Football fans around the world are waiting with bated breath to see which teams will join hosts United States, Mexico and Canada at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Some confederations are further along than others, so we are still a long way from discovering who will play a part in the eagerly awaited showpiece.
The Asian Confederation got the ball rolling on the World Cup qualifiers in October 2023, when continental minnows played their first round of games.
We are still waiting for European teams to join the party, although the draw for the UEFA nations has been revealed and kick-off is scheduled for March 2025.
While we wait for the European nations to get their qualifying campaign underway, here’s a round-up of the latest state of play across each region.
Europe
UEFA have been allocated 16 slots for the World Cup. Twelve teams will secure a spot in the tournament automatically, while the remaining four teams will earn their place through the play-offs.
Fifty-four teams have been drawn in 12 groups of four and five. Games will be played home and away, with each group winner advancing to the World Cup automatically.
The European qualifiers will get underway in March, but those drawn in groups of four will have to wait until September to get the ball rolling. The group stage is scheduled to end in November 2025.
The UEFA play-offs will pit 16 teams against each other, featuring 12 runners-up and the four best-ranked group winners from the Nations League, who failed to secure a top-two spot in the qualifiers.
Oceania
The Oceania confederation are close to wrapping up their qualifying campaign, with four teams set to go head-to-head in the semi-finals.
New Zealand play Fiji with a place in the final up for grabs, while New Caledonia and Tahiti go head-to-head in the other fixture.
Oceania were handed just two slots in the World Cup. The winners of the qualifying process secure automatic qualification, while the runners-up will have to go through the play-off.
Unsurprisingly, New Zealand are bookmakers’ favourites to win the qualifiers, and they’ll be keen to make their first appearance at the World Cup since 2010.
Given their recent form, they are a popular choice for Kiwi punters on Picklebet, with many of them also betting on them to make significant progress at the final tournament.
South America
The South American CONMEBOL confederation is just two match weeks away from completing their qualifiers, with World Cup holders Argentina leading the way.
As in recent qualifying competitions, all ten nations square off in a traditional home-and-away format.
The top six teams qualify directly to the World Cup finals, while the seventh-placed nation drops into the intercontinental play-offs in March 2026.
Argentina will be determined to retain their crown, and the reigning champions are all but guaranteed a slot at the World Cup after opening up a five-point lead at the summit with two games remaining.
They take on Uruguay and fierce rivals Brazil in their final two qualifier fixtures but will be determined to finish strongly and maintain their spot at the summit.
CONCACAF
The CONCACAF confederation is just two games into the second round of their qualifying campaign.
The top 28-ranked nations, including two of the four lowest-ranked teams in the confederation, were drawn into six groups of five teams.
Rather than a traditional home and away format, teams play each other once, and the six group winners move on to round three alongside the runners-up.
The remaining 12 teams will be drawn into three groups of four, with the three group winners clinching a spot in the World Cup while two runners-up with the best record drop into the play-offs.
Honduras, Costa Rica, Curacao, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Suriname have made a perfect start to round two and are in pole position to qualify for the next round.
Africa
Africa is set to be well-represented at the World Cup, with at least nine teams guaranteed a spot in the showpiece.
Fifty-three teams were drawn into eight groups of six and one group of five. The nine group winners qualify for the World Cup, while the four best runners-up will square off to decide who goes to the Intercontinental play-off.
African teams are following the traditional home and away format, which means each side will play ten games in the group phase.
They’re just four games in, and some huge headlines have already emerged, with continental giants such as Nigeria yet to claim their first win in the qualifiers.
However, there’s still plenty of time for a twist or two before the group stage concludes in October 2025.
Asia
Asia got the ball rolling on the qualifiers, so they are further along than other confederations, but their route to the World Cup is the most complicated across the board.
However, they have now played six out of ten games in round three with 18 nations still in contention.
The games are set to run until June 2025, but the group winners and runners-up will take up six of Asia’s eight automatic slots while those who finished third and fourth move on to a fourth round of qualifiers.
Continental giants Iran, South Korea and Japan are on course to clinch their place in the showpiece, but things are a little tighter further down the standings.