The picture for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is nearing completion, as 42 teams have now qualified for the 48-team tournament.Some European heavyweights booked their spots during this November international break – including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain – alongside some minnows of world football.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listTiny Caribbean island country Curacao will go to the 2026 World Cup as the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the marquee event in men’s football, after a 0-0 draw in Jamaica on Tuesday saw them finish top of a four-team group.Curacao will be joined by Panama and Haiti, which also booked their World Cup spots on Tuesday, from the region.Meanwhile, Scotland have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 after a wild 4-2 victory over Denmark.The remaining six spots will be filled by teams playing in intercontinental and UEFA playoffs.Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the next edition of the world’s marquee football tournament. Curacao players and fans celebrate qualification after a 0-0 draw with Jamaica at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on November 18, 2025 [AFP]When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026?The tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first match will be played in Mexico City on June 11, while the final will be staged in New Jersey, US, on July 19.Due to the expansion of the tournament – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day event is the longest in its history.When will we know all the teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026?FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs will be the last chance saloon for teams around the world to reach next year’s event. The finale of that route will be on March 31, 2026, less than three months before the World Cup kicks off. Advertisement The European qualification process runs until March, but most of the remaining confederations will have finished their continental qualification processes long before then.What are the FIFA intercontinental playoffs?O …
