World Cup Qualifying Update | OneFootball

We’re halfway through the International Break, which sees each confederation playing some form of World Cup qualifying matches. Below is a summary of the action so far, by confederation.

Asia Football Confederation (AFC)

Their qualifying campaign takes place over five rounds; they are currently in round three. There are 18 teams playing in three groups, and the first two in each group secure their World Cup berth. Rounds four and five determine which country advances to the inter-confederation playoff.

Japan became the first non-host nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with their 2 – 0 win over Bahrain on March 20th. The other front-runners are Iran (19 pts.), Uzbekistan (16 pts.), South Korea (15 pts.), Jordan & Iraq (12 pts. each), and Australia (10 pts.).

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)

Their qualifier will be decided on Monday night when host nation New Zealand play New Caledonia in Auckland.

Friday night in Wellington’s Sky Stadium, the All Whites thoroughly dismantled Fiji 7 – 0 in the semi-final match. This should come as no surprise, as Fiji’s squad is mostly amateur players, while the Kiwis boast one of the most dangerous strikers from the Premier League, Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood. The towering forward bagged a hat-trick, all from his head, before being substituted in the 62nd minute. Then this happened:

(Source: X)

The other semi-final was contested between regional rivals (and French overseas territories) New Caledonia and Tahiti. New Caledonia won 3 – 0, with Georges Gope-Fenepej, a 36-year old forward who plays in the French National 2 league for St. Pryvé, leading the scoring with a second half brace. His 18 total goals puts him fourth on the country’s all-time list. Despite being one of the strongest Oceanic teams, New Caledonia has never come even close to sniffing the World Cup. All that changes now. If they win (a tall order) they’re guaranteed a berth; losing still gives them a place in the six-team inter-confederation playoffs to determine the final two places.

African Football Confederation (CAF)

Qualification is relatively straightforward. The 54 teams were placed into 9 groups of 6. Win the group and you’re in the World Cup. The four best runners-up will compete to be the CAF representative at the inter-confederation playoffs.

With only five games of ten played, it’s too early to call potential winners, but the strongest sides so far are: Egypt, Sudan, South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Tunisia, and Ghana. We’ll provide a more comprehensive update later next week (including the odd situation surrounding Eritrea and Congo).

South American Confederation (CONMEBOL)

They have the longest qualification cycle but the smallest conference, playing 18 games over a two-year span between the 10 teams. The first game was played September of 2023; the last one will be played September 2025. Since six teams qualify, and the seventh place team will be entered into the inter-confederation playoffs, CONMEBOL is the easiest group to qualify out of.

The current leader after 13 games is Argentina (28 pts.). Ecuador is next (22 pts., taking into account a 3 point deduction for falsifying birth records of one of their players), and then Brazil (21 pts.). If you’re surprised to see Brazil not at the top, you’re not alone. They started really slow.

North American Confederation (CONCACAF)

Because Canada, Mexico and the United States are co-hosts, all three teams qualify automatically. So, no, that debacle performance against Panama has had zero impact (other than embarrassment). This has forced a change to the qualification procedure, which was announced in February, 2023.

Basically, 30 teams are divided into six groups of five. They play eight games, and the top two from each pool move onto the next round. We’re only two games in at this time, way too soon to make any predictions.

European Confederation (UEFA)

Europe’s qualification started with matches last Wednesday, and is complicated by the fact that winners of the UEFA Nations Cup are guaranteed berths in the World Cup. I can’t even begin to describe the potentialities and permutations involved.