What teams are in the 2026 World Cup? U.S., Canada and Mexico host

[ASFN Admin]

There are several firsts at the 2026 World Cup.

For the first time, there are three countries co-hosting the tournament. The matches will be played across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Some other firsts are that there will be a record 104 matches played in the global competition. This is because the field has been expanded to 48 teams, a new high.

Besides the host countries who automatically qualified, there are the usual titans in this year's World Cup, including Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany and Spain. But fans will be excited to see Manchester City star and the tap-in king Erling Haaland finally compete in his first World Cup because Norway qualified for the first time since 1998.

There has been controversy around Iran's participation in the tournament due to ongoing conflict with the United States, but the Middle Eastern country moved its headquarters from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, and is ready to play with the other 47 teams.


Here's what to know about the teams in the 2026 World Cup:

How many teams are participating in the 2026 World Cup?​

There are a record 48 teams in the 2026 World Cup. This is because FIFA expanded the field from the previous number of 32 countries.

Which teams are making their World Cup debut at the 2026 tournament?​

There are four teams that will be participating in their first World Cup for the 2026 tournament. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will all be playing in their maiden competition.

What are the teams in the 2026 World Cup?​

There are 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup. They are divided into 12 groups. The host countries of the United States, Canada and Mexico automatically qualified for the tournament. The other 45 teams had to qualify to earn their spot in the global competition.

The 48 teams of the 2026 World Cup separated into their groups are:

Group A​

• Mexico
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Czechia

Group B​

• Canada
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Qatar
• Switzerland

Group C​

• Brazil
• Morocco
• Haiti
• Scotland

Group D​

• United States
• Paraguay
• Australia
• Turkey

Group E​

• Germany
• Curaçao
• Ivory Coast
• Ecuador

Group F​

• Netherlands
• Japan
• Sweden
• Tunisia

Group G​

• Belgium
• Egypt
• Iran
• New Zealand

Group H​

• Spain
• Cape Verde
• Saudi Arabia
• Uruguay

Group I​

• France
• Senegal
• Iraq
• Norway

Group J​

• Argentina
• Algeria
• Austria
• Jordan

Group K​

• Portugal
• DR Congo
• Uzbekistan
• Colombia

Group L​

• England
• Croatia
• Ghana
• Panama

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 48 teams playing in the 2026 World Cup; Mexico, Canada, U.S. host

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