<p>We’re approximately 10 months from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will&nbsp; be held in the US, Canada and Mexico, and we’re starting to see the field take some shape.</p> <p>This is the first time that 48 teams will play for the Jules Rimet trophy, which means qualifying has been slightly different, with the various confederations taking their own unique approach.</p> <p>18 teams, including the three host nations, have already qualified, with more to be confirmed in the next couple of months.</p> <p>Here’s an update on where qualifying stands with each of the five confederations.</p> <h3>AFC (Asia)</h3> <p>The Socceroos have already clinched a spot in the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/soccer">2026 World Cup</a> and are tuning up with friendlies against New Zealand, Canada and the USA.&nbsp; There are 5 other qualifiers who will join Tony Popovic’s squad at the World Cup</p> <p>Automatic qualifiers (group winners):</p> <p><strong>Iran</strong></p> <p><strong>South Korea</strong></p> <p><strong>Japan</strong></p> <p>Automatic qualifiers (group runners-up):</p> <p><strong>Uzbekistan</strong></p> <p><strong>Jordan</strong></p> <p><strong>Australia</strong></p> <p>There are still two (and possibly three) more places to fill as we start the 4th Round of qualifying.</p> <p>Six teams have been placed into two groups and in October each team will play every other team in their group once.</p> <p>The two group winners qualify for the World Cup and the two group runners-up will play a two-legged tie in November, with the winner advancing to the Intercontinental playoffs (more on that later).</p> <p>Group A includes Qatar (hosts), UAE and Oman.</p> <p>Group B includes Saudi Arabia (hosts), Iraq and Indonesia.</p> <p><strong>CAF (Africa)</strong></p> <p>This very straightforward qualifying process – 9 groups, with each group winner qualifying automatically – is proving to be anything but straightforward.</p> <p>Two nations have already advanced, but there is still plenty of drama to play out, including South Africa fielding an ineligible player, an issue that is yet to be addressed.</p> <p>Qualified automatically:</p> <p><strong>Morocco (Group E winner)</strong></p> <p><strong>Tunisia (Group H winner)</strong></p> <p>Group updates with two rounds remaining:</p> <p>Group A: Egypt leads and is the likely group winner.</p> <p>Group B: Senegal has a slight edge over DR Congo.</p> <p>Group C: South Africa lead Benin, but South Africa faces a potential loss of points. Powerhouse Nigeria is in third place and hoping for that penalty.</p> <p>Group D: Cape Verde has extended its lead over Cameroon and Libya.</p> <p>Group F: It’s neck and neck between Ivory Coast and Gabon.</p> <p>Group G: Algeria leads Uganda and Mozambique.</p> <p>Group I: Ghana leads Madagascar and Comoros.</p> <p>The four best group runners-up – currently Gabon, Madagascar, DR Congo, and Burkino Faso – will compete in a November playoff (two semi-finals and a final) to determine which team will advance to the Intercontinental playoffs.</p> <p><strong>CONMEBOL (South America)</strong></p> <p>There was little change to how the South American nations qualified. The 10 countries all played each other twice, with the top 6 teams automatically qualifying for the World Cup and the 7th place team moving on to the Intercontinental playoffs.</p> <p>Bolivia’s win over Brazil and Venezuela’s loss to Colombia on the final day of qualifying put Bolivia into the playoff spot.</p> <p>Automatic qualifiers (top 6)</p> <p><strong>Argentina</strong></p> <p><strong>Ecuador</strong></p> <p><strong>Colombia</strong></p> <p><strong>Uruguay</strong></p> <p><strong>Brazil</strong></p> <p><strong>Paraguay</strong></p> <p>Inter-continental playoffs:</p> <p><strong>Bolivia</strong></p> <p><strong>CONCACAF (North &amp; Central America)</strong></p> <p>As host nations, the three powerhouses of this confederation – <strong>Canada, Mexico and USA</strong> – are already in.</p> <p>But there are still three more automatic spots available and two places in the Intercontinental playoffs at stake as well.</p> <p>Round 3 currently involves 12 teams, split into three groups.</p> <p>Group A: Suriname, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala</p> <p>Group B: Jamaica, Curacao, Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Bermuda</p> <p>Group C: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Haiti, Honduras</p> <p>The final round of matches takes place in November.</p> <p>Teams in each group play each other twice with the winner of each group making the World Cup.</p> <p>The two group runners-up with the best records are still alive, heading to the Intercontinental playoffs.</p> <p><strong>UEFA</strong></p> <p>A combination of the easiest and the hardest qualifying to explain.</p> <p>54 European nations (not including Russia, still suspended) are split into 12 groups of 4 or 5 teams which will finish in November of 2025. All 12 group winners advance to the World Cup. Sounds easy, right?</p> <p>After that, the final four places at the World Cup will be determined via the UEFA playoffs, to be played in March of 2026.</p> <p>There is no path to the World Cup through the Intercontinental playoffs.</p> <p>Here’s where it gets a little tricky if you’re not a European football expert.</p> <p>The UEFA playoff involves 16 teams: the 12 group 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).</p> <p>This creates four routes, each with four teams featuring a semifinal and a final for a place at the World Cup.</p> <p>Got it?</p> <p><strong>OFC (Oceania)</strong></p> <p>Thanks to the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, Oceania received direct qualification for the first time in history.</p> <p>All 11 members – New Zealand and the Pacific Islands – started the qualification process in October of 2024.</p> <p>New Zealand earned the automatic bid by beating New Caledonia in the final. New Caledonia, however, is still alive with a berth in the Intercontinental playoffs.</p> <p>Intercontinental Playoffs</p> <p>These will be held in March 2026 and will determine the final two qualifiers for the World Cup.</p> <p>6 nations will take part and only UEFA does not have a representative. Each of the five confederations will have one country in the playoffs, with the exception of CONCACAF (the host nation) which has a second representative.</p> <p>The two nations with the best FIFA World Ranking will be seeded and go straight into one of the two finals.</p> <p>The four other countries will be drawn into semifinals, with the winners meeting the two seeded teams for the final World Cup places.</p> <p>The Intercontinental playoffs will be held in one of the World Cup host nations.</p> <p>1 AFC</p> <p>1 CAF</p> <p>1 CONMEBOL (Bolivia)</p> <p>2 CONCACAF</p> <p>1 OFC (New Caledonia)</p>