Pre-tournament favourites
Eight nations priced as serious title contenders by our partner books — full profile pages with squad, coach, history and live outright odds.
All 48 nations by group
Twelve groups of four. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-place teams advance to the Round of 32.
Group A · Mexico City / Guadalajara
- Mexico (co-host)
- South Korea
- Czechia
- South Africa
Group B · Toronto / Vancouver
- Canada (co-host)
- Switzerland
- Qatar
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
Group D · Los Angeles / Vancouver
- United States (co-host)
- Paraguay
- Türkiye
- Australia
Group E · Houston / Philadelphia
Group F · AT&T / Monterrey
Group G · Seattle / Inglewood
Group H · Atlanta / Miami
Group K · Houston / Mexico City
By confederation
UEFA (Europe) — 16 nations
France, Spain, England, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy (via playoff), Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Croatia, Türkiye, Czechia, Bosnia.
CONMEBOL (South America) — 7 nations
Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay — six automatic + Bolivia or Venezuela via intercontinental playoff.
CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean) — 6 nations
USA, Canada, Mexico (co-hosts), Panama, Haiti, Curaçao. Jamaica progressed via playoff.
AFC (Asia) — 8 nations
Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Uzbekistan (debut), Iraq.
CAF (Africa) — 9 nations
Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, Tunisia, DR Congo, Cape Verde (debut).
OFC (Oceania) — 1 nation
New Zealand. First Oceanian World Cup qualifier since the 2010 cycle.
FAQ
How many teams are at the 2026 World Cup?
48 nations — the first expanded World Cup since the 32-team format was introduced in 1998. The expanded format adds 16 additional national teams compared to Qatar 2022, including World Cup debuts for Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, and decade-plus returns for Haiti (52 years), Iraq (40 years), Norway (28 years) and Scotland (28 years).
Which teams are the favourites to win World Cup 2026?
France are the consensus favourites at outright odds around 4.0, followed by Argentina (5.5, defending champions), England (7.0), Spain (7.5), Brazil (9.0), Portugal (11.0), Germany (13.0) and the Netherlands (16.0). The market reflects France's squad depth, Argentina's title defence, and the historic title droughts of England (60 years) and the Netherlands (zero).
Which teams are making their World Cup debut in 2026?
Four nations are making their first ever World Cup appearance: Cape Verde (population 0.5 million — smallest by population to qualify), Curaçao (population 156,115 — smallest by population for any host or qualifier), Jordan (Asian Cup runners-up 2024), and Uzbekistan (first Central Asian World Cup qualifier in history).
How does the 48-team format work?
Twelve groups of four. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-place teams (across all twelve groups) advance to a Round of 32. From there it's standard single-elimination: R32 → R16 → Quarter-finals → Semi-finals → Final + Third-place play-off. The total number of matches is 104, up from 64 in the 32-team format.