David GOMBE
Thirty nine nations have qualified for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup which is being hosted across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
On Tuesday, five more European countries secured slots at the global showpiece.
Scotland, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and 2010 winners Spain all confirmed spots at next year’s tournament.
Scotland and Austria return to the competition for the first time since 1998 which is almost three decades.
Overall 39 nations have now qualified for the competition due to be staged in North America.
Curacao is among the 39 nations that will be at the 2026 World Cup. The tiny Caribbean island become the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup after drawing with Steve McClaren’s Jamaica.
Nine slots remain to complete the 48 teams that will be at the World Cup. These are to be determined through playoffs that will be held in March next year.
Teams through to 2026 World Cup
Hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States
Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan
Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Oceania: New Zealand
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
North and Central America and the Caribbean: Curacao, Panama and Haiti
