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Join on Telegram Rabat – The last six spots for this summer’s World Cup have been decided. The field has been expanded to 48 up from the 32 teams that competed in Qatar in 2022. The last 6 finals were played earlier this week, with four European teams qualifying and two teams qualifying via an intercontinental playoff.
Bosnia and Herzegovina beat former World Cup champions Italy on penalties (4-1), denying them a place at the World Cup for the third straight time. This marks the first time in history that a former World Cup winner has missed three consecutive tournaments. This will be their second appearance at a World Cup after their last qualification in 2014.
Czechia managed to end their 20-year World Cup drought with a nail-biter match that saw them defeat Denmark 3-1 in penalties. Türkiye and Sweden also managed to punch their tickets to the World Cup after defeats over Kosovo and Poland, respectively.
The intercontinental playoffs saw DR Congo edge past Jamaica 1–0 in a tightly contest, with the decisive goal arriving in the 100th minute of extra time, securing DR Congo’s first World Cup qualification in over 50 years, their last coming in 1974.
Despite significant travel challenges, Iraq managed to assemble a full squad after flying to Mexico by private jet. The match proceeded as scheduled, even though Iraq requested a postponement. In spite of disrupted preparations due to the Middle East conflict, the Lions of Mesopotamia managed to defeat Bolivia in a 2-1 victory to secure their first qualification since 1986.
🚨 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐂𝐔𝐏 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄-𝐔𝐏 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄 🌎🏆
All 48 nations are 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙔 for the World Cup ✔
Who take it home? 👀 pic.twitter.com/o8xlLDXMBq
— 433 (@433) April 1, 2026
World Cup Structure
Of the 48 nations competing, the three hosts (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) automatically qualified, 43 nations directly qualified via their confederations, and the last two teams were determined via inter-continental playoffs.
The World Cup will feature 12 groups of four, with the top 32 teams advancing to the knockout rounds. Top two from each group and the next eight best third-place teams.
The opening kickoff will feature Mexico vs South Africa on Thursday, June 11, at 2000. Morocco, currently ranked 8th in the world, will be featured in group C with the first game taking place on Saturday, June 13, at 2300 all games can be watched on beIN Sports.
