Biggest-Ever World Cup Line-up Confirmed as Iraq Snatch Final Spot

Following the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the full line-up of 48 teams has been confirmed, marking the largest World Cup in history.

Iraq secured the final berth by defeating Bolivia in the play-off at Monterrey Stadium, Mexico, joining Group I alongside France, Senegal and Norway. This brings to an end a global qualifying campaign spanning 937 days and 899 matches.

In Europe, the final four spots were decided via play-offs, with Czechia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye and Sweden qualifying for Groups A, B, D and F respectively. Meanwhile, DR Congo beat Jamaica 1-0 in Mexico to claim a place in Group K, where they will face Portugal on 17 June.

The qualifiers were highly competitive, with Iraq playing a record 21 matches, while Bolivia, the UAE and Indonesia each played 20. Iraq’s Aymen Hussein scored the final goal of the campaign, bringing the total to 2,527 goals at an average of 2.8 per game.

The play-off tournament also served as a test event for World Cup venues, drawing 163,799 spectators across matches in Guadalajara and Monterrey. The finals will take place from 11 June to 19 July 2026 across 16 host cities in the US, Canada and Mexico, featuring 104 matches and expected to attract over six million fans in stadiums and six billion viewers worldwide.

In scheduling updates, the Türkiye vs Paraguay match on 19 June has been moved one hour earlier to 11:00 PM ET, while Brazil vs Haiti will now kick off at 8:30 PM ET.