FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers

After a long four-year wait, the World Cup is back, and teams have already started playing friendly matches and qualifying matches. Three teams made the World Cup for the first time. Those teams are Uzbekistan, Curaçao, Cabo Verde, and Jordan. All the hosts for the World Cup made it, being the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Only two teams needed penalty shootouts to win: Bosnia and Herzegovina knocked out Italy, and Czechia beat Denmark 3-1 in penalties. The first game will be on Thursday, 11 June 2026, Mexico v South Africa – Group A

Argentina won the Qatar World Cup in 2022 and is reaching for a second in a row. Lionel Messi, Argentina’s top goalscorer, has not yet committed to play for Argentina in the World Cup. If he feels fit and mentally prepared for another grueling World Cup, he’ll captain Argentina in the U.S. this summer. France has an amazing team, with one of, if not the best, attacking teams in the World Cup.

Spain is currently top of ESPN’s power rankings, with star players like Pedri, Rodri, and 18-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal. France comes in a close second. France has an amazing team. They have an attack featuring Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and Rayan Cherki. Many people believe this is the best attacking team in the World Cup. Tied with France, Argentina.

Argentina may or may not have 8-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, but even without him, they have a great team. Argentina only lost 4 of their qualifying matches. Brazil has qualified for yet another World Cup, being the only team ever to qualify for every single World Cup, from 1930 to 2026. With Brazil qualifying all 23 times, they have won five. Brazil’s team has players like Vinícius Júnior, Marquinhos, Casemiro, and Endrick. 

Some notable qualifiers are DR Congo and Haiti, who are returning to the tournament after appearing in their only previous tournament in 1974. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan will all make their World Cup debuts. Four-time world champions Italy missed out on their third World Cup in a row, getting beaten in the European playoff finals by Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties, who qualified for the first time since 2014, coincidentally, the latest in which Italy took part. The highest-ranked team not to qualify was Italy, which was ranked 12th, while the lowest-ranked team that did qualify was New Zealand, who were ranked 85th.

With powerhouses like France, Argentina, and Italy, and underdogs like Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, this World Cup is sure to be eventful.