WEEKLY WHINE
Men’s World Cup expansion: Who, specifically?
Last week, we gave you the qualifying format for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, the first to involve 48 teams at the final tournament. Now, let us find out how the qualifying will play out.
AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS
Direct qualifiers: 4
Repechage participants: 0
We have allocated four automatic qualifying places: three for the host nations, and one for the 2022 Men’s World Cup champion, which will obviously be the Netherlands.
Edvard would like it to be known that he in no way endorses this prediction and is not willing to play any part in the jinx that we have just applied to the Netherlands.
| AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION |
|---|
| ¤ | Netherlands |
|
| HOST NATIONS |
|---|
| ¤ | Canada |
| ¤ | Mexico |
| ¤ | United States |
|
CONMEBOL
Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol
Current members: 10
Direct qualifiers: 2
Repechage participants: 5
| GROUP PHASE |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Argentina |
| 2 | ¤ | Uruguay |
| 3 | » | Colombia |
| 4 | » | Brazil |
| 5 | » | Peru |
| 6 | » | Chile |
| 7 | » | Venezuela |
| 8 | × | Bolivia |
| 9 | × | Ecuador |
| 10 | × | Paraguay |
|
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations
Current members: 55
Direct qualifiers: 12
Repechage participants: 12
| GROUP PHASE |
| GROUP 1 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Germany |
| 2 | » | Montenegro |
| 3 | × | Bosnia-Herzegovina |
| 4 | × | Moldova |
| 5 | × | Luxembourg |
|
| GROUP 2 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Ireland Rep |
| 2 | » | Greece |
| 3 | × | Serbia |
| 4 | × | Estonia |
| 5 | × | Latvia |
|
| GROUP 3 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Portugal |
| 2 | » | Sweden |
| 3 | × | Lithuania |
| 4 | × | Albania |
| 5 | × | Andorra |
|
| GROUP 4 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Denmark |
| 2 | » | Israel |
| 3 | × | Iceland |
| 4 | × | Cyprus |
| 5 | × | San Marino |
|
| GROUP 5 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Poland |
| 2 | » | Slovenia |
| 3 | × | Romania |
| 4 | × | Georgia |
| 5 | × | Macedonia FYR |
|
| GROUP 6 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Czech Rep |
| 2 | » | Turkey |
| 3 | × | Bulgaria |
| 4 | × | Gibraltar |
| 5 | × | Liechtenstein |
|
| GROUP 7 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | England |
| 2 | » | Croatia |
| 3 | × | Slovakia |
| 4 | × | Kosovo |
|
| GROUP 8 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Belgium |
| 2 | » | France |
| 3 | × | Kazakhstan |
| 4 | × | Norway |
|
| GROUP 9 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Ukraine |
| 2 | » | Wales |
| 3 | × | Finland |
| 4 | × | Belarus |
|
| GROUP 10 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Switzerland |
| 2 | » | Northern Ireland |
| 3 | × | Scotland |
| 4 | × | Azerbaijan |
|
| GROUP 11 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Hungary |
| 2 | » | Spain |
| 3 | × | Austria |
| 4 | × | Faroe Is |
|
| GROUP 12 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Italy |
| 2 | » | Armenia |
| 3 | × | Russia |
| 4 | × | Malta |
|
CAF
Confédération Africaine de Football
Current members: 54
Direct qualifiers: 6
Repechage participants: 6
| FINAL ROUND |
| GROUP 1 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Congo DR |
| 2 | » | Togo |
| 3 | × | Algeria |
| 4 | × | Burkina Faso |
| 5 | × | Uganda |
| 6 | × | Sudan |
|
| GROUP 2 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Egypt |
| 2 | » | Cameroon |
| 3 | × | Congo |
| 4 | × | Sierra Leone |
| 5 | × | Niger |
| 6 | × | Burundi |
|
| GROUP 3 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Guinea |
| 2 | » | Tunisia |
| 3 | × | Tanzania |
| 4 | × | Zambia |
| 5 | × | Kenya |
| 6 | × | Equatorial Guinea |
|
| GROUP 4 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Mali |
| 2 | » | Zimbabwe |
| 3 | × | Morocco |
| 4 | × | Liberia |
| 5 | × | Cape Verde Is |
| 6 | × | Swaziland |
|
| GROUP 5 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Libya |
| 2 | » | Senegal |
| 3 | × | Nigeria |
| 4 | × | Angola |
| 5 | × | Namibia |
| 6 | × | Malawi |
|
| GROUP 6 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Côte d’Ivoire |
| 2 | » | Gabon |
| 3 | × | Ghana |
| 4 | × | South Africa |
| 5 | × | Benin |
| 6 | × | Gambia |
|
AFC
Asian Football Confederation
Current members: 46
Direct qualifiers: 5
Repechage participants: 5
| FINAL ROUND |
| GROUP 1 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Australia |
| 2 | » | China PR |
| 3 | × | United Arab Emirates |
| 4 | × | Palestine |
| 5 | × | India |
| 6 | × | Turkmenistan |
|
| GROUP 2 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Uzbekistan |
| 2 | » | Bahrain |
| 3 | × | Qatar |
| 4 | × | Afghanistan |
| 5 | × | Kyrgyzstan |
| 6 | × | Korea DPR |
|
| GROUP 3 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Iran |
| 2 | » | Iraq |
| 3 | × | Thailand |
| 4 | × | Vietnam |
| 5 | × | Philippines |
| 6 | × | Singapore |
|
| GROUP 4 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Korea Rep |
| 2 | » | Saudi Arabia |
| 3 | × | Indonesia |
| 4 | × | Oman |
| 5 | × | Tajikistan |
| 6 | × | Syria |
|
| GROUP 5 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Japan |
| 2 | » | Kuwait |
| 3 | × | Jordan |
| 4 | × | Malaysia |
| 5 | × | Lebanon |
| 6 | × | Cambodia |
|
|
CONCACAF
Confederation of North/Central American and Caribbean Association Football
Current members: 35 [Canada, Mexico, United States to qualify automatically]
Direct qualifiers: 2
Repechage participants: 3
| FINAL ROUND |
| GROUP 1 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Costa Rica |
| 2 | » | Trinidad-Tobago |
| 3 | › | Cuba |
| 4 | × | Guyana |
| 5 | × | Honduras |
| 6 | × | Curaçao |
|
| GROUP 2 |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | Panama |
| 2 | » | Jamaica |
| 3 | › | El Salvador |
| 4 | × | Haiti |
| 5 | × | Belize |
| 6 | × | Guatemala |
|
| PLAYOFF |
|---|
| » | Cuba |
| × | El Salvador |
|
OFC
Oceania Football Confederation
Current members: 11
Direct qualifiers: 1
Repechage participants: 1
| FINAL ROUND |
|---|
| 1 | ¤ | New Zealand |
| 2 | » | Papua New Guinea |
| 3 | × | New Caledonia |
| 4 | × | Cook Is |
| 5 | × | Tahiti |
| 6 | × | Fiji |
|
PLAYOFFS
| SEEDING PLAYOFFS |
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| Côte d’Ivoire |
| + | Costa Rica |
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| REPECHAGE PLAYOFFS |
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| × | Armenia |
| ¤ | Papua New Guinea |
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FINAL DRAW
| POT 1 |
|---|
| ¤ | Argentina |
| ¤ | Australia |
| ¤ | Belgium |
| ¤ | Costa Rica |
| ¤ | England |
| ¤ | Germany |
| ¤ | Hungary |
| ¤ | Iran |
| ¤ | Italy |
| ¤ | Japan |
| ¤ | Korea Rep |
| ¤ | Libya |
| ¤ | Mali |
| ¤ | Netherlands |
| ¤ | Switzerland |
| ¤ | Uruguay |
|
| POT 2 |
|---|
| ¤ | Canada |
| ¤ | Congo DR |
| ¤ | Côte d’Ivoire |
| ¤ | Czech Rep |
| ¤ | Denmark |
| ¤ | Egypt |
| ¤ | Guinea |
| ¤ | Ireland Rep |
| ¤ | Mexico |
| ¤ | New Zealand |
| ¤ | Panama |
| ¤ | Poland |
| ¤ | Portugal |
| ¤ | Ukraine |
| ¤ | United States |
| ¤ | Uzbekistan |
|
| POT 3 |
|---|
| ¤ | Brazil |
| ¤ | Cameroon |
| ¤ | Chile |
| ¤ | China PR |
| ¤ | Colombia |
| ¤ | France |
| ¤ | Gabon |
| ¤ | Greece |
| ¤ | Israel |
| ¤ | Montenegro |
| ¤ | Papua New Guinea |
| ¤ | Peru |
| ¤ | Slovenia |
| ¤ | Spain |
| ¤ | Sweden |
| ¤ | Togo |
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