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.
Founded | 1933 |
---|---|
Region | International (FIFA) |
Number of teams | 211 (currently eligible) 215 (overall) |
Website | Official website |
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
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 edit
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 edit
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
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 | 0[c] | 1[b] | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
Asia | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
Oceania | —[d] | 0[c] | 0[c] | 0[c] | 0[c] | 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 | 15[e] | 13[f] | |||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||
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
- ^ Berths were given by invitation only.
- ^ a b Actually the berths were taken by 10 European teams and no African or Asian ones. After Israel won the African/Asian zone without playing due to withdrawals of other teams, a special play-off was arranged between them and a European team, Wales, and was won by the latter.
- ^ a b c d e None entered.
- ^ No teams from the region were members of FIFA before 1950.
- ^ Austria withdrew after having qualified.
- ^ India, Scotland and Turkey withdrew after having qualified. France initially accepted to participate as a replacement but then withdrew as well.
- ^ a b Includes all teams that entered qualification, even if they withdrew or were excluded afterwards, or qualified by walkover. Does not include pre-determined automatic qualifiers.
- ^ a b Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled.
- ^ a b Including host South Africa and non-FIFA member Tuvalu, which participated because other tournaments also served as World Cup qualifiers.
- ^ a b Including host Qatar, which participated because another tournament also served as World Cup qualifiers.
First appearance in qualification by team edit
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.
- Teams' entries before their actual debuts in qualification
- ^ a b c d e f Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing.
- ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 and 1938 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1950 World Cup as host.
- ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.
- ^ a b Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.
- ^ a b c d e Withdrew from the 1938 qualification before playing.
- ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 finals. Withdrew from the 1938 and 1950 qualifications before playing.
- ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934, 1950, and 1954 qualifications before playing.
- ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup as host. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1954 finals as defending champion.
- ^ Qualified by walkover for the 1938 finals (entered as the Dutch East Indies). Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.
- ^ a b Withdrew from the 1958 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.
- ^ a b c d e f Withdrew from the 1966 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1954 and 1958 qualifications before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing (entered as the Malagasy Republic).
- ^ Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals, and subsequently withdrew from participation. Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1986 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1966 and 1974 qualifications before playing.
- ^ Withdrew during the 1986 qualification and had all its matches of that campaign annulled.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1974 and 1978 qualifications before playing (entered in 1974 as Ceylon).
- ^ a b c Withdrew from the 1994 qualification before playing.
- ^ a b Withdrew from the 1990 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1950 and 1974 qualifications before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1998 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing. Was disqualified from the 1982 qualification before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1966, 1994 and 1998 qualifications before playing.
- ^ Withdrew from the 1950, 1994, and 2002 qualifications before playing (entered in 1950 as Burma).
- ^ Withdrew from the 2010 qualification before playing.
- Successor and renamed teams
- ^ a b c The Czechoslovakia team was officially renamed as the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks during the 1994 qualification and was then succeeded by the Czech Republic from the 1998 qualification.
- ^ a b c Germany was succeeded from the 1954 qualification by West Germany, which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1994 qualification.
- ^ a b c The Irish Free State was succeeded in the 1950 qualification by Ireland, which became officially known as the Republic of Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
- ^ a b c d Yugoslavia was succeeded from the 1998 qualification by FR Yugoslavia, which was renamed as Serbia and Montenegro for the 2006 qualification and was then succeeded by Serbia from the 2010 qualification.
- ^ a b Mandatory Palestine was succeeded by Israel from the 1950 qualification.
- ^ Egypt was later succeeded by the United Arab Republic, a political union with Syria, which entered the 1962 qualification, but withdrew before playing. Then Egypt continued independently but retained the name "United Arab Republic", under which it entered the 1966 qualification and also withdrew before playing. It was renamed back as "Egypt" from the 1974 qualification.
- ^ a b Ireland was succeeded by Northern Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
- ^ a b The Soviet Union was succeeded by Russia from the 1994 qualification.
- ^ a b c The Territory of Curaçao was succeeded from the 1962 qualification by the Netherlands Antilles, which in turn was succeeded by Curaçao from the 2014 qualification.
- ^ a b Dutch Guiana was succeeded by Suriname from the 1978 qualification.
- ^ a b Rhodesia was succeeded by Zimbabwe from the 1982 qualification.
- ^ a b South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1994 qualification.
- ^ a b Dahomey was renamed as Benin from the 1986 qualification.
- ^ a b Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification.
- ^ a b The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1982 qualification.
- ^ a b Upper Volta was renamed as Burkina Faso from the 1990 qualification.
- ^ a b North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.
- ^ a b Swaziland was renamed as Eswatini from the 2022 qualification.
- ^ a b Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2022 qualification.
- ^ a b Western Samoa was renamed as Samoa from the 2002 qualification.
- Other notes
- ^ Italy had to qualify for the 1934 tournament despite being the host.
- ^ Tuvalu, a non-FIFA member, formally could not enter the 2010 World Cup, but the team participated in the 2007 South Pacific Games which doubled as a stage of the qualification for that World Cup, and the team's results did count in determining advancement from that stage.
Overview of teams' participations edit
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] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | fifa, world, qualification, world, qualification, redirects, here, other, uses, world, qualification, disambiguation, competitive, matches, that, national, association, football, team, plays, order, qualify, available, berths, final, tournament, fifa, world, f. World Cup qualification redirects here For other uses see World Cup qualification disambiguation 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 FIFA World Cup qualificationFounded1933 91 years ago 1933 RegionInternational FIFA Number of teams211 currently eligible 215 overall WebsiteOfficial website2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 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 Contents 1 History 1 1 Qualification berths by continent 1 2 First appearance in qualification by team 1 3 Overview of teams participations 1 4 Overall team records 2 Qualification tournament rules 2 1 Groups 2 2 Home and away ties 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory editThe 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 edit 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 nbsp 1930 a nbsp 1934 nbsp 1938 nbsp 1950 nbsp 1954 nbsp 1958 nbsp 1962 nbsp 1966 nbsp 1970 nbsp 1974 nbsp 1978 nbsp 1982 nbsp 1986 nbsp 1990 nbsp 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 0 c 1 b 0 5 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 Asia 1 1 1 0 5 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 Oceania d 0 c 0 c 0 c 0 c 0 5 0 5 0 25 North and Central Americaand 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 15 e 13 f 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 nbsp 1998 nbsp nbsp 2002 nbsp 2006 nbsp 2010 nbsp 2014 nbsp 2018 nbsp 2022 nbsp nbsp nbsp 2026 nbsp nbsp nbsp 2030 nbsp 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 Americaand 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 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 Berths were given by invitation only a b Actually the berths were taken by 10 European teams and no African or Asian ones After Israel won the African Asian zone without playing due to withdrawals of other teams a special play off was arranged between them and a European team Wales and was won by the latter a b c d e None entered No teams from the region were members of FIFA before 1950 Austria withdrew after having qualified India Scotland and Turkey withdrew after having qualified France initially accepted to participate as a replacement but then withdrew as well a b Includes all teams that entered qualification even if they withdrew or were excluded afterwards or qualified by walkover Does not include pre determined automatic qualifiers a b Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled a b Including host South Africa and non FIFA member Tuvalu which participated because other tournaments also served as World Cup qualifiers a b Including host Qatar which participated because another tournament also served as World Cup qualifiers First appearance in qualification by team edit 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 Europe South America North Central America and Caribbean Asia Africa Oceania T CT nbsp 1934 nbsp Austria nbsp Belgium a nbsp Bulgaria nbsp Czechoslovakia A nbsp Estonia nbsp France a nbsp Germany B nbsp Greece nbsp Hungary nbsp Irish Free State C nbsp Italy N 1 nbsp Lithuania nbsp Luxembourg nbsp Netherlands nbsp Poland nbsp Portugal nbsp Romania a nbsp Spain nbsp Sweden nbsp Switzerland nbsp Yugoslavia a D none nbsp Cuba nbsp Haiti nbsp Mexico a nbsp United States a nbsp Palestine British Mandate E nbsp Egypt F none 27 27 nbsp 1938 nbsp Finland nbsp Latvia nbsp Norway none none none none none 3 30 nbsp 1950 nbsp England nbsp Ireland G nbsp Scotland nbsp Turkey b nbsp Wales none none nbsp Syria none none 6 36 nbsp Ireland C nbsp Israel E nbsp 1954 nbsp Saar nbsp Brazil c nbsp Chile d nbsp Paraguay e none nbsp Japan f nbsp South Korea none none 6 42 nbsp Northern Ireland G nbsp Republic of Ireland C nbsp West Germany B nbsp 1958 nbsp Denmark nbsp East Germany nbsp Iceland nbsp Soviet Union H nbsp Argentina g nbsp Bolivia e nbsp Colombia f nbsp Peru h nbsp Uruguay i nbsp Canada nbsp Costa Rica f nbsp Guatemala nbsp Territory of Curacao I nbsp China nbsp Indonesia j nbsp Sudan none 16 58 nbsp 1962 nbsp Cyprus k nbsp Ecuador l nbsp Dutch Guiana f J nbsp Honduras none nbsp Ethiopia nbsp Ghana nbsp Morocco nbsp Nigeria nbsp Tunisia none 9 67 nbsp Netherlands Antilles I nbsp 1966 nbsp Albania nbsp Venezuela k nbsp Jamaica nbsp Trinidad and Tobago nbsp North Korea none nbsp Australia 6 73 nbsp 1970 none none nbsp Bermuda nbsp El Salvador f none nbsp Algeria m nbsp Cameroon m nbsp Libya m nbsp Rhodesia K nbsp Senegal m nbsp Zambia nbsp New Zealand 9 82 nbsp 1974 nbsp Malta none nbsp Antigua and Barbuda nbsp Puerto Rico nbsp Hong Kong nbsp Iran nbsp Iraq nbsp Kuwait nbsp Malaysia nbsp South Vietnam L nbsp Thailand nbsp Congo nbsp Dahomey M nbsp Guinea m nbsp Ivory Coast nbsp Kenya nbsp Lesotho nbsp Mauritius nbsp Sierra Leone nbsp Tanzania nbsp Togo nbsp Zaire N none 21 103 nbsp 1978 none none nbsp Barbados nbsp Dominican Republic nbsp Guyana nbsp Panama nbsp Bahrain nbsp Qatar nbsp Republic of China n O nbsp Saudi Arabia nbsp Singapore nbsp Malawi nbsp Mauritania nbsp Niger nbsp Uganda nbsp Upper Volta P none 14 117 nbsp Suriname J nbsp 1982 none none nbsp Grenada nbsp Macau nbsp Gambia nbsp Liberia m nbsp Madagascar o nbsp Mozambique nbsp Somalia nbsp Fiji 8 125 nbsp Chinese Taipei O nbsp Zimbabwe K nbsp 1986 none none none nbsp Bangladesh nbsp Brunei nbsp Jordan nbsp India p nbsp Nepal nbsp North Yemen Q nbsp South Yemen nbsp United Arab Emirates q nbsp Angola none 9 134 nbsp Benin M nbsp 1990 none none none nbsp Oman r nbsp Pakistan nbsp Gabon s none 3 137 nbsp Burkina Faso P nbsp 1994 nbsp Faroe Islands nbsp San Marino none nbsp Nicaragua nbsp Saint Lucia nbsp Saint Vincent and the Grenadines nbsp Lebanon t nbsp Sri Lanka u nbsp Botswana nbsp Burundi nbsp Namibia nbsp South Africa nbsp Swaziland R nbsp Solomon Islands nbsp Tahiti nbsp Vanuatu 15 152 nbsp Germany B nbsp Representation of Czechs and Slovaks A nbsp Russia H nbsp Vietnam L nbsp Yemen Q nbsp 1998 nbsp Armenia nbsp Azerbaijan nbsp Belarus nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina nbsp Croatia nbsp Georgia nbsp Liechtenstein v nbsp Macedonia S nbsp Moldova nbsp Slovakia nbsp Slovenia nbsp Ukraine none nbsp Aruba nbsp Belize nbsp Cayman Islands nbsp Dominica nbsp Saint Kitts and Nevis nbsp Cambodia nbsp Kazakhstan nbsp Kyrgyzstan nbsp Maldives w nbsp Philippines x nbsp Tajikistan nbsp Turkmenistan nbsp Uzbekistan nbsp Guinea Bissau nbsp Rwanda w nbsp Cook Islands nbsp Papua New Guinea nbsp Tonga nbsp Western Samoa v T 31 183 nbsp Czech Republic A nbsp DR Congo N nbsp FR Yugoslavia D nbsp nbsp 2002 nbsp Andorra none nbsp Anguilla nbsp Bahamas y nbsp British Virgin Islands nbsp Montserrat nbsp Turks and Caicos Islands nbsp U S Virgin Islands nbsp Guam nbsp Laos nbsp Mongolia nbsp Palestine nbsp Cape Verde nbsp Central African Republic z nbsp Chad nbsp Djibouti nbsp Equatorial Guinea nbsp Eritrea nbsp Mali aa nbsp Sao Tome and Principe v nbsp Seychelles nbsp American Samoa 21 204 nbsp Samoa T nbsp 2006 none none none nbsp Afghanistan none nbsp New Caledonia 2 206 nbsp Serbia and Montenegro D nbsp 2010 nbsp Montenegro none none nbsp Myanmar ab nbsp East Timor nbsp Comoros nbsp Tuvalu N 2 5 211 nbsp Serbia D nbsp 2014 none none none none none none 0 211 nbsp Curacao I nbsp 2018 nbsp Gibraltar nbsp Kosovo none none nbsp Bhutan ac nbsp South Sudan none 4 215 nbsp 2022 none none none none none none 0 215 nbsp Eswatini R nbsp North Macedonia S nbsp nbsp nbsp 2026 none none none none none none 0 215 Teams entries before their actual debuts in qualification a b c d e f Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation Qualified by walkover for the 1934 and 1938 finals Qualified automatically for the 1950 World Cup as host Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals a b Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals a b c d e Withdrew from the 1938 qualification before playing Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation Qualified by walkover for the 1934 finals Withdrew from the 1938 and 1950 qualifications before playing Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation Withdrew from the 1934 1950 and 1954 qualifications before playing Participated in the 1930 World Cup as host Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals Qualified automatically for the 1954 finals as defending champion Qualified by walkover for the 1938 finals entered as the nbsp Dutch East Indies Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing a b Withdrew from the 1958 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing a b c d e f Withdrew from the 1966 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1954 and 1958 qualifications before playing Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing entered as the nbsp Malagasy Republic Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals and subsequently withdrew from participation Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1986 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1966 and 1974 qualifications before playing Withdrew during the 1986 qualification and had all its matches of that campaign annulled Withdrew from the 1974 and 1978 qualifications before playing entered in 1974 as nbsp Ceylon a b c Withdrew from the 1994 qualification before playing a b Withdrew from the 1990 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1950 and 1974 qualifications before playing Withdrew from the 1998 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing Was disqualified from the 1982 qualification before playing Withdrew from the 1966 1994 and 1998 qualifications before playing Withdrew from the 1950 1994 and 2002 qualifications before playing entered in 1950 as nbsp Burma Withdrew from the 2010 qualification before playing Successor and renamed teams a b c The Czechoslovakia team was officially renamed as the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks during the 1994 qualification and was then succeeded by the Czech Republic from the 1998 qualification a b c Germany was succeeded from the 1954 qualification by West Germany which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1994 qualification a b c The Irish Free State was succeeded in the 1950 qualification by Ireland which became officially known as the Republic of Ireland from the 1954 qualification a b c d Yugoslavia was succeeded from the 1998 qualification by FR Yugoslavia which was renamed as Serbia and Montenegro for the 2006 qualification and was then succeeded by Serbia from the 2010 qualification a b Mandatory Palestine was succeeded by Israel from the 1950 qualification Egypt was later succeeded by the nbsp United Arab Republic a political union with Syria which entered the 1962 qualification but withdrew before playing Then Egypt continued independently but retained the name United Arab Republic under which it entered the 1966 qualification and also withdrew before playing It was renamed back as Egypt from the 1974 qualification a b Ireland was succeeded by Northern Ireland from the 1954 qualification a b The Soviet Union was succeeded by Russia from the 1994 qualification a b c The Territory of Curacao was succeeded from the 1962 qualification by the Netherlands Antilles which in turn was succeeded by Curacao from the 2014 qualification a b Dutch Guiana was succeeded by Suriname from the 1978 qualification a b Rhodesia was succeeded by Zimbabwe from the 1982 qualification a b South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1994 qualification a b Dahomey was renamed as Benin from the 1986 qualification a b Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification a b The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1982 qualification a b Upper Volta was renamed as Burkina Faso from the 1990 qualification a b North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification a b Swaziland was renamed as Eswatini from the 2022 qualification a b Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2022 qualification a b Western Samoa was renamed as Samoa from the 2002 qualification Other notes Italy had to qualify for the 1934 tournament despite being the host Tuvalu a non FIFA member formally could not enter the 2010 World Cup but the team participated in the 2007 South Pacific Games which doubled as a stage of the qualification for that World Cup and the team s results did count in determining advancement from that stage Overview of teams participations edit 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 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 2030 2034 Currentconfederation I nbsp Afghanistan n n n n n AFC nbsp Albania n s n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Algeria w n n n Q Q n n n n n Q Q n n CAF nbsp American Samoa n n n n n w OFC nbsp Andorra n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Angola n n n n n Q n n n n CAF nbsp Anguilla n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Antigua and Barbuda n n n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Argentina i b w w Q Q Q n Q H C Q C Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q H CONMEBOL nbsp Armenia n n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Aruba n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Australia n n Q n n n n n n n Q Q Q Q Q AFC II nbsp Austria Q w w Q Q n n n Q Q n Q n Q n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Azerbaijan n n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Bahamas w n n n w n n CONCACAF nbsp Bahrain n n n w n n n n n n n n AFC nbsp Bangladesh n n n n n n n n n n AFC nbsp Barbados n w n n n n n n d n CONCACAF nbsp Belarus n n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Belgium i Q Q w Q n n n Q n n Q Q Q Q Q Q n n Q Q Q UEFA nbsp Belize s n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Benin 1978 nbsp Dahomey 1970 1974 n n n n n n n n n CAF nbsp Bermuda n n w n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Bhutan w n n n AFC nbsp Bolivia i b s n n n n n n n n n Q n n n n n n n CONMEBOL nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina n n n n Q n n UEFA nbsp Botswana n n n n n n n CAF nbsp Brazil i b b H Q Q C C Q C Q Q Q Q Q C Q Q Q H Q Q CONMEBOL nbsp British Virgin Islands n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Brunei n n s n n n AFC nbsp Bulgaria w n n n Q Q Q Q n n Q n Q Q n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Burkina Faso 1986 nbsp Upper Volta 1970 1982 n n w n n n n n n n CAF nbsp Burundi n w w n n n n n CAF nbsp Cambodia i n n n n n n n AFC nbsp Cameroon w n n n Q n Q Q Q Q n Q Q n Q CAF nbsp Canada n w n n n n Q n n n n n n n n Q H CONCACAF nbsp Cape Verde n n n n n n CAF nbsp Cayman Islands n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Central African Republic w d n w w n n n CAF nbsp Chad n n n n n n CAF nbsp Chile i w b n n H Q n Q n Q n n s Q n n Q Q n n CONMEBOL nbsp China n n n n n n Q n n n n n AFC nbsp Chinese Taipei 1982 nbsp Republic of China 1954 1978 w w n n n n n n n n n n n n n AFC III nbsp Colombia w n Q n n n n n n Q Q Q n n n Q Q n CONMEBOL IV nbsp Comoros n n n n CAF nbsp Congo s n n n n n n n n n n CAF nbsp Cook Islands n n n n n n w OFC nbsp Costa Rica w s n n n n n n n n Q n n Q Q n Q Q Q CONCACAF nbsp Croatia Q Q Q n Q Q Q UEFA nbsp Cuba n b n s n s n n n w n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Curacao 2014 nbsp Netherlands Antilles 1962 2010 nbsp Territory of Curacao 1934 1958 n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Cyprus w n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA V nbsp Czech Republic 1998 nbsp Representation of Czechs and Slovaks 1994 nbsp Czechoslovakia 1930 1994 Q Q Q Q Q n Q n n Q n Q n n n Q n n n n UEFA nbsp Denmark n n n n n n Q n n Q Q n Q n Q Q UEFA nbsp Djibouti n n n n n CAF nbsp Dominica n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp Dominican Republic n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp DR Congo 1998 nbsp Zaire 1974 1998 ii s Q w n n n n n n n n n n CAF nbsp East Germany n n n n Q n n n n defunct VI nbsp Ecuador w n n n n n n n n n n Q Q n Q n Q CONMEBOL nbsp Egypt iii Q w n w w w n n n n Q n n n n n n Q n CAF VII nbsp El Salvador w Q n n Q n n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF nbsp England Q Q Q Q H C n n Q Q Q n Q Q Q Q Q Q Q UEFA nbsp Equatorial Guinea n n n n n n CAF nbsp Eritrea n n w n n n w CAF nbsp Estonia n n n n n n n n n n UEFA nbsp Eswatini 2022 nbsp Swaziland 1982 2018 n n n n n n n n CAF nbsp Ethiopia s n w n n n n n n n n d n n n CAF VIII nbsp Faroe Islands n n n n n n n n td, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. |