers. They made no mistake, scoring 27 goals and conceding just once throughout the qualification process. Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood starred with hat tricks against Fiji and Samoa. The striker netted nine goals in four games before limping off injured in the final.

Argentina

Argentina are the only South American side to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The reigning world champions have continued their impressive form since their 2022 triumph in Qatar. They finalised their qualification in style too, as they defeated their biggest rivals Brazil 4-1.

Although he continues to get older, Lionel Messi is still the star of Argentina’s national team. He will turn 39 midway through the 2026 tournament but the team will likely still be built around him. Argentina will not be favourites to repeat their success but they have demonstrated their quality throughout the qualification process and they will have confidence in their abilities.

Canada, Mexico and the USA

There are three more countries who are guaranteed a spot in the next World Cup without the need for qualifiers. They are the three host nations of the 2026 tournament – Canada, Mexico and the USA. The trio of host nations did all qualify for the last World Cup through the normal process but they are not required to play qualifiers this time. FIFA ruled that the three co-hosts can bypass the qualification process and granted them automatic spots in the 2026 World Cup.

The teams that have almost qualified

The qualification process has barely begun in Europe and the standings remain tight among those trailing Argentina in South America. However there are a couple of teams in Asia and Africa that are on the verge of securing their qualification.

South Korea

The Asian World Cup qualifiers are split across three groups with the top two teams in each earning automatic qualification. South Korea are currently top of their group. They are four points clear of Iraq in third place and the two will face each other in their next match. If South Korea avoid defeat in that game then they will secure qualification. Even if they are defeated, they are still likely to progress as they face bottom placed Kuwait in their final match.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan sit second in the same group that Iran have already qualified from so are in a strong position to also advance. Uzbekistan have never qualified for a World Cup before but they are four points clear of the UAE with just two matches remaining. The two sides face each other in their next match and Uzbekistan will secure their World Cup debut if they avoid defeat in the crunch meeting.

Egypt

The African World Cup qualifiers are split across nine groups with the top team in each earning World Cup qualification. An unbeaten Egypt side are five points clear at the top of their group. Four matches remain but the Egyptians are flying and just need to maintain their form to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2018.

Morocco

Morocco are nine points clear at the top of their group and so should be very close to qualification. However, the situation in their group is slightly messy due to the withdrawal of Eritrea and the removal of Congo. Despite this, Morocco have maintained a perfect record throughout the qualifiers and they are still set to advance from the group.