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Forty-eight teams will participate in next summer’s World Cup, with the hosts, Canada, Mexico and the United States, granted automatic entry. A further 43 places are determined by qualifying competitions across the six confederations and the remaining two will be decided at March’s six-team intercontinental playoffs in Monterrey and Guadalajara. After September’s internationals 18 counties have places booked. The draw is due to take place on 5 December at Washington’s Kennedy Center.
Africa
The winners of the continent’s nine qualifying groups gain automatic entry and the four best runners-up will compete in November’s pan-African playoffs for one place in the intercontinental playoffs
Playoffs are something already qualified Morocco, semi-finalists at Qatar 2022, and Tunisia, who have not conceded a goal in eight qualifiers, do not need to worry about. Egypt top their group but must wait at least another month to confirm a berth after being held 0-0 by Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou. If Pharaohs fans were disappointed by Mohamed Salah’s subdued performance, Manchester City supporters will be alarmed by the knee injury that forced off his fellow forward Omar Marmoush after nine minutes.
Cape Verde are one win from qualifying for a first World Cup after beating Cameroon 1-0 in Praia in Group D, and Senegal came from 2-0 down against DR Congo to prevail 3-2 and leapfrog their hosts to move top of Group B. A thrilling match in Kinshasa featured goals from the DR Congo and Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa and the Senegal and Bayern Munich loanee forward Nicolas Jackson.
The prospect of Nigeria missing out is growing after they drew 1-1 away to a South Africa side on course to top their group. It remains to be seen what punishment, if any, Fifa will impose on South Africa for fielding Teboho Mokoena – who should have been suspended – when they beat Lesotho in March. With two October qualifiers to come, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Ghana also look well placed for direct qualification.
See the full standings here.
The 18 countries who have booked World Cup spots
ShowCo-hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States
Africa: Morocco, Tunisia
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan
Oceania: New Zealand
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
Asia
Eight countries qualify directly from assorted Asian mini-leagues and the confederation will also send one team to the intercontinental playoffs after a playoff of its own in November.
Japan, Iran, South Korea and Australia have qualified together with Jordan and Uzbekistan, both of whom will make inaugural appearances in a World Cup finals. That leaves the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia contesting the two remaining direct slots – via two three-team groups – as a continental qualifying process that began in 2023 reaches its final two rounds.
Could Saudi Arabia, the 2034 World Cup hosts and shock group-stage conquerors of Argentina at Qatar 2022, miss out on a place? A team back under the management of Hervé Renard after his defection to coach France’s women host Indonesia and Iraq in Jeddah in October.
See the full standings here.
Europe
The only confederation not to be represented in the intercontinental playoffs involves 12 groups with the winners proceeding straight to the World Cup. The four remaining places are secured via a playoff system featuring group runners-up and Nations League group winners.
Nothing is decided but, while the horizon looks extremely rosy for Thomas Tuchel’s England, other sides are starting to sweat a little, including Italy, Germany and, particularly, Sweden.
Sweden supporters have reason to wonder whether Alexander Isak’s decision to stage a one-man strike at Newcastle as he forced his deadline-day move to Liverpool may cost them dear. With the national coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson, judging Isak some way off match fitness his star striker sat out last Friday’s 2-2 draw against Slovenia in Ljubljana before his late introduction from the bench failed to prevent a 2-0 defeat in Kosovo. Third-placed Sweden are five points adrift of the group leaders, Switzerland. They have four games to turn things round but can they?
In contrast Erling Haaland limbered up for Sunday’s Manchester derby in style, scoring five goals as Norway beat Moldova 11-1 in Oslo. Norway have a 100% record after five qualifiers and, six points clear of second-placed Italy, appear en route to a first appearance in a World Cup finals since 1998.
Germany though are third in their group after last week’s shock 2-0 defeat in Slovakia that left their head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, questioning his team’s mentality. They responded with a 3-1 win against second-placed Northern Ireland but look far from convincing.
Scotland’s and Wales’ World Cup ambitions remain alive in two tight groups but the Republic of Ireland’s hopes were severely dented in the course of a 2-1 defeat in Armenia.
after newsletter promotion
Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway and England are joined as group leaders by Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovia, North Macedonia and Croatia.
See the full standings here.
North America, Central America and the Caribbean
Steve McClaren could be heading to the World Cup with Jamaica. The former England manager’s latest team are, along with Suriname and Honduras, well placed to progress. Three automatic slots are up for grabs – for the winners of the three four-team groups in this final round of qualifying. The two best runners-up go into the intercontinental playoffs.
See the full standings here.
Oceania
The only confederation to be done and dusted. Oceania’s solitary automatic place has been secured by New Zealand, leaving New Caledonia, a French overseas territory not recognised by Fifa until 2004, to enter March’s intercontinental play offs. New Zealand are managed by the Northampton-born Darren Bazeley who, before emigrating to the country, played as a right-back for Watford, Wolves, Walsall and England Under-21s.
See the full standings here.
South America
Argentina (the World Cup holders), Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay have qualified. Bolivia secured the confederation’s intercontinental playoff place with a shock 1-0 win over Carlo Ancelotti’s already qualified Brazil in La Paz on Tuesday.
Brazil, five times World Cup winners, finished fifth, historically their lowest qualifying position. Ancelotti was unimpressed with Bolivia’s gamesmanship, particularly the ball boys’ habit of throwing balls on to the pitch to interrupt Brazil attacks. After a home win secured by Miguel Terceros’s penalty, Samir Xaud, the Brazil football federation president, said: “We played against the referees, the police and the ball boys. We came to play soccer but it was a complete anti-game.”
South American qualifying began in 2023 and featured 10 teams in one large group playing 18 matches each, with the top six reaching the World Cup and seventh sufficient to make the playoffs.
See the full standings here.
