FIFA World Cup qualification

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"World Cup qualification" and similar terms redirect here. For other uses, see World Cup qualification (disambiguation)
For the ongoing qualifying tournament, see 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.

The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the final tournament of the FIFA World Cup. The qualification reduces the large field of eligible entrants from 211 to just 32 for the finals as of the 2022 edition (to be expanded to 48 from 2026 onwards).

Qualifying tournaments are held within FIFA's six continental zones and are organized by their respective confederations: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe). For each World Cup, FIFA decides the number of places in the finals allocated to each of the zones, based on the numbers and relative strengths of the confederations' teams.

The hosts receive automatic berths, and until 2002, so did the defending champions. Unlike with other sports, results of the previous World Cups or of the continental championships are not taken into account.

The current qualification process is the 2022 qualification, which commenced in 2019 and finishes in 2022.

History[]

Over many years, the World Cup's qualification has evolved, from having no qualification at all in 1930, when the tournament was invitational and only 13 teams entered, to the current three-year process. The first World Cup qualifying match was played on 11 June 1933 when Sweden defeated Estonia 6–2 in Stockholm. The first ever goal in a World Cup qualifying match was scored 7 minutes into the game: it was scored according to some sources by Swedish captain Knut Kroon, or according to other sources by Estonian goalkeeper Evald Tipner (own goal).

While the number of teams which qualified for the finals has increased steadily, from 16 between 1934 and 1978, to 24 between 1982 and 1994, and finally to 32 starting from 1998, the qualification format has been basically the same throughout the history of the World Cup. The teams have been grouped continentally, and they competed for a fixed number of places, with one or two places awarded to the winners of intercontinental play-offs.

Qualification spots by continent[]

The table below lists the numbers of spots allocated by FIFA for each continent in each tournament. It also shows the total number of teams that entered and played in every qualification cycle.

"H" denotes an automatic spot for the host, "C" denotes an automatic spot for the defending champion, and "inv" indicates the number of teams that were invited in 1930. Places in intercontinental play-offs are represented as fractions, with a place in a direct play-off being counted as 0.5 spots and a place in a semi-final play-off (where the winner would then face yet another team for a place in the finals) being counted as 0.25 spots.

Places allocated for continents
Uruguay
1930
[a] 		Italy
1934 		France
1938 		Brazil
1950 		Switzerland
1954 		Sweden
1958 		Chile
1962 		England
1966 		Mexico
1970 		West Germany
1974 		Argentina
1978 		Spain
1982 		Mexico
1986 		Italy
1990 		United States
1994 		France
1998 		South Korea
Japan
2002 		Germany
2006 		South Africa
2010 		Brazil
2014 		Russia
2018 		Qatar
2022 		Canada
Mexico
United States
2026
Europe 4 inv 12 11
+H+C		 7
+C		 11
+H		 9[b]
+H+C		 8+
2×0.5		 9
+H		 8
+C		 8.5
+H		 8.5
+C		 13
+H		 12.5
+C		 13
+H		 12
+C		 14
+H		 13.5
+C		 13
+H		 13 13 13
+H		 13 16
Africa — 1 0[c] 1[b] 0.5 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 5 5 5 5
+H		 5 5 5 9
Asia — 1 1 1 0.5 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3.5 2.5
+2H		 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
+H		 8
Oceania N/A[d] 0[c] 0[c] 0[c] 0[c] 0.5 0.5 0.25 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 1
North and Central America
and Caribbean 		2 inv 1 1 2 1 1 0.5 1 1
+H		 1 1 2 1
+H		 2 1.25
+H		 3 3 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 6
South America H+
6 inv		 2 1 4
+H		 1
+C		 3 3.5
+H+C		 3
+C		 3 2.5
+C		 2.5
+H		 3
+C		 4 2.5
+C		 3.5 4
+C		 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
+H		 4.5 4.5 6
Play-off tournament N/A 2
Total spots 13 16 16 16 16 24 32 48
Teams in the finals 15[e] 13[f]
Entered qualification[g] N/A 32 34 32 37 51 54 69 69 97 105 107 119 111 145 172 196 197 205[h] 203 210 211[i]
Played in qualification[j] 27 21 19 33 46 49 51 68 90 95 103 110 103 128 168 193 194 199[h] 202 208 206[i]
Qualified via qualification 14 10 9 13 14 14 14 14 14 14 22 22 22 22 30 29 31 31 31 31 31
Qualified without playing 13 2 6 7 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 1
Notes
  1. ^ Spots were given by invitation only.
  2. ^ a b Actually the spots were taken by 10 European teams and no African or Asian ones. After Israel won the African/Asian zone without playing due to withdrawals of other teams, a special play-off was arranged between them and a European team, Wales, and was won by Wales.
  3. ^ a b c d e None entered.
  4. ^ No teams from the region were members of FIFA before 1950.
  5. ^ Austria withdrew after having qualified.
  6. ^ India, Scotland and Turkey withdrew after having qualified. France initially accepted to participate as a replacement but then withdrew as well.
  7. ^ Includes all teams that entered qualification, even if they withdrew or were excluded afterwards, or qualified by walkover. Does not include pre-determined automatic qualifiers.
  8. ^ a b Including host South Africa and non-FIFA member Tuvalu, who participated because other tournaments also served as World Cup qualifiers.
  9. ^ a b Including host Qatar, who participated because the continental qualification also served as World Cup qualifiers.
  10. ^ Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled.

First appearance in qualification by team[]

Only teams that played at least one match are considered for the purposes of first appearance. Teams that withdrew prior to the qualification, or that qualified to the World Cup by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals, are not considered.

Year Debuting teams Successor and renamed teams
Europe South America North, Central America and Caribbean Asia Africa Oceania T CT
Italy
1934 		 Austria
 Belgium[a]
 Bulgaria
 Czechoslovakia[A]
 Estonia
 France[a]
 Germany[B]
 Greece
 Hungary
 Irish Free State[C]
 Italy[N 1]
 Lithuania
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands
 Poland
 Portugal
 Romania[a]
 Spain
 Sweden
  Switzerland
 Yugoslavia[a][D] 		none  Cuba
 Haiti
 Mexico[a]
 United States[a] 		 Palestine, British Mandate[E]  Egypt[F] none 27 27
France
1938 		 Finland
 Latvia
 Norway 		none none none none none 3 30
Brazil
1950 		 England
 Ireland[G]
 Scotland
 Turkey[b]
 Wales 		none none  Syria none none 6 36  Ireland[C]
 Israel[E]
Switzerland
1954 		 Saar  Brazil[c]
 Chile[d]
 Paraguay[e] 		none  Japan[f]
 South Korea 		none none 6 42  Northern Ireland[G]
 Republic of Ireland[C]
 West Germany[B]
Sweden
1958 		 Denmark
 East Germany
 Iceland
 Soviet Union[H] 		 Argentina[g]
 Bolivia[e]
 Colombia[f]
 Peru[h]
 Uruguay[i] 		 Canada
 Costa Rica[f]
 Guatemala
 Territory of Curaçao[I] 		 China PR
 Indonesia[j] 		 Sudan none 16 58
Chile
1962 		 Cyprus[k]  Ecuador[l]  Dutch Guiana[f][J]
 Honduras 		none  Ethiopia
 Ghana
 Morocco
 Nigeria
 Tunisia 		none 9 67  Netherlands Antilles[I]
England
1966 		 Albania  Venezuela[k]  Jamaica
 Trinidad and Tobago 		 North Korea none  Australia 6 73
Mexico
1970 		none none  Bermuda
 El Salvador[f] 		none  Algeria[m]
 Cameroon[m]
 Libya[m]
 Rhodesia[K]
 Senegal[m]
 Zambia 		 New Zealand 9 82
West Germany
1974 		 Malta none  Antigua and Barbuda
 Puerto Rico 		 Hong Kong
 Iran
 Iraq
 Kuwait
 Malaysia
 South Vietnam[L]
 Thailand 		 Congo
 Dahomey[M]
 Guinea[m]
 Ivory Coast
 Kenya
 Lesotho
 Mauritius
 Sierra Leone
 Tanzania
 Togo
 Zaire[N] 		none 21 103
Argentina
1978 		none none  Barbados
 Dominican Republic
 Guyana
 Panama 		 Bahrain
 Qatar
 Republic of China[n][O]
 Saudi Arabia
 Singapore 		 Malawi
 Mauritania
 Niger
 Uganda
 Upper Volta[P] 		none 14 117  Suriname[J]
Spain
1982 		none none  Grenada  Macau  Gambia
 Liberia[m]
 Madagascar[o]
 Mozambique
 Somalia 		 Fiji 8 125  Chinese Taipei[O]
 Zimbabwe[K]
Mexico
1986 		none none none  Bangladesh
 Brunei
 Jordan
 India[p]
   Nepal
 North Yemen[Q]
 South Yemen
 United Arab Emirates[q] 		 Angola none 9 134  Benin[M]
Italy
1990 		none none none  Oman[r]
 Pakistan 		 Gabon[s] none 3 137  Burkina Faso[P]
United States
1994 		 Faroe Islands
 San Marino 		none  Nicaragua
 Saint Lucia
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 		 Lebanon[t]
 Sri Lanka[u] 		 Botswana
 Burundi
 Namibia
 South Africa
 Swaziland[R] 		 Solomon Islands
 Tahiti
 Vanuatu 		15 152  Germany[B]
 Representation of Czechs and Slovaks[A]
 Russia[H]
 Vietnam[L]
 Yemen[Q]
France
1998 		 Armenia
 Azerbaijan
 Belarus
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Croatia
 Georgia
 Liechtenstein[v]
 Macedonia[S]
 Moldova
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 Ukraine 		none  Aruba
 Belize
 Cayman Islands
 Dominica
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 		 Cambodia
 Kazakhstan
 Kyrgyzstan
 Maldives[w]
 Philippines[x]
 Tajikistan
 Turkmenistan
 Uzbekistan 		 Guinea-Bissau
 Rwanda[w] 		 Cook Islands
 Papua New Guinea
 Tonga
 Western Samoa[v][T] 		31 183  Czech Republic[A]
 DR Congo[N]
 FR Yugoslavia[D]
South KoreaJapan
2002 		 Andorra none  Anguilla
 Bahamas[y]
 British Virgin Islands
 Montserrat
 Turks and Caicos Islands
 U.S. Virgin Islands 		 Guam
 Laos
 Mongolia
 Palestine 		 Cape Verde
 Central African Republic[z]
 Chad
 Djibouti
 Equatorial Guinea
 Eritrea
 Mali[aa]
 São Tomé and Príncipe[v]
 Seychelles 		 American Samoa 21 204  Samoa[T]
Germany
2006 		none none none  Afghanistan none  New Caledonia 2 206  Serbia and Montenegro[D]
South Africa
2010 		 Montenegro none none  Myanmar[ab]
 Timor-Leste 		 Comoros  Tuvalu[N 2] 5 211  Serbia[D]
Brazil
2014 		none none none none none none 0 211  Curaçao[I]
Russia
2018 		 Gibraltar
 Kosovo 		none none  Bhutan[ac]  South Sudan none 4 215
Qatar
2022 		none none none none none none 0 215  Eswatini[R]
 North Macedonia[S]
Teams' entries prior to their actual debuts in qualification
  1. ^ a b c d e f Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
  2. ^ Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing.
  3. ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 and 1938 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1950 World Cup as host.
  4. ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.
  5. ^ a b Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.
  6. ^ a b c d e Withdrew from the 1938 qualification before playing.
  7. ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 finals. Withdrew from the 1938 and 1950 qualifications before playing.
  8. ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934, 1950 and 1954 qualifications before playing.
  9. ^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup as host. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1954 finals as defending champion.
  10. ^ Qualified by walkover for the 1938 finals (entered as the  Dutch East Indies). Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.
  11. ^ a b Withdrew from the 1958 qualification before playing.
  12. ^ Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Withdrew from the 1966 qualification before playing.
  14. ^ Withdrew from the 1954 and 1958 qualifications before playing.
  15. ^ Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing (entered as the  Malagasy Republic).
  16. ^ Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals, and subsequently withdrew from participation. Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing.
  17. ^ Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing.
  18. ^ Withdrew from the 1986 qualification before playing.
  19. ^ Withdrew from the 1966 and 1974 qualifications before playing.
  20. ^ Withdrew during the 1986 qualification and had all its matches of that campaign annulled.
  21. ^ Withdrew from the 1974 and 1978 qualifications before playing (entered in 1974 as  Ceylon).
  22. ^ a b c Withdrew from the 1994 qualification before playing.
  23. ^ a b Withdrew from the 1990 qualification before playing.
  24. ^ Withdrew from the 1950 and 1974 qualifications before playing.
  25. ^ Withdrew from the 1998 qualification before playing.
  26. ^ Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing. Was disqualified from the 1982 qualification before playing.
  27. ^ Withdrew from the 1966, 1994 and 1998 qualifications before playing.
  28. ^ Withdrew from the 1950, 1994 and 2002 qualifications before playing (entered in 1950 as  Burma).
  29. ^ Withdrew from the 2010 qualification before playing.
Successor and renamed teams
  1. ^ a b c The Czechoslovakia team was officially renamed as the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks during the 1994 qualification, and was then succeeded by the Czech Republic from the 1998 qualification.
  2. ^ a b c Germany was succeeded from the 1954 qualification by West Germany, which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1994 qualification.
  3. ^ a b c The Irish Free State was succeeded in the 1950 qualification by Ireland, which became officially known as the Republic of Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
  4. ^ a b c d Yugoslavia was succeeded from the 1998 qualification by FR Yugoslavia, which was renamed as Serbia and Montenegro for the 2006 qualification and was then succeeded by Serbia from the 2010 qualification.
  5. ^ a b Mandatory Palestine was succeeded by Israel from the 1950 qualification.
  6. ^ Egypt was later succeeded by the  United Arab Republic, a political union with Syria, which entered the 1962 qualification, but withdrew before playing. Then Egypt continued independently but retained the name "United Arab Republic", under which it entered the 1966 qualification and also withdrew before playing. It was renamed back as "Egypt" from the 1974 qualification.
  7. ^ a b Ireland was succeeded by Northern Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
  8. ^ a b The Soviet Union was succeeded by Russia from the 1994 qualification.
  9. ^ a b c The Territory of Curaçao was succeeded from the 1962 qualification by the Netherlands Antilles, which in turn was succeeded by Curaçao from the 2014 qualification.
  10. ^ a b Dutch Guiana was succeeded by Suriname from the 1978 qualification.
  11. ^ a b Rhodesia was succeeded by Zimbabwe from the 1982 qualification.
  12. ^ a b South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1994 qualification.
  13. ^ a b Dahomey was renamed as Benin from the 1986 qualification.
  14. ^ a b Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification.
  15. ^ a b The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1982 qualification.
  16. ^ a b Upper Volta was renamed as Burkina Faso from the 1990 qualification.
  17. ^ a b North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.
  18. ^ a b Swaziland was renamed as Eswatini from the 2022 qualification.
  19. ^ a b Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2022 qualification.
  20. ^ a b Western Samoa was renamed as Samoa from the 2002 qualification.
Other notes
  1. ^ Italy had to qualify for the 1934 tournament despite being the host.
  2. ^ Tuvalu, a non-FIFA member, formally could not enter the 2010 World Cup, but the team participated in the 2007 South Pacific Games which doubled as a stage of the qualification for that World Cup, and the team's results did count in determining advancement from that stage.

Overview of teams' participations[]

The below table shows how every team has participated in each World Cup qualification.

Key

  • golden background = successful qualifying campaign
  • grey background = did not take part in qualifying
  • bold red typeface = participated in the final tournament
Q Qualified
w Qualified, then withdrew from the finals (Austria in 1938, and Scotland and Turkey in 1950)
n Did not qualify
w Withdrew during qualifying
d Was disqualified during qualifying
H Qualified automatically as host but took part in qualifiers as they doubled as continental qualifiers (South Africa in 2010 and Qatar in 2022)
\ Was not a FIFA member but took part in qualifiers as they doubled as regional tournament (Tuvalu in 2010)
b Received bye to the finals
B Received bye to the finals, then withdrew (India in 1950)
H Qualified automatically as host
C Qualified automatically as reigning champion
i Was invited to the finals (all finalists in 1930 except Uruguay)
w Entered but withdrew before playing, or withdrew during qualifying and had all matches annulled
d Entered but was disqualified before playing, or was disqualified during qualifying and had all matches annulled
s Was suspended from entering, or had entry rejected
— Did not enter despite being a FIFA member
Was not a FIFA member
Team 19
30 		19
34 		19
38 		19
50 		19
54 		19
58 		19
62 		19
66 		19
70 		19
74 		19
78 		19
82 		19
86 		19
90 		19
94 		19
98 		20
02 		20
06 		20
10 		20
14 		20
18 		20
22 		Current
confederation[I]
 
 Afghanistan — — — — — — — — — — — — — — n n n n n AFC
 Albania — — — — — — n s n — n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Algeria w n n n Q Q n n n n n Q Q n CAF
 American Samoa n n n n n w OFC
 Andorra n n n n n n UEFA
 Angola n n n n n Q n n n n CAF
 Anguilla n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Antigua and Barbuda n — — n n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Argentina i b w w — Q Q Q n Q H C Q C Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q CONMEBOL
 Armenia n n n n n n n UEFA
 Aruba — n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Australia n n Q n n n n n n n Q Q Q Q AFC[II]
 Austria — Q w w Q Q — n n n Q Q n Q n Q n n n n n UEFA
 Azerbaijan n n n n n n n UEFA
 Bahamas — — — — — — — w n n n w n n CONCACAF
 Bahrain — — n n n w n n n n n n n n AFC
 Bangladesh — — n n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Barbados — — n — w — n n n n n n d n CONCACAF
 Belarus n n n n n n n UEFA
 Belgium i Q Q w Q n n n Q n n Q Q Q Q Q Q n n Q Q Q UEFA
 Belize s — n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Benin (1978–)
 Dahomey (1970–1974) 		— n — — n — n — n n n n n n CAF
 Bermuda — n — — — — — n w n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Bhutan — — w — n n AFC
 Bolivia i — — b s n n n n n n n n n Q n n n n n n CONMEBOL
 Bosnia and Herzegovina n n n n Q n n UEFA
 Botswana — — — n — n n n n n n CAF
 Brazil i b b H Q Q C C Q C Q Q Q Q Q C Q Q Q H Q Q CONMEBOL
 British Virgin Islands n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Brunei — — — n — — — n — — s n n AFC
 Bulgaria — w n — n n Q Q Q Q n n Q n Q Q n n n n n n UEFA
 Burkina Faso (1986–)
 Upper Volta (1970–1982) 		— — n — — n w n n n n n n n CAF
 Burundi — — — — n w w n n n n n CAF
 Cambodia[i] — — — — — — — — — — n n — n n n n AFC
 Cameroon w n n n Q n Q Q Q Q n Q Q n CAF
 Canada — — n w — n n n n Q n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Cape Verde — — — n n n n n n CAF
 Cayman Islands n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Central African Republic — — — w d — — — — n w w n n n CAF
 Chad — — — — — — — — — n n n n n n CAF
 Chile i w — b n n H Q n Q n Q n n s Q n n Q Q n CONMEBOL
 China PR — — — — n — — — — — n n n n n Q n n n n n AFC
 Chinese Taipei (1982–)
 Republic of China (1954–1978) 		w w — — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n AFC[III]
 Colombia w — — n Q n n n n n n Q Q Q n n n Q Q CONMEBOL[IV]
 Comoros n n n n CAF
 Congo s — n n — — — n n n n n n n n CAF
 Cook Islands n n n n n n OFC
 Costa Rica — — w — s n n n n n n n n Q n n Q Q n Q Q CONCACAF
 Croatia Q Q Q n Q Q Q UEFA
 Cuba n b n s — — n s — n n — n w n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Curaçao (2014–)
 Netherlands Antilles (1962–2010)
 Territory of Curaçao (1934–1958) 		— — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Cyprus w n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA[V]
 Czech Republic (1998–)
 Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (1994)
 Czechoslovakia (1930–1994) 		— Q Q — Q Q Q n Q n n Q n Q n n n Q n n n UEFA
 Denmark — — — — — n — n n n n n Q n n Q Q n Q n Q Q UEFA
 Djibouti — n — n n n n CAF
 Dominica n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Dominican Republic — — — — — n — — — n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 DR Congo (1998–)
 Zaire (1974–1998)[ii] 		— s Q w n — n n n n n n n n CAF
 East Germany — n n n n Q n n n n defunct[VI]
 Ecuador — — — w — — n n n n n n n n n n Q Q n Q n CONMEBOL
 Egypt[iii] — Q w — n w w w — n n n n Q n n n n n n Q CAF[VII]
 El Salvador w — — — — — Q n n Q n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 England Q Q Q Q H C n n Q Q Q n Q Q Q Q Q Q Q UEFA
 Equatorial Guinea — — — n n n n n n CAF
 Eritrea n n w n n n CAF
 Estonia — n n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Eswatini (2022–)
 Swaziland (1982–2018) 		— — — n n n n n n n n CAF
 Ethiopia — s n w n n n n n — n — n n d n n n CAF[VIII]
 Faroe Islands n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Fiji — — — — n — n n n n n n n n OFC
 Finland — — n w n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 France i Q H n Q Q n Q n n Q Q Q n n H C Q Q Q Q Q UEFA
 Gabon w — w — — — n n n n n n n n n CAF
 Gambia — — — n n — w n n n n n n n CAF
 Georgia n n n n n n n UEFA
 Germany (1994–)
 West Germany (1950–1990)
 Germany (1930–1938) 		— Q Q s Q C Q Q Q H C Q Q Q C Q Q H Q Q Q Q UEFA
 Ghana n w n n n w n n n n n Q Q Q n CAF
 Gibraltar n n UEFA
 Greece — w n — n n n n n n n n n n Q n n n Q Q n n UEFA
 Grenada n w — — n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Guam — n w w — n n AFC
 Guatemala — — n n s n n n n n n n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Guinea w s n n n n n n n d n n n n n CAF
 Guinea-Bissau — — n n n n n n n CAF
 Guyana — n n n n n n d n n n n n CONCACAF
 Haiti n — — n — — — n Q n n n — n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Honduras — — — n n n n w Q n n n n n n Q Q n n CONCACAF
 Hong Kong — — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Hungary — Q Q — b Q Q Q n n Q Q Q n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Iceland — s n — — — n n n n n n n n n n n Q n UEFA
 India B s — — — — w — — n w n n n n n n n n AFC
 Indonesia[iv] b w — w w — — n n n n n n n n n n n d n AFC
 Iran — — — — — — n Q w d n n Q n Q n Q Q Q AFC
 Iraq — — — — — n w n Q n n n n n n n n AFC
 Israel (1950–)
 Palestine, British Mandate (1930–1938) 		— n n n n n n n Q n n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA[IX]
 Italy — Q C C Q n Q Q Q Q Q Q C H Q Q Q Q Q Q n UEFA
 Ivory Coast — — n n — n n n n n Q Q Q n n CAF
 Jamaica n n w n — d n n Q n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Japan — — w s n — n — n n n n n n n Q H Q Q Q Q AFC
 Jordan — — — — — — — n n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Kazakhstan n n n n n n n UEFA[X]
 Kenya — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n n CAF
 Kosovo n n UEFA
 Kuwait — — n n Q n n n n n n n n d n AFC
 Kyrgyzstan n n n n n n n AFC
 Laos — — — — — — — — — — — — n n — n n n AFC
 Latvia — — n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Lebanon — — — — — — — — — — w — n n n n n n n AFC
 Lesotho — — n — n w w — — n n n n n n CAF
 Liberia w — — — n n n w n n n n n n n CAF
 Libya w n — n w n w w — n n n n n n CAF
 Liechtenstein — — — — w n n n n n n n UEFA
 Lithuania — n n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Luxembourg — n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Macau n n — n n n n n n n n AFC
 Madagascar[v] — — w — n n — n n n n n n n n CAF
 Malawi — — n n n n w n n n n n n n CAF
 Malaysia[vi] — — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Maldives w — n n n n n n n AFC
 Mali w — — — — — — w w n n n n n CAF
 Malta — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Mauritania — n — — — w n n n n — n n CAF
 Mauritius — — n — — n s — n n n n w n n CAF
 Mexico i n w Q Q Q Q Q H n Q n H d Q Q Q Q Q Q Q CONCACAF
 Moldova n n n n n n n UEFA
 Mongolia n n n n n n AFC
 Montenegro n n n n UEFA
 Montserrat n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Morocco n w Q w n n Q n Q Q n n n n Q CAF
 Mozambique n — s n n n n n n n n CAF
 Myanmar[vii] w — — — — — — — — — — w — w s n n n n AFC
 Namibia n n n n n n n n CAF
   Nepal — — — n n — n n w n n n n AFC
 Netherlands — Q Q — — n n n n Q Q n n Q Q Q n Q Q Q n Q UEFA
 New Caledonia n n n n OFC
 New Zealand — — — — — n n n Q n n n n n n Q n n OFC
 Nicaragua — — — — — — — — — — n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Niger — — — n n w — n w — n n n n n CAF
 Nigeria n w n n n n n n Q Q Q n Q Q Q CAF
 North Korea — Q d n w n n n n — — n Q n n w AFC
 North Macedonia (2022–)
 Macedonia (1998–2018) 		n n n n n n UEFA
 Northern Ireland (1954–)
 Ireland (1950) 		n n Q n n n n n Q Q n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Norway — — Q — n n n n n n n n n n Q Q n n n n n n UEFA
 Oman — w n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Pakistan — — — — — — — — — — n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Palestine n n n n n n AFC
 Panama — — — — — — — n n n n n n n n n n Q CONCACAF
 Papua New Guinea — — — — — — — n — n — n n OFC
 Paraguay i — — b n Q n n n n n n Q n n Q Q Q Q n n n CONMEBOL
 Peru i w — w w n n n Q n Q Q n n n n n n n n Q CONMEBOL
 Philippines — — w — — — s — w — — — — — n n — — n n n AFC
 Poland — n Q — w n n n n Q Q Q Q n n n Q Q n n Q UEFA
 Portugal — n n n n n n Q n n n n Q n n n Q Q Q Q Q UEFA
 Puerto Rico — — — n — — n n n n n — n n n n CONCACAF
 Qatar — n n n n n n n n n n n H AFC
 Republic of Ireland (1954–)
 Ireland (1950)
 Irish Free State (1930–1938) 		— n n n n n n n n n n n n Q Q n Q n n n n n UEFA
 Romania i Q b — n n w n Q n n n n Q Q Q n n n n n n UEFA
 Russia (1994–)
 Soviet Union (1950–1990) 		— — Q Q Q Q d n Q Q Q Q n Q n n Q H UEFA
 Rwanda — — w — n n n n n n n CAF
 Saar n defunct[VI]
 Saint Kitts and Nevis n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Saint Lucia n n n n n n n w CONCACAF
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Samoa (2002–)
 Western Samoa (1990–1998) 		— w n n n n n n w OFC
 San Marino n n n n n n n n UEFA
 São Tomé and Príncipe — w — n n w n n n CAF
 Saudi Arabia — — — — — n n n n Q Q Q Q n n Q AFC
 Scotland w Q Q n n n Q Q Q Q Q n Q n n n n n UEFA
 Senegal w n n n n n — n n Q n n n Q CAF
 Serbia (2010–)
 Serbia and Montenegro (2006)
 FR Yugoslavia (1994–2002)
 SFR Yugoslavia (1950–1990)
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1930–1938) 		i n n Q Q Q Q n n Q n Q n Q d Q n Q Q n Q Q UEFA
 Seychelles — — — n n n n n n CAF
 Sierra Leone — — — n n n n — w n n n n n n n CAF
 Singapore — — — — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Slovakia n n n Q n n n UEFA
 Slovenia n Q n Q n n n UEFA
 Solomon Islands n n n n n n n OFC
 Somalia — — — — n — — — — n n n n n n CAF
 South Africa s d s s s n Q Q n H n n n CAF
 South Korea — Q s n w n n n n Q Q Q Q H Q Q Q Q Q AFC
 South Sudan n n CAF
 South Yemen — — — — n w defunct[XI]
 Spain — Q s Q n n Q Q n n Q H Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q UEFA
 Sri Lanka[viii] — — — — — w w — — — n n n n n n n n AFC
 Sudan — — w w w n n w n n n w n n n n n n n CAF
 Suriname (1978–)
 Dutch Guiana (1930–1974) 		— — w — — — n n n n n n n — n n n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Sweden — Q Q Q n H n n Q Q Q n n Q Q n Q Q n n Q UEFA
  Switzerland — Q Q Q H n Q Q n n n n n n Q n n Q Q Q Q Q UEFA
 Syria — w — n w — n n n n n n n n n n d n n AFC[XII]
 Tahiti n n n n n n n OFC
 Tajikistan n n n n n n n AFC
 Tanzania — — n w n n — w n n n n n n n CAF
 Thailand — — — — — — — — — n n n n n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Timor-Leste n n n n AFC
 Togo — — n n n w w n n n Q n n n n CAF
 Tonga n n n n n n w OFC
 Trinidad and Tobago — — — — n n n n n n n n n n Q n n n n CONCACAF
 Tunisia n w n n Q n n n n Q Q Q n n Q CAF
 Turkey — w — w Q w n n n n n n n n n n Q n n n n UEFA[XIII]
 Turkmenistan n n n n n n n AFC
 Turks and Caicos Islands n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Tuvalu \ OFC
 U.S. Virgin Islands n n n n n n CONCACAF
 Uganda — — — — n w n n w n n n n n n n CAF
 Ukraine n n Q n n n UEFA
 United Arab Emirates w — n Q n n n n n n n AFC
 United States i Q w Q n n n n n n n n n Q H Q Q Q Q Q n CONCACAF
 Uruguay H — — b C n Q Q Q Q n n Q Q n n Q n Q Q Q CONMEBOL
 Uzbekistan n n n n n n n AFC
 Vanuatu n n n n n n n OFC
 Venezuela — w — n n w n n n n n n n n n n n n CONMEBOL
 Vietnam (1978–)
 South Vietnam (1954–1974) 		s — — — — n w — — — n n n n n n n n AFC
 Wales n n Q n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n UEFA
 Yemen (1994–)
 North Yemen (1982–1990) 		— n n n n n n n n n n AFC
 Zambia — n n n n n n n n n n n n n n CAF
 Zimbabwe (1982–)
 Rhodesia (1970–1978) 		n — — n n n n n n n n n d n CAF[XIV]
Team 19
30 		19
34 		19
38 		19
50 		19
54 		19
58 		19
62 		19
66 		19
70 		19
74 		19
78 		19
82 		19
86 		19
90 		19
94 		19
98 		20
02 		20
06 		20
10 		20
14 		20
18 		20
22 		Current
confederation
Non-participating incarnations
  1. ^ Known as the  Khmer Republic in 1974, and then as  Kampuchea until 1990.
  2. ^ Known as  Congo-Kinshasa until 1970.
  3. ^ Entered in 1962 as the  United Arab Republic representing a political union with Syria. After that continued independently but retained the name "United Arab Republic" until 1970.
  4. ^ Entered as the  Dutch East Indies in 1938.
  5. ^ Known as the  Malagasy Republic until 1974.
  6. ^ Preceded by  Malaya until 1962.
  7. ^ Known as  Burma until 1990.
  8. ^ Known as  Ceylon until 1974.
Continental allocations
  1. ^ Africa and Asia had a joint zone in 1934 and 1958. Africa, Asia and Oceania had a joint zone in 1966. Asia and Oceania had a joint zone in 1970–1982.
  2. ^ Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–2006.
  3. ^ Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
  4. ^ Entered the North and Central American zone in 1938.
  5. ^ Entered the African/Asian zone in 1958.
  6. ^ a b Participated in the European zone.
  7. ^ Entered the European zone in 1938 and 1954.
  8. ^ Entered the European zone in 1962.
  9. ^ Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958, the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970–1978, and the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
  10. ^ Entered the Asian zone in 1998–2002.
  11. ^ Participated in the Asian zone.
  12. ^ Entered the European zone in 1950 and 1966.
  13. ^ Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958.
  14. ^ Entered the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970.

Overall team records[]

The below table compares the overall records of all teams that have participated in qualification. Teams are ordered by points using the three points for a win system, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored. Note that this order does not represent any official rankings, and qualification tournaments are not direct competitions among all teams.

The "Qualifying attempts" column counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match that was not annulled. An attempt is treated as "successful" if the team gained the right to participate in the finals, even if it did not appear there eventually.

As per statistical convention in football, goals scored during extra time are counted towards matches' scorelines and outcomes, while goals scored during penalty shoot-outs are not. Annulled matches are not counted; for matches that were annulled and then replayed, only the replays are counted. For matches where the scorelines were awarded, the awarded scorelines, and not the original ones (if any), are counted.

Key
Team has won the World Cup
Team has qualified for the main tournament through a qualifying process
Team has qualified for the main tournament only by walkover (Cuba, and Indonesia as Dutch East Indies)
Team has qualified for the main tournament by walkover but has not participated there because it withdrew (India)
Team has qualified for the main tournament only automatically as host (Qatar)
Team has not qualified for the main tournament
Defunct team that qualified for the main tournament (East Germany)
Defunct team that never qualified for the main tournament (Saar and South Yemen)
Team is not a member of FIFA and is not eligible for the main tournament (Tuvalu)

Teams in bold are currently participating or are yet to start in the 2022 qualification. The table is updated to the matches played in February 2022.

No. Team Qualifying attempts Appearances
in the finals 		Overall qualification record Points Confederation
Total Successful Pld W D L GF GA GD Total Avg
1  Mexico 17 13 16 186 119 40 27 450 134 +316 397 2.134 CONCACAF
2  Australia 15 5 5 157 94 39 24 405 121 +284 321 2.045 AFC
3  South Korea 15 10 11 150 93 40 17 297 89 +208 319 2.127 AFC
4  Costa Rica 17 5 5 183 89 47 47 303 183 +120 314 1.716 CONCACAF
5  Iran 11 6 6 144 91 35 18 314 87 +227 308 2.139 AFC
6  Argentina 14 13 18 151 85 41 25 258 134 +124 296 1.960 CONMEBOL
7  Netherlands 19 11 11 135 89 26 20 329 101 +228 293 2.170 UEFA
8  United States 19 8 10 165 83 39 43 282 188 +94 288 1.745 CONCACAF
9  Spain 19 15 16 125 87 26 12 291 81 +210 287 2.296 UEFA
10  England 17 14 16 122 84 27 11 314 70 +244 279 2.287 UEFA
11  Portugal 21 7 7 147 81 35 31 279 145 +134 278 1.891 UEFA
12  Serbia
 Serbia and Montenegro
 FR Yugoslavia
 SFR Yugoslavia
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia 		20 12 13 136 81 33 22 287 123 +164 276 2.029 UEFA
13  Belgium 20 13 14 141 83 27 31 302 147 +155 276 1.957 UEFA
14  Sweden 20 11 12 139 85 21 33 279 127 +152 276 1.986 UEFA
15  Brazil 13 13 22 125 80 33 12 272 75 +197 273 2.184 CONMEBOL
16  Japan 15 5 6 136 82 26 28 302 90 +212 272 2.000 AFC
17  Saudi Arabia 12 5 5 134 80 31 23 264 102 +162 271 2.022 AFC
18  Uruguay 17 10 13 170 75 46 49 237 186 +51 271 1.594 CONMEBOL
19  Czech Republic
 Representation of Czechs and Slovaks
 Czechoslovakia 		20 9 9 146 79 31 36 280 125 +155 268 1.836 UEFA
20  Germany
 West Germany
 Germany 		15 15 20 104 83 18 3 328 74 +254 267 2.567 UEFA
21  Russia
 Soviet Union 		16 10 11 125 80 24 21 246 81 +165 264 2.112 UEFA
22  Italy 17 14 18 117 78 30 9 234 71 +163 264 2.256 UEFA
23  Honduras 15 3 3 161 69 43 49 260 195 +65 250 1.553 CONCACAF
24  Romania 18 5 7 138 72 29 37 238 142 +96 245 1.775 UEFA
25  El Salvador 14 2 2 157 70 32 55 258 182 +76 242 1.541 CONCACAF
26   Switzerland 20 11 12 140 68 37 35 220 150 +70 241 1.721 UEFA
27  Paraguay 18 6 8 170 68 37 65 210 212 −2 241 1.418 CONMEBOL
28  China PR 12 1 1 124 73 19 32 268 93 +175 238 1.919 AFC
29  Scotland 19 9 8 135 69 30 36 209 143 +66 237 1.756 UEFA
30  France 18 12 16 119 70 26 23 234 91 +143 236 1.983 UEFA
31  Colombia 17 6 6 168 60 54 54 196 178 +18 234 1.393 CONMEBOL
32  Denmark 16 6 6 132 67 30 35 242 144 +98 231 1.750 UEFA
33  Chile 16 6 9 162 66 33 63 236 215 +21 231 1.426 CONMEBOL
34  Poland 19 8 8 127 66 23 38 258 154 +104 221 1.740 UEFA
35  Austria 19 8 7 133 64 29 40 231 153 +78 221 1.662 UEFA
36  Canada 15 1 1 134 61 38 35 211 142 +69 221 1.649 CONCACAF
37  Republic of Ireland
 Ireland
 Irish Free State 		21 3 3 149 58 46 45 210 177 +33 220 1.477 UEFA
38  Hungary 19 8 9 132 63 28 41 235 176 +59 217 1.644 UEFA
39  Nigeria 15 6 6 110 62 30 18 184 83 +101 216 1.964 CAF
40  Bulgaria 20 7 7 137 62 29 46 215 191 +24 215 1.569 UEFA
41  Tunisia 15 5 5 110 61 29 20 191 86 +105 212 1.927 CAF
42  Morocco 15 5 5 117 57 38 22 170 81 +89 209 1.786 CAF
43  Greece 20 3 3 136 56 33 47 167 179 −12 201 1.478 UEFA
44  Trinidad and Tobago 15 1 1 141 57 29 55 207 184 +23 200 1.418 CONCACAF
45  Ecuador 16 3 3 159 54 37 68 194 217 −23 199 1.252 CONMEBOL
46  Qatar 12 0 1 120 57 23 40 199 122 +77 194 1.617 AFC
47  Iraq 12 1 1 117 53 31 33 219 118 +101 190 1.624 AFC
48  Cameroon 14 7 7 93 56 22 15 156 69 +87 190 2.043 CAF
49  Egypt 15 3 3 99 56 21 22 175 93 +82 189 1.909 CAF
50  Guatemala 16 0 0 126 52 32 42 208 150 +58 188 1.492 CONCACAF
51  Peru 17 4 5 165 49 40 76 181 232 −51 187 1.133 CONMEBOL
52  Turkey 18 3 2 138 53 27 58 203 203 0 186 1.348 UEFA
53  Uzbekistan 7 0 0 102 54 19 29 195 104 +91 181 1.775 AFC
54  Norway 19 3 3 136 49 33 54 185 186 −1 180 1.324 UEFA
55  New Zealand 13 2 2 96 53 18 25 221 99 +122 177 1.844 OFC
56  Northern Ireland
 Ireland 		19 3 3 142 45 39 58 155 168 −13 174 1.225 UEFA
57  United Arab Emirates 10 1 1 113 50 23 40 192 124 +68 173 1.531 AFC
58  Kuwait 13 1 1 101 52 16 33 179 99 +80 172 1.703 AFC
59  Israel
 Palestine, British Mandate 		21 1 1 132 45 35 52 189 199 −10 170 1.288 UEFA
60  Zambia 14 0 0 102 47 21 34 153 97 +56 162 1.588 CAF
61  Ivory Coast 12 3 3 84 45 26 13 154 70 +84 161 1.917 CAF
62  Bolivia 17 1 3 166 43 32 91 200 319 −119 161 0.970 CONMEBOL
63  Algeria 14 4 4 95 44 25 26 151 95 +56 157 1.653 CAF
64  Ghana 14 3 3 89 44 23 22 139 69 +70 155 1.742 CAF
65  Wales 19 1 1 128 41 29 58 165 179 −14 152 1.187 UEFA
66  Syria 15 0 0 100 43 22 35 201 119 +82 151 1.510 AFC
67  Croatia 7 6 6 72 43 20 9 129 51 +78 149 2.069 UEFA
68  Jamaica 12 1 1 115 38 31 46 124 148 −24 145 1.261 CONCACAF
69  North Korea 11 2 2 88 41 21 26 120 80 +40 144 1.636 AFC
70  Haiti 15 1 1 95 42 17 36 165 124 +41 143 1.505 CONCACAF
71  Ukraine 7 1 1 78 37 28 13 119 60 +59 139 1.782 UEFA
72  DR Congo
 Zaire 		11 1 1 82 39 19 24 137 87 +50 136 1.659 CAF
73  Panama 12 1 1 111 37 25 49 139 172 −33 136 1.225 CONCACAF
74  Bahrain 11 0 0 96 35 28 33 120 98 +22 133 1.385 AFC
75  Oman 9 0 0 86 37 21 28 139 86 +53 132 1.535 AFC
76  Finland 20 0 0 137 35 25 77 144 297 −153 130 0.949 UEFA
77  Slovakia 7 1 1 74 35 19 20 127 74 +53 124 1.676 UEFA
78  Guinea 13 0 0 81 35 14 32 119 108 +11 119 1.469 CAF
79  Senegal 13 2 2 69 31 23 15 105 60 +45 116 1.681 CAF
80  Jordan 10 0 0 78 32 16 30 118 95 +23 112 1.436 AFC
81  Iceland 14 1 1 116 30 22 64 128 233 −105 112 0.966 UEFA
82  Venezuela 14 0 0 156 28 26 102 134 344 −210 110 0.705 CONMEBOL
83  South Africa 8 2 3 56 32 9 15 72 47 +25 105 1.875 CAF
84  Angola 10 1 1 69 27 24 18 88 66 +22 105 1.522 CAF
85  Slovenia 7 2 2 72 29 17 26 94 80 +14 104 1.444 UEFA
86  Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 1 1 66 29 14 23 121 81 +40 101 1.530 UEFA
87  Burkina Faso
 Upper Volta 		9 0 0 66 29 13 24 99 82 +17 100 1.515 CAF
88  Thailand 13 0 0 97 26 21 50 125 165 −40 99 1.021 AFC
89  Kenya 13 0 0 74 24 19 31 81 100 −19 91 1.230 CAF
90  Togo 11 1 1 71 24 17 30 76 93 −17 89 1.254 CAF
91  Lebanon 8 0 0 72 23 19 30 103 95 +8 88 1.222 AFC
92  Hong Kong 13 0 0 81 24 16 41 95 141 −46 88 1.086 AFC
93  Cuba 13 0 1 72 22 20 30 92 105 −13 86 1.194 CONCACAF
94  Albania 13 0 0 114 24 14 76 84 200 −116 86 0.754 UEFA
95  Zimbabwe
 Rhodesia 		11 0 0 69 22 18 29 67 84 −17 84 1.217 CAF
96  Libya 11 0 0 62 23 14 25 67 69 −2 83 1.339 CAF
97  Malaysia 13 0 0 69 23 13 33 95 124 −29 82 1.188 AFC
98  Gabon 9 0 0 63 23 12 28 64 73 −9 81 1.286 CAF
99  Latvia 9 0 0 85 21 18 46 93 144 −51 81 0.953 UEFA
100  Suriname
 Dutch Guiana 		15 0 0 69 22 14 33 106 115 −9 80 1.159 CONCACAF
101  Congo 10 0 0 68 21 16 31 75 93 −18 79 1.162 CAF
102  East Germany 9 1 1 47 22 8 17 87 65 +22 74 1.574 defunct
103  Singapore 12 0 0 76 21 11 44 81 143 −62 74 0.974 AFC
104  Indonesia
 Dutch East Indies 		13 0 1 79 19 17 43 92 170 −78 74 0.937 AFC
105  Solomon Islands 7 0 0 54 21 9 24 112 113 −1 72 1.333 OFC
106  North Macedonia
 Macedonia 		7 0 0 70 19 15 36 94 113 −19 72 1.029 UEFA
107  Fiji 9 0 0 53 20 10 23 111 98 +13 70 1.321 OFC
108  Lithuania 10 0 0 81 18 16 47 63 130 −67 70 0.864 UEFA
109  Mali 6 0 0 46 19 12 15 61 52 +9 69 1.500 CAF
110  Sudan 13 0 0 72 16 21 35 64 114 −50 69 0.958 CAF
111  Turkmenistan 7 0 0 47 21 5 21 75 71 +4 68 1.447 AFC
112  Curaçao
 Netherlands Antilles
 Territory of Curaçao 		17 0 0 66 16 20 30 69 119 −50 68 1.030 CONCACAF
113  Liberia 10 0 0 66 18 12 36 47 94 −47 66 1.000 CAF
114  Malawi 11 0 0 66 16 17 33 59 95 −36 65 0.985 CAF
115  Uganda 10 0 0 48 17 12 19 44 59 −15 63 1.312 CAF
116  Estonia 10 0 0 84 17 12 55 74 187 −113 63 0.750 UEFA
117  Cyprus 16 0 0 124 16 15 93 91 320 −229 63 0.508 UEFA
118  New Caledonia 4 0 0 35 18 8 9 87 36 +51 62 1.771 OFC
119  Tajikistan 7 0 0 44 17 8 19 77 67 +10 59 1.341 AFC
120  Tahiti 7 0 0 43 17 8 18 66 81 −15 59 1.372 OFC
121  Bermuda 8 0 0 40 16 10 14 83 58 +25 58 1.450 CONCACAF
122  Vietnam
 South Vietnam 		9 0 0 57 17 5 35 63 103 −40 56 0.982 AFC
123  Benin
 Dahomey 		9 0 0 50 16 8 26 51 93 −42 56 1.120 CAF
124  Armenia 7 0 0 72 13 17 42 61 142 −81 56 0.778 UEFA
125  Belarus 7 0 0 66 14 12 40 68 121 −53 54 0.818 UEFA
126  Cape Verde 6 0 0 40 16 5 19 42 52 −10 53 1.325 CAF
127  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8 0 0 62 15 8 39 80 186 −106 53 0.855 CONCACAF
128  Montenegro 4 0 0 40 13 13 14 61 58 +3 52 1.300 UEFA
129  Yemen
 North Yemen 		10 0 0 58 13 13 32 58 98 −40 52 0.897 AFC
130  Antigua and Barbuda 11 0 0 46 15 6 25 72 98 −26 51 1.109 CONCACAF
131  Saint Kitts and Nevis 7 0 0 36 14 8 14 72 62 +10 50 1.389 CONCACAF
132  Kyrgyzstan 7 0 0 39 15 5 19 57 61 −4 50 1.282 AFC
133  Georgia 7 0 0 64 11 17 36 57 101 −44 50 0.781 UEFA
134  Kazakhstan 7 0 0 68 12 14 42 76 148 −72 50 0.735 UEFA
135  Madagascar 10 0 0 42 13 9 20 49 60 −11 48 1.143 CAF
136  India 9 0 0 51 11 15 25 49 94 −45 48 0.941 AFC
137  Ethiopia 12 0 0 49 11 14 24 52 73 −21 47 0.959 CAF
138  Namibia 8 0 0 50 12 11 27 46 93 −47 47 0.940 CAF
139  Sierra Leone 11 0 0 47 12 9 26 41 72 −31 45 0.957 CAF
140  Palestine 6 0 0 34 12 7 15 58 46 +12 43 1.265 AFC
141  Dominican Republic 9 0 0 33 12 6 15 50 54 −4 42 1.273 CONCACAF
142  Mozambique 9 0 0 42 11 9 22 35 58 −23 42 1.000 CAF
143  Tanzania 10 0 0 41 9 14 18 43 60 −17 41 1.000 CAF
144  Vanuatu 7 0 0 37 12 3 22 76 89 −13 39 1.054 OFC
145  Niger 8 0 0 36 11 6 19 40 65 −25 39 1.083 CAF
146  Barbados 9 0 0 41 11 6 24 38 76 −38 39 0.951 CONCACAF
147  Bangladesh 10 0 0 58 10 8 40 37 141 −104 38 0.655 AFC
148  Botswana 7 0 0 36 10 6 20 33 53 −20 36 1.000 CAF
149  Azerbaijan 7 0 0 66 7 15 44 34 122 −88 36 0.545 UEFA
150  Rwanda 7 0 0 44 8 10 26 41 63 −22 34 0.773 CAF
151  Luxembourg 21 0 0 142 8 10 124 77 451 −374 34 0.239 UEFA
152  Faroe Islands 8 0 0 80 8 8 64 41 207 −166 32 0.400 UEFA
153  Belize 7 0 0 29 8 6 15 37 59 −22 30 1.034 CONCACAF
154  Guyana 11 0 0 38 8 6 24 40 89 −49 30 0.789 CONCACAF
155  Maldives 7 0 0 40 9 3 28 43 140 −97 30 0.750 AFC
156  Equatorial Guinea 6 0 0 28 8 5 15 25 42 −17 29 1.036 CAF
157  Nicaragua 8 0 0 25 9 1 15 35 45 −10 28 1.120 CONCACAF
158  Puerto Rico 10 0 0 29 7 7 15 32 57 −25 28 0.966 CONCACAF
159  Samoa
 Western Samoa 		6 0 0 26 9 1 16 37 88 −51 28 1.077 OFC
160  Moldova 7 0 0 68 5 13 50 40 145 −105 28 0.412 UEFA
161  Papua New Guinea 4 0 0 22 7 6 9 43 36 +7 27 1.227 OFC
162  Grenada 8 0 0 29 8 3 18 51 59 −8 27 0.931 CONCACAF
163  Burundi 7 0 0 22 7 5 10 19 28 −9 26 1.182 CAF
164  Philippines 5 0 0 29 7 5 17 28 68 −40 26 0.897 AFC
165  Gambia 9 0 0 26 6 6 14 21 39 −18 24 0.923 CAF
166  Saint Lucia 7 0 0 24 7 1 16 32 62 −30 22 0.917 CONCACAF
167  Tonga 6 0 0 22 7 1 14 23 82 −59 22 1.000 OFC
168    Nepal 8 0 0 38 6 4 28 27 122 −95 22 0.579 AFC
169  Chinese Taipei
 Republic of China 		12 0 0 66 6 4 56 39 234 −195 22 0.333 AFC
170  Malta 13 0 0 112 3 12 97 42 330 −288 21 0.188 UEFA
171  Chad 6 0 0 18 6 2 10 16 26 −10 20 1.111 CAF
172  Guinea-Bissau 7 0 0 20 4 7 9 16 31 −15 19 0.950 CAF
173  Mongolia 6 0 0 24 6 1 17 17 75 −58 19 0.792 AFC
174  Sri Lanka 8 0 0 40 4 6 30 26 100 −74 18 0.450 AFC
175  Eswatini
 Swaziland 		8 0 0 21 4 5 12 16 41 −25 17 0.810 CAF
176  Dominica 7 0 0 24 4 5 15 20 58 −38 17 0.708 CONCACAF
177  Myanmar 4 0 0 22 5 2 15 17 73 −56 17 0.773 AFC
178  Aruba 7 0 0 20 5 1 14 26 61 −35 16 0.800 CONCACAF
179  Lesotho 8 0 0 26 2 10 14 15 52 −37 16 0.615 CAF
180  Bahamas 6 0 0 18 4 4 10 20 58 −38 16 0.889 CONCACAF
181  Afghanistan 5 0 0 22 4 4 14 15 60 −45 16 0.727 AFC
182  Cambodia 6 0 0 36 4 4 28 22 135 −113 16 0.444 AFC
183  Andorra 6 0 0 62 4 3 55 22 186 −164 15 0.242 UEFA
184  Macau 10 0 0 37 4 2 31 16 168 −152 14 0.378 AFC
185  Laos 5 0 0 28 3 4 21 23 125 −102 13 0.464 AFC
186  Liechtenstein 7 0 0 70 2 7 61 25 219 −194 13 0.186 UEFA
187  Mauritania 7 0 0 22 2 5 15 15 42 −27 11 0.500 CAF
188  Cook Islands 6 0 0 20 3 1 16 16 63 −47 10 0.500 OFC
189  Guam 3 0 0 20 3 1 16 10 84 −74 10 0.500 AFC
190  American Samoa 5 0 0 18 3 1 14 11 136 −125 10 0.556 OFC
191  Montserrat 6 0 0 13 2 3 8 17 49 −32 9 0.692 CONCACAF
192  Bhutan 2 0 0 12 3 0 9 9 58 −49 9 0.750 AFC
193  U.S. Virgin Islands 6 0 0 19 3 0 16 8 95 −87 9 0.474 CONCACAF
194  Central African Republic 4 0 0 16 2 2 12 12 30 −18 8 0.500 CAF
195  Djibouti 5 0 0 21 2 2 17 12 86 −74 8 0.381 CAF
196  São Tomé and Príncipe 5 0 0 10 2 1 7 5 25 −20 7 0.700 CAF
197  Somalia 7 0 0 13 1 3 9 3 29 −26 6 0.462 CAF
198  Kosovo 2 0 0 18 1 3 14 8 39 −31 6 0.333 UEFA
199  Mauritius 8 0 0 20 1 3 16 14 52 −38 6 0.300 CAF
200  Cayman Islands 7 0 0 20 0 6 14 8 53 −45 6 0.300 CONCACAF
201  Brunei 4 0 0 16 2 0 14 5 62 −57 6 0.375 AFC
202  Saar 1 0 0 4 1 1 2 4 8 −4 4 1.000 defunct
203  Comoros 4 0 0 10 0 4 6 5 21 −16 4 0.400 CAF
204  Pakistan 9 0 0 32 0 4 28 13 122 −109 4 0.125 AFC
205  Eritrea 5 0 0 10 0 3 7 4 20 −16 3 0.300 CAF
206  British Virgin Islands 6 0 0 14 0 3 11 7 53 −46 3 0.214 CONCACAF
207  Turks and Caicos Islands 6 0 0 13 1 0 12 6 68 −62 3 0.231 CONCACAF
208  South Sudan 2 0 0 4 0 2 2 2 7 −5 2 0.500 CAF
209  Seychelles 6 0 0 16 0 2 14 6 46 −40 2 0.125 CAF
210  San Marino 8 0 0 76 0 2 74 12 356 −344 2 0.026 UEFA
211  South Yemen 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 4 7 −3 1 0.500 defunct
212  Tuvalu 1 0 0 4 0 1 3 2 22 −20 1 0.250 OFC
213  Anguilla 6 0 0 14 0 1 13 2 64 −62 1 0.071 CONCACAF
214  Timor-Leste 4 0 0 16 0 0 16 6 80 −74 0 0.000 AFC
215  Gibraltar 2 0 0 20 0 0 20 7 90 −83 0 0.000 UEFA

Current format[]

Until 2022, 32 places are available in the final tournament. One of them is reserved for the host nation, but if two or more nations co-host the competition, each is awarded a place.

From 1934 to 2002, one berth was reserved for the winners of the previous World Cup, but in November 2001, FIFA announced that the defending champion would no longer get automatic entry to the subsequent tournament, starting with the 2006 finals. This decision was made to address the issue of the returning champions being at a disadvantage to their fellow competitors due to having not played a competitive match in the previous two years.[1]

The problem was amply demonstrated at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, as returning champions France tumbled out in the first round, finishing bottom of their group without scoring a single goal. 2002 winner Brazil qualified for 2006 at the top of their qualifiers group, but Italy, defending champions from 2006, finished bottom of their group in 2010, despite playing in the qualifying matches. In 2014, 2010 champions Spain finished third in their group and failed to advance to the round of 16, despite having qualified as first in their group. 2014 winners Germany also failed to make it out of their group in 2018, finishing bottom, despite winning all of their qualifying matches. They were the third consecutive World Cup winners to go out in the first round at the following tournament.

FIFA decides beforehand the number of spots awarded to each of the continental zones. For the 2022 World Cup, the following numbers were used:[2]

  • UEFA (Europe)[n 1] – 13 berths
  • CAF (Africa) – 5 berths
  • AFC (Asia) [n 2] – 4 berths, plus the host Qatar
  • CONMEBOL (South America) – 4 berths
  • CONCACAF (North and Central America and Caribbean)[n 3] – 3 berths
  • 2 berths for the winners of intercontinental play-offs between the best team from the OFC (Oceania), as well as additional teams from the AFC, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. The pairings for these play-offs were determined by an open draw.

The number of berths allocated per continent is widely debated, with the main point of contention being the extent to which berths should be allocated to regions based on sheer population vs. talent. A historically weaker continent, Africa has called for more places, as they are allocated only five in comparison to Europe's 13.[3]

In early October 2016, it was announced that the World Cup would have featured 40 teams starting with the 2026 tournament,[4] then FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated his support for a 48-team World Cup,[5] mainly to address African concerns. On 10 January 2017, the FIFA Council voted unanimously to expand the World Cup to a 48 team tournament that will open with a group stage consisting of 16 groups of three teams, with two teams progressing from each group to a knockout tournament starting with a round of 32.[6] The new format for the qualifying process has yet to be confirmed, other than a play-off tournament that consists of one team from each confederation (except UEFA) and one additional team from the confederation of the host country for the last two World Cup berths.[7]

These numbers vary slightly between tournaments (see above).

Qualification in all zones ends at approximately the same time, in September–November of the year preceding the finals. For 2022, qualification will end in June, five months preceding the Qatar tournament.

The formats of the qualification tournaments differ between confederations and over time. The systems used in 2022 are outlined below.

Africa[]

The CAF qualification process reverted to the format used for the 2014 qualification. It began with one preliminary round to narrow the field of the 28 entrants with the worst FIFA Rankings to 14 teams in September 2019.

The group stage consisted of 10 groups of four, the 14 teams from the first round and top 26 teams based on FIFA Rankings, with the group winners advancing to the two-legged, home-and-away third round. The five winners of that round advance to the World Cup.

Asia[]

Qualifying was altered significantly from the 2014 method, with changes to the structure of the preliminary rounds – which were held before the AFC's main draw. One home-and-away preliminary round reduced the 12 weakest entrants to six, which then joined the 34 strongest sides in eight groups of five, with the winners and 4 best runners-up advancing to the final group stage, comprising two 6-team groups. As Qatar was among the group winners, only the seven other group winners advanced and the fifth-best group runners-up entered in Qatar's place. The winners and runners-up of the two final groups of six advance to the World Cup with the two third-placed sides playing off for the right to play in an inter-confederation play-off for a final World Cup spot. The first two rounds also acted as the qualifiers for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

A total of 24 teams eliminated from World Cup qualification in the second round compete in the third round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification (which is separate from the third round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification), where they will be divided into six groups of four teams and compete for the remaining slots of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The 24 teams consist of the 22 highest-to-lowest-ranked teams eliminated in the second round, and the two teams that advanced from the play-off round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification which were contested by the remaining 4 teams eliminated in the second round.[8]

Europe[]

The European qualification was changed from the 2010 to 2018 systems. The 55 national teams were divided into five groups of six teams and five groups of five, with the group winners qualifying directly to the finals.

The introduction of the new UEFA Nations League partly changed the qualifying format. Two teams based on the Nations League overall ranking that finished outside the top two of their qualifying group joined the group runners-up to make it 12 teams drawn into three paths, playing two rounds of single-match ties in each path (semi-finals and final, with the home teams to be drawn), for the remaining three places.[9][10]

North and Central America and Caribbean[]

The 2022 CONCACAF qualification process changed significantly from the 2018 qualification cycle. There were two separate preliminary group stages, one containing the five highest-ranked teams and another for the 29 lowest-ranked teams, based on the July 2020 FIFA rankings. The first round had the remaining 29 teams divided into six groups of five teams. The winners of each group advanced to a knockout phase that was played in a two-legged home-and-away series. The three knockout phase winners advanced to the third round which had eight teams involved, five of which already qualified due to the July 2020 rankings, to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The top three teams advance to the World Cup finals, while the fourth-placed side will enter the inter-continental play-offs.

Oceania[]

Qualification in Oceania was finalised to be played in the World Cup host country, Qatar: The two lowest-ranked OFC teams in the November 2021 rankings were to play a qualifying match that was cancelled, from which the remaining team entered the first stage that has two groups of four teams each. The top two in each group advance to the second stage where four teams contest a knockout phase, to be played in a one-legged series. The two semi-final winners enter a single-match final. The winner of this final advances to an inter-confederation play-off for a World Cup spot.

South America[]

As in the previous qualification series CONMEBOL qualification consists of a single group of all entrants. Unlike qualifying tournaments where the fixtures were pre-determined as applied until the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, the fixtures were determined by a draw held on 17 December 2019.[11]

The top four teams from the 10-team group advance to the World Cup finals, while the fifth placed team enters an inter-confederation play-off for a World Cup spot.

Intercontinental play-offs[]

Like the previous 2018 tournament, the pairings for the two play-offs were determined by an open draw on 26 November 2021. But for the first time and on a neutral ground, intercontinental play-offs are played as single-leg ties.

Qualification tournament rules[]

Qualification tournaments generally consist of a number of stages, made up of groups or knock-out ties.

Groups[]

In all group tournaments, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. FIFA has set the order of the tie-breakers for teams that finish level on points:

  1. goal difference in all group matches
  2. greater number of goals scored in all group matches

Where teams are still not able to be separated, the following tie-breakers are used:

  1. greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams
  2. goal difference in matches between the tied teams
  3. greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams
  4. goals scored away from home in matches between the tied teams, if the tie is only between two teams

Where teams are still equal, then a play-off on neutral ground, with extra time and penalties if necessary will be played if FIFA deems such a play-off able to be fitted within the coordinated international match calendar. If this is not deemed feasible, then the result will be determined by fair play points and then the drawing of lots.

Note that this order of tie-breaker application has not always been applied. While it was used in the 2010 qualifiers, the qualification for the 2006 World Cup used the head-to-head comparison prior to goal difference (although this system was – where applicable – used in the 2006 finals themselves). If these rules had applied in 2006, then Nigeria would have qualified rather than Angola.

Home-and-away ties[]

Most knock-out qualifiers (such as the inter-confederation play-offs and many preliminary ties) are played over two legs. The team that scores a greater aggregate number of goals qualifies. Away goals rule applies. If these rules fail to determine the winner, extra time and penalty shootouts are used.

Occasionally – usually when one entrant lacks adequate facilities to host international matches – ties are played over a single leg, in which case matches level after 90 minutes will go to extra time and then to a penalty shootout if required.

Alternatively, "home" matches can be played in neutral countries, or occasionally one team will host both matches. In the latter case the visiting team will still be considered as the "home" team for one of the legs – which may determine which side advances under the away goals rule, as occurred in CONCACAF qualification in 2010.

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ The notation used in the logo for the qualifiers is "European Qualifiers"
  2. ^ The notation used in the logo for the qualifiers is "AFC Asian Qualifiers"
  3. ^ The notation used in the logo for the qualifiers is "CONCACAF Qualifiers"

References[]

  1. ^ "Fifa makes major policy shift". BBC News. 30 November 2001.
  2. ^ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained" (Press release). FIFA. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Africa calls for FIFA to increase World Cup places". Ahram Online. Reuters. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  4. ^ "New Fifa chief backs 48-team World Cup". heraldlive. 7 October 2016. It's an idea, just as the World Cup with 40 teams is already on the table with groups of four or five teams.
  5. ^ "World Cup could expand to 48 teams, Fifa's Gianni Infantino suggests". The Guardian. 3 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Fifa approves Infantino's plan to expand World Cup to 48 teams from 2026". The Guardian. 10 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Line-up for AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Qualifiers Final Round unveiled". AFC. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Game changer: group stage for UEFA Women's Champions League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  10. ^ "2022 World Cup qualifying: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  11. ^ "FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers: draws to take centre stage in South America and Africa". FIFA. 11 December 2019.

External links[]

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