The upcoming World Cup in North America will be historic as it will be the first 48-team tournament with three countries hosting. Qualification for the Finals has been ongoing for a while now in the different confederations. UEFA teams like England and Belgium are beginning their journey to qualify as domestic football takes a backseat for a while.
Let’s take a closer look at how each confederation’s qualification process works and how many teams they will send to the revamped tournament.
AFC
The Asian confederation will have eight teams qualify directly for the finals. The qualifying process is currently in the third-round stage with 18 teams competing in three groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will move to a fourth round. The fourth round will start in October, with the winners of each group securing their spot in the tournament. The two second-placed teams will face off in a playoff for a chance to qualify.
CAF
In Africa, nine groups of six teams are competing in a round-robin format in the opening round. The nine group winners will qualify for the World Cup. The four best-ranked group runners-up will compete in a playoff for a chance to qualify for the inter-confederation playoffs.
CONCACAF
Three CONCACAF teams – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – have already secured their spots as hosts. There are 30 teams vying for the remaining three spots. The qualification process is in the second-round stage, with six groups of five teams competing. The top two teams from each group will advance to the third round, where they will be split into three groups of four teams. The three group winners will qualify for the World Cup, while the top two runners-up will head to the inter-confederation playoffs.
CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL’s qualification process is straightforward, with 10 teams playing 18 double round-robin games. The top six teams will qualify for the World Cup, while the seventh-placed team will enter the inter-confederation playoffs.
OFC
The Oceania confederation will have one spot at the Finals, and the qualifier will be determined through a three-match playoff between the remaining four teams. New Zealand is the favorite to qualify, with their last defeat in OFC World Cup qualifying dating back to 2008.
UEFA
UEFA has the largest allocation of teams for the Finals, with 16 European teams qualifying. Fifty-four teams were drawn into 12 groups, with the group winners securing qualification. The remaining group runners-up and the best UEFA Nations League teams will compete in a second-round playoff format to determine the final four qualifiers.
Inter-confederation playoffs
The six teams that progress to the inter-confederation playoffs will compete in a single-elimination tournament. The four lowest-ranked teams will face off in the semifinals, with the winners taking on seeded teams for a spot in the World Cup.
The road to the World Cup is well underway, with teams from all over the world vying for a chance to make history at the 48-team tournament.