International qualifiers are the tournaments teams participate in to gain the right to compete at a FIFA World Cup. These competitions are held in the years leading up to a World Cup, and are broken down into separate rounds, each with their own rules and structure. The format of qualifiers varies from confederation to confederation. The top teams from each group earn a place in the final tournament, while the second-placed teams enter an inter-confederation playoff to secure the last two spots.

The 2026 World Cup will have a record 48 teams competing, and the qualification process for many of these nations is already well underway. Qualification in Europe began this month, and most UEFA sides who are not involved in a UEFA Nations League campaign will play double-headers until November 2025. Unlike previous qualifying tournaments, the final round of the World Cup will see all groups of four or five teams play traditional home-and-away matches, with “all play all” principles retained. The three group winners will qualify automatically, while the best two second-place finishers will progress to a two-legged play-off in March 2026.

The race to the World Cup is also hotting up in Africa, where a number of sides are in contention for one of nine direct places and a spot in the intercontinental playoffs. DR Congo, Morocco and Algeria lead their respective groups, while Mohamed Salah’s Egypt and Ghana are in strong positions to qualify.