How World Cup qualification works: every confederation's path

Reaching the World Cup means surviving up to two years of qualifying. With the 2026 finals expanded to 48 teams, more nations than ever get there — here's how the places are shared out.

Six confederations, one prize

World football is split into six regional confederations, and each runs its own qualifying campaign:

• UEFA — Europe
• CONMEBOL — South America
• CONCACAF — North & Central America and the Caribbean
• CAF — Africa
• AFC — Asia
• OFC — Oceania

The 2026 allocation

The 48 places are divided roughly in line with each region's depth:

• UEFA: 16
• CAF: 9
• AFC: 8
• CONMEBOL: 6
• CONCACAF: 6 (including the three host nations)
• OFC: 1 — Oceania has a guaranteed direct place for the first time

That accounts for 46 teams. The final two spots are decided by an inter-confederation play-off.

The hosts

As co-hosts, the United States, Canada and Mexico qualify automatically and are counted within CONCACAF's allocation — so the host nations don't have to go through qualifying.

The inter-confederation play-off

To fill the last two places, six teams — one from each confederation except UEFA, plus an extra from the host region — meet in a mini play-off tournament. The two winners claim the final tickets to the finals.

Why formats differ by region

Each confederation designs its own route: Europe uses groups feeding a play-off, South America runs a single long league table, and others mix groups and knockout rounds. The result is the same everywhere — only the best survive a gruelling campaign to reach the biggest stage in sport.

Follow the road to and through the finals in our World Cup section.