The 2026 World Cup is around the corner, and there are many teams still fighting for a spot in the biggest soccer competition. However, some countries have already said goodbye to their dreams of joining the tournament.
By Natalia Lobo
By Natalia Lobo
With a little over a year and a half to go before the 2026 World Cup , co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada , and featuring a record 48 teams representing all six confederations, many nations have already been eliminated from the Qualifiers.
Even with this increase in the number of competitors, 37 nations have been ruled out of the FIFA‘s flagship tournament. One of these is Russia, due to sanctions imposed by both UEFA and FIFA for the invasion of Ukraine, a punishment that also prevented them from participating in the Qatar World Cup.
FIFA’s official report has confirmed 36 other teams that won’t be in the 2026 World Cup, with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) having the highest number of eliminations due to its competition format. A total of 28 Asian teams, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, among others, have been eliminated.
In the CONCACAF region (North and Central America and the Caribbean), the US Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands are out of the running. In Oceania (OFC), Samoa American, Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea have also been eliminated.
A model FIFA World Cup trophy is seen prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Apart from Russia, which is the only UEFA team eliminated so far due to sanctions, all teams from CONMEBOL (South America) and the African Confederation (CAF) still have a chance to qualify, however slim it may be for some.
UEFA has the most direct spots for the 2026 World Cup with 16. CAF has 9 plus one through a playoff, AFC has 8 plus one, CONMEBOL has 6 plus one, CONCACAF has 3 plus one, plus the three hosts, and OFC has 1 plus one.
The 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, will kick off on June 11th and run until July 19th. It’s confirmed that Mexico will play the opening match at the Azteca Stadium.
Natalia is a sports journalist at Bolavip US, where she covers soccer, tennis, and the broader sports world. She also works as an entertainment journalist at Spoiler US, focusing on the film industry, series, reality TV, and celebrity news. With a diverse background that includes reporting on sports, fashion, and culture, she brings a rich and varied perspective to her current roles. Natalia holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Media from the Universidad Central of Venezuela (UCV) and has over eight years of experience in digital media. She has previously contributed her bilingual skills in English and Spanish to outlets such as Revista Exclusiva and Cambio16.
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