Two weeks of exciting and competitive international football were held, as all continents competed for a place in the 2026 World Cup.
The World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada with 48 teams participating for the first time in history. As a result, each continent has increased its number of places, making the qualifying process easier but also more exciting.
The international break in March 2025 saw several teams officially qualify for the World Cup.
Teams Qualified for the 2026 World Cup
Japan became the first team in the world to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after defeating Bahrain 2-0 in the third round of the Asian qualifiers.
The second team to secure a place in the North American World Cup was New Zealand, securing the only available place for Oceania, after defeating New Caledonia 3-0 in the qualifying final.
New Caledonia became the first team to qualify for the global play-off, which will include five other teams from five different continents.
The second Asian berth was then decided, and went to Iran after a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan in Tehran.
Finally, the 2022 World Cup champions, Argentina, officially qualified for the World Cup after defeating Brazil 4-1.
Teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup:
United States of America (host)
Canada (host)
Mexico (host)
Japan (Asia)
New Zealand (Oceania)
Iran (Asia)
Argentina (South America)
