FIFA World Cup 2026 line-up confirmed as Iraq secure final spot

The line-up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been officially completed, with the final six teams sealing qualification for what will be the most inclusive edition in the tournament’s history, featuring 48 nations across North America.

The Iraq national football team claimed the final qualification spot after defeating the Bolivia national football team in the intercontinental playoff held at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico.

The victory sees Iraq join Group I alongside the French national football team, the Senegalese national football team, and the Norwegian national football team, bringing a close to a global qualifying campaign that spanned 899 matches over 937 days.

European playoffs delivered high drama, with the Czech Republic national football team, the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, the Turkey national football team, and the Sweden national football team securing the continent’s remaining places.

The four nations advanced into Groups A, B, D, and F, respectively, after intense playoff encounters across cities including Zenica, Solna, Pristina, and Prague.

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Attention then shifted to Mexico, one of the tournament’s co-hosts, where the final intercontinental slots were decided.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo national football team booked their place in Group K with a narrow 1-0 victory over the Jamaica national football team in Guadalajara.

They are set to face the Portugal national football team on June 17 in Houston, Texas.

Fittingly, the final qualification match featured two of the most active teams in the campaign. Iraq played 21 matches during the qualifiers—the highest of any team—while Bolivia, along with the United Arab Emirates national football team and the Indonesian national football team, each featured in 20 games.

Iraq’s Aymen Hussein scored the final goal of the qualifying campaign, bringing the total tally to 2,527 goals at an average of 2.8 per match since the journey began in September 2023.

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The playoff tournament also served as a successful test event for host venues in Guadalajara and Monterrey, which will stage eight matches during the World Cup. A combined crowd of 163,799 spectators attended the four playoff matches.

With qualification now complete, all 48 teams can turn their attention to the tournament itself, which will feature 104 matches across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States from June 11 to July 19.

More than six million fans are expected to attend matches, while global viewership is projected to reach six billion, reinforcing the competition’s status as the world’s biggest sporting event.

The finalisation of the lineup has also led to minor adjustments in the match schedule.

The Group D fixture between Türkiye and Paraguay on June 19 in the San Francisco Bay Area will now kick off one hour earlier at 11:00 PM ET, prompting a 30-minute adjustment to the preceding match between Brazil and Haiti in Philadelphia, now set for an 8:30 PM ET start.