The Last Chance: How six Nations will battle for the final two World Cup 2026 tickets

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Foot Africa

·15 October 2025

The Last Chance: How six Nations will battle for the final two World Cup 2026 tickets

A Complete Guide to Every Qualified Team and the Playoff Paths

The Last Chance Saloon: How six Nations will battle for the final two World Cup 2026 tickets

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Now, the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup's clearer. More than half of the places at next summer’s historic tournament have now been secured with 28 national team officially qualified leaving 20 spot still up for grabs.

The upcoming edition of football’s greatest showpiece will be unlike any before. It will feature 48 nation for the first time ever and will also be co hosted by 3 country (the United States, Canada, Mexico) another first in the competition’s long history since 1930.

Direct Qualification So Far

Direct qualification's now complete in 4 continent:

Asia (8 team) — All spots secured (Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan)
Africa (9 team) — Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal
South America (6 team) — Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador
Oceania (1 team) — New Zealand

Europe (UEFA)'s 16 direct spot but so far only England has confirmed its qualification.

In North & Central America (CONCACAF), 6 direct place are available — 3 reserved for host (USA, Mexico, Canada) and 3 more via qualifier which are still ongoing.

This leaves 18 direct spots still to be decided across Europe and CONCACAF, alongside 2 more that will be decided via the intercontinental playoff.

Intercontinental Playoff Path — March 2026 in Mexico

The global playoff tournament will feature 6 team, with 2 place at the World Cup on the line. It'll take place in Mar 2026 in Mexico.

Bolivia (South America)
New Caledonia (Oceania)
1 team from Asia — either UAE or Iraq
1 team from Africa — to be decided through CAF’s 4 team playoff (Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DR Congo)
2 teams from North/Central America (CONCACAF) — to be determined

The African playoff scheduled for 13 & 16 November 2025 in Morocco will consist of 2 semi finals and final, with the winner advancing to the global playoff.

So, Europe & CONCACAF still have much to decide while the global playoff offers final lifeline to 6 hopeful nation chasing the last 2 ticket to the world’s biggest football tournament.