At the time of writing, 42 of the 48 nations that will compete at the World Cup in 2026 are known. The United States, Mexico and Canada have qualified automatically as hosts, while powerhouses like Brazil – who will make their 23 consecutive appearance at the World Cup, which is the best active record, Germany, France and Argentina will join them.
England and Scotland have both qualified, while Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales could also yet book their place if they successfully come through the play-off pathway – the Northern Irish and the Welsh could meet in their bracket final.
The vast majority of countries that will compete in the USA, Canada and Mexico have played in a World Cup before – even relative minnows, with all due respect, like Haiti and Panama. But for four nations, this will be their maiden voyage as a World Cup participant. And their stories couldn’t be any more different…
Cape Verde
In a previous article, we wrote an ode to Cape Verde, who were – at the time – set to be the smallest country to ever take their place at the World Cup. The tiny island, whose population is roughly the same size as Sheffield’s, is best known for its tourism. But Cape Verde has been growing as a sporting centre, collecting their first Olympic medal in 2024 courtesy of the boxer, David de Pina.
Their football infrastructure has been improved too, with qualification to the World Cup the ultimate reward for that investment. And it was no fluke either, as the Cape qualified from their group ahead of multiple-time World Cup participant and former champions of Africa, Cameroon.
Long gone are the days that their coaching staff were sending DMs out on LinkedIn in a bid to attract players with some Cape heritage. Their squad is permed from players that ply their club trade all over Europe, although it was Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira who summed up the joy – and perhaps incredulousness – of Cape Verde qualifying for the tournament. He said,
Honestly, it’s difficult to take in. I’m feeling so many things right now, it’s hard to explain. It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe we’re going to the World Cup. It’s crazy.
There’s still no professional football league in Cape Verde, while the main stadium of the national team holds a capacity of just 15,000 and has three open terraces with no roof. But… who cares? Cape Verde is now a World Cup nation… that will surely be a lightning bolt moment for football in the country.
Curaçao
It’s quite possible that you have a friend of a friend of a friend that has been on holiday to Cape Verde. But Curaçao? In some respects, their achievement is even more remarkable in that few people could even locate the island on a map. Curaçao covers a geographical space roughly the same as Cambridge, and boasts sumptuous beaches and natural landscapes. But it’s perhaps best known as a nominal headquarters for gambling licences, which it hands to operators looking for ‘soft’ licensing conditions and cheaper costs than the UK equivalent.
Not any more. Curaçao is a World Cup qualifier, winning a group that contained the likes of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, who have each participated in international football’s flagship occasion before. Their manager is Dick Advocaat, who at the age of 78 will become the oldest head coach in World Cup history. He’s perhaps better known for his spells at Rangers and PSV, where he won domestic league titles, as well as the Dutch national team, who he guided to the semi-finals of EURO 2004.
Players to look out for include the Bacuna brothers, Leandro and Juninho, who have played more than 200 games in English football apiece, as well as the talented former Manchester United trainee Tahith Chong.
Jordan
The expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 has benefitted the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) more than most. They now get eight automatic qualification places, as well as the further prospect of more qualifiers via the play-off pathway. The expansion has opened the door to first-time qualifiers, with Jordan finishing in second place in AFC Group B to book their place at a debut World Cup.
It’s a curious state of affairs. Between January and November 2025, Jordan won just three games – against Palestine, Oman and the Dominican Republic – but have enough points on the board to progress ahead of Iraq. Most of their squad is based in the Middle East and Asia for their club football, although West Brom fans may just be familiar with Tamer Bani Odeh, although the 22-year-old is yet to break into the first team at the Hawthorns.
The Autumn friendlies saw Jordan lose to Bolivia, Albania and Tunisia, conceding eight goals in the process, which suggests that they might have their work cut out at the World Cup in 2026. But just qualifying in the first place was a key step in improving the desert country’s footballing infrastructure.
Uzbekistan
The unique geography of Uzbekistan – it’s one of only two ‘double landlocked’ countries on the planet, which means that it is surrounded only by landlocked nations itself – hasn’t prevented the country from growing into a relative football powerhouse in Central Asia.
It has a large population of more than 37 million, a growing economy and a developing appetite for football, with Uzbekistan chosen as the host of the 2027 FIFA Under-20s World Cup. Their head coach, Fabio Cannavaro, won the World Cup as a player with Italy in 2006, while in 2025 they beat Egypt – with Mo Salah in their line-up – and Iran to the Al Ain International Cup.
As well as players based in the Middle East and Turkey, Uzbekistan have their own national hero in Abdukodir Khusanov, who joined Manchester City from Lens for a fee of around £30 million in 2025. Qualification was a relative breeze as they claimed 21 points from ten qualifiers to finish second in their group behind Iran, so the World Cup will get its first look at Uzbekistan in 2026.
