On the eve of the third anniversary of the kick-off of Qatar 2022, 42 of the expanded 48-team World Cup for 2026 have been filled up. Expectedly all past six winners made the cut along with the three host countries.

There are four debutants. The debutants may still increase when the Inter-Continental Play-Off is played next March. Teams such as Suriname and News Caledonia may spring surprises.

The debutants are Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao. The latter, Curaco are not just debutants, thetiny island nation, a self-governing part of the Netherlands with a population of little more than 150,000, becomes the smallest country to qualify for the World Cup.

The 42 already qualified are:

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1.    UNITED STATES

Taking part as hosts

Best performance: Third place (1930)

• MEXICO:

Taking part as hosts

Best performance: Quarter-finals (1970, 1986)

• CANADA:

Taking part as hosts

Best performance: Group stage (1986, 2022)

• JAPAN

Qualified on: March 20

Best performance: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022)

• NEW ZEALAND

Qualified on: March 24

Best performance: Group stage (1982, 2010)

• IRAN

Qualified on: March 25

Best performance: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)

• ARGENTINA

Qualified on: March 25

Best performance: Winners (1978, 1986, 2022)

• UZBEKISTAN

Qualified on: June 5

Best performance: Never previously qualified

• SOUTH KOREA

Qualified on: June 5

Best performance: Fourth place (2002)

1. JORDAN

Qualified on: June 5

Best performance: Never previously qualified

1. AUSTRALIA

Qualified on: June 10

Best performance: Round of 16 (2006, 2022)

1. BRAZIL

Qualified on: June 10

Best performance: Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)

1. ECUADOR

Qualified on: June 10

Best performance: Round of 16 (2006)

1. URUGUAY

Qualified on: September 4

Best performance: Winners (1930, 1950)

1. COLOMBIA

Qualified on: September 4

Best performance: Quarter-finals (2014)

1. PARAGUAY

Qualified on: September 4

Best performance: Quarter-finals (2010)

1. MOROCCO

Qualified on: September 5

Best performance: Semi-finals (2022)

1. TUNISIA

Qualified on: September 8

Best performance: Group Stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022)

1. EGYPT

Qualified on: October 8

Best performance: Round of 16 (1934)

• ALGERIA

Qualified on: October 9

Best performance: Round of 16 (2014)

• GHANA

Qualified on: October 12

Best performance: Quarter-finals (2010)

• CAPE VERDE

Qualified on: October 13

Best performance: Never previously qualified

• SOUTH AFRICA

Qualified on: October 14

Best performance: Group stage (1998, 2002, 2010)

• QATAR

Qualified on: October 14

Best performance: Group stage (2022)

• ENGLAND

Qualified on: October 14

Best performance: Winners (1966)

• SAUDI ARABIA

Qualified on: October 14

Best performance: Round of 16 (1994)

• COTE D’IVOIRE

Qualified on: October 14

Best performance: Group stage (2006, 2010, 2014)

• SENEGAL

Qualified on: October 14

Best performance: Quarter-finals (2002)

• FRANCE

Qualified on: November 13

Best performance: Winners (1998, 2018)

• CROATIA

Qualified on: November 14

Best performance: Runners-up (2018)

• PORTUGAL

Qualified on November 16

Best performance: Third place (1966)

• NORWAY

Qualified on November 16

Best performance: Round of 16 (1938, 1998)

• GERMANY

Qualified on November 17

Best performance: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)

• NETHERLANDS

Qualified on November 17

Best performance: Runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010)

• BELGIUM

Qualified on November 18

Best performance: Third place (2018)

• AUSTRIA

Qualified on November 18

Best performance: Third place (1954)

• SWITZERLAND

Qualified on November 18

Best performance: Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)

• SPAIN

Qualified on November 18

Best performance: Winners (2010)

• SCOTLAND

Qualified on November 18

Best performance: Group stage (1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998)

• PANAMA

Qualified on November 19

Best performance: Group stage (2018)

• HAITI

Qualified on November 19

Best performance: Group stage (1974)

• CURACAO

Qualified on November 19

Best performance: Never previously qualified

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At the age of 78, Dick Advocaat is set to be the oldest coach at a World Cup after his Curacao team held out for a dramatic draw in Jamaica and qualified for a first-ever finals appearance.

The much-travelled Advocaat has coached seven other national teams, including three stints in charge of his native Netherlands with whom he went as far as the World Cup quarter finals in 1994. However, taking Curacao to the World Cup might be his greatest achievement.

The tiny island nation, a self-governing part of the Netherlands with a population of little more than 150,000, is the smallest country to qualify for football’s premier showcase.

Advocaat took charge of the team in January last year. However, he had to watch them complete the job from afar having left the squad shortly after they arrived in Jamaica at the weekend to return to his home in The Hague for what the Curacao federation said were “family reasons”.

Ahead of the match, Advocaat in a statement said, “It’s a very difficult decision to have to leave the boys here. I had to make this decision with a heavy heart, but family is more important than football.

From the Netherlands, I will stay in close contact with the staff and I have complete confidence in this group of players.”

It was 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning in the Netherlands when Advocaat sat down to watch the team, keeping in telephone contact with team manager Wouter Jansen, who passed his instructions on to assistant coaches Dean Gorre and Cor Pot at halftime, Dutch media reported.

Curacao led a charmed existence at a packed Independence Park as Jamaica hit the woodwork three times in the second half, although they did have their chances at the other end and kept Jamaica’s veteran goalkeeper Andre Blake busy.

The fairytale looked shattered in the fourth of the five minutes added on at the end of the game when Curacao substitute Jeremy Antonisse appeared to have brought down Isaac Hayden and the El Salvador referee Ivan Barton immediately pointed to the spot.

But the referee was quickly encouraged by the VAR officials to check the incident on the small touchline screen and without hesitation reversed his own decision to the consternation of the crowd.

Curacao’s delight was confirmed minutes later when the final whistle blew to start their celebrations, with the world having to wait until later on Wednesday for Advocaat’s reaction.

The oldest person to coach at the World Cup is German Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 years and 317 days old when he managed Greece in their final group game against Argentina in South Africa in 2010.

-Reuters

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Nigerian football fans planning to attend the FIFA World Cup in the United States next year may find the journey easier, following a new joint announcement by FIFA and the U.S. government introducing priority visa-appointment slots for match-ticket holders.

The initiative—known as the FIFA PASS—will allow fans who already possess World Cup tickets to fast-track their visa interview appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates. The system is designed to help supporters secure visas in time for the 2026 tournament, which will run from June 11 to July 19 across 11 cities in the United States, with additional matches in Mexico and Canada.

Although the programme is open to all nationalities, it could prove particularly significant for Nigerians, who have historically faced some of the longest visa-processing delays. Many supporters missed major competitions in recent years due to appointment backlogs and slow processing times.

Speaking at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump said the government was committed to ensuring that “soccer fans from all around the world are properly vetted and able to come to the U.S. next summer easily.” He noted that the administration had accelerated visa issuance globally, reducing typical wait times to 60 days or fewer.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that the State Department had deployed 400 additional consular officers—doubling staff capacity in some countries—to meet expected demand and speed up processing.

“The U.S. is offering prioritized appointments so fans can complete their visa interviews and show they qualify,” Rubio said.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who joined the announcement, estimated that between 5 million and 10 million fans could travel to the U.S. for the tournament. Already, more than one million tickets have been purchased by supporters from 212 countries, according to FIFA.

For Nigerian fans—who traditionally travel in large numbers for major tournaments—this move could ease one of their biggest concerns: the fear of securing match tickets only to be denied timely visa appointments.

FIFA said ticket buyers will receive detailed information on how to access the priority visa-appointment system in early 2026.

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