Full FIFA World Cup 48 Teams List 2026: All Qualified Nations by Group

Last updated: Jun 18, 2026

All 48 teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026 are drawn into 12 groups of four across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Below is the complete team list — grouped A to L, broken down by confederation, and explained by how each nation reached the tournament.

For live points and standings, see our World Cup 2026 group standings table.

Table of Contents

Full list of all 48 World Cup 2026 teams by group

The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four, labelled A through L. The top two from each group, plus the eight best third-placed sides, advance to the new Round of 32.

Host placements were seeded in advance: Mexico in Group A, Canada in Group B and the United States in Group D, per the official FIFA draw.

Group	Four teams
Group A	Mexico (co-host), South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
Group B	Canada (co-host), Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C	Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D	United States (co-host), Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye
Group E	Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F	Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G	Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H	Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I	France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
Group J	Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K	Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L	England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

Each group follows FIFA’s confederation rule: no two teams from the same confederation share a group, except UEFA, which has one or two sides in every group, as set out in FIFA’s group and qualification rules.

For the complete match list, see our FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule, or read the full FIFA World Cup 2026 guide for everything in one place.

The 48 teams by confederation

UEFA (Europe) sends the most teams with 16, while the other five confederations fill the remaining slots. The breakdown below reflects FIFA’s slot allocation for the expanded 48-team format.

Confederation	Teams	Countries
UEFA (Europe)	16	Spain, France, England, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Croatia, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Scotland, Czechia, Türkiye, Sweden, Bosnia & Herzegovina
CAF (Africa)	10	Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Cape Verde, DR Congo
AFC (Asia)	9	Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Iraq
CONMEBOL (South America)	6	Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay
CONCACAF (North/Central America)	6	Mexico, United States, Canada, Panama, Haiti, Curaçao
OFC (Oceania)	1	New Zealand

How the 48 teams qualified

Teams reached the World Cup 2026 through three routes: as hosts, through direct confederation qualifying, or via the playoffs. The three co-hosts qualified automatically.

The automatic host entries are:

Mexico — Group A (opened the tournament at Estadio Azteca).
United States — Group D.
Canada — Group B.

The remaining 45 teams earned their places through qualifying. Six of them came through playoffs that were the last spots decided.

The four UEFA playoff path winners were:

Bosnia & Herzegovina — UEFA Path A.
Sweden — UEFA Path B.
Türkiye — UEFA Path C.
Czechia — UEFA Path D.

The two inter-confederation playoff winners were Iraq (AFC) and DR Congo (CAF), taking the final two berths in the field.

What is new about a 48-team World Cup

This is the first World Cup with 48 teams and 104 matches, expanded from 32 teams and 64 matches at Qatar 2022. The change opened the door to more nations from every confederation.

It also brought several countries to football’s biggest stage for the very first time. Four nations are making their World Cup debut: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, according to FIFA.

Qatar also qualified on merit for the first time, having previously appeared only as hosts in 2022. For a fuller look at the first-timers, see our guide to the new teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Want to know where each side ranks? Our World Cup 2026 FIFA rankings guide lists every team from lowest to highest ranked.

Following the World Cup 2026 across the host cities

The 48 teams are spread across 16 host cities in three countries, so travelling fans face long distances between venues. Matches run from coast to coast in the United States, plus Mexico and Canada.

Key US host cities include New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas and Atlanta.

In Mexico, matches are held in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Canada hosts games in Toronto and Vancouver.

You can compare flights to New York and other host cities on Wego, and check hotels in New York near the stadiums. Use the Wego flight tracker to follow your route in real time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many teams are in the FIFA World Cup 2026?

There are 48 teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026. This is the first edition with 48 nations, up from 32 at Qatar 2022.

Which teams are making their World Cup debut in 2026?

Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan are making their first-ever World Cup appearance. Qatar also qualified on merit for the first time after appearing as hosts in 2022.

How many groups are there at the World Cup 2026?

The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four, labelled A to L. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 32.

Which confederation has the most teams in 2026?

UEFA (Europe) has the most with 16 teams. CAF follows with 10, AFC with 9, then CONMEBOL and CONCACAF with 6 each, and OFC with 1.

Sources

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