Which Teams Are Playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
For the first time ever, 48 teams will battle for the World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup is almost here, and the global sports phenomenon is bigger than ever. For the first time this year, FIFA has appointed three different nations to host, dividing games and venues up between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. And the event gets even bigger when you look at the teams.
For the first time this year, 48 teams from around the globe will compete on the World Cup stage, include several first-time qualifiers, making it the biggest field in World Cup history. So, which teams are in? Let's take a closer look.
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Which teams are in the 2026 World Cup?
From mid-June to mid-July, four dozen teams from six continents will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As host nations, the United States, Canada, and Mexico were given automatic entry into the competition, joining other marquee teams including frontrunners France, Spain, England, and Brazil.
But the mainstays aren't alone. The 2026 World Cup also includes first-time teams Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. Qatar, who hosted the 2022 event and thus received automatic entry four years ago, also entered via qualification play for the first time. The 48 teams will begin the tournament broken up into 12 groups of four, and based on a draw earlier this year, those group alignments are as follows:
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Czech Republic
Group B
- Canada
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group D
- United States
- Paraguay
- Australia
- Turkey
Group E
- Germany
- Curacao
- 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
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama
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How does the 2026 World Cup work?
The 2026 World Cup begins with group play on June 11. Each team will play the three other teams in their group once, earning three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. At the end of group play, the top two teams in each group, along with the eight best third-place finishers from all groups, move on to the Round of 32. From there, the World Cup progresses as a single-elimination bracketed tournament, building to the championship game on July 19.
