International qualifiers are tournaments that thin the field of teams competing in a major soccer championship. These events are overseen by the international governing body of soccer, FIFA, and involve several rounds of matches in different formats. The winner of each round gains access to the final tournament, while runners-up may qualify through a playoff system.
Ahead of the final qualifying round for 2026, we take a look at how things are shaping up across the globe. In Europe, most of the 55 European nations that have not already qualified have begun their campaign. Groups of four or five teams play each other home and away in a series of games, with the winners of each group earning a place at the final tournament.
In Concacaf, England moved a step closer to a place at the World Cup after their 5-0 statement win in Serbia. Rino Gattuso’s Azzurri now face a tough test of their credentials when they travel to Norway for the next leg in November.
In Asia, Uzbekistan boosted their hopes of making the finals by drawing 1-1 in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. That result means they now sit second in their group, level with Iran on 23 points, and will qualify if they can defeat Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the final two fixtures. Elsewhere, Qatar and Indonesia have a chance to secure the fourth and final spot from their group by beating Oman and Saudi Arabia in their respective final rounds.