FIFA World Cup qualification

FIFA World Cup qualification
Founded	1933
Region	International (FIFA)
Number of teams	211 (currently eligible) ; 215 (overall)
Website	Official website
	2026 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.

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

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 attributing it to Swedish captain Knut Kroon while others 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

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
	1930	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 +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	11 +H+C	0	11 +H	1	0.5	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3
Asia	—	1	1	1	1	1	0.5		1	1	1	2	2	2	2
Oceania	—			0	0	0	0		1	1	1	2	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	13	16	15	13	16							24
Entered qualification	—	32	34	32	37	51	54	69	69	97	105	107	119	111	145
Played in qualification		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	32							48
Entered qualification	172	196	197	205	203	210	211
Played in qualification	168	193	194	199	202	208	204
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.
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.
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.
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.
Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled.
Including host South Africa and non-FIFA member Tuvalu, which participated because other tournaments also served as World Cup qualifiers.
Including host Qatar, which participated because another tournament also served as World Cup qualifiers.

First appearance in qualification by team

Only teams that played at least one match are considered for the purposes of first appearance. Teams that withdrew prior to 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
Year	Europe	South America	North, Central America and Caribbean	Asia	Africa	Oceania	T	CT	Successor and renamed teams
1934	Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Estonia France Germany Greece Hungary Irish Free State Italy Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Spain Sweden Switzerland Yugoslavia	none	Cuba Haiti Mexico United States	Palestine, British Mandate	Egypt	none	27	27
1938	Finland Latvia Norway	none	none	none	none	none	3	30
1950	England Ireland Scotland Turkey Wales	none	none	Syria	none	none	6	36	Ireland Israel
1954	Saar	Brazil Chile Paraguay	none	Japan South Korea	none	none	6	42	Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland West Germany
1958	Denmark East Germany Iceland Soviet Union	Argentina Bolivia Colombia Peru Uruguay	Canada Costa Rica Guatemala Territory of Curaçao	China Indonesia	Sudan	none	16	58
1962	Cyprus	Ecuador	Dutch Guiana Honduras	none	Ethiopia Ghana Morocco Nigeria Tunisia	none	9	67	Netherlands Antilles
1966	Albania	Venezuela	Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago	North Korea	none	Australia	6	73
1970	none	none	Bermuda El Salvador	none	Algeria Cameroon Libya Rhodesia Senegal Zambia	New Zealand	9	82
1974	Malta	none	Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico	Hong Kong Iran Iraq Kuwait Malaysia South Vietnam Thailand	Congo Dahomey Guinea Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Mauritius Sierra Leone Tanzania Togo Zaire	none	21	103
1978	none	none	Barbados Dominican Republic Guyana Panama	Bahrain Qatar Republic of China Saudi Arabia Singapore	Malawi Mauritania Niger Uganda Upper Volta	none	14	117	Suriname
1982	none	none	Grenada	Macau	Gambia Liberia Madagascar Mozambique Somalia	Fiji	8	125	Chinese Taipei Zimbabwe
1986	none	none	none	Bangladesh Brunei Jordan India Nepal North Yemen South Yemen United Arab Emirates	Angola	none	9	134	Benin
1990	none	none	none	Oman Pakistan	Gabon	none	3	137	Burkina Faso
1994	Faroe Islands San Marino	none	Nicaragua Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Lebanon Sri Lanka	Botswana Burundi Namibia South Africa Swaziland	Solomon Islands Tahiti Vanuatu	15	152	Germany Representation of Czechs and Slovaks Russia Vietnam Yemen
1998	Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Georgia Liechtenstein Macedonia Moldova Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine	none	Aruba Belize Cayman Islands Dominica Saint Kitts and Nevis	Cambodia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Maldives Philippines Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan	Guinea-Bissau Rwanda	Cook Islands Papua New Guinea Tonga Western Samoa	31	183	Czech Republic DR Congo FR Yugoslavia
2002	Andorra	none	Anguilla Bahamas British Virgin Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands	Guam Laos Mongolia Palestine	Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Mali São Tomé and Príncipe Seychelles	American Samoa	21	204	Samoa
2006	none	none	none	Afghanistan	none	New Caledonia	2	206	Serbia and Montenegro
2010	Montenegro	none	none	Myanmar Timor-Leste	Comoros	Tuvalu	5	211	Serbia
2014	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	211	Curaçao
2018	Gibraltar Kosovo	none	none	Bhutan	South Sudan	none	4	215
2022	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215	Eswatini North Macedonia
2026	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215
2030	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215
2034	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215

Teams' entries prior to their actual debuts in qualification

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.
Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.
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.
Withdrew from the 1958 qualification before playing.
Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.
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).
Withdrew from the 1994 qualification before playing.
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 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

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.
Germany was succeeded from the 1954 qualification by West Germany, which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1994 qualification.
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.
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.
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.
Ireland was succeeded by Northern Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
The Soviet Union was succeeded by Russia from the 1994 qualification.
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.
Dutch Guiana was succeeded by Suriname from the 1978 qualification.
Rhodesia was succeeded by Zimbabwe from the 1982 qualification.
South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1994 qualification.
Dahomey was renamed as Benin from the 1986 qualification.
Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification.
The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1982 qualification.
Upper Volta was renamed as Burkina Faso from the 1990 qualification.
North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.
Swaziland was renamed as Eswatini from the 2022 qualification.
Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2022 qualification.
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

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
Team																										Current confederation
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		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
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						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	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								—	—	—	—	w	—	—	—	—	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		AFC
Colombia			w	—	—	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n		CONMEBOL
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
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)								—	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
Ecuador	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q		CONMEBOL
Egypt	—	Q	w	—	n	w	w	w	—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		CAF
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
Faroe Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Fiji								—	—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Finland	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
France	i	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	H	C	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Gabon								w	—	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Gambia									—	—	—	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Georgia																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Germany (1994–) West Germany (1950–1990) Germany (1930–1938)	—	Q	Q	s	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	H	C	Q	Q	Q	C	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Ghana							n	w	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q		CAF
Gibraltar																					n	n		UEFA
Greece	—	w	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n		UEFA
Grenada												n	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Guam																—	n	w	w	—	n	n	n	AFC
Guatemala				—	—	n	n	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Guinea								w	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Guinea-Bissau														—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Guyana										—	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Haiti		n	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	Q	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Honduras				—	—	—	n	n	n	n	w	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n		CONCACAF
Hong Kong						—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Hungary	—	Q	Q	—	b	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Iceland				—	s	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		UEFA
India				B	s	—	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Indonesia			b	w	—	w	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n		AFC
Iran				—	—	—	—	—	—	n	Q	w	d	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q		AFC
Iraq					—	—	—	—	—	n	w	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Israel (1950–) Palestine, British Mandate (1930–1938)	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Italy	—	Q	C	C	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	C	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n		UEFA
Ivory Coast								—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n		CAF
Jamaica								n	n	w	n	—	d	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Japan	—	—	w	s	n	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC
Jordan						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Kazakhstan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Kenya							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Kosovo																					n	n		UEFA
Kuwait								—	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n		AFC
Kyrgyzstan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Laos					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	AFC
Latvia	—	—	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Lebanon			—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Lesotho								—	—	n	—	n	w	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Liberia								w	—	—	—	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Libya								w	n	—	n	w	n	w	d	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Liechtenstein											—	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Lithuania	—	n	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Luxembourg	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Macau												n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Madagascar								—	—	w	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malawi									—	—	n	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malaysia						—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Maldives														w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Mali								w	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malta							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Mauritania										—	n	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	—	n	n		CAF
Mauritius								—	—	n	—	—	n	s	—	n	n	n	n	w	n	n		CAF
Mexico	i	n	w	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	n	Q	n	H	d	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	CONCACAF
Moldova																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Mongolia																	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Montenegro																			n	n	n	n		UEFA
Montserrat																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Morocco							n	w	Q	w	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q		CAF
Mozambique												n	—	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Myanmar				w	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	w	s	n	n	n	n		AFC
Namibia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Nepal										—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	n		AFC
Netherlands	—	Q	Q	—	—	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q		UEFA
New Caledonia																		n	n	n	n	n		OFC
New Zealand				—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		OFC
Nicaragua					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Niger								—	—	—	n	n	w	—	n	w	—	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Nigeria							n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	n		CAF
North Korea							—	Q	d	n	w	n	n	n	n	—	—	n	Q	n	n	w		AFC
North Macedonia (2022–) Macedonia (1998–2018)																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Northern Ireland (1954–) Ireland (1950)				n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Norway	—	—	Q	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Oman												—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Pakistan				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Palestine																	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Panama				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		CONCACAF
Papua New Guinea									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	—	n	—	n	n	n		OFC
Paraguay	i	—	—	b	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n		CONMEBOL
Peru	i	w	—	w	w	n	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		CONMEBOL
Philippines		—	—	w	—	—	—	s	—	w	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	—	n	n	n		AFC
Poland	—	n	Q	—	w	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q		UEFA
Portugal	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Puerto Rico							—	—	—	n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Qatar										—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	H		AFC
Republic of Ireland (1954–) Ireland (1950) Irish Free State (1930–1938)	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Romania	i	Q	b	—	n	n	w	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Russia (1994–) Soviet Union (1950–1990)				—	—	Q	Q	Q	Q	d	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	H	d		UEFA
Rwanda												—	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Saar					n																			defunct
Saint Kitts and Nevis																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Saint Lucia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	w		CONCACAF
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Samoa (2002–) Western Samoa (1990–1998)														—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
San Marino															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
São Tomé and Príncipe														—	w	—	n	n	w	n	n	n		CAF
Saudi Arabia						—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q		AFC
Scotland				w	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Senegal								w	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q		CAF
Serbia (2010–) Serbia and Montenegro (2006) FR Yugoslavia (1994–2002) Yugoslavia (1930–1990)	i	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	Q	d	Q	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q		UEFA
Seychelles														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Sierra Leone							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Singapore					—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Slovakia																n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		UEFA
Slovenia																n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n		UEFA
Solomon Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Somalia								—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
South Africa							s	d	s	s	s				n	Q	Q	n	H	n	n	n		CAF
South Korea				—	Q	s	n	w	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC
South Sudan																					n	n		CAF
South Yemen									—	—	—	—	n	w										defunct
Spain	—	Q	s	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Sri Lanka					—	—	—	—	—	w	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Sudan				—	—	w	w	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Suriname (1978–) Dutch Guiana (1930–1974)	—	—	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Sweden	—	Q	Q	Q	n	H	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n		UEFA
Switzerland	—	Q	Q	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Syria			—	w	—	n		w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n		AFC
Tahiti															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Tajikistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Tanzania								—	—	n	w	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Thailand	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Timor-Leste																			n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Togo								—	—	n	n	n	w	w	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		CAF
Tonga																n	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
Trinidad and Tobago				—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Tunisia							n	w	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q		CAF
Turkey	—	w	—	w	Q	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Turkmenistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Turks and Caicos Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Tuvalu																			\					OFC
Uganda							—	—	—	—	n	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Ukraine																n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		UEFA
United Arab Emirates											w	—	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
United States	i	Q	w	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	H	CONCACAF
U.S. Virgin Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Uruguay	H	—	—	b	C	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q		CONMEBOL
Uzbekistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Vanuatu															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
Venezuela					—	w	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONMEBOL
Vietnam (1978–) South Vietnam (1954–1974)					s	—	—	—	—	n	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Wales				n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q		UEFA
Yemen (1994–) North Yemen (1982–1990)												—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Zambia								—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Zimbabwe (1982–) Rhodesia (1970–1978)									n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n		CAF
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

Non-participating incarnations

Known as the Khmer Republic in 1974, and then as Kampuchea until 1990.
Known as Congo-Kinshasa until 1970.
Entered in 1962 as the United Arab Republic representing a political union with Syria. After that continued independently but retained the name "United Arab Republic" until 1970.
Entered as the Dutch East Indies in 1938.
Known as the Malagasy Republic until 1974.
Preceded by Malaya until 1962.
Known as Burma until 1990.
Known as Ceylon until 1974.

Continental allocations

Africa and Asia had a joint zone in 1934 and 1958. Africa, Asia and Oceania had a joint zone in 1966. Asia and Oceania had a joint zone in 1970–1982.
Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–2006.
Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
Entered the North and Central American zone in 1938.
Entered the African/Asian zone in 1958.
Participated in the European zone.
Entered the European zone in 1938 and 1954.
Entered the European zone in 1962.
Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958, the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970–1978, and the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
Entered the Asian zone in 1998–2002.
Participated in the Asian zone.
Entered the European zone in 1950 and 1966.
Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958.
Entered the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970.

Overall team records

The below table compares the overall records of all teams that have participated in qualification. Teams are ordered by points using the three points for a win system, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored. Note that this order does not represent any official rankings, and qualification tournaments are not direct competitions among all teams.

The "Qualifying attempts" column counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match that was not annulled. An attempt is treated as "successful" if the team gained the right to participate in the finals, even if it did not appear there eventually.

As per statistical convention in football, goals scored during extra time are counted towards matches' scorelines and outcomes, while goals scored during penalty shoot-outs are not. Annulled matches are not counted; for matches that were annulled and then replayed, only the replays are counted. For matches where the scorelines were awarded, the awarded scorelines, and not the original ones (if any), are counted.

Ecuador was deducted 3 points in the 2026 qualifying, which is reflected in the table.

Key
Team has qualified for the main tournament through a qualifying process
Team has qualified for the main tournament only by walkover (Cuba, and Indonesia as Dutch East Indies)
Team has qualified for the main tournament by walkover but has not participated there because it withdrew (India)
Team has qualified for the main tournament only automatically as host (Qatar)
Team has not qualified for the main tournament
Defunct team that qualified for the main tournament (East Germany)
Defunct team that never qualified for the main tournament (Saar and South Yemen)
Team is not a member of FIFA and is not eligible for the main tournament (Tuvalu)

Teams in bold are currently participating or are yet to start in the 2026 qualification. The table is updated to the matches played in November 2023.

No.	Team	Qualifying attempts		Appearances in the finals	Overall qualification record							Points		Confederation
No.	Team	Total	Successful	Appearances in the finals	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Total	Avg	Confederation
1	Mexico	17	14	18	189	121	41	27	453	134	+319	404	2.138	CONCACAF
2	Australia	16	6	6	163	97	40	26	415	125	+290	331	2.031	AFC
3	South Korea	16	10	11	153	96	39	18	307	90	+217	327	2.137	AFC
4	Costa Rica	17	6	6	187	93	47	47	309	184	+125	326	1.743	CONCACAF
5	Iran	12	6	6	148	93	36	19	322	91	+231	315	2.128	AFC
6	Argentina	15	13	18	159	91	42	26	270	137	+133	315	1.981	CONMEBOL
7	Netherlands	19	11	11	135	89	26	20	329	101	+228	293	2.170	UEFA
8	United States	19	9	12	168	84	40	44	287	191	+96	292	1.738	CONCACAF
9	Uruguay	18	11	14	178	81	47	50	253	191	+62	290	1.629	CONMEBOL
10	Spain	19	15	16	125	87	26	12	291	81	+210	287	2.296	UEFA
11	Brazil	14	13	22	133	84	34	15	288	82	+206	286	2.150	CONMEBOL
12	Portugal	21	8	8	149	83	35	31	284	146	+138	284	1.906	UEFA
13	Japan	16	6	7	140	85	27	28	315	91	+224	282	2.014	AFC
14	Saudi Arabia	13	6	6	138	83	32	23	272	103	+169	281	2.036	AFC
15	England	17	14	16	122	84	27	11	314	70	+244	279	2.287	UEFA
16	Sweden	20	11	12	141	86	21	34	280	129	+151	279	1.979	UEFA
17	Serbia Serbia and Montenegro FR Yugoslavia Yugoslavia	20	12	13	136	81	33	22	287	123	+164	276	2.029	UEFA
18	Belgium	20	13	14	141	83	27	31	302	147	+155	276	1.957	UEFA
19	Czech Republic Representation of Czechs and Slovaks Czechoslovakia	20	9	9	147	79	31	37	280	126	+154	268	1.823	UEFA
20	Germany West Germany Germany	15	15	20	104	83	18	3	328	74	+254	267	2.567	UEFA
21	Russia Soviet Union	16	10	11	125	80	24	21	246	81	+165	264	2.112	UEFA
22	Italy	17	14	18	118	78	30	10	234	72	+162	264	2.237	UEFA
23	Colombia	18	6	6	176	65	57	54	206	181	+25	252	1.432	CONMEBOL
24	Honduras	15	3	3	164	69	44	51	262	199	+63	251	1.530	CONCACAF
25	Paraguay	19	6	8	178	70	39	69	214	218	−4	249	1.399	CONMEBOL
26	Romania	18	5	7	138	72	29	37	238	142	+96	245	1.775	UEFA
27	El Salvador	14	2	2	160	70	33	57	260	187	+73	243	1.519	CONCACAF
28	China	13	1	1	128	74	20	34	271	100	+171	242	1.891	AFC
29	Switzerland	20	11	12	140	68	37	35	220	150	+70	241	1.721	UEFA
30	Scotland	19	9	8	136	69	30	37	210	146	+64	237	1.743	UEFA
31	France	18	12	16	119	70	26	23	234	91	+143	236	1.983	UEFA
32	Chile	17	6	9	170	67	35	68	239	228	+11	236	1.388	CONMEBOL
33	Denmark	16	6	6	132	67	30	35	242	144	+98	231	1.750	UEFA
34	Poland	19	9	9	128	67	23	38	260	154	+106	224	1.750	UEFA
35	Canada	15	2	3	137	62	38	37	215	144	+71	224	1.635	CONCACAF
36	Tunisia	16	6	6	114	64	30	20	197	86	+111	222	1.947	CAF
37	Austria	19	8	7	134	64	29	41	232	155	+77	221	1.649	UEFA
38	Nigeria	16	6	6	114	62	34	18	187	86	+101	220	1.930	CAF
39	Republic of Ireland Ireland Irish Free State	21	3	3	149	58	46	45	210	177	+33	220	1.477	UEFA
40	Hungary	19	8	9	132	63	28	41	235	176	+59	217	1.644	UEFA
41	Morocco	16	6	6	120	59	39	22	177	83	+94	216	1.800	CAF
42	Bulgaria	20	7	7	137	62	29	46	215	191	+24	215	1.569	UEFA
43	Ecuador	17	4	4	167	57	40	70	201	224	−23	208	1.246	CONMEBOL
44	Greece	20	3	3	136	56	33	47	167	179	−12	201	1.478	UEFA
45	Iraq	13	1	1	121	56	32	33	227	120	+107	200	1.653	AFC
46	Qatar	13	0	1	122	59	23	40	210	123	+87	200	1.639	AFC
47	Trinidad and Tobago	15	1	1	141	57	29	55	207	184	+23	200	1.418	CONCACAF
48	Egypt	16	3	3	103	59	21	23	184	94	+90	198	1.922	CAF
49	Cameroon	15	8	8	97	58	23	16	162	72	+90	197	2.031	CAF
50	Peru	18	4	5	174	50	43	81	184	241	−57	193	1.109	CONMEBOL
51	New Zealand	14	2	2	102	58	18	26	239	101	+138	192	1.882	OFC
52	Guatemala	16	0	0	126	52	32	42	208	150	+58	188	1.492	CONCACAF
53	Turkey	18	3	2	139	53	27	59	204	206	−2	186	1.338	UEFA
54	Uzbekistan	8	0	0	104	55	20	29	200	107	+93	185	1.779	AFC
55	United Arab Emirates	11	1	1	118	53	23	42	200	127	+73	182	1.542	AFC
56	Norway	19	3	3	136	49	33	54	185	186	−1	180	1.324	UEFA
57	Kuwait	14	1	1	103	53	16	34	183	100	+83	175	1.699	AFC
58	Northern Ireland Ireland	19	3	3	142	45	39	58	155	168	−13	174	1.225	UEFA
59	Israel Palestine, British Mandate	21	1	1	132	45	35	52	189	199	−10	170	1.288	UEFA
60	Ivory Coast	13	3	3	86	47	26	13	165	70	+95	167	1.942	CAF
61	Algeria	15	4	4	99	47	25	27	158	98	+60	166	1.677	CAF
62	Zambia	15	0	0	104	48	21	35	158	101	+57	165	1.587	CAF
63	Bolivia	18	1	3	174	44	32	98	204	340	−136	164	0.943	CONMEBOL
64	Ghana	15	4	4	93	45	25	23	141	71	+70	160	1.720	CAF
65	Syria	16	0	0	104	45	23	36	206	125	+81	158	1.519	AFC
66	Wales	19	2	2	130	43	29	58	168	180	−12	158	1.215	UEFA
67	Croatia	7	6	6	72	43	20	9	129	51	+78	149	2.069	UEFA
68	Jamaica	12	1	1	118	39	32	47	127	154	−27	149	1.263	CONCACAF
69	Haiti	15	1	1	95	42	17	36	165	124	+41	143	1.505	CONCACAF
70	Ukraine	7	1	1	80	38	28	14	122	62	+60	142	1.775	UEFA
71	Oman	10	0	0	90	40	21	29	145	87	+58	141	1.567	AFC
72	DR Congo Zaire	12	1	1	86	40	20	26	141	93	+48	140	1.628	CAF
73	Panama	12	1	1	114	38	26	50	142	178	−36	140	1.228	CONCACAF
74	North Korea	11	2	2	85	40	19	26	122	79	+43	139	1.635	AFC
75	Bahrain	12	0	0	98	36	28	34	122	100	+22	136	1.388	AFC
76	Finland	20	0	0	137	35	25	77	144	297	−153	130	0.949	UEFA
77	Slovakia	7	1	1	74	35	19	20	127	74	+53	124	1.676	UEFA
78	Senegal	14	3	3	73	33	24	16	110	61	+49	123	1.685	CAF
79	Guinea	14	0	0	83	36	14	33	121	110	+11	122	1.470	CAF
80	Venezuela	15	0	0	164	30	29	105	140	351	−211	119	0.726	CONMEBOL
81	Jordan	11	0	0	80	32	17	31	119	98	+21	113	1.413	AFC
82	Iceland	14	1	1	116	30	22	64	128	233	−105	112	0.966	UEFA
83	South Africa	9	2	3	58	33	9	16	74	50	+24	108	1.862	CAF
84	Angola	11	1	1	71	27	26	18	88	66	+22	107	1.507	CAF
85	Burkina Faso Upper Volta	10	0	0	68	30	14	24	103	83	+20	104	1.529	CAF
86	Slovenia	7	2	2	72	29	17	26	94	80	+14	104	1.444	UEFA
87	Thailand	14	0	0	99	27	21	51	129	168	−39	102	1.030	AFC
88	Bosnia and Herzegovina	7	1	1	66	29	14	23	121	81	+40	101	1.530	UEFA
89	Kenya	14	0	0	76	25	19	32	87	102	−15	94	1.237	CAF
90	Hong Kong	14	0	0	85	25	17	43	101	149	−48	92	1.082	AFC
91	Togo	12	1	1	73	24	19	30	77	94	−17	91	1.247	CAF
92	Lebanon	9	0	0	74	23	20	31	104	99	+5	89	1.203	AFC
93	Malaysia	14	0	0	71	25	13	33	100	127	−27	88	1.239	AFC
94	Libya	12	0	0	64	24	15	25	69	70	−1	87	1.359	CAF
95	Gabon	10	0	0	65	25	12	28	68	75	−7	87	1.338	CAF
96	Cuba	13	0	1	72	22	20	30	92	105	−13	86	1.194	CONCACAF
97	Zimbabwe Rhodesia	12	0	0	71	22	20	29	68	85	−17	86	1.211	CAF
98	Albania	13	0	0	114	24	14	76	84	200	−116	86	0.754	UEFA
99	Latvia	9	0	0	85	21	18	46	93	144	−51	81	0.953	UEFA
100	Indonesia Dutch East Indies	14	0	1	83	21	18	44	106	176	−70	81	0.976	AFC
101	Suriname Dutch Guiana	15	0	0	69	22	14	33	106	115	−9	80	1.159	CONCACAF
102	Singapore	13	0	0	80	23	11	46	85	152	−67	80	1.000	AFC
103	Congo	11	0	0	69	21	16	32	77	97	−20	79	1.145	CAF
104	Solomon Islands	8	0	0	57	23	9	25	118	121	−3	78	1.368	OFC
105	North Macedonia Macedonia	7	0	0	72	20	15	37	95	115	−20	75	1.042	UEFA
106	East Germany	9	1	1	47	22	8	17	87	65	+22	74	1.574	defunct
107	Mali	7	0	0	50	20	14	16	65	55	+10	74	1.480	CAF
108	Fiji	10	0	0	56	21	10	25	114	105	+9	73	1.304	OFC
109	Sudan	14	0	0	74	17	22	35	66	115	−49	73	0.986	CAF
110	Lithuania	10	0	0	81	18	16	47	63	130	−67	70	0.864	UEFA
111	Malawi	12	0	0	68	17	17	34	60	96	−36	68	1.000	CAF
112	Curaçao Netherlands Antilles Territory of Curaçao	17	0	0	66	16	20	30	69	119	−50	68	1.030	CONCACAF
113	Turkmenistan	8	0	0	48	20	6	22	75	75	0	66	1.375	AFC
114	Uganda	11	0	0	50	18	12	20	46	61	−15	66	1.320	CAF
115	Liberia	11	0	0	68	18	12	38	47	96	−49	66	0.971	CAF
116	Tajikistan	8	0	0	46	18	9	19	84	69	+15	63	1.370	AFC
117	Estonia	10	0	0	84	17	12	55	74	187	−113	63	0.750	UEFA
118	Cyprus	16	0	0	124	16	15	93	91	320	−229	63	0.508	UEFA
119	New Caledonia	5	0	0	38	18	8	12	89	46	+43	62	1.632	OFC
120	Vietnam South Vietnam	10	0	0	61	18	6	37	66	106	−40	60	0.984	AFC
121	Tahiti	8	0	0	45	17	8	20	67	85	−18	59	1.311	OFC
122	Yemen North Yemen	11	0	0	62	15	14	33	64	101	−37	59	0.952	AFC
123	Bermuda	8	0	0	40	16	10	14	83	58	+25	58	1.450	CONCACAF
124	Cape Verde	7	0	0	42	17	6	19	44	52	−8	57	1.357	CAF
125	Benin Dahomey	10	0	0	52	16	9	27	52	95	−43	57	1.096	CAF
126	Armenia	7	0	0	72	13	17	42	61	142	−81	56	0.778	UEFA
127	Belarus	7	0	0	66	14	12	40	68	121	−53	54	0.818	UEFA
128	Kyrgyzstan	8	0	0	41	16	5	20	61	65	−4	53	1.293	AFC
129	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	8	0	0	62	15	8	39	80	186	−106	53	0.855	CONCACAF
130	Montenegro	4	0	0	40	13	13	14	61	58	+3	52	1.300	UEFA
131	Madagascar	11	0	0	44	14	9	21	52	61	−9	51	1.159	CAF
132	Antigua and Barbuda	11	0	0	46	15	6	25	72	98	−26	51	1.109	CONCACAF
133	India	10	0	0	53	12	15	26	50	97	−47	51	0.962	AFC
134	Saint Kitts and Nevis	7	0	0	36	14	8	14	72	62	+10	50	1.389	CONCACAF
135	Georgia	7	0	0	64	11	17	36	57	101	−44	50	0.781	UEFA
136	Namibia	9	0	0	52	13	11	28	48	94	−46	50	0.962	CAF
137	Kazakhstan	7	0	0	68	12	14	42	76	148	−72	50	0.735	UEFA
138	Ethiopia	13	0	0	51	11	15	25	52	76	−24	48	0.941	CAF
139	Sierra Leone	12	0	0	49	12	10	27	41	74	−33	46	0.939	CAF
140	Mozambique	10	0	0	44	12	9	23	38	62	−24	45	1.023	CAF
141	Palestine	7	0	0	36	12	8	16	58	47	+11	44	1.222	AFC
142	Tanzania	11	0	0	43	10	14	19	44	62	−18	44	1.023	CAF
143	Bangladesh	11	0	0	62	11	10	41	41	151	−110	43	0.694	AFC
144	Dominican Republic	9	0	0	33	12	6	15	50	54	−4	42	1.273	CONCACAF
145	Niger	9	0	0	38	12	6	20	42	67	−25	42	1.105	CAF
146	Vanuatu	7	0	0	37	12	3	22	76	89	−13	39	1.054	OFC
147	Botswana	8	0	0	38	11	6	21	36	56	−20	39	1.026	CAF
148	Barbados	9	0	0	41	11	6	24	38	76	−38	39	0.951	CONCACAF
149	Rwanda	8	0	0	46	9	11	26	43	63	−20	38	0.826	CAF
150	Azerbaijan	7	0	0	66	7	15	44	34	122	−88	36	0.545	UEFA
151	Equatorial Guinea	7	0	0	30	10	5	15	27	42	−15	35	1.167	CAF
152	Luxembourg	21	0	0	142	8	10	124	77	451	−374	34	0.239	UEFA
153	Papua New Guinea	5	0	0	26	9	6	11	48	41	+7	33	1.269	OFC
154	Faroe Islands	8	0	0	80	8	8	64	41	207	−166	32	0.400	UEFA
155	Maldives	8	0	0	42	9	4	29	45	143	−98	31	0.738	AFC
156	Belize	7	0	0	29	8	6	15	37	59	−22	30	1.034	CONCACAF
157	Guyana	11	0	0	38	8	6	24	40	89	−49	30	0.789	CONCACAF
158	Burundi	8	0	0	24	8	5	11	23	32	−9	29	1.208	CAF
159	Nicaragua	8	0	0	25	9	1	15	35	45	−10	28	1.120	CONCACAF
160	Puerto Rico	10	0	0	29	7	7	15	32	57	−25	28	0.966	CONCACAF
161	Samoa Western Samoa	6	0	0	26	9	1	16	37	88	−51	28	1.077	OFC
162	Moldova	7	0	0	68	5	13	50	40	145	−105	28	0.412	UEFA
163	Chinese Taipei Republic of China	13	0	0	70	8	4	58	46	238	−192	28	0.400	AFC
164	Grenada	8	0	0	29	8	3	18	51	59	−8	27	0.931	CONCACAF
165	Philippines	6	0	0	31	7	6	18	29	71	−42	27	0.871	AFC
166	Nepal	9	0	0	42	7	5	30	29	129	−100	26	0.619	AFC
167	Gambia	10	0	0	28	6	6	16	23	44	−21	24	0.857	CAF
168	Guinea-Bissau	8	0	0	22	5	8	9	18	32	−14	23	1.045	CAF
169	Saint Lucia	7	0	0	24	7	1	16	32	62	−30	22	0.917	CONCACAF
170	Afghanistan	6	0	0	26	6	4	16	18	72	−54	22	0.846	AFC
171	Tonga	6	0	0	22	7	1	14	23	82	−59	22	1.000	OFC
172	Myanmar	5	0	0	26	6	3	17	23	85	−62	21	0.808	AFC
173	Malta	13	0	0	112	3	12	97	42	330	−288	21	0.188	UEFA
174	Chad	7	0	0	20	6	2	12	17	32	−15	20	1.000	CAF
175	Mongolia	7	0	0	26	6	1	19	17	77	−60	19	0.731	AFC
176	Sri Lanka	9	0	0	41	4	7	30	27	103	−76	19	0.463	AFC
177	Lesotho	9	0	0	28	2	12	14	16	53	−37	18	0.643	CAF
178	Eswatini Swaziland	9	0	0	23	4	5	14	16	44	−28	17	0.739	CAF
179	Dominica	7	0	0	24	4	5	15	20	58	−38	17	0.708	CONCACAF
180	Cambodia	7	0	0	38	4	5	29	22	136	−114	17	0.447	AFC
181	Aruba	7	0	0	20	5	1	14	26	61	−35	16	0.800	CONCACAF
182	Bahamas	6	0	0	18	4	4	10	20	58	−38	16	0.889	CONCACAF
183	Macau	11	0	0	39	4	3	32	17	173	−156	15	0.385	AFC
184	Andorra	6	0	0	62	4	3	55	22	186	−164	15	0.242	UEFA
185	Laos	6	0	0	30	3	5	22	24	127	−103	14	0.467	AFC
186	Liechtenstein	7	0	0	70	2	7	61	25	219	−194	13	0.186	UEFA
187	Mauritania	8	0	0	24	2	6	16	15	44	−29	12	0.500	CAF
188	Bhutan	3	0	0	14	4	0	10	11	62	−51	12	0.857	AFC
189	Comoros	5	0	0	12	2	4	6	10	23	−13	10	0.833	CAF
190	Cook Islands	6	0	0	20	3	1	16	16	63	−47	10	0.500	OFC
191	Guam	4	0	0	22	3	1	18	11	87	−76	10	0.455	AFC
192	American Samoa	5	0	0	18	3	1	14	11	136	−125	10	0.556	OFC
193	Central African Republic	5	0	0	18	2	3	13	15	35	−20	9	0.500	CAF
194	Montserrat	6	0	0	13	2	3	8	17	49	−32	9	0.692	CONCACAF
195	U.S. Virgin Islands	6	0	0	19	3	0	16	8	95	−87	9	0.474	CONCACAF
196	Djibouti	6	0	0	23	2	2	19	12	93	−81	8	0.348	CAF
197	Pakistan	10	0	0	36	1	5	30	15	132	−117	8	0.222	AFC
198	São Tomé and Príncipe	6	0	0	12	2	1	9	5	31	−26	7	0.583	CAF
199	Mauritius	9	0	0	22	1	4	17	14	55	−41	7	0.318	CAF
200	Somalia	8	0	0	15	1	3	11	4	33	−29	6	0.400	CAF
201	Kosovo	2	0	0	18	1	3	14	8	39	−31	6	0.333	UEFA
202	Cayman Islands	7	0	0	20	0	6	14	8	53	−45	6	0.300	CONCACAF
203	Brunei	5	0	0	18	2	0	16	5	74	−69	6	0.333	AFC
204	Saar	1	0	0	4	1	1	2	4	8	−4	4	1.000	defunct
205	South Sudan	3	0	0	6	0	3	3	2	11	−9	3	0.500	CAF
206	Eritrea	5	0	0	10	0	3	7	4	20	−16	3	0.300	CAF
207	British Virgin Islands	6	0	0	14	0	3	11	7	53	−46	3	0.214	CONCACAF
208	Turks and Caicos Islands	6	0	0	13	1	0	12	6	68	−62	3	0.231	CONCACAF
209	Seychelles	7	0	0	18	0	2	16	6	60	−54	2	0.111	CAF
210	San Marino	8	0	0	76	0	2	74	12	356	−344	2	0.026	UEFA
211	South Yemen	1	0	0	2	0	1	1	4	7	−3	1	0.500	defunct
212	Tuvalu	1	0	0	4	0	1	3	2	22	−20	1	0.250	OFC
213	Anguilla	6	0	0	14	0	1	13	2	64	−62	1	0.071	CONCACAF
214	Timor-Leste	5	0	0	18	0	0	18	6	87	−81	0	0.000	AFC
215	Gibraltar	2	0	0	20	0	0	20	7	90	−83	0	0.000	UEFA

Qualification tournament rules

Qualification tournaments generally consist of a number of stages, made up of groups or knock-out ties.

Groups

In all group tournaments, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. FIFA has set the order of the tie-breakers for teams that finish level on points:

goal difference in all group matches
greater number of goals scored in all group matches

Where teams are still not able to be separated, the following tie-breakers are used:

greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams
goal difference in matches between the tied teams
greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams
goals scored away from home in matches between the tied teams, if the tie is only between two teams

Where teams are still equal, then a play-off on neutral ground, with extra time and penalties if necessary will be played if FIFA deems such a play-off able to be fitted within the coordinated international match calendar. If this is not deemed feasible, then the result will be determined by fair play points and then the drawing of lots.

Note that this order of tie-breaker application has not always been applied. While it was used in the 2010 qualifiers, the qualification for the 2006 World Cup used the head-to-head comparison prior to goal difference (although this system was – where applicable – used in the 2006 finals themselves). If these rules had applied in 2006, then Nigeria would have qualified rather than Angola.

Home-and-away ties

Most knock-out qualifiers (such as the inter-confederation play-offs and many preliminary ties) are played over two legs. The team that scores a greater aggregate number of goals qualifies. Away goals rule applies. If these rules fail to determine the winner, extra time and penalty shootouts are used.

Occasionally – usually when one entrant lacks adequate facilities to host international matches – ties are played over a single leg, in which case matches level after 90 minutes will go to extra time and then to a penalty shootout if required.

Alternatively, "home" matches can be played in neutral countries, or occasionally one team will host both matches. In the latter case the visiting team will still be considered as the "home" team for one of the legs – which may determine which side advances under the away goals rule, as occurred in CONCACAF qualification in 2010.