World Cup 2026: Which nations have qualified – and who still has work to do?

Thomas Tuchel's England have become the first European team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which takes place in Mexico, Canada and the USA.

Tuesday's 5-0 win in Latvia ensured that the Three Lions will finish top of Group K and 28 of the 48 teams competing at next summer's expanded finals are now known.

Which teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

Recommended Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

£50 In Free Acca Bets When You Place A £10 Acca (5+ legs)

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Freeze a winning score and win a leg of your acca early with AccaFreeze

CLAIM OFFER

18+ T&Cs apply

New customers only. Football Accas only. 5 legs or more. Odds 1/1 or greater. 5 x £10 bet tokens. Free Bet stakes not included in returns. Free Bets for Football Accas (5+ legs) only. Free Bets non withdrawable. Free Bets expire after 30 days. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply.

How England qualified for the 2026 World Cup

England have outclassed their rivals in World Cup qualifying Group K, winning all six of their matches by an aggregate score of 18-0.

The Three Lions, runners-up at the last two European Championships, kicked off their campaign under new manager Thomas Tuchel with a 2-0 home win over Albania in March thanks to goals from Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly and record scorer Harry Kane.

Reece James, Kane and Eberechi Eze were on the scoresheet in a 3-0 Wembley win over Latvia before England ground out forgettable 1-0 and 2-0 victories against bottom-of-the-table Andorra.

Tuchel's men turned on the style in their last two qualifiers, however. September's away fixture in Serbia was supposed to be their toughest test, although England still went off at odds of 3-4 in Belgrade.

Kane and Noni Madueke gave the visitors a 2-0 half-time lead before defenders Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi struck in the second half and Marcus Rashford's late penalty completed a 5-0 rout of a talented Serbia side.

After last week's comfortable 3-0 friendly win over Wales, in which England scored three times in the first 20 minutes, the Three Lions sealed top spot in Group K with another 5-0 away win in Latvia on Tuesday.

Anthony Gordon opened the scoring before Kane, who has claimed 18 goals in ten appearances for Bayern Munich this season, continued his sizzling form with a quickfire brace just before half-time.

Djed Spence's cross was turned into his own net by Latvia's Andrejs Ciganiks early in the second half and Arsenal's Eze came off the bench to score his second goal of the qualifying campaign in the 86th minute.

Attacking depth boosts Three Lions' hopes of glory

England have won their last eight competitive matches to nil and their run of clean sheets under Tuchel is no fluke. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has faced only two shots on target in six Group K games despite a revolving cast of defenders in front of him.

Chelsea right-back James and Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold were among the injury absentees for this month's internationals and Tuchel has a staggeringly deep pool of talent in attacking positions.

England put five goals past Latvia despite missing Madueke, Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and the rejuvenated Jack Grealish so Tuchel has plenty to ponder before he finalises his squad for the World Cup.

Bet365 make Alexander-Arnold 1-2 to be in the travelling party and Grealish is a 2-1 shot with Coral. Aston Villa's Konsa (4-11) and Morgan Rogers (2-5) enhanced their chances during qualifying and Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, who started the routs of Serbia and Latvia, is 8-15 to make the cut.  

England are understandably respected by bookmakers after their commanding qualifying campaign.

It would have been a huge shock if they hadn't won their group but breaking down weaker opponents who defend in numbers is a skill in itself – one that Gareth Southgate's England didn't always have.

Record goalscorer Kane struggled in a disjointed England attacking unit towards the end of Southgate's reign so the striker's form and fitness will be vital for Tuchel. 

Kane, who has struck six times in six qualifiers, is bet365's 1-2 favourite to be England's top goalscorer at the World Cup – as he was at the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

Bukayo Saka, next in the betting at 9-1, shared top-scorer honours for the Three Lions with Rashford at the 2022 World Cup. 

Palmer and Bellingham are 12-1 with Rogers at 14-1 and Gordon, Rashford and Watkins at 16-1. Bet365 offer 100-1 that no England player scores at the tournament and 2-1 that Kane, who is on 76 international goals, reaches 100 before the end of his England career. 

Central defence remains a concern as John Stones had an injury-hit 2024-25 season and Chelsea's Levi Colwill will miss most of the 2025-26 campaign due to an ACL injury. 

A tournament in North and Central America in June and July may produce challenging weather conditions. Last summer's Club World Cup was disrupted by scorching temperatures and lightning storms although it did produce an English winner as Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain in the final.

Another worry for England backers is the form of favourites Spain, who were worthy winners of Euro 2024 and continue to progress under Luis de la Fuente. 

They beat World Cup second-favourites France 5-4 in June's Nations League semi-final, racing into a 5-1 lead before conceding three late goals, and hammered a useful Turkey side 6-0 on their own patch in September.

Thomas Tuchel's England are 7-1 to win the 2026 World CupCredit: Getty Images

England 7-1 to rule the world in 2026

England boss Tuchel claimed last week that his side "will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it."

But bookmakers disagree with that assessment and England are 7-1 third-favourites to win the World Cup, behind European champions Spain at 9-2 and France, World Cup winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, at 13-2.

South American powerhouses Brazil, coached by the legendary Carlo Ancelotti, are 15-2 and Argentina are 8-1 to retain their crown. Portugal and Germany are 12-1 shots and there is a significant gap in the market to the Netherlands at 20-1 and Italy at 33-1.

What do Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland need to do?

Scotland have taken ten points from their first four matches in Group C and are assured of at least a playoff spot. 

They are 5-2 with bet365 to win the group and qualify automatically but 2-7 favourites Denmark also have ten points and a goal-difference advantage of six over the Scots. 

Steve Clarke's men travel to Greece on November 15 before finishing the campaign against the Danes at Hampden Park on November 18. 

Scotland beat Greece 3-1 and Belarus 2-1 in their home October qualifiers but Clarke admitted he was "really, really disappointed" by their performances. 

Denmark have been far more impressive so the playoffs may well loom for Scotland, who lost to Ukraine in a 2022 World Cup playoff and were beaten by Greece over two legs in March's Nations League promotion/relegation tie.

Scotland, who are assured of at least a playoff spot, are 5-2 to top Group CCredit: SNS Group via Getty Images

Wales's Nations League ranking means they are guaranteed a playoff place. They could still qualify automatically although they are four points behind Group J leaders Belgium with only two games to go.

The limitations of Craig Bellamy's side have been exposed in 4-3 and 4-2 defeats to Belgium and they were brushed aside by England in last week's friendly at Wembley.

Northern Ireland are three points behind Germany and Slovakia with two rounds of fixtures remaining in Group A. 

Having lost at home and away to the Germans, they must target maximum points from next month's trip to Slovakia and home game against Luxembourg, who have lost four out of four.

Evan Ferguson's header gave underwhelming Ireland a 1-0 home win over ten-man Armenia on Tuesday, keeping alive their chances of qualifying from Group F. 

Portugal look nailed on to win the section but Hungary, who drew 2-2 in Lisbon this week, are a point ahead of Ireland in the race for the playoff spot.

Ireland lost 2-1 in Armenia last month and struggled to create chances in the return fixture until visiting captain Tigran Barseghyan was sent off for a headbutt early in the second half. 

The 12 group winners in Uefa's qualifying competition are guaranteed a place at the World Cup and the 12 runners-up go into the playoffs. 

The four best Nations League group winners who finish outside the top two in their World Cup qualifying section will also make the playoffs. 

As it stands those teams are France, Germany, Wales and the Czech Republic although Romania and Sweden would get in if, as expected, France and Germany win or finish second in their groups.

The 16 playoff teams will be split into four paths featuring two semi-finals and a final. The draw will be seeded and the single-leg matches will be played in March 2026.

Recommended Offer

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

Deposit And Bet £10 To Get £40 Free Bets

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG)

CLAIM OFFER

18+ T&Cs apply

18+. Play Safe. Online only. For new UK register customers using promo code G40. Deposit & place £10 cash single bet (min odds 1/2) on sportsbook (excl. Virtuals). Get £40 in Free Bets (4x£10), valid for sportsbook (excl. Virtuals), 7 days expiry, must use in full (£10 each). Not valid with deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay or WH PLUS Card. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply. www.gambleaware.org #ad

Who else has qualified in Europe?

England are the only team from Europe who have secured their place at the World Cup before November's fixtures but several other nations are on the brink of qualifying automatically.

Dominik Szoboszlai's injury-time equaliser for Hungary denied Portugal top spot in Group F although Roberto Martinez's men are five points clear with two games left and have a hefty goal-difference advantage.

The Netherlands (1-100), France (1-66), Switzerland (1-25) and Norway (1-20) are also poised to top their groups and World Cup favourites Spain are 1-40 in Group E, having won their four games by an aggregate score of 15-0.

Group C rivals Denmark and Scotland are guaranteed a playoff place at worst, as are Group L leaders Croatia.

Which teams are at risk of missing out?

Italy beat England in the Euro 2020 final but they failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and look set for the playoffs this time around.

The Azzurri trail Norway by three points in Group I. The teams meet in Milan on matchday eight but Norway's goal difference is 16 better than Italy's.

While Gennaro Gattuso's men are assured of a playoff place, Sweden need a miracle to finish second in Group B after picking up only one point from four games. 

The Swedes sacked manager Jon Dahl Tomasson after Tuesday's 1-0 home defeat to Kosovo, in which Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres started up front, but they could sneak into the playoffs by virtue of their 2024-25 Nations League record.

Greece, who beat England at Wembley during the Nations League, cannot qualify from Scotland's group and Germany still have work to do in Group A after a shock defeat to Slovakia in their opener.

Nigeria, one of Africa's footballing giants, face a CAF playoff after finishing second to South Africa in their group.    

World Cup 2026 FAQs

When does the 2026 World Cup start?

The 2026 World Cup starts on June 11, 2026. 

When is the 2026 World Cup draw?

The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place at 5pm GMT on Friday, December 5.

Where is the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 tournament will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the USA with matches being played in 16 cities.

Who are favourites for the 2026 World Cup?

Spain are 4-1 favourites to win the 2026 World Cup with France at 13-2 and England at 7-1. Brazil are 15-2 and defending champions Argentina are 8-1.

Where and when is the 2026 World Cup final?

The 2026 World Cup final is on Sunday, July 19 2026 and it will be held at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.