FIFA World Cup qualification

FIFA World Cup qualification
Founded	1933; 91 years ago
Region	International (FIFA)
Number of teams	211 (currently eligible) ; 215 (overall)
Website	Official website
	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team plays in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup.

Qualifying tournaments are held within the six FIFA continental zones, each organized by their respective confederations: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe). For each World Cup, FIFA decides the number of places in the finals allocated to each of the zones, based on the numbers and relative strengths of the confederations' teams.

As a courtesy, the host receives an automatic berth selection, as has happened with the immediate past tournament winner during much of the competition's history. All other finalists are determined on a standalone qualifying round achievement without regard to previous achievements.

History

The berths for the inaugural 1930 tournament were filled by invitation only. The 1934 one was the first one to have an actual qualifying phase. The first ever World Cup qualifying match was played on 11 June 1933, when Sweden defeated Estonia 6–2 in Stockholm, and the first goal was scored 7 minutes into the game, with some sources^[1] attributing it to Swedish captain Knut Kroon while others^[which?] credit it as an own goal by the Estonian goalkeeper Evald Tipner.

The number of teams entering qualification stages has increased steadily, and in response the final tournament has also been expanded (having 16 teams until 1978, then 24 between 1982 and 1994, then 32 between 1998 and 2022, and finally 48 from 2026 onwards). While the format of the qualifying tournaments has evolved, teams have always been grouped into zones which have remained relatively unchanged and roughly correspond to the continents. The teams from each zone compete for a fixed number of berths for the zone, with a limited number of places being awarded to winners of intercontinental play-offs.

Qualification berths by continent

The table below lists the numbers of berths allocated by FIFA for each continent in each tournament. It also shows the total number of teams that entered and played in every qualification cycle.

In the table, "H" denotes an automatic spot for the host, "C" denotes an automatic spot for the defending champion, and "inv" indicates the number of teams that were invited in 1930. Places in intercontinental play-offs are represented as fractions, as follows:

0.5 – a place in a direct play-off
0.25 – a place in a semi-final play-off (where the winner would then face yet another team for a spot in the finals)
1⁄3 – a place in a play-off tournament where two out of six teams would qualify

Places allocated for continents
	1930 ^[a]	1934	1938	1950	1954	1958	1962	1966	1970	1974	1978	1982	1986	1990	1994
Europe	4 inv	12	11 +H+C	7 +C	11 +H	9^[b] +H+C	8+ 2×0.5	9 +H	8 +C	8.5 +H	8.5 +C	13 +H	12.5 +C	13 +H	12 +C
Africa	—	1	11 +H+C	0^[c]	11 +H	1^[b]	0.5	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3
Asia	—	1	1	1	1	1^[b]	0.5		1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Oceania	—^[d]			0^[c]	0^[c]	0^[c]	0^[c]		1	1	1	2	0.5	0.5	0.25
North and Central America and Caribbean	2 inv	1	1	2	1	1	0.5	1	1 +H	1	1	2	1 +H	2	1.25 +H
South America	H+ 6 inv	2	1	4 +H	1 +C	3	3.5 +H+C	3 +C	3	2.5 +C	2.5 +H	3 +C	4	2.5 +C	3.5
Total berths	13	16	16		16							24
Teams in the finals	13	16	15^[e]	13^[f]	16							24
Entered qualification^[g]	—	32	34	32	37	51	54	69	69	97	105	107	119	111	145
Played in qualification^[h]		27	21	19	33	46	49	51	68	90	95	103	110	103	128
Qualified via qualification		14	10	9	13	14	14	14	14	14	14	22	22	22	22
Qualified without playing	13	2	6	7	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018	2022	2026	2030	2034
Europe	14 +H	13.5 +C	13 +H	13	13	13 +H	13	16	2H
Africa	5	5	5	5 +H	5	5	5	9+1⁄3	H
Asia	3.5	2.5 +2H	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5 +H	8+1⁄3		H
Oceania	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	1+1⁄3
North and Central America and Caribbean	3	3	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3+ 2×1⁄3 +3H
South America	4 +C	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5 +H	4.5	4.5	6+1⁄3	3H
Total berths	32							48
Teams in the finals	32							48
Entered qualification^[g]	172	196	197	205^[i]	203	210	211^[j]
Played in qualification^[h]	168	193	194	199^[i]	202	208	204^[j]
Qualified via qualification	30	29	31	31	31	31	31	45	42	47
Qualified without playing	2	3	1	1	1	1	1	3	6	1

Notes

First appearance in qualification by team

Only teams that played at least one match are considered for first appearance. Teams that withdrew before the qualification, or that qualified to the World Cup by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals, are not considered.

Year	Debuting teams								Successor and renamed teams
Year	Europe	South America	North, Central America and Caribbean	Asia	Africa	Oceania	T	CT	Successor and renamed teams
1934	Austria Belgium^[a] Bulgaria Czechoslovakia^[A] Estonia France^[a] Germany^[B] Greece Hungary Irish Free State^[C] Italy^{[N 1]} Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania^[a] Spain Sweden Switzerland Yugoslavia^[a]^[D]	none	Cuba Haiti Mexico^[a] United States^[a]	Palestine, British Mandate^[E]	Egypt^[F]	none	27	27
1938	Finland Latvia Norway	none	none	none	none	none	3	30
1950	England Ireland^[G] Scotland Turkey^[b] Wales	none	none	Syria	none	none	6	36	Ireland^[C] Israel^[E]
1954	Saar	Brazil^[c] Chile^[d] Paraguay^[e]	none	Japan^[f] South Korea	none	none	6	42	Northern Ireland^[G] Republic of Ireland^[C] West Germany^[B]
1958	Denmark East Germany Iceland Soviet Union^[H]	Argentina^[g] Bolivia^[e] Colombia^[f] Peru^[h] Uruguay^[i]	Canada Costa Rica^[f] Guatemala Territory of Curaçao^[I]	China Indonesia^[j]	Sudan	none	16	58
1962	Cyprus^[k]	Ecuador^[l]	Dutch Guiana^[f]^[J] Honduras	none	Ethiopia Ghana Morocco Nigeria Tunisia	none	9	67	Netherlands Antilles^[I]
1966	Albania	Venezuela^[k]	Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago	North Korea	none	Australia	6	73
1970	none	none	Bermuda El Salvador^[f]	none	Algeria^[m] Cameroon^[m] Libya^[m] Rhodesia^[K] Senegal^[m] Zambia	New Zealand	9	82
1974	Malta	none	Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico	Hong Kong Iran Iraq Kuwait Malaysia South Vietnam^[L] Thailand	Congo Dahomey^[M] Guinea^[m] Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Mauritius Sierra Leone Tanzania Togo Zaire^[N]	none	21	103
1978	none	none	Barbados Dominican Republic Guyana Panama	Bahrain Qatar Republic of China^[n]^[O] Saudi Arabia Singapore	Malawi Mauritania Niger Uganda Upper Volta^[P]	none	14	117	Suriname^[J]
1982	none	none	Grenada	Macau	Gambia Liberia^[m] Madagascar^[o] Mozambique Somalia	Fiji	8	125	Chinese Taipei^[O] Zimbabwe^[K]
1986	none	none	none	Bangladesh Brunei Jordan India^[p] Nepal North Yemen^[Q] South Yemen United Arab Emirates^[q]	Angola	none	9	134	Benin^[M]
1990	none	none	none	Oman^[r] Pakistan	Gabon^[s]	none	3	137	Burkina Faso^[P]
1994	Faroe Islands San Marino	none	Nicaragua Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Lebanon^[t] Sri Lanka^[u]	Botswana Burundi Namibia South Africa Swaziland^[R]	Solomon Islands Tahiti Vanuatu	15	152	Germany^[B] Representation of Czechs and Slovaks^[A] Russia^[H] Vietnam^[L] Yemen^[Q]
1998	Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Georgia Liechtenstein^[v] Macedonia^[S] Moldova Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine	none	Aruba Belize Cayman Islands Dominica Saint Kitts and Nevis	Cambodia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Maldives^[w] Philippines^[x] Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan	Guinea-Bissau Rwanda^[w]	Cook Islands Papua New Guinea Tonga Western Samoa^[v]^[T]	31	183	Czech Republic^[A] DR Congo^[N] FR Yugoslavia^[D]
2002	Andorra	none	Anguilla Bahamas^[y] British Virgin Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands	Guam Laos Mongolia Palestine	Cape Verde Central African Republic^[z] Chad Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Mali^[aa] São Tomé and Príncipe^[v] Seychelles	American Samoa	21	204	Samoa^[T]
2006	none	none	none	Afghanistan	none	New Caledonia	2	206	Serbia and Montenegro^[D]
2010	Montenegro	none	none	Myanmar^[ab] East Timor	Comoros	Tuvalu^{[N 2]}	5	211	Serbia^[D]
2014	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	211	Curaçao^[I]
2018	Gibraltar Kosovo	none	none	Bhutan^[ac]	South Sudan	none	4	215
2022	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215	Eswatini^[R] North Macedonia^[S]
2026	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215

Teams' entries before their actual debuts in qualification

Successor and renamed teams

Other notes

Overview of teams' participations

The below table shows how every team has participated in each World Cup qualification.

Key

golden background = successful qualifying campaign
grey background = did not take part in qualifying
bold red typeface = participated in the final tournament

Q	Qualified
w	Qualified, then withdrew from the finals (Austria in 1938, and Scotland and Turkey in 1950)
n	Did not qualify
w	Withdrew during qualifying
d	Was disqualified during qualifying
H	Qualified automatically as host but took part in qualifiers as they doubled as another tournament (South Africa in 2010 and Qatar in 2022)
\	Was not a FIFA member but took part in qualifiers as they doubled as another tournament (Tuvalu in 2010)
b	Received bye to the finals
B	Received bye to the finals, then withdrew (India in 1950)
H	Qualified automatically as host
C	Qualified automatically as reigning champion
i	Was invited to the finals (all finalists in 1930 except Uruguay)
w	Entered but withdrew before playing, or withdrew during qualifying and had all matches annulled
d	Entered but was disqualified before playing, or was disqualified during qualifying and had all matches annulled
s	Was suspended from entering, or had entry rejected
—	Did not enter despite being a FIFA member
	Was not a FIFA member

Team	19 30	19 34	19 38	19 50	19 54	19 58	19 62	19 66	19 70	19 74	19 78	19 82	19 86	19 90	19 94	19 98	20 02	20 06	20 10	20 14	20 18	20 22	20 26	20 30	20 34	Current confederation^[I]
Team																										Current confederation^[I]
Afghanistan				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Albania		—	—	—	—	—	—	n	s	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Algeria								w	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n				CAF
American Samoa																	n	n	n	n	n	w				OFC
Andorra																	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Angola													n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n				CAF
Anguilla																	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Antigua and Barbuda										n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Argentina	i	b	w	w	—	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	H	C	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		H		CONMEBOL
Armenia																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Aruba															—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Australia								n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q				AFC^[II]
Austria	—	Q	w	w	Q	Q	—	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Azerbaijan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Bahamas									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	w	n	n				CONCACAF
Bahrain									—	—	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Bangladesh											—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Barbados									—	—	n	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n				CONCACAF
Belarus																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Belgium	i	Q	Q	w	Q	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q				UEFA
Belize														s	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Benin (1978–) Dahomey (1970–1974)									—	n	—	—	n	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Bermuda								—	n	—	—	—	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Bhutan																	—	—	w	—	n	n	n			AFC
Bolivia	i	—	—	b	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONMEBOL
Bosnia and Herzegovina																n	n	n	n	Q	n	n				UEFA
Botswana												—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Brazil	i	b	b	H	Q	Q	C	C	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	H	Q	Q				CONMEBOL
British Virgin Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Brunei										—	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	—	—	s	n	n	n			AFC
Bulgaria	—	w	n	—	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Burkina Faso (1986–) Upper Volta (1970–1982)									—	—	n	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Burundi											—	—	—	—	n	w	w	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Cambodia^[i]						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Cameroon								w	n	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	n	Q				CAF
Canada				—	—	n	w	—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H			CONCACAF
Cape Verde														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Cayman Islands																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Central African Republic								—	—	—	w	d	—	—	—	—	n	w	w	n	n	n				CAF
Chad								—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Chile	i	w	—	b	n	n	H	Q	n	Q	n	Q	n	n	s	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n				CONMEBOL
China		—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Chinese Taipei (1982–) Republic of China (1954–1978)					w	w	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC^[III]
Colombia			w	—	—	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n				CONMEBOL^[IV]
Comoros																			n	n	n	n				CAF
Congo								s	—	n	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Cook Islands																n	n	n	n	n	n	w				OFC
Costa Rica	—	—	w	—	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q				CONCACAF
Croatia																Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q				UEFA
Cuba		n	b	n	s	—	—	n	s	—	n	n	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Curaçao (2014–) Netherlands Antilles (1962–2010) Territory of Curaçao (1934–1958)		—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Cyprus						w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA^[V]
Czech Republic (1998–) Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (1994) Czechoslovakia (1930–1994)	—	Q	Q	—	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Denmark	—	—	—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q	Q				UEFA
Djibouti																—	n	—	n	n	n	n				CAF
Dominica																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Dominican Republic						—	—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
DR Congo (1998–) Zaire (1974–1998)^[ii]								—	s	Q	w	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
East Germany					—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n												defunct^[VI]
Ecuador	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q				CONMEBOL
Egypt^[iii]	—	Q	w	—	n	w	w	w	—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n				CAF^[VII]
El Salvador			w	—	—	—	—	—	Q	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
England				Q	Q	Q	Q	H	C	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q				UEFA
Equatorial Guinea														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Eritrea																	n	n	w	n	n	n	w			CAF
Estonia	—	n	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Eswatini (2022–) Swaziland (1982–2018)												—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Ethiopia					—	s	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	—	n	n	d	n	n	n				CAF^[VIII]
Faroe Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Fiji								—	—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				OFC
Finland	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
France	i	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	H	C	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q				UEFA
Gabon								w	—	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Gambia									—	—	—	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Georgia																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Germany (1994–) West Germany (1950–1990) Germany (1930–1938)	—	Q	Q	s	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	H	C	Q	Q	Q	C	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q				UEFA
Ghana							n	w	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q				CAF
Gibraltar																					n	n				UEFA
Greece	—	w	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n				UEFA
Grenada												n	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Guam																—	n	w	w	—	n	n	n			AFC
Guatemala				—	—	n	n	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Guinea								w	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Guinea-Bissau														—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Guyana										—	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Haiti		n	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	Q	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Honduras				—	—	—	n	n	n	n	w	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n				CONCACAF
Hong Kong						—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Hungary	—	Q	Q	—	b	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Iceland				—	s	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n				UEFA
India				B	s	—	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Indonesia^[iv]			b	w	—	w	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n				AFC
Iran				—	—	—	—	—	—	n	Q	w	d	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q				AFC
Iraq					—	—	—	—	—	n	w	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Israel (1950–) Palestine, British Mandate (1930–1938)	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA^[IX]
Italy	—	Q	C	C	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	C	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n				UEFA
Ivory Coast								—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n				CAF
Jamaica								n	n	w	n	—	d	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Japan	—	—	w	s	n	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q				AFC
Jordan						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Kazakhstan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA^[X]
Kenya							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Kosovo																					n	n				UEFA
Kuwait								—	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n				AFC
Kyrgyzstan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Laos					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n			AFC
Latvia	—	—	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Lebanon			—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Lesotho								—	—	n	—	n	w	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Liberia								w	—	—	—	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Libya								w	n	—	n	w	n	w	d	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Liechtenstein											—	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Lithuania	—	n	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Luxembourg	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Macau												n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Madagascar^[v]								—	—	w	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Malawi									—	—	n	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Malaysia^[vi]						—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Maldives														w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Mali								w	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	w	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Malta							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Mauritania										—	n	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	—	n	n				CAF
Mauritius								—	—	n	—	—	n	s	—	n	n	n	n	w	n	n				CAF
Mexico	i	n	w	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	n	Q	n	H	d	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	H			CONCACAF
Moldova																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Mongolia																	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Montenegro																			n	n	n	n				UEFA
Montserrat																	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Morocco							n	w	Q	w	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q		H		CAF
Mozambique												n	—	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Myanmar^[vii]				w	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	w	s	n	n	n	n				AFC
Namibia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Nepal										—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Netherlands	—	Q	Q	—	—	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q				UEFA
New Caledonia																		n	n	n	n	n				OFC
New Zealand				—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n				OFC
Nicaragua					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Niger								—	—	—	n	n	w	—	n	w	—	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Nigeria							n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	n				CAF
North Korea							—	Q	d	n	w	n	n	n	n	—	—	n	Q	n	n	w				AFC
North Macedonia (2022–) Macedonia (1998–2018)																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Northern Ireland (1954–) Ireland (1950)				n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Norway	—	—	Q	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Oman												—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Pakistan				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Palestine																	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Panama				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n				CONCACAF
Papua New Guinea									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	—	n	—	n	n	n				OFC
Paraguay	i	—	—	b	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n		H		CONMEBOL
Peru	i	w	—	w	w	n	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n				CONMEBOL
Philippines		—	—	w	—	—	—	s	—	w	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	—	n	n	n				AFC
Poland	—	n	Q	—	w	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q				UEFA
Portugal	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		H		UEFA
Puerto Rico							—	—	—	n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Qatar										—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	H				AFC
Republic of Ireland (1954–) Ireland (1950) Irish Free State (1930–1938)	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Romania	i	Q	b	—	n	n	w	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Russia (1994–) Soviet Union (1950–1990)				—	—	Q	Q	Q	Q	d	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	H	d				UEFA
Rwanda												—	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Saar					n																					defunct^[VI]
Saint Kitts and Nevis																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Saint Lucia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	w				CONCACAF
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Samoa (2002–) Western Samoa (1990–1998)														—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	w				OFC
San Marino															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
São Tomé and Príncipe														—	w	—	n	n	w	n	n	n				CAF
Saudi Arabia						—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q			H	AFC
Scotland				w	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA
Senegal								w	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q				CAF
Serbia (2010–) Serbia and Montenegro (2006) FR Yugoslavia (1994–2002) Yugoslavia (1930–1990)	i	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	Q	d	Q	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q				UEFA
Seychelles														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Sierra Leone							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Singapore					—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Slovakia																n	n	n	Q	n	n	n				UEFA
Slovenia																n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n				UEFA
Solomon Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				OFC
Somalia								—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
South Africa							s	d	s	s	s				n	Q	Q	n	H	n	n	n				CAF
South Korea				—	Q	s	n	w	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q				AFC
South Sudan																					n	n				CAF
South Yemen									—	—	—	—	n	w												defunct^[XI]
Spain	—	Q	s	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		H		UEFA
Sri Lanka^[viii]					—	—	—	—	—	w	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Sudan				—	—	w	w	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Suriname (1978–) Dutch Guiana (1930–1974)	—	—	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Sweden	—	Q	Q	Q	n	H	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n				UEFA
Switzerland	—	Q	Q	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q				UEFA
Syria			—	w	—	n		w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n				AFC^[XII]
Tahiti															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				OFC
Tajikistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Tanzania								—	—	n	w	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Thailand	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
East Timor																			n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Togo								—	—	n	n	n	w	w	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n				CAF
Tonga																n	n	n	n	n	n	w				OFC
Trinidad and Tobago				—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n				CONCACAF
Tunisia							n	w	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q				CAF
Turkey	—	w	—	w	Q	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n				UEFA^[XIII]
Turkmenistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			AFC
Turks and Caicos Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			CONCACAF
Tuvalu																			\							OFC
Uganda							—	—	—	—	n	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Ukraine																n	n	Q	n	n	n	n				UEFA
United Arab Emirates											w	—	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
United States	i	Q	w	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	H			CONCACAF
U.S. Virgin Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n	n			CONCACAF
Uruguay	H	—	—	b	C	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q		H		CONMEBOL
Uzbekistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Vanuatu															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	w				OFC
Venezuela					—	w	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CONMEBOL
Vietnam (1978–) South Vietnam (1954–1974)					s	—	—	—	—	n	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Wales				n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q				UEFA
Yemen (1994–) North Yemen (1982–1990)												—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				AFC
Zambia								—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n				CAF
Zimbabwe (1982–) Rhodesia (1970–1978)									n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n				CAF^[XIV]
Team	19 30	19 34	19 38	19 50	19 54	19 58	19 62	19 66	19 70	19 74	19 78	19 82	19 86	19 90	19 94	19 98	20 02	20 06	20 10	20 14	20 18	20 22	20 26	20 30	20 34	Current confederation

Non-participating incarnations

Continental allocations

Overall team records

The below table compares the overall records of all teams that have participated in qualification. Teams are ordered by points using the three points for a win system, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored. Note that this order does not represent any official rankings, and qualification tournaments are not direct competitions among all teams.

The "Qualifying attempts" column counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match that was not annulled. An attempt is treated as "successful" if the team gained the right to participate in the finals, even if it did not appear there eventually.

As per statistical convention in football, goals scored during extra time are counted towards matches' scorelines and outcomes, while goals scored during penalty shoot-outs are not. Annulled matches are not counted; for matches that were annulled and then replayed, only the replays are counted. For matches where the scorelines were awarded, the awarded scorelines, and not the original ones (if any), are counted.

Ecuador was deducted 3 points in the 2026 qualifying, which is reflected in the table.

Key
Team has qualified for the main tournament through a qualifying process
Team has qualified for the main tournament only by walkover (Cuba, and Indonesia as Dutch East Indies)
Team has qualified for the main tournament by walkover but has not participated there because it withdrew (India)
Team has qualified for the main tournament only automatically as host (Qatar)
Team has not qualified for the main tournament
Defunct team that qualified for the main tournament (East Germany)
Defunct team that never qualified for the main tournament (Saar and South Yemen)
Team is not a member of FIFA and is not eligible for the main tournament (Tuvalu)

Teams in bold are currently participating or are yet to start in the 2026 qualification. The table is updated to the matches played in March 2024.

No.	Team	Qualifying attempts		Appearances in the finals	Overall qualification record							Points		Confederation
No.	Team	Total	Successful	Appearances in the finals	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Total	Avg	Confederation
1	Mexico	17	14	18	189	121	41	27	453	134	+319	404	2.138	CONCACAF
2	Australia	16	6	6	165	99	40	26	422	125	+297	337	2.042	AFC
3	South Korea	16	10	11	155	97	40	18	311	91	+220	331	2.135	AFC
4	Costa Rica	17	6	6	187	93	47	47	309	184	+125	326	1.743	CONCACAF
5	Iran	12	6	6	150	95	36	19	328	91	+237	321	2.140	AFC
6	Argentina	15	13	18	159	91	42	26	270	137	+133	315	1.981	CONMEBOL
7	Netherlands	19	11	11	135	89	26	20	329	101	+228	293	2.170	UEFA
8	United States	19	9	12	168	84	40	44	287	191	+96	292	1.738	CONCACAF
9	Uruguay	18	11	14	178	81	47	50	253	191	+62	290	1.629	CONMEBOL
10	Japan	16	6	7	142	87	27	28	319	91	+228	288	2.028	AFC
11	Spain	19	15	16	125	87	26	12	291	81	+210	287	2.296	UEFA
12	Brazil	14	13	22	133	84	34	15	288	82	+206	286	2.150	CONMEBOL
13	Saudi Arabia	13	6	6	140	84	33	23	274	104	+170	285	2.036	AFC
14	Portugal	21	8	8	149	83	35	31	284	146	+138	284	1.906	UEFA
15	England	17	14	16	122	84	27	11	314	70	+244	279	2.287	UEFA
16	Sweden	20	11	12	141	86	21	34	280	129	+151	279	1.979	UEFA
17	Serbia Serbia and Montenegro FR Yugoslavia Yugoslavia	20	12	13	136	81	33	22	287	123	+164	276	2.029	UEFA
18	Belgium	20	13	14	141	83	27	31	302	147	+155	276	1.957	UEFA
19	Czech Republic Representation of Czechs and Slovaks Czechoslovakia	20	9	9	147	79	31	37	280	126	+154	268	1.823	UEFA
20	Germany West Germany Germany	15	15	20	104	83	18	3	328	74	+254	267	2.567	UEFA
21	Russia Soviet Union	16	10	11	125	80	24	21	246	81	+165	264	2.112	UEFA
22	Italy	17	14	18	118	78	30	10	234	72	+162	264	2.237	UEFA
23	Colombia	18	6	6	176	65	57	54	206	181	+25	252	1.432	CONMEBOL
24	Honduras	15	3	3	164	69	44	51	262	199	+63	251	1.530	CONCACAF
25	Paraguay	19	6	8	178	70	39	69	214	218	−4	249	1.399	CONMEBOL
26	China	13	1	1	130	75	21	34	277	103	+174	246	1.892	AFC
27	Romania	18	5	7	138	72	29	37	238	142	+96	245	1.775	UEFA
28	El Salvador	14	2	2	160	70	33	57	260	187	+73	243	1.519	CONCACAF
29	Switzerland	20	11	12	140	68	37	35	220	150	+70	241	1.721	UEFA
30	Scotland	19	9	8	136	69	30	37	210	146	+64	237	1.743	UEFA
31	France	18	12	16	119	70	26	23	234	91	+143	236	1.983	UEFA
32	Chile	17	6	9	170	67	35	68	239	228	+11	236	1.388	CONMEBOL
33	Denmark	16	6	6	132	67	30	35	242	144	+98	231	1.750	UEFA
34	Poland	19	9	9	128	67	23	38	260	154	+106	224	1.750	UEFA
35	Canada	15	2	3	137	62	38	37	215	144	+71	224	1.635	CONCACAF
36	Tunisia	16	6	6	114	64	30	20	197	86	+111	222	1.947	CAF
37	Austria	19	8	7	134	64	29	41	232	155	+77	221	1.649	UEFA
38	Nigeria	16	6	6	114	62	34	18	187	86	+101	220	1.930	CAF
39	Republic of Ireland Ireland Irish Free State	21	3	3	149	58	46	45	210	177	+33	220	1.477	UEFA
40	Hungary	19	8	9	132	63	28	41	235	176	+59	217	1.644	UEFA
41	Morocco	16	6	6	120	59	39	22	177	83	+94	216	1.800	CAF
42	Bulgaria	20	7	7	137	62	29	46	215	191	+24	215	1.569	UEFA
43	Ecuador	17	4	4	167	57	40	70	201	224	−23	208	1.246	CONMEBOL
44	Iraq	13	1	1	123	58	32	33	233	120	+113	206	1.675	AFC
45	Qatar	13	0	1	124	61	23	40	215	124	+91	206	1.661	AFC
46	Greece	20	3	3	136	56	33	47	167	179	−12	201	1.478	UEFA
47	Trinidad and Tobago	15	1	1	141	57	29	55	207	184	+23	200	1.418	CONCACAF
48	Egypt	16	3	3	103	59	21	23	184	94	+90	198	1.922	CAF
49	Cameroon	15	8	8	97	58	23	16	162	72	+90	197	2.031	CAF
50	Peru	18	4	5	174	50	43	81	184	241	−57	193	1.109	CONMEBOL
51	New Zealand	14	2	2	102	58	18	26	239	101	+138	192	1.882	OFC
52	Uzbekistan	8	0	0	106	57	20	29	205	107	+98	191	1.802	AFC
53	United Arab Emirates	11	1	1	120	55	23	42	205	128	+77	188	1.567	AFC
54	Guatemala	16	0	0	126	52	32	42	208	150	+58	188	1.492	CONCACAF
55	Turkey	18	3	2	139	53	27	59	204	206	−2	186	1.338	UEFA
56	Norway	19	3	3	136	49	33	54	185	186	−1	180	1.324	UEFA
57	Kuwait	14	1	1	105	53	16	36	184	105	+79	175	1.667	AFC
58	Northern Ireland Ireland	19	3	3	142	45	39	58	155	168	−13	174	1.225	UEFA
59	Israel Palestine, British Mandate	21	1	1	132	45	35	52	189	199	−10	170	1.288	UEFA
60	Ivory Coast	13	3	3	86	47	26	13	165	70	+95	167	1.942	CAF
61	Algeria	15	4	4	99	47	25	27	158	98	+60	166	1.677	CAF
62	Zambia	15	0	0	104	48	21	35	158	101	+57	165	1.587	CAF
63	Bolivia	18	1	3	174	44	32	98	204	340	−136	164	0.943	CONMEBOL
64	Syria	16	0	0	106	46	24	36	214	126	+88	162	1.528	AFC
65	Ghana	15	4	4	93	45	25	23	141	71	+70	160	1.720	CAF
66	Wales	19	2	2	130	43	29	58	168	180	−12	158	1.215	UEFA
67	Croatia	7	6	6	72	43	20	9	129	51	+78	149	2.069	UEFA
68	Jamaica	12	1	1	118	39	32	47	127	154	−27	149	1.263	CONCACAF
69	Oman	10	0	0	92	42	21	29	149	87	+62	147	1.598	AFC
70	Haiti	15	1	1	95	42	17	36	165	124	+41	143	1.505	CONCACAF
71	Ukraine	7	1	1	80	38	28	14	122	62	+60	142	1.775	UEFA
72	Bahrain	12	0	0	100	38	28	34	130	100	+30	142	1.420	AFC
73	DR Congo Zaire	12	1	1	86	40	20	26	141	93	+48	140	1.628	CAF
74	Panama	12	1	1	114	38	26	50	142	178	−36	140	1.228	CONCACAF
75	North Korea	11	2	2	87	40	19	28	122	83	+39	139	1.598	AFC
76	Finland	20	0	0	137	35	25	77	144	297	−153	130	0.949	UEFA
77	Slovakia	7	1	1	74	35	19	20	127	74	+53	124	1.676	UEFA
78	Senegal	14	3	3	73	33	24	16	110	61	+49	123	1.685	CAF
79	Guinea	14	0	0	83	36	14	33	121	110	+11	122	1.470	CAF
80	Jordan	11	0	0	82	34	17	31	129	98	+31	119	1.451	AFC
81	Venezuela	15	0	0	164	30	29	105	140	351	−211	119	0.726	CONMEBOL
82	Iceland	14	1	1	116	30	22	64	128	233	−105	112	0.966	UEFA
83	South Africa	9	2	3	58	33	9	16	74	50	+24	108	1.862	CAF
84	Angola	11	1	1	71	27	26	18	88	66	+22	107	1.507	CAF
85	Burkina Faso Upper Volta	10	0	0	68	30	14	24	103	83	+20	104	1.529	CAF
86	Slovenia	7	2	2	72	29	17	26	94	80	+14	104	1.444	UEFA
87	Thailand	14	0	0	101	27	22	52	130	172	−42	103	1.020	AFC
88	Bosnia and Herzegovina	7	1	1	66	29	14	23	121	81	+40	101	1.530	UEFA
89	Kenya	14	0	0	76	25	19	32	87	102	−15	94	1.237	CAF
90	Hong Kong	14	0	0	87	25	17	45	101	154	−53	92	1.057	AFC
91	Togo	12	1	1	73	24	19	30	77	94	−17	91	1.247	CAF
92	Lebanon	9	0	0	76	23	20	33	104	106	−2	89	1.171	AFC
93	Malaysia	14	0	0	73	25	13	35	100	131	−31	88	1.205	AFC
94	Libya	12	0	0	64	24	15	25	69	70	−1	87	1.359	CAF
95	Gabon	10	0	0	65	25	12	28	68	75	−7	87	1.338	CAF
96	Indonesia Dutch East Indies	14	0	1	85	23	18	44	110	176	−66	87	1.024	AFC
97	Cuba	13	0	1	72	22	20	30	92	105	−13	86	1.194	CONCACAF
98	Zimbabwe Rhodesia	12	0	0	71	22	20	29	68	85	−17	86	1.211	CAF
99	Albania	13	0	0	114	24	14	76	84	200	−116	86	0.754	UEFA
100	Latvia	9	0	0	85	21	18	46	93	144	−51	81	0.953	UEFA
101	Singapore	13	0	0	82	23	12	47	88	158	−70	81	0.988	AFC
102	Suriname Dutch Guiana	15	0	0	69	22	14	33	106	115	−9	80	1.159	CONCACAF
103	Congo	11	0	0	69	21	16	32	77	97	−20	79	1.145	CAF
104	Solomon Islands	8	0	0	57	23	9	25	118	121	−3	78	1.368	OFC
105	North Macedonia Macedonia	7	0	0	72	20	15	37	95	115	−20	75	1.042	UEFA
106	East Germany	9	1	1	47	22	8	17	87	65	+22	74	1.574	defunct
107	Mali	7	0	0	50	20	14	16	65	55	+10	74	1.480	CAF
108	Fiji	10	0	0	56	21	10	25	114	105	+9	73	1.304	OFC
109	Sudan	14	0	0	74	17	22	35	66	115	−49	73	0.986	CAF
110	Lithuania	10	0	0	81	18	16	47	63	130	−67	70	0.864	UEFA
111	Malawi	12	0	0	68	17	17	34	60	96	−36	68	1.000	CAF
112	Curaçao Netherlands Antilles Territory of Curaçao	17	0	0	66	16	20	30	69	119	−50	68	1.030	CONCACAF
113	Turkmenistan	8	0	0	50	20	6	24	75	81	−6	66	1.320	AFC
114	Uganda	11	0	0	50	18	12	20	46	61	−15	66	1.320	CAF
115	Liberia	11	0	0	68	18	12	38	47	96	−49	66	0.971	CAF
116	Tajikistan	8	0	0	48	18	10	20	85	71	+14	64	1.333	AFC
117	Estonia	10	0	0	84	17	12	55	74	187	−113	63	0.750	UEFA
118	Cyprus	16	0	0	124	16	15	93	91	320	−229	63	0.508	UEFA
119	New Caledonia	5	0	0	38	18	8	12	89	46	+43	62	1.632	OFC
120	Vietnam South Vietnam	10	0	0	63	18	6	39	66	110	−44	60	0.952	AFC
121	Kyrgyzstan	8	0	0	43	18	5	20	68	66	+2	59	1.372	AFC
122	Tahiti	8	0	0	45	17	8	20	67	85	−18	59	1.311	OFC
123	Yemen North Yemen	11	0	0	64	15	14	35	65	106	−41	59	0.922	AFC
124	Bermuda	8	0	0	40	16	10	14	83	58	+25	58	1.450	CONCACAF
125	Cape Verde	7	0	0	42	17	6	19	44	52	−8	57	1.357	CAF
126	Benin Dahomey	10	0	0	52	16	9	27	52	95	−43	57	1.096	CAF
127	Armenia	7	0	0	72	13	17	42	61	142	−81	56	0.778	UEFA
128	Belarus	7	0	0	66	14	12	40	68	121	−53	54	0.818	UEFA
129	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	8	0	0	62	15	8	39	80	186	−106	53	0.855	CONCACAF
130	Montenegro	4	0	0	40	13	13	14	61	58	+3	52	1.300	UEFA
131	India	10	0	0	55	12	16	27	51	99	−48	52	0.945	AFC
132	Madagascar	11	0	0	44	14	9	21	52	61	−9	51	1.159	CAF
133	Antigua and Barbuda	11	0	0	46	15	6	25	72	98	−26	51	1.109	CONCACAF
134	Palestine	7	0	0	38	14	8	16	64	47	+17	50	1.316	AFC
135	Saint Kitts and Nevis	7	0	0	36	14	8	14	72	62	+10	50	1.389	CONCACAF
136	Georgia	7	0	0	64	11	17	36	57	101	−44	50	0.781	UEFA
137	Namibia	9	0	0	52	13	11	28	48	94	−46	50	0.962	CAF
138	Kazakhstan	7	0	0	68	12	14	42	76	148	−72	50	0.735	UEFA
139	Ethiopia	13	0	0	51	11	15	25	52	76	−24	48	0.941	CAF
140	Sierra Leone	12	0	0	49	12	10	27	41	74	−33	46	0.939	CAF
141	Mozambique	10	0	0	44	12	9	23	38	62	−24	45	1.023	CAF
142	Tanzania	11	0	0	43	10	14	19	44	62	−18	44	1.023	CAF
143	Bangladesh	11	0	0	64	11	10	43	41	157	−116	43	0.672	AFC
144	Dominican Republic	9	0	0	33	12	6	15	50	54	−4	42	1.273	CONCACAF
145	Niger	9	0	0	38	12	6	20	42	67	−25	42	1.105	CAF
146	Vanuatu	7	0	0	37	12	3	22	76	89	−13	39	1.054	OFC
147	Botswana	8	0	0	38	11	6	21	36	56	−20	39	1.026	CAF
148	Barbados	9	0	0	41	11	6	24	38	76	−38	39	0.951	CONCACAF
149	Rwanda	8	0	0	46	9	11	26	43	63	−20	38	0.826	CAF
150	Azerbaijan	7	0	0	66	7	15	44	34	122	−88	36	0.545	UEFA
151	Equatorial Guinea	7	0	0	30	10	5	15	27	42	−15	35	1.167	CAF
152	Luxembourg	21	0	0	142	8	10	124	77	451	−374	34	0.239	UEFA
153	Papua New Guinea	5	0	0	26	9	6	11	48	41	+7	33	1.269	OFC
154	Faroe Islands	8	0	0	80	8	8	64	41	207	−166	32	0.400	UEFA
155	Maldives	8	0	0	42	9	4	29	45	143	−98	31	0.738	AFC
156	Belize	7	0	0	29	8	6	15	37	59	−22	30	1.034	CONCACAF
157	Guyana	11	0	0	38	8	6	24	40	89	−49	30	0.789	CONCACAF
158	Burundi	8	0	0	24	8	5	11	23	32	−9	29	1.208	CAF
159	Nicaragua	8	0	0	25	9	1	15	35	45	−10	28	1.120	CONCACAF
160	Puerto Rico	10	0	0	29	7	7	15	32	57	−25	28	0.966	CONCACAF
161	Samoa Western Samoa	6	0	0	26	9	1	16	37	88	−51	28	1.077	OFC
162	Moldova	7	0	0	68	5	13	50	40	145	−105	28	0.412	UEFA
163	Chinese Taipei Republic of China	13	0	0	72	8	4	60	47	245	−198	28	0.389	AFC
164	Grenada	8	0	0	29	8	3	18	51	59	−8	27	0.931	CONCACAF
165	Philippines	6	0	0	33	7	6	20	29	77	−48	27	0.818	AFC
166	Afghanistan	6	0	0	28	7	5	16	20	73	−53	26	0.929	AFC
167	Nepal	9	0	0	44	7	5	32	29	137	−108	26	0.591	AFC
168	Gambia	10	0	0	28	6	6	16	23	44	−21	24	0.857	CAF
169	Guinea-Bissau	8	0	0	22	5	8	9	18	32	−14	23	1.045	CAF
170	Saint Lucia	7	0	0	24	7	1	16	32	62	−30	22	0.917	CONCACAF
171	Tonga	6	0	0	22	7	1	14	23	82	−59	22	1.000	OFC
172	Myanmar	5	0	0	28	6	4	18	24	93	−69	22	0.786	AFC
173	Malta	13	0	0	112	3	12	97	42	330	−288	21	0.188	UEFA
174	Chad	7	0	0	20	6	2	12	17	32	−15	20	1.000	CAF
175	Mongolia	7	0	0	26	6	1	19	17	77	−60	19	0.731	AFC
176	Sri Lanka	9	0	0	41	4	7	30	27	103	−76	19	0.463	AFC
177	Lesotho	9	0	0	28	2	12	14	16	53	−37	18	0.643	CAF
178	Eswatini Swaziland	9	0	0	23	4	5	14	16	44	−28	17	0.739	CAF
179	Dominica	7	0	0	24	4	5	15	20	58	−38	17	0.708	CONCACAF
180	Cambodia	7	0	0	38	4	5	29	22	136	−114	17	0.447	AFC
181	Aruba	7	0	0	20	5	1	14	26	61	−35	16	0.800	CONCACAF
182	Bahamas	6	0	0	18	4	4	10	20	58	−38	16	0.889	CONCACAF
183	Macau	11	0	0	39	4	3	32	17	173	−156	15	0.385	AFC
184	Andorra	6	0	0	62	4	3	55	22	186	−164	15	0.242	UEFA
185	Laos	6	0	0	30	3	5	22	24	127	−103	14	0.467	AFC
186	Liechtenstein	7	0	0	70	2	7	61	25	219	−194	13	0.186	UEFA
187	Mauritania	8	0	0	24	2	6	16	15	44	−29	12	0.500	CAF
188	Bhutan	3	0	0	14	4	0	10	11	62	−51	12	0.857	AFC
189	U.S. Virgin Islands	7	0	0	21	3	2	16	9	96	−87	11	0.524	CONCACAF
190	Comoros	5	0	0	12	2	4	6	10	23	−13	10	0.833	CAF
191	Cook Islands	6	0	0	20	3	1	16	16	63	−47	10	0.500	OFC
192	Guam	4	0	0	22	3	1	18	11	87	−76	10	0.455	AFC
193	American Samoa	5	0	0	18	3	1	14	11	136	−125	10	0.556	OFC
194	Central African Republic	5	0	0	18	2	3	13	15	35	−20	9	0.500	CAF
195	Montserrat	6	0	0	13	2	3	8	17	49	−32	9	0.692	CONCACAF
196	Djibouti	6	0	0	23	2	2	19	12	93	−81	8	0.348	CAF
197	Pakistan	10	0	0	38	1	5	32	15	142	−127	8	0.211	AFC
198	São Tomé and Príncipe	6	0	0	12	2	1	9	5	31	−26	7	0.583	CAF
199	Mauritius	9	0	0	22	1	4	17	14	55	−41	7	0.318	CAF
200	Somalia	8	0	0	15	1	3	11	4	33	−29	6	0.400	CAF
201	Kosovo	2	0	0	18	1	3	14	8	39	−31	6	0.333	UEFA
202	Cayman Islands	7	0	0	20	0	6	14	8	53	−45	6	0.300	CONCACAF
203	Brunei	5	0	0	18	2	0	16	5	74	−69	6	0.333	AFC
204	British Virgin Islands	7	0	0	16	0	5	11	8	54	−46	5	0.313	CONCACAF
205	Turks and Caicos Islands	7	0	0	15	1	2	12	7	69	−62	5	0.333	CONCACAF
206	Saar	1	0	0	4	1	1	2	4	8	−4	4	1.000	defunct
207	South Sudan	3	0	0	6	0	3	3	2	11	−9	3	0.500	CAF
208	Eritrea	5	0	0	10	0	3	7	4	20	−16	3	0.300	CAF
209	Anguilla	7	0	0	16	0	3	13	3	65	−62	3	0.188	CONCACAF
210	Seychelles	7	0	0	18	0	2	16	6	60	−54	2	0.111	CAF
211	San Marino	8	0	0	76	0	2	74	12	356	−344	2	0.026	UEFA
212	South Yemen	1	0	0	2	0	1	1	4	7	−3	1	0.500	defunct
213	Tuvalu	1	0	0	4	0	1	3	2	22	−20	1	0.250	OFC
214	East Timor	5	0	0	18	0	0	18	6	87	−81	0	0.000	AFC
215	Gibraltar	2	0	0	20	0	0	20	7	90	−83	0	0.000	UEFA

Qualification tournament rules

Qualification tournaments generally consist of a number of stages, made up of groups or knock-out ties.

Groups

In all group tournaments, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. FIFA has set the order of the tie-breakers for teams that finish level on points:

goal difference in all group matches
greater number of goals scored in all group matches

Where teams are still not able to be separated, the following tie-breakers are used:

greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams
goal difference in matches between the tied teams
greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams
goals scored away from home in matches between the tied teams, if the tie is only between two teams

Where teams are still equal, then a play-off on neutral ground, with extra time and penalties if necessary will be played if FIFA deems such a play-off able to be fitted within the coordinated international match calendar. If this is not deemed feasible, then the result will be determined by fair play points and then the drawing of lots.

Note that this order of tie-breaker application has not always been applied. While it was used in the 2010 qualifiers, the qualification for the 2006 World Cup used the head-to-head comparison prior to goal difference (although this system was – where applicable – used in the 2006 finals themselves). If these rules had applied in 2006, then Nigeria would have qualified rather than Angola.

Home-and-away ties

Most knock-out qualifiers (such as the inter-confederation play-offs and many preliminary ties) are played over two legs. The team that scores a greater aggregate number of goals qualifies. Away goals rule applies. If these rules fail to determine the winner, extra time and penalty shootouts are used.

Occasionally – usually when one entrant lacks adequate facilities to host international matches – ties are played over a single leg, in which case matches level after 90 minutes will go to extra time and then to a penalty shootout if required.

Alternatively, "home" matches can be played in neutral countries, or occasionally one team will host both matches. In the latter case the visiting team will still be considered as the "home" team for one of the legs – which may determine which side advances under the away goals rule, as occurred in CONCACAF qualification in 2010.

References

External links

History of the FIFA World Cup preliminary competition (by year). Published by FIFA in November 2009; archived from the original by Wayback Machine on 23 October 2013.
FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition Statistics (PDF) (archived 31 October 2008)
FIFA World Cup Preliminary History (PDF) (archived 2 September 2009)
FIFA World Cup 2022 Regulations
FIFA – official documents

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v t e FIFA World Cup
Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA)
Tournaments	Uruguay 1930 Italy 1934 France 1938 Brazil 1950 Switzerland 1954 Sweden 1958 Chile 1962 England 1966 Mexico 1970 West Germany 1974 Argentina 1978 Spain 1982 Mexico 1986 Italy 1990 United States 1994 France 1998 South Korea / Japan 2002 Germany 2006 South Africa 2010 Brazil 2014 Russia 2018 Qatar 2022 Canada / Mexico / United States 2026 Morocco / Portugal / Spain 2030¹ Saudi Arabia 2034
Qualification	1930² 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026
Finals	1930 1934 1938 1950³ 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026
Squads	1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Final draw	1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Broadcasters	1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Bids	2014 2018 2022 2026 2030 2034
Officials	2010 2014 2018 2022
Team appearances	AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA
Overall records	Player records winners top appearances red cards Goalscorer records top finals hat-tricks own goals Manager records winners all appearances Match records opening penalty shoot-outs
Miscellaneous	Awards Balls Controversies Economics Fan Festival Films History Mascots Music Notable matches qualifying Referees Stadiums finals Trophy Video games World Champions Cup
¹ Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will host the inaugural games ² There was no qualification for the 1930 World Cup as places were given by invitation only. ³ No final held; the article is about the decisive match of the final group stage. Category Commons

v t e Countries at the FIFA World Cup
Team appearances All-time table
AFC	Australia² China Indonesia¹ Iran Iraq Japan Kuwait North Korea Qatar Saudi Arabia South Korea United Arab Emirates
CAF	Algeria Angola Cameroon DR Congo¹ Egypt Ghana Ivory Coast Morocco Nigeria Senegal South Africa Togo Tunisia
CONCACAF	Canada Costa Rica Cuba El Salvador Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama Trinidad and Tobago United States
CONMEBOL	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay
OFC	New Zealand
UEFA	Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic¹ Denmark East Germany³ England France Germany¹ Greece Hungary Iceland Israel² Italy Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia¹ Scotland Serbia¹ Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales
¹ Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). ² Have been member of multiple confederations. ³ Team and national federation no longer exist.