The race to the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to take place across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, intensified on Thursday as more nations confirmed their spots in the tournament.
With qualification still underway in several confederations, 27 countries have already secured their participation.
The three co-hosts, who qualify automatically, are:
- Canada
- Mexico
- United States
Africa’s representatives who have booked their places so far include:
- Algeria
- Cape Verde
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Morocco
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tunisia
From the Asian Football Confederation, eight nations have already qualified:
- Australia
- Iran
- Japan
- Jordan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Uzbekistan
In UEFA, only two teams have guaranteed qualification at this stage:
- England
- France
Oceania has produced one confirmed participant:
- New Zealand
South America’s CONMEBOL heavyweights have also secured spots:
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
Meanwhile, Africa’s playoff drama continues as Nigeria’s Super Eagles and DR Congo are set to face each other on Sunday for a place in the World Cup. Both sides reached the African playoff final with dramatic wins in Rabat.
Gossip News Now reports that DR Congo secured their spot by narrowly defeating Cameroon 1–0 in a tense match at Stade El Barid. The game seemed headed for extra time until Leopards captain Chancel Mbemba calmly headed in Brian Cipenga’s corner in the first minute of stoppage time, silencing Cameroon’s bench and eliminating the five-time African champions.
Earlier, the Super Eagles had punched their ticket to the final after a commanding 4–1 win over Gabon at Moulay Hassan Stadium, setting up the decisive clash against DR Congo.
