AI Predicts the 48 Teams That Will Qualify for the 2026 World Cup
The countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is on, and with the new 48-team format, the qualification process is more exciting than ever. We’ve used our AI model to analyze the current state of the qualification campaign and predict the final 48-team field.
Our AI model takes into account a variety of factors, including:
- Current FIFA rankings
- Historical performance
- Team form
- Group composition
- Remaining fixtures
So, which teams are predicted to make it to the 2026 World Cup? Let's take a deep dive into the AI-powered predictions.
Already Qualified
The following teams have already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
- Canada (Host)
- Mexico (Host)
- United States (Host)
- Iran
- Uzbekistan
- South Korea
- Jordan
- Japan
- Australia
- Argentina
- Ecuador
- Brazil
- New Zealand
The Projected 48-Team Field
Here is the final projected 48-team field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to our AI model:
AFC (8)
- Australia
- Iran
- Japan
- Jordan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Uzbekistan
CAF (9)
- Algeria
- Cape Verde
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Morocco
- South Africa
- Tunisia
CONCACAF (6)
- Canada (Host)
- Mexico (Host)
- United States (Host)
- Costa Rica
- Jamaica
- Panama
CONMEBOL (7)
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
- Venezuela (Inter-Confederation Play-off)
OFC (1)
- New Zealand
UEFA (16)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Norway (Play-off)
- Poland (Play-off)
- Serbia (Play-off)
- Ukraine (Play-off)
Inter-Confederation Play-off (1)
- Senegal (CAF)
Biggest Surprises and Snubs
Our AI model has produced a few surprising results, as well as some notable snubs.
Surprises
- Uzbekistan and Jordan: Both teams are projected to make their World Cup debuts, which would be a historic achievement for both nations.
- Cape Verde: The small island nation is predicted to top a tough group that includes Cameroon.
- Venezuela: La Vinotinto are projected to finally make their World Cup debut after winning the inter-confederation play-off.
Snubs
- Nigeria: The Super Eagles are projected to miss out on the World Cup after a poor qualification campaign.
- Chile and Peru: The two South American powerhouses are both projected to miss out on the tournament.
- Sweden: The Swedes are projected to be eliminated in the UEFA play-offs.
How Accurate Are These Predictions?
It's important to remember that these are just predictions, and they are not guaranteed to be accurate. The qualification process is long and unpredictable, and there are still many matches to be played.
However, our AI model has been trained on a massive dataset of historical football data, and it has been shown to be highly accurate in predicting the outcome of football matches.
We will continue to update our predictions as the qualification campaign progresses, so be sure to check back for the latest updates.
See the Predicted Team Pots
Now that you know which teams are predicted to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, you can see how they are seeded into the four pots for the group stage draw.