FIFA World Cup 2026: How many slots are there for each confederation?

FIFA World Cup 2026: How many slots are there for each confederation?

The qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A total of 48 teams will compete in the World Cup 2026 final. This will be the biggest final

There are 55 European nations, however, Russia remains suspended due to the invasion of Ukraine, leaving 54 nations.

12 groups of four or five teams to play home and away matches. The group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup.

The final four places at the World Cup final will be determined via the UEFA playoffs. There is no path to the World Cup through FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs.

The UEFA playoff involves 16 teams: the 12 runners-up plus the four best-ranked group winners from the UEFA Nations League, who did not finish in the top two in World Cup qualifying. This creates four routes, each with four teams featuring a semifinal and a final for a place at the World Cup.

UEFA (Europe) – 12 auto + 4 via confederation playoff

All 10 Latin American nations play each other home and away. The top six nations qualify directly to the finals. The seventh-placed team will go into the intercontinental playoffs in March 2026.

CONMEBOL (South America) – 6 automatic + 1 enters playoff

Usually, Concacaf would have six automatic places in qualifying – but for the 2026 finals three of the six are taken up by the hosts. That leaves three places to be won, plus two spots in the intercontinental playoffs.

32 nations from North America, Central America, Caribbean entered the race to make the finals.

CONCACAF (North America, Central America, Caribbean) – 3 automatic + 2 enter playoff

There were 54 FIFA-affiliated nations in the CAF draw, but Eritrea subsequently withdrew.

The 53 teams are in eight groups of six nations, and one group of five. The nine group winners qualify directly for the World Cup.

The four best runners-up will enter playoffs (two semifinals and a final) to decide which one country will go to the intercontinental playoffs.

CAF (Africa) – 9 automatic + 1 enters playoff

The 20 lowest-ranked nations to play two-legged ties. Those 10 winners then join the 26 best-ranked nations. he 36 teams were drawn into nine groups of four teams, with the top two nations from each group going through to Round 3.

18 nations drawn into three groups of six teams. The group winners and runners-up will qualify directly to World Cup 2026.

The six nations who finish in third and fourth move on to round 4 where they will be drawn into two groups of three. They will play each other once.

The group winners take the final two automatic places at the World Cup.

The two runners-up will play a two-legged tie in November 2025 to earn the place in the intercontinental playoffs.

one team will make it directly to the finale while one team will make the intercontinental playoffs.

OFC (Oceania) – 1 automatic + 1 enters playoff