Qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially concluded on all continents. As a result, all participants in this year’s World Cup have been determined.
This year’s World Cup will be held under a new format for the first time: instead of 32 teams, 48 participating nations will compete. This change has allowed teams that previously did not qualify for the World Cup finals to participate in the tournament.
Four national teams will make their debut at the 2026 World Cup: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. Also, for the first time in recent history, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will participate in the World Cup finals.
What is known about the 2026 World Cup debutants?
- Uzbekistan: In the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Uzbekistan finished in second place, trailing only Iran. The team secured its spot in the World Cup with one round remaining in the qualifiers.
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- Jordan: Like Uzbekistan, they also finished second in their Asian qualifying group. In the final standings, they finished one point ahead of Iraq, while South Korea topped the group.
- Cape Verde: Winners of Group D in the African qualifiers. After 10 rounds, they overtook Cameroon—an eight-time World Cup participant—in the standings.
- Curaçao: Curaçao qualified for the World Cup for the first time, becoming the smallest country in World Cup history—with a population of about 156,000 people. In their qualifying group, they finished ahead of the Jamaican national team.
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- DR Congo: The team secured its spot in the World Cup thanks to a victory in the intercontinental playoff. This will be the DR Congo’s first-ever appearance at the World Cup. In 1974, Zaire (a country that existed on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) participated in the World Cup, losing all three of its group stage matches.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 in three countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada.