The identity of the 48 teams taking part at the 2026 FIFA World Cup are beginning to emerge, with four teams already qualifying for next year’s tournament.
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00:00The World Cup is just over one year away and the countries making up the 48 teams taking part are beginning to be confirmed.
00:10So let's take a look at the teams that are through so far and what players we are expecting to see make the trip to North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
00:20Hello and welcome to Football Now here from the Albayt Stadium in Qatar.
00:30The recent international window saw the resumption of qualification matches for next year's FIFA World Cup with four nations becoming the first to secure their place at the tournament.
00:42So let's take a deeper dive into who has qualified so far and what they did to get there.
00:48A total of 216 teams from around the globe entered World Cup qualification to become one of the 45 nations to join the USA, Canada and Mexico at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
01:03Japan were the runaway success in the Asian Confederation, securing qualification with three matches to spare, scoring 22 goals and conceding just two.
01:13Japan were the one consistent team in this group and that's why you see such disparity in Group C.
01:18Japan have always had their top players playing in Europe. That's nothing new.
01:21Having so much depth, even just looking at the striker position, you have like six, seven options at the striker position playing in Europe.
01:27And so I think the depth of the player pool is something that we really haven't seen from this national team in a really long time.
01:33In terms of the quality of players and their individual level that can really contribute at the national team level, this is the best we've seen them.
01:40You can look at it from a FIFA ranking perspective.
01:42Anyway, you shape it. This is the best Japanese national team we've had.
01:46They lost in penalties to Croatia in 22. They lost to Belgium up 2-0 in 2018. They've been oh so close.
01:53I do think this 26th World Cup, they'll get that first win in the knockouts.
01:56I think it's a really exciting time heading into the 2026 World Cup to see how well they can do.
02:01Iran were the second AFC nation to book their place after a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan guaranteed them a top-two finish in Group A.
02:11With an unassailable lead atop the South American Confederation, current title holders Argentina will be looking to defend the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022.
02:21And finally, in the world's smallest confederation, New Zealand dominated the Oceana qualification tournament, scoring 29 goals and conceding just once in their five matches.
02:33Yes, New Zealand breezed through the qualification process as expected.
02:38So, after their historic showing at their last World Cup back in 2010, where they were undefeated in all three of their games, can the All-Whites cause another shock at next year's tournament?
02:52Yeah, I think it could be. I think it's certainly the best New Zealand team I've ever seen, man for man.
02:57Back at the, even the 2010 team, you know, they did brilliantly to get to South Africa and, you know, we all know the story of the undefeated campaign.
03:04But, you fast forward to this team, they play in leagues, high leagues around the world.
03:09They are used to coming toe-to-toe with the kind of players they're going to be up against at the World Cup and they are no longer just content to be at the World Cup.
03:17Chris Ward's been a real trailblazer for us, you know, in the way that he's basically flown New Zealand's flag and they'll absolutely back themselves, regardless of who they're playing, to win one of the games and to get a point in another one.
03:29So, yeah, they'll be targeting progression, participation, not enough anymore for this team.
03:34Iran were the third team to qualify in this window, but did so under a cloud of political turmoil, both on and off the pitch.
03:43Head coach Amir Galanoi is reportedly under pressure to keep his job, despite taking Iran to their fourth consecutive World Cup.
03:52And with further concerns about Iranian players and fans actually being able to attend the tournament, what does the future hold for Team Melly?
04:01I think the main reason is, yes, Iran are getting the results, sure, but they're not playing up to the standard that they usually have.
04:09And we've seen Amir Galanoi put in a team that has been the same team since 2014, really.
04:16And I think people are tired of the same players, of the same style of football.
04:20We're not playing up to our potential.
04:22And there's also lots of rumors coming out that apparently the players themselves aren't happy with how things are going.
04:27I think context matters a lot, especially, again, when it comes to a country like Iran, where we've mentioned there's turmoil.
04:32There's always something up with this national team.
04:35Endless drama.
04:37Argentina with a final nation to secure their spot in this window.
04:41And they did it in style with an emphatic 4-1 win over fierce rivals Brazil.
04:47The performance was made all the more impressive by the fact they were missing their star man, Lionel Messi, who was rested due to injury and fatigue.
04:57Messi will be 39 years old by the time the World Cup arrives.
05:01So could he miss out on making his sixth appearance at this tournament?
05:06And can Argentina really defend their title without him?
05:10I think his official status now is he said, I'm just going to see how it goes.
05:14He could literally say it tomorrow, but he's won the Cop of America after the World Cup.
05:17He just seems to be having so much fun.
05:20Players like him only come around once every few decades, as we saw.
05:24That's how long it took.
05:25Like, it's just, there isn't going to be another player like him.
05:27You ask me, will he?
05:28I have no clue if he does and how will he play.
05:30Only time's going to tell what happens with this guy.
05:33Because the story is so crazy at this point that it could get crazier, but it could also just drop off and be like, right, you had your moment.
05:38So, four teams have booked their place at next year's World Cup with another 41 to go.
05:47Let us know who you think will be joining them using the hashtag FootballNowWorldCupQualification.
05:53That's all we've got time for, though, here this week.
05:56We'll see you next time.
05:57Bye for now.