The qualifying process for the 2026 World Cup, which began just over two years ago with 206 countries in the running, is closing in on a dramatic conclusion.

The latest nation to book its place is Tunisia, who clinched the top spot in their African qualifying group with a 1-0 win at Equatorial Guinea. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane's stoppage-time goal gave the "Eagles of Carthage" an unassailable lead over Namibia, sending Tunisia to a seventh World Cup.

Elsewhere, living to fight another day was enough to set off wild celebrations. On Tuesday, Bolivia came back from the brink to secure a spot in the intercontinental playoff in March 2026, defeating Brazil for only the second time ever. That 1-0 home win, combined with Venezuela's absurd 6-3 home loss to Colombia, was enough for Bolivia to keep hope alive for at least the next few months.

In Europe, Italy's 5-4 win on Monday over Israel still left the four-time World Cup winners in a difficult position, with Norway leading their group by six points. There are still a few games left to play, but the "Azzurri" are in a battle just to qualify for the playoff round, much less secure a direct place in next summer's tournament. Regular qualifiers like Cameroon and Saudi Arabia are in similarly tense situations, while Nigeria and Sweden are longshots at this point.

Here's what to know about the teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, which teams could be next to clinch a berth, and a breakdown of how many places each of the world's regions gets:

Who has qualified for World Cup 2026?

The 2026 World Cup will include 48 teams, a huge jump up from the 32 that participated in Qatar 2022. With September's qualifiers wrapped up, 18 nations have qualified.

Here is a complete list of every country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as of Wednesday, Sept. 10:

  • Host nations: Canada, Mexico, United States
  • Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan
  • Africa: Morocco, Tunisia
  • Concacaf: None yet
  • Europe: None yet
  • Oceania: New Zealand
  • South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

World Cup qualifying: Who could clinch a 2026 spot next?

World Cup qualifying is approaching its zenith, though each confederation's schedule and process come with variations. That said, seven African nations could claim their places at the 2026 World Cup in the next round of games, which will take place in early October:

  • Algeria: Group G could be settled in the next matchday should Algeria win at Somalia, or if Uganda loses at Botswana. If Uganda keeps the door open, this will come down to a one-game showdown, with Algeria hosting Uganda on the final day of play.
  • Cape Verde: Tuesday's 1-0 win over Cameroon has the "Blue Sharks" within one more win of a first-ever World Cup berth. In October, they'll face Libya away before a home game against last-place, already-eliminated Eswatini.
  • Egypt: With two games left to play, Egypt leads Group A by five points over Burkina Faso. One more win, or two draws, or a loss by Burkina Faso would clinch qualification for "the Pharoahs."
  • Ghana: It's been a rocky road for Ghana, but a road win against Central African Republic and a stumble from Madagascar in the October window will see the "Black Stars" claim a spot at what would be the nation's fifth men's World Cup.
  • Ivory Coast: A win at Seychelles (who have lost all eight of their qualifiers thus far, with a minus-37 goal difference) combined with a loss for Gabon would book a World Cup spot for "the Elephants."
  • Senegal: The "Lions of Teranga" could qualify on the next matchday in Group B. Senegal needs a road win over South Sudan combined with DR Congo failing to win at Togo to open an insurmountable lead.
  • South Africa: A win at Zimbabwe in October would put South Africa within one more result of qualifying. If Benin were to fail to beat Rwanda on the road, that would seal the deal.

World Cup qualifiers: How many spots for each region?

Here is a complete breakdown of how FIFA divided all 48 berths at the 2026 World Cup:

  • Host nations (3): Canada, Mexico, and the United States all qualified as soon as they were picked to host the tournament.
  • Asia (8): Six Asian countries have qualified. The Asian Football Confederation's fourth round (which will settle who claims the final two automatic bids) begins on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
  • Africa (9): African qualifying sorted 54 countries into nine groups of six (though Eritrea withdrew from Group E before play began). Group winners all qualify, while the best four runners-up will have a pathway to the intercontinental playoff. Two berths have already been claimed.
  • Concacaf (3): The region's third round — featuring three groups of four — began on Thursday, Sept. 4. Group winners qualify directly, while the two best runners-up will enter the intercontinental playoff.
  • Europe (16): UEFA qualifying features 54 teams broken up into 12 groups. Group winners qualify for the World Cup, while the second-place finishers (along with the top four teams from the UEFA Nations League who didn't win their qualifying groups) will enter a playoff for Europe's final four berths that is set for March 2026.
  • Oceania (1): New Zealand has already claimed Oceania's only guaranteed berth at the 2026 World Cup.
  • South America (6): CONMEBOL's marathon qualifying tournament has concluded, with six teams getting places at the World Cup. A seventh (Bolivia) claimed the region's spot in the intercontinental playoff.
  • Intercontinental playoff (2): New Caledonia and Bolivia have locked in spots in what will be a six-team tournament scheduled for March 2026.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What teams are qualified for 2026 World Cup? Full list, latest updates

Reporting by Jason Anderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect