FIFA World Cup qualification

The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the final tournament of the FIFA World Cup. The qualification reduces the large field of eligible entrants from 211 to just 32 for the finals as of the 2022 edition (to be expanded to 48 from 2026 onwards).

Qualifying tournaments are held within FIFA's six continental zones and are organized by their respective confederations: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe). For each World Cup, FIFA decides beforehand the number of places in the finals allocated to each of the zones, based on the numbers and relative strengths of the confederations' teams.

The hosts receive automatic berths, and until 2002, so did the defending champions. Unlike with other sports, results of the previous World Cups or of the continental championships are not taken into account.

The current qualification process is the 2022 qualification, which commenced in 2019 and finishes in 2022.

History

Over many years, the World Cup's qualification has evolved, from having no qualification at all in 1930, when the tournament was invitational and only 13 teams entered, to the current three-year process. The first World Cup qualifying match was played on 11 June when Sweden defeated Estonia 6–2 in Stockholm. The first ever goal in a World Cup qualifying match was scored 7 minutes into the game: it was scored according to some sources by Swedish captain Knut Kroon, or according to other sources by Estonian goalkeeper Evald Tipner (own goal).

While the number of teams which qualified for the finals has increased steadily, from 16 between 1934 and 1978, to 24 between 1982 and 1994, and finally to 32 starting from 1998, the qualification format has been basically the same throughout the history of the World Cup. The teams have been grouped continentally, and they competed for a fixed number of places, with one or two places awarded to the winners of intercontinental play-offs.

Qualification spots by continent

The table below lists the numbers of spots allocated by FIFA for each continent in each tournament. It also shows the total number of teams that entered and played in every qualification cycle.

"H" denotes an automatic spot for the host, "C" denotes an automatic spot for the defending champion, and "inv" indicates the number of teams that were invited in 1930. Places in intercontinental play-offs are represented as fractions, with a place in a direct play-off being counted as 0.5 spots and a place in a semi-final play-off (where the winner would then face yet another team for a place in the finals) being counted as 0.25 spots.

Places allocated for continents

	1930 [lower-greek 1]	1934	1938	1950	1954	1958	1962	1966	1970	1974	1978	1982	1986	1990	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018	2022	2026
Europe	4 inv	12	11 +H+C	7 +C	11 +H	9[lower-greek 2] +H+C	8+ 2×0.5	9 +H	8 +C	8.5 +H	8.5 +C	13 +H	12.5 +C	13 +H	12 +C	14 +H	13.5 +C	13 +H	13	13	13 +H	13	16
Africa	—	1		0[lower-greek 3]		1[lower-greek 2]	0.5	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	5	5	5	5 +H	5	5	5	9
Asia	—		1	1	1		0.5		1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3.5	2.5 +2H	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5 +H	8
Oceania	N/A[lower-greek 4]			0[lower-greek 3]	0[lower-greek 3]	0[lower-greek 3]	0[lower-greek 3]						0.5	0.5	0.25	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	1
North and Central America and Caribbean	2 inv	1	1	2	1	1	0.5	1	1 +H	1	1	2	1 +H	2	1.25 +H	3	3	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	6
South America	H+ 6 inv	2	1	4 +H	1 +C	3	3.5 +H+C	3 +C	3	2.5 +C	2.5 +H	3 +C	4	2.5 +C	3.5	4 +C	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5 +H	4.5	4.5	6
Play-off tournament	N/A																						2
Total spots	13	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	24	24	24	24	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	48
Teams in the finals			15[lower-greek 5]	13[lower-greek 6]
Entered qualification[lower-greek 7]	N/A	32	34	32	37	51	54	69	69	97	105	107	119	111	145	172	196	197	205[lower-greek 8]	203	210	211[lower-greek 9]
Played in qualification[lower-greek 10]		27	21	19	33	46	49	51	68	90	95	103	110	103	128	168	193	194	199[lower-greek 8]	202	208	211[lower-greek 9]
Qualified via qualification		14	10	9	13	14	14	14	14	14	14	22	22	22	22	30	29	31	31	31	31	31
Qualified without playing	13	2	6	7	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	1	1	1	1	1

Notes

1. Spots were given by invitation only.
2. Actually the spots were taken by 10 European teams and no African or Asian ones. After Israel won the African/Asian zone without playing due to withdrawals of other teams, a special play-off was arranged between them and a European team, Wales, and was won by Wales.
3. None entered.
4. No teams from the region were members of FIFA before 1950.
5. Austria withdrew after having qualified.
6. India, Scotland and Turkey withdrew after having qualified. France initially accepted to participate as a replacement but then withdrew as well.
7. Includes all teams that entered qualification, even if they withdrew or were excluded afterwards, or qualified by walkover. Does not include pre-determined automatic qualifiers.
8. Including host South Africa and non-FIFA member Tuvalu, who participated because other tournaments also served as World Cup qualifiers.
9. Including host Qatar, who participated because the continental qualification also served as World Cup qualifiers.
10. Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled.

First appearance in qualification by team

Only teams that played at least one match are considered for the purposes of first appearance. Teams that withdrew prior to the qualification, or that qualified to the World Cup by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals, are not considered.

Year	Debuting teams								Successor and renamed teams
	Europe	South America	North, Central America and Caribbean	Asia	Africa	Oceania	T	CT
1934	Austria  Belgium[lower-alpha 1]  Bulgaria  Czechoslovakia[upper-alpha 1]  Estonia  France[lower-alpha 2]  Germany[upper-alpha 2]  Greece  Hungary  Irish Free State[upper-alpha 3]  Italy[N 1]  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Netherlands  Poland  Portugal  Romania[lower-alpha 3]  Spain  Sweden   Switzerland  Yugoslavia[lower-alpha 4][upper-alpha 4]	none	Cuba  Haiti  Mexico[lower-alpha 5]  United States[lower-alpha 6]	Palestine, British Mandate[upper-alpha 5]	Egypt[upper-alpha 6]	none	27	27
1938	Finland  Latvia  Norway	none	none	none	none	none	3	30
1950	England  Ireland[upper-alpha 7]  Scotland  Turkey[lower-alpha 7]  Wales	none	none	Syria	none	none	6	36	Ireland[upper-alpha 3]  Israel[upper-alpha 5]
1954	Saar	Brazil[lower-alpha 8]  Chile[lower-alpha 9]  Paraguay[lower-alpha 10]	none	Japan[lower-alpha 11]  South Korea	none	none	6	42	Northern Ireland[upper-alpha 7]  Republic of Ireland[upper-alpha 3]  West Germany[upper-alpha 2]
1958	Denmark  East Germany  Iceland  Soviet Union[upper-alpha 8]	Argentina[lower-alpha 12]  Bolivia[lower-alpha 13]  Colombia[lower-alpha 14]  Peru[lower-alpha 15]  Uruguay[lower-alpha 16]	Canada  Costa Rica[lower-alpha 17]  Guatemala  Territory of Curaçao[upper-alpha 9]	China PR  Indonesia[lower-alpha 18]	Sudan	none	16	58
1962	Cyprus[lower-alpha 19]	Ecuador[lower-alpha 20]	Dutch Guiana[lower-alpha 21][upper-alpha 10]  Honduras	none	Ethiopia  Ghana  Morocco  Nigeria  Tunisia	none	9	67	Netherlands Antilles[upper-alpha 9]
1966	Albania	Venezuela[lower-alpha 22]	Jamaica  Trinidad and Tobago	North Korea	none	Australia	6	73
1970	none	none	Bermuda  El Salvador[lower-alpha 23]	none	Algeria[lower-alpha 24]  Cameroon[lower-alpha 25]  Libya[lower-alpha 26]  Rhodesia[upper-alpha 11]  Senegal[lower-alpha 27]  Zambia	New Zealand	9	82
1974	Malta	none	Antigua and Barbuda  Puerto Rico	Hong Kong  Iran  Iraq  Kuwait  Malaysia  South Vietnam[upper-alpha 12]  Thailand	Congo  Dahomey[upper-alpha 13]  Guinea[lower-alpha 28]  Ivory Coast  Kenya  Lesotho  Mauritius  Sierra Leone  Tanzania  Togo  Zaire[upper-alpha 14]	none	21	103
1978	none	none	Barbados  Dominican Republic  Guyana  Panama	Bahrain  Qatar  Republic of China[lower-alpha 29][upper-alpha 15]  Saudi Arabia  Singapore	Malawi  Mauritania  Niger  Uganda  Upper Volta[upper-alpha 16]	none	14	117	Suriname[upper-alpha 10]
1982	none	none	Grenada	Macau	Gambia  Liberia[lower-alpha 30]  Madagascar[lower-alpha 31]  Mozambique  Somalia	Fiji	8	125	Chinese Taipei[upper-alpha 15]  Zimbabwe[upper-alpha 11]
1986	none	none	none	Bangladesh  Brunei  Jordan  India[lower-alpha 32]    Nepal  North Yemen[upper-alpha 17]  South Yemen  United Arab Emirates[lower-alpha 33]	Angola	none	9	134	Benin[upper-alpha 13]
1990	none	none	none	Oman[lower-alpha 34]  Pakistan	Gabon[lower-alpha 35]	none	3	137	Burkina Faso[upper-alpha 16]
1994	Faroe Islands  San Marino	none	Nicaragua  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Lebanon[lower-alpha 36]  Sri Lanka[lower-alpha 37]	Botswana  Burundi  Namibia  South Africa  Swaziland[upper-alpha 18]	Solomon Islands  Tahiti  Vanuatu	15	152	Germany[upper-alpha 2]  Representation of Czechs and Slovaks[upper-alpha 1]  Russia[upper-alpha 8]  Vietnam[upper-alpha 12]  Yemen[upper-alpha 17]
1998	Armenia  Azerbaijan  Belarus  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Croatia  Georgia  Liechtenstein[lower-alpha 38]  Macedonia[upper-alpha 19]  Moldova  Slovakia  Slovenia  Ukraine	none	Aruba  Belize  Cayman Islands  Dominica  Saint Kitts and Nevis	Cambodia  Kazakhstan  Kyrgyzstan  Maldives[lower-alpha 39]  Philippines[lower-alpha 40]  Tajikistan  Turkmenistan  Uzbekistan	Guinea-Bissau  Rwanda[lower-alpha 41]	Cook Islands  Papua New Guinea  Tonga  Western Samoa[lower-alpha 42][upper-alpha 20]	31	183	Czech Republic[upper-alpha 1]  DR Congo[upper-alpha 14]  FR Yugoslavia[upper-alpha 4]
2002	Andorra	none	Anguilla  Bahamas[lower-alpha 43]  British Virgin Islands  Montserrat  Turks and Caicos Islands  U.S. Virgin Islands	Guam  Laos  Mongolia  Palestine	Cape Verde  Central African Republic[lower-alpha 44]  Chad  Djibouti  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Mali[lower-alpha 45]  São Tomé and Príncipe[lower-alpha 46]  Seychelles	American Samoa	21	204	Samoa[upper-alpha 20]
2006	none	none	none	Afghanistan	none	New Caledonia	2	206	Serbia and Montenegro[upper-alpha 4]
2010	Montenegro	none	none	Myanmar[lower-alpha 47]  Timor-Leste	Comoros	Tuvalu[N 2]	5	211	Serbia[upper-alpha 4]
2014	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	211	Curaçao[upper-alpha 9]
2018	Gibraltar  Kosovo	none	none	Bhutan[lower-alpha 48]	South Sudan	none	4	215
2022	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215	Eswatini[upper-alpha 18]  North Macedonia[upper-alpha 19]

Successor and renamed teams

1. The Czechoslovakia team was officially renamed as the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks during the 1994 qualification, and was then succeeded by the Czech Republic from the 1998 qualification.
2. Germany was succeeded from the 1954 qualification by West Germany, which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1994 qualification.
3. The Irish Free State was succeeded in the 1950 qualification by Ireland, which became officially known as the Republic of Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
4. Yugoslavia was succeeded from the 1998 qualification by FR Yugoslavia, which was renamed as Serbia and Montenegro for the 2006 qualification and was then succeeded by Serbia from the 2010 qualification.
5. Mandatory Palestine was succeeded by Israel from the 1950 qualification.
6. Egypt was later succeeded by the  United Arab Republic, a political union between Egypt and Syria, which entered the 1962 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. Then, Egypt entered the 1966 qualification independently but still under the name "United Arab Republic", but withdrew yet again before playing any matches. The team's first appearance after it changed its name back to Egypt came in 1974.
7. Ireland was succeeded by Northern Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
8. The Soviet Union was succeeded by Russia from the 1994 qualification.
9. The Territory of Curaçao was succeeded from the 1962 qualification by the Netherlands Antilles, which in turn was succeeded by Curaçao from the 2014 qualification.
10. Dutch Guiana was succeeded by Suriname from the 1978 qualification.
11. Rhodesia was succeeded by Zimbabwe from the 1982 qualification.
12. South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1994 qualification.
13. Dahomey was renamed as Benin from the 1986 qualification.
14. Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification.
15. The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1982 qualification.
16. Upper Volta was renamed as Burkina Faso from the 1990 qualification.
17. North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.
18. Swaziland was renamed as Eswatini from the 2022 qualification.
19. Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2022 qualification.
20. Western Samoa was renamed as Samoa from the 2002 qualification.

Teams' entries prior to their actual debuts in qualification

1. Belgium participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
2. France participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
3. Romania participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
4. Yugoslavia participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
5. Mexico participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
6. The United States participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
7. Turkey entered the 1934 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
8. Brazil participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. It then entered the 1934 and 1938 qualifications, but on both occasions qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals. It also qualified automatically for the 1950 World Cup as host.
9. Chile participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. It then entered the 1934 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. It also entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals.
10. Paraguay participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. It also entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals.
11. Japan entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
12. Argentina participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. It then entered the 1934 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals. It also entered the 1938 and 1950 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
13. Bolivia participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. It also entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals.
14. Colombia entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
15. Peru participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. It also entered the 1934, 1950 and 1954 qualifications, but on all three occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
16. Uruguay participated in the 1930 World Cup as host. It then entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals. It also qualified automatically for the 1954 World Cup as defending champion.
17. Costa Rica entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
18. Indonesia entered the 1938 qualification as the  Dutch East Indies, but qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals. It also entered the 1950 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
19. Cyprus entered the 1958 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
20. Ecuador entered the 1950 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
21. Dutch Guiana entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
22. Venezuela entered the 1958 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
23. El Salvador entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
24. Algeria entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
25. Cameroon entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
26. Libya entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
27. Senegal entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
28. Guinea entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
29. The Republic of China entered the 1954 and 1958 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
30. Liberia entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
31. Madagascar entered the 1974 qualification as the  Malagasy Republic, but withdrew before playing any matches.
32. India entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams' withdrawals, and subsequently withdrew from participation in the finals. It also entered the 1974 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
33. The United Arab Emirates entered the 1978 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
34. Oman entered the 1986 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
35. Gabon entered the 1966 and 1974 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
36. Lebanon entered but withdrew during the 1986 qualification and the team's matches from that campaign were annulled.
37. Sri Lanka entered the 1974 (as  Ceylon) and 1978 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
38. Liechtenstein entered the 1994 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
39. The Maldives entered the 1990 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
40. The Philippines entered the 1950 and 1974 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
41. Rwanda entered the 1990 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
42. Western Samoa entered the 1994 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
43. The Bahamas entered the 1998 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
44. The Central African Republic entered the 1978 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. It also entered the 1982 qualification, but was disqualified before playing any matches.
45. Mali entered the 1966, 1994 and 1998 qualifications, but on all three occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
46. São Tomé and Príncipe entered the 1994 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.
47. Myanmar entered the 1950 (as  Burma), 1994 and 2002 qualifications, but on all three occasions withdrew before playing any matches.
48. Bhutan entered the 2010 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches.

Other notes

1. Italy had to qualify for the 1934 tournament despite being the host.
2. Tuvalu, a non-FIFA member, formally did not enter the 2010 World Cup, but the team participated in the 2007 South Pacific Games which doubled as a stage of the qualification for that World Cup, and the team's results did count in determining advancement from that stage.

Overview of teams' participations

The below table shows how every team has participated in each World Cup qualification.

Key

• golden background = successful qualifying campaign
• grey background = did not take part in qualifying
• bold red typeface = participated in the final tournament

Q	Qualified
w	Qualified, then withdrew from the finals (Austria in 1938, and Scotland and Turkey in 1950)
n	Did not qualify
w	Withdrew during qualifying
d	Was disqualified during qualifying
H	Qualified automatically as host but took part in qualifying as it doubled as continental qualification (South Africa in 2010 and Qatar in 2022)
\	Was not a FIFA member but took part in qualifying as it doubled as regional tournament (Tuvalu in 2010)
b	Received bye to the finals
B	Received bye to the finals, then withdrew (India in 1950)
H	Qualified automatically as host
C	Qualified automatically as reigning champion
i	Was invited to the finals (all finalists in 1930 except Uruguay)
w	Withdrew before playing / withdrew and had all matches annulled
d	Was banned / entry was rejected / was disqualified before playing / was disqualified and had all matches annulled
—	Did not enter despite being a FIFA member
	Was not a FIFA member

Team	19 30	19 34	19 38	19 50	19 54	19 58	19 62	19 66	19 70	19 74	19 78	19 82	19 86	19 90	19 94	19 98	20 02	20 06	20 10	20 14	20 18	20 22	Current confederation[upper-roman 1]
Afghanistan				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n		AFC
Albania		—	—	—	—	—	—	n	d	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Algeria								w	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n		CAF
American Samoa																	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Andorra																	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Angola													n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		CAF
Anguilla																	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Antigua and Barbuda										n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Argentina	i	b	w	w	—	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	H	C	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		CONMEBOL
Armenia																n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Aruba															—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Australia								n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC[upper-roman 2]
Austria	—	Q	w	w	Q	Q	—	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Azerbaijan																n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Bahamas									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	w	n		CONCACAF
Bahrain									—	—	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Bangladesh											—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Barbados									—	—	n	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	d		CONCACAF
Belarus																n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Belgium	i	Q	Q	w	Q	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q		UEFA
Belize														d	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Benin (1978—)  Dahomey (1970–1974)									—	n	—	—	n	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Bermuda								—	n	—	—	—	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Bhutan																	—	—	w	—	n	n	AFC
Bolivia	i	—	—	b	d	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONMEBOL
Bosnia and Herzegovina																n	n	n	n	Q	n		UEFA
Botswana												—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Brazil	i	b	b	H	Q	Q	C	C	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	H	Q		CONMEBOL
British Virgin Islands																	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Brunei										—	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	—	—	d	n	n	AFC
Bulgaria	—	w	n	—	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Burkina Faso (1986—)  Upper Volta (1970–1982)									—	—	n	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Burundi											—	—	—	—	n	w	w	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Cambodia[lower-roman 1]						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n		AFC
Cameroon								w	n	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	n		CAF
Canada				—	—	n	w	—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Cape Verde														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Cayman Islands																n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Central African Republic								—	—	—	w	d	—	—	—	—	n	w	w	n	n		CAF
Chad								—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Chile	i	w	—	b	n	n	H	Q	n	Q	n	Q	n	n	d	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n		CONMEBOL
China PR		—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		AFC
Chinese Taipei (1982—)  Republic of China (1954–1978)					w	w	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC[upper-roman 3]
Colombia			w	—	—	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q		CONMEBOL[upper-roman 4]
Comoros																			n	n	n	n	CAF
Congo								d	—	n	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Cook Islands																n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Costa Rica	—	—	w	—	d	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q		CONCACAF
Croatia																Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q		UEFA
Cuba		n	b	n	d	—	—	n	d	—	n	n	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Curaçao (2014—)  Netherlands Antilles (1962–2010)  Territory of Curaçao (1934–1958)		—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Cyprus						w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Czech Republic (1998—)  Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (1994)  Czechoslovakia (1930–1994)	—	Q	Q	—	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		UEFA
Denmark	—	—	—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q		UEFA
Djibouti																—	n	—	n	n	n		CAF
Dominica																n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Dominican Republic						—	—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
DR Congo (1998—)  Zaire (1974–1998)[lower-roman 2]								—	d	Q	w	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
East Germany					—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n									defunct[upper-roman 5]
Ecuador	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n		CONMEBOL
Egypt[lower-roman 3]	—	Q	w	—	n	w	w	w	—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q		CAF[upper-roman 6]
El Salvador			w	—	—	—	—	—	Q	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
England				Q	Q	Q	Q	H	C	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Equatorial Guinea														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Eritrea																	n	n	w	n	n	n	CAF
Estonia	—	n	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Eswatini (2022—)  Swaziland (1982–2018)												—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Ethiopia					—	d	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	—	n	n	d	n	n		CAF[upper-roman 7]
Faroe Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Fiji								—	—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Finland	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
France	i	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	H	C	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Gabon								w	—	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Gambia									—	—	—	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Georgia																n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Germany (1994—)  West Germany (1950–1990)  Germany (1930–1938)	—	Q	Q	d	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	H	C	Q	Q	Q	C	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Ghana							n	w	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n		CAF
Gibraltar																					n		UEFA
Greece	—	w	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n		UEFA
Grenada												n	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Guam																—	n	w	w	—	n	n	AFC
Guatemala				—	—	n	n	d	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Guinea								w	d	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n		CAF
Guinea-Bissau														—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Guyana										—	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Haiti		n	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	Q	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Honduras				—	—	—	n	n	n	n	w	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n		CONCACAF
Hong Kong						—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Hungary	—	Q	Q	—	b	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Iceland				—	d	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q		UEFA
India				B	d	—	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Indonesia[lower-roman 4]			b	w	—	n	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	AFC
Iran				—	—	—	—	—	—	n	Q	w	d	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	Q	Q		AFC
Iraq					—	—	—	—	—	n	w	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Israel (1950—)  Palestine, British Mandate (1930–1938)	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA[upper-roman 8]
Italy	—	Q	C	C	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	C	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n		UEFA
Ivory Coast								—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n		CAF
Jamaica								n	n	w	n	—	d	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Japan	—	—	w	d	n	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC
Jordan						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Kazakhstan																n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA[upper-roman 9]
Kenya							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Kosovo																					n		UEFA
Kuwait								—	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d		AFC
Kyrgyzstan																n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Laos					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	AFC
Latvia	—	—	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Lebanon			—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Lesotho								—	—	n	—	n	w	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Liberia								w	—	—	—	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Libya								w	n	—	n	w	n	w	w	—	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Liechtenstein											—	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Lithuania	—	n	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Luxembourg	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Macau												n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Madagascar[lower-roman 5]								—	—	w	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malawi									—	—	n	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malaysia						—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Maldives														w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Mali								w	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	w	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malta							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Mauritania										—	n	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	—	n		CAF
Mauritius								—	—	n	—	—	n	d	—	n	n	n	n	w	n	n	CAF
Mexico	i	n	w	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	n	Q	n	H	d	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		CONCACAF
Moldova																n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Mongolia																	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Montenegro																			n	n	n		UEFA
Montserrat																	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Morocco							n	w	Q	w	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	Q		CAF
Mozambique												n	—	d	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Myanmar[lower-roman 6]				w	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	w	d	n	n	n		AFC
Namibia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Nepal										—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	w	n	n	n		AFC
Netherlands	—	Q	Q	—	—	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	n		UEFA
New Caledonia																		n	n	n	n		OFC
New Zealand				—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n		OFC
Nicaragua					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Niger								—	—	—	n	n	w	—	n	w	—	n	n	n	n		CAF
Nigeria							n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q		CAF
North Korea							—	Q	d	n	w	n	n	n	n	—	—	n	Q	n	n		AFC
North Macedonia (2022—)  Macedonia (1998–2018)																n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Northern Ireland (1954—)  Ireland (1950)				n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Norway	—	—	Q	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Oman												—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Pakistan				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Palestine																	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Panama				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q		CONCACAF
Papua New Guinea									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	—	n	—	n	n		OFC
Paraguay	i	—	—	b	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n		CONMEBOL
Peru	i	w	—	w	w	n	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q		CONMEBOL
Philippines		—	—	w	—	—	—	d	—	w	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	—	n	n		AFC
Poland	—	n	Q	—	w	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q		UEFA
Portugal	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Puerto Rico							—	—	—	n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Qatar										—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	H	AFC
Republic of Ireland (1954—)  Ireland (1950)  Irish Free State (1930–1938)	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Romania	i	Q	b	—	n	n	w	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Russia (1994—)  Soviet Union (1950–1990)				—	—	Q	Q	Q	Q	d	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	H		UEFA
Rwanda												—	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Saar					n																		defunct[upper-roman 5]
Saint Kitts and Nevis																n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Saint Lucia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Samoa (2002—)  Western Samoa (1990–1998)														—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
San Marino															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
São Tomé and Príncipe														—	w	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	CAF
Saudi Arabia						—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q		AFC
Scotland				w	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Senegal								w	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q		CAF
Serbia (2010—)  Serbia and Montenegro (2006)  FR Yugoslavia (1994–2002)  SFR Yugoslavia (1950–1990)  Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1930–1938)	i	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	Q	d	Q	n	Q	Q	n	Q		UEFA
Seychelles														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Sierra Leone							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
Singapore					—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Slovakia																n	n	n	Q	n	n		UEFA
Slovenia																n	Q	n	Q	n	n		UEFA
Solomon Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Somalia								—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	CAF
South Africa							d	d	d	d	d				n	Q	Q	n	H	n	n		CAF
South Korea				—	Q	d	n	w	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC
South Sudan																					n	n	CAF
South Yemen									—	—	—	—	n	w									defunct[upper-roman 10]
Spain	—	Q	d	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Sri Lanka[lower-roman 7]					—	—	—	—	—	w	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	AFC
Sudan				—	—	n	w	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Suriname (1978—)  Dutch Guiana (1930–1974)	—	—	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Sweden	—	Q	Q	Q	n	H	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q		UEFA
Switzerland	—	Q	Q	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Syria			—	w	—	n		w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n		AFC[upper-roman 11]
Tahiti															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Tajikistan																n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Tanzania								—	—	n	w	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Thailand	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Timor-Leste																			n	n	n	n	AFC
Togo								—	—	n	n	n	w	w	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		CAF
Tonga																n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Trinidad and Tobago				—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Tunisia							n	w	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q		CAF
Turkey	—	w	—	w	Q	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		UEFA[upper-roman 12]
Turkmenistan																n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Turks and Caicos Islands																	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Tuvalu																			\				OFC
U.S. Virgin Islands																	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Uganda							—	—	—	—	n	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Ukraine																n	n	Q	n	n	n		UEFA
United Arab Emirates											w	—	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
United States	i	Q	w	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n		CONCACAF
Uruguay	H	—	—	b	C	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q		CONMEBOL
Uzbekistan																n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Vanuatu															n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Venezuela					—	w	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONMEBOL
Vietnam (1978—)  South Vietnam (1954–1974)					d	—	—	—	—	n	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Wales				n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Yemen (1994—)  North Yemen (1982–1990)												—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Zambia								—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Zimbabwe (1982—)  Rhodesia (1970–1978)									n	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d		CAF[upper-roman 13]
Team	19 30	19 34	19 38	19 50	19 54	19 58	19 62	19 66	19 70	19 74	19 78	19 82	19 86	19 90	19 94	19 98	20 02	20 06	20 10	20 14	20 18	20 22	Current confederation

Non-participating incarnations

1. Known as the  Khmer Republic in 1974, and then as  Kampuchea until 1990.
2. Known as  Congo-Kinshasa until 1970.
3. Entered in 1962 as the  United Arab Republic representing a political union with Syria. After that continued independently but retained the name "United Arab Republic" until 1970.
4. Entered as the  Dutch East Indies in 1938.
5. Known as the  Malagasy Republic until 1974.
6. Known as  Burma until 1990.
7. Known as  Ceylon until 1974.

Continental allocations

1. Africa and Asia had a joint zone in 1934 and 1958. Africa, Asia and Oceania had a joint zone in 1966. Asia and Oceania had a joint zone in 1970–1982.
2. Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–2006.
3. Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
4. Entered the North and Central American zone in 1938.
5. Participated in the European zone.
6. Entered the European zone in 1938 and 1954.
7. Entered the European zone in 1962.
8. Entered the African/Asian zone in 1958, the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970–1974, and the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
9. Entered the Asian zone in 1998–2002.
10. Participated in the Asian zone.
11. Entered the European zone in 1950 and 1966.
12. Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934.
13. Entered the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970.

Overall team records

The below table compares the overall records of all teams that have participated in qualification. Teams are ordered by points using the three points for a win system, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored. Note that this order does not represent any official rankings, and qualification tournaments are not direct competitions between all teams.

The "Qualifying attempts" column only counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match that was not annulled. "Successful" campaigns include those where the teams qualified through qualification but then did not participate in the finals. The "Appearances in the finals" column also counts final tournaments for which the teams qualified without playing.

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Key
Team has won the World Cup
Team has qualified for the main tournament through a qualifying process
Team has qualified for the main tournament only by walkover (Cuba, and Indonesia as Dutch East Indies)
Team has qualified for the main tournament by walkover but has not participated there because it withdrew (India)
Team has qualified for the main tournament only automatically as host (Qatar)
Team has not qualified for the main tournament
Defunct team that qualified for the main tournament (East Germany)
Defunct team that never qualified for the main tournament (Saar and South Yemen)
Team is not a member of FIFA and is not eligible for the main tournament (Tuvalu)

Teams in bold are currently participating or are yet to start in the 2022 qualification. The table is updated to the matches played in December 2020.

No.	Team	Qualifying attempts		Appearances in the finals	Overall qualification record							Points		Confederation
		Total	Successful		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Total	Avg
1	Mexico	16	13	16	175	113	37	25	436	126	+310	376	2.149	CONCACAF
2	Costa Rica	16	5	5	172	85	43	44	295	176	+119	298	1.733	CONCACAF
3	Australia	15	5	5	145	86	36	23	378	114	+264	294	2.028	AFC
4	South Korea	15	9	10	139	84	38	17	274	86	+188	290	2.086	AFC
5	Iran	11	5	5	132	80	34	18	284	84	+200	274	2.076	AFC
6	Argentina	14	12	17	140	78	37	25	241	129	+112	271	1.936	CONMEBOL
7	Netherlands	18	10	10	125	82	24	19	296	93	+203	270	2.160	UEFA
8	Spain	18	14	15	117	81	25	11	276	76	+200	268	2.291	UEFA
9	United States	18	8	10	154	77	36	41	266	181	+85	267	1.734	CONCACAF
10	Sweden	19	11	12	131	80	21	30	267	121	+146	261	1.992	UEFA
11	Portugal	20	7	7	139	76	33	30	262	139	+123	261	1.878	UEFA
12	Serbia  Serbia and Montenegro  FR Yugoslavia  SFR Yugoslavia  Kingdom of Yugoslavia	19	11	12	128	75	31	22	269	114	+155	256	2.000	UEFA
13	Belgium	19	12	13	133	77	25	31	277	141	+136	256	1.925	UEFA
14	Uruguay	17	10	13	158	71	42	45	225	171	+54	255	1.614	CONMEBOL
15	Czech Republic  Representation of Czechs and Slovaks  Czechoslovakia	19	9	9	138	75	29	34	266	116	+150	254	1.841	UEFA
16	England	16	13	15	112	76	25	11	275	67	+208	253	2.259	UEFA
17	Italy	16	14	18	109	74	26	9	221	69	+152	248	2.275	UEFA
18	Honduras	14	3	3	150	69	40	41	255	173	+82	247	1.647	CONCACAF
19	Brazil	13	12	21	114	72	30	12	252	72	+180	246	2.158	CONMEBOL
20	Japan	15	5	6	124	72	26	26	260	85	+175	242	1.952	AFC
21	Russia  Soviet Union	15	10	11	115	73	23	19	227	75	+152	242	2.104	UEFA
22	Germany  West Germany  Germany	14	14	19	94	74	18	2	292	70	+222	240	2.553	UEFA
23	Saudi Arabia	12	5	5	122	70	30	22	240	97	+143	240	1.967	AFC
24	Paraguay	18	6	8	158	67	33	58	207	194	+13	234	1.481	CONMEBOL
25	Romania	17	5	7	128	67	26	35	223	134	+89	227	1.773	UEFA
26	Switzerland	19	10	11	132	64	33	35	205	146	+59	225	1.705	UEFA
27	China PR	12	1	1	112	68	17	27	243	76	+167	221	1.973	AFC
28	Colombia	17	6	6	156	58	47	51	186	170	+16	221	1.417	CONMEBOL
29	France	17	11	15	111	65	23	23	216	88	+128	218	1.964	UEFA
30	El Salvador	13	2	2	140	63	28	49	233	168	+65	217	1.550	CONCACAF
31	Chile	16	6	9	150	62	30	58	223	201	+22	216	1.440	CONMEBOL
32	Scotland	18	9	8	125	62	28	35	192	136	+56	214	1.712	UEFA
33	Republic of Ireland  Ireland  Irish Free State	20	3	3	141	56	43	42	199	169	+30	211	1.496	UEFA
34	Bulgaria	19	7	7	129	60	27	42	209	177	+32	207	1.605	UEFA
35	Austria	18	8	7	123	59	28	36	212	136	+76	205	1.667	UEFA
36	Denmark	15	5	5	122	58	30	34	212	141	+71	204	1.672	UEFA
37	Nigeria	14	6	6	104	58	29	17	175	80	+95	203	1.952	CAF
38	Poland	18	8	8	117	60	21	36	228	143	+85	201	1.718	UEFA
39	Hungary	18	8	9	122	58	26	38	216	163	+53	200	1.639	UEFA
40	Tunisia	14	5	5	104	57	28	19	180	84	+96	199	1.913	CAF
41	Trinidad and Tobago	14	1	1	137	55	27	55	201	183	+18	192	1.401	CONCACAF
42	Morocco	14	5	5	111	51	38	22	150	80	+70	191	1.721	CAF
43	Greece	19	3	3	128	54	29	45	159	171	−12	191	1.492	UEFA
44	Qatar	12	0	1	118	55	23	40	197	122	+75	188	1.593	AFC
45	Ecuador	16	3	3	147	50	33	64	182	208	−26	183	1.245	CONMEBOL
46	Iraq	12	1	1	106	51	26	29	210	105	+105	179	1.689	AFC
47	Guatemala	15	0	0	122	49	31	42	194	150	+44	178	1.459	CONCACAF
48	Canada	14	1	1	117	48	34	35	161	136	+25	178	1.521	CONCACAF
49	New Zealand	13	2	2	96	53	18	25	221	99	+122	177	1.844	OFC
50	Uzbekistan	7	0	0	99	52	19	28	189	101	+88	175	1.768	AFC
51	Cameroon	13	7	7	87	51	22	14	144	66	+78	175	2.011	CAF
52	Egypt	14	3	3	93	52	19	22	165	89	+76	175	1.882	CAF
53	Kuwait	13	1	1	98	51	15	32	177	95	+82	168	1.714	AFC
54	Peru	17	4	5	153	43	38	72	168	221	−53	167	1.092	CONMEBOL
55	Turkey	17	3	2	128	47	24	57	176	187	−11	165	1.289	UEFA
56	Northern Ireland  Ireland	18	3	3	134	43	36	55	149	161	−12	165	1.231	UEFA
57	Norway	18	3	3	126	44	30	52	170	178	−8	162	1.286	UEFA
58	Zambia	13	0	0	96	45	20	31	145	88	+57	155	1.615	CAF
59	Israel  Palestine, British Mandate	20	1	1	122	40	34	48	166	178	−12	154	1.262	UEFA
60	United Arab Emirates	10	1	1	101	44	20	37	171	115	+56	152	1.505	AFC
61	Ivory Coast	11	3	3	78	41	25	12	144	67	+77	148	1.897	CAF
62	Bolivia	17	1	3	154	39	30	85	182	296	−114	147	0.955	CONMEBOL
63	North Korea	11	2	2	88	41	21	26	120	80	+40	144	1.636	AFC
64	Syria	15	0	0	89	41	20	28	188	101	+87	143	1.607	AFC
65	Algeria	13	4	4	89	40	23	26	126	91	+35	143	1.607	CAF
66	Ghana	13	3	3	83	40	22	21	132	66	+66	142	1.711	CAF
67	Jamaica	11	1	1	104	37	27	40	115	132	−17	138	1.327	CONCACAF
68	Wales	18	1	1	120	37	26	57	151	170	−19	137	1.142	UEFA
69	Haiti	14	1	1	90	39	17	34	152	120	+32	134	1.489	CONCACAF
70	Ukraine	6	1	1	70	35	22	13	108	52	+56	127	1.814	UEFA
71	Bahrain	11	0	0	93	33	28	32	108	95	+13	127	1.366	AFC
72	Croatia	6	5	5	62	36	18	8	108	47	+61	126	2.032	UEFA
73	DR Congo  Zaire	10	1	1	76	36	17	23	128	84	+44	125	1.645	CAF
74	Finland	19	0	0	129	32	23	74	134	287	−153	119	0.922	UEFA
75	Oman	9	0	0	75	33	19	23	126	74	+52	118	1.573	AFC
76	Guinea	12	0	0	75	35	10	30	114	97	+17	115	1.533	CAF
77	Slovakia	6	1	1	64	32	14	18	110	64	+46	110	1.719	UEFA
78	Jordan	10	0	0	75	31	15	29	115	94	+21	108	1.440	AFC
79	Panama	11	1	1	94	27	22	45	104	157	−53	103	1.096	CONCACAF
80	Iceland	13	1	1	106	28	19	59	116	215	−99	103	0.972	UEFA
81	Venezuela	14	0	0	144	26	25	93	122	320	−198	103	0.715	CONMEBOL
82	Senegal	12	2	2	63	26	22	15	90	56	+34	100	1.587	CAF
83	Angola	10	1	1	63	26	22	15	82	58	+24	100	1.587	CAF
84	Thailand	13	0	0	94	26	20	48	122	159	−37	98	1.043	AFC
85	Bosnia and Herzegovina	6	1	1	58	28	10	20	112	69	+43	94	1.621	UEFA
86	South Africa	7	2	3	50	28	8	14	66	45	+21	92	1.840	CAF
87	Slovenia	6	2	2	62	25	15	22	81	68	+13	90	1.452	UEFA
88	Burkina Faso  Upper Volta	8	0	0	60	26	10	24	87	78	+9	88	1.467	CAF
89	Hong Kong	13	0	0	78	24	16	38	94	133	−39	88	1.128	AFC
90	Kenya	12	0	0	68	23	16	29	77	91	−14	85	1.250	CAF
91	Zimbabwe  Rhodesia	11	0	0	63	22	16	25	65	77	−12	82	1.302	CAF
92	Togo	11	1	1	65	22	15	28	71	87	−16	81	1.246	CAF
93	Cuba	12	0	1	68	20	20	28	85	102	−17	80	1.176	CONCACAF
94	Lebanon	8	0	0	61	21	16	24	92	80	+12	79	1.295	AFC
95	Malaysia	13	0	0	66	22	13	31	93	118	−25	79	1.197	AFC
96	Libya	10	0	0	56	21	13	22	63	62	+1	76	1.357	CAF
97	Congo	9	0	0	62	21	13	28	70	83	−13	76	1.226	CAF
98	East Germany	9	1	1	47	22	8	17	87	65	+22	74	1.574	defunct
99	Gabon	8	0	0	57	21	11	25	57	65	−8	74	1.298	CAF
100	Singapore	12	0	0	73	21	11	41	81	131	−50	74	1.014	AFC
101	Indonesia  Dutch East Indies	13	0	1	76	19	16	41	90	159	−69	73	0.961	AFC
102	Solomon Islands	7	0	0	54	21	9	24	112	113	−1	72	1.333	OFC
103	Latvia	8	0	0	75	19	15	41	82	130	−48	72	0.960	UEFA
104	Suriname  Dutch Guiana	14	0	0	65	19	14	32	91	111	−20	71	1.092	CONCACAF
105	Fiji	9	0	0	53	20	10	23	111	98	+13	70	1.321	OFC
106	Albania	12	0	0	104	18	14	72	72	188	−116	68	0.654	UEFA
107	Lithuania	9	0	0	73	17	16	40	59	111	−52	67	0.918	UEFA
108	Sudan	13	0	0	66	16	18	32	59	102	−43	66	1.000	CAF
109	Turkmenistan	7	0	0	45	20	5	20	72	64	+8	65	1.444	AFC
110	New Caledonia	4	0	0	35	18	8	9	87	36	+51	62	1.771	OFC
111	Malawi	11	0	0	60	15	17	28	57	83	−26	62	1.033	CAF
112	Liberia	10	0	0	60	16	12	32	42	86	−44	60	1.000	CAF
113	Tahiti	7	0	0	43	17	8	18	66	81	−15	59	1.372	OFC
114	Estonia	9	0	0	76	16	11	49	65	166	−101	59	0.776	UEFA
115	Cyprus	15	0	0	114	15	13	86	87	299	−212	58	0.509	UEFA
116	Curaçao  Netherlands Antilles  Territory of Curaçao	16	0	0	60	13	18	29	53	116	−63	57	0.950	CONCACAF
117	Bermuda	7	0	0	36	15	9	12	76	46	+30	54	1.500	CONCACAF
118	Uganda	9	0	0	42	15	9	18	41	57	−16	54	1.286	CAF
119	North Macedonia  Macedonia	6	0	0	60	14	12	34	71	102	−31	54	0.900	UEFA
120	Tajikistan	7	0	0	41	15	8	18	69	63	+6	53	1.293	AFC
121	Mali	5	0	0	40	14	11	15	50	52	−2	53	1.325	CAF
122	Yemen  North Yemen	10	0	0	55	13	13	29	58	91	−33	52	0.945	AFC
123	Belarus	6	0	0	58	13	12	33	61	97	−36	51	0.879	UEFA
124	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	7	0	0	58	14	8	36	77	170	−93	50	0.862	CONCACAF
125	Kyrgyzstan	7	0	0	36	14	5	17	48	54	−6	47	1.306	AFC
126	Vietnam  South Vietnam	9	0	0	46	14	5	27	48	82	−34	47	1.022	AFC
127	Kazakhstan	6	0	0	60	12	11	37	71	128	−57	47	0.783	UEFA
128	Benin  Dahomey	8	0	0	44	13	7	24	46	89	−43	46	1.045	CAF
129	Sierra Leone	11	0	0	47	12	9	26	41	72	−31	45	0.957	CAF
130	Madagascar	9	0	0	36	12	8	16	45	51	−6	44	1.222	CAF
131	Antigua and Barbuda	10	0	0	42	13	5	24	66	93	−27	44	1.048	CONCACAF
132	India	9	0	0	48	10	14	24	46	92	−46	44	0.917	AFC
133	Armenia	6	0	0	62	10	14	38	52	122	−70	44	0.710	UEFA
134	Georgia	6	0	0	56	9	16	31	51	89	−38	43	0.768	UEFA
135	Cape Verde	5	0	0	34	13	3	18	34	46	−12	42	1.235	CAF
136	Ethiopia	12	0	0	43	10	12	21	48	66	−18	42	0.977	CAF
137	Namibia	8	0	0	44	11	9	24	41	83	−42	42	0.955	CAF
138	Saint Kitts and Nevis	6	0	0	30	11	8	11	64	54	+10	41	1.367	CONCACAF
139	Montenegro	3	0	0	30	10	10	10	47	43	+4	40	1.333	UEFA
140	Vanuatu	7	0	0	37	12	3	22	76	89	−13	39	1.054	OFC
141	Mozambique	9	0	0	36	10	8	18	33	50	−17	38	1.056	CAF
142	Palestine	6	0	0	31	10	7	14	51	41	+10	37	1.194	AFC
143	Bangladesh	10	0	0	55	10	7	38	36	135	−99	37	0.673	AFC
144	Botswana	7	0	0	36	10	6	20	33	53	−20	36	1.000	CAF
145	Dominican Republic	8	0	0	29	10	5	14	42	50	−8	35	1.207	CONCACAF
146	Azerbaijan	6	0	0	58	7	14	37	29	104	−75	35	0.603	UEFA
147	Barbados	8	0	0	37	10	4	23	35	73	−38	34	0.919	CONCACAF
148	Rwanda	7	0	0	38	8	9	21	39	54	−15	33	0.868	CAF
149	Tanzania	10	0	0	35	7	12	16	37	52	−15	33	0.943	CAF
150	Niger	7	0	0	30	9	5	16	27	48	−21	32	1.067	CAF
151	Maldives	7	0	0	37	9	2	26	42	130	−88	29	0.784	AFC
152	Samoa  Western Samoa	6	0	0	26	9	1	16	37	88	−51	28	1.077	OFC
153	Faroe Islands	7	0	0	70	7	7	56	34	184	−150	28	0.400	UEFA
154	Papua New Guinea	4	0	0	22	7	6	9	43	36	+7	27	1.227	OFC
155	Belize	6	0	0	26	7	6	13	32	54	−22	27	1.038	CONCACAF
156	Guyana	10	0	0	34	7	6	21	36	81	−45	27	0.794	CONCACAF
157	Moldova	6	0	0	58	5	12	41	35	115	−80	27	0.466	UEFA
158	Burundi	7	0	0	22	7	5	10	19	28	−9	26	1.182	CAF
159	Luxembourg	20	0	0	134	5	10	119	69	433	−364	25	0.187	UEFA
160	Grenada	7	0	0	25	7	3	15	49	54	−5	24	0.960	CONCACAF
161	Gambia	9	0	0	26	6	6	14	21	39	−18	24	0.923	CAF
162	Nicaragua	7	0	0	22	7	1	14	25	44	−19	22	1.000	CONCACAF
163	Saint Lucia	7	0	0	24	7	1	16	32	62	−30	22	0.917	CONCACAF
164	Philippines	5	0	0	26	6	4	16	24	65	−41	22	0.846	AFC
165	Tonga	6	0	0	22	7	1	14	23	82	−59	22	1.000	OFC
166	Chinese Taipei  Republic of China	12	0	0	63	6	4	53	37	225	−188	22	0.349	AFC
167	Puerto Rico	9	0	0	25	5	6	14	22	55	−33	21	0.840	CONCACAF
168	Chad	6	0	0	18	6	2	10	16	26	−10	20	1.111	CAF
169	Nepal	8	0	0	35	5	4	26	25	116	−91	19	0.543	AFC
170	Equatorial Guinea	6	0	0	22	5	3	14	19	37	−18	18	0.818	CAF
171	Sri Lanka	8	0	0	38	4	6	28	24	92	−68	18	0.474	AFC
172	Eswatini  Swaziland	8	0	0	21	4	5	12	16	41	−25	17	0.810	CAF
173	Myanmar	4	0	0	19	5	2	12	16	51	−35	17	0.895	AFC
174	Lesotho	8	0	0	26	2	10	14	15	52	−37	16	0.615	CAF
175	Mongolia	6	0	0	21	5	1	15	16	58	−42	16	0.762	AFC
176	Cambodia	6	0	0	33	4	4	25	21	113	−92	16	0.485	AFC
177	Malta	12	0	0	102	2	10	90	33	300	−267	16	0.157	UEFA
178	Bahamas	5	0	0	14	4	3	7	20	43	−23	15	1.071	CONCACAF
179	Afghanistan	5	0	0	19	4	2	13	12	56	−44	14	0.737	AFC
180	Macau	10	0	0	37	4	2	31	16	168	−152	14	0.378	AFC
181	Guinea-Bissau	7	0	0	14	3	4	7	11	20	−9	13	0.929	CAF
182	Aruba	6	0	0	16	4	1	11	23	42	−19	13	0.812	CONCACAF
183	Dominica	6	0	0	20	3	4	13	15	54	−39	13	0.650	CONCACAF
184	Laos	5	0	0	28	3	4	21	23	125	−102	13	0.464	AFC
185	Liechtenstein	6	0	0	60	2	6	52	23	185	−162	12	0.200	UEFA
186	Cook Islands	6	0	0	20	3	1	16	16	63	−47	10	0.500	OFC
187	Guam	3	0	0	17	3	1	13	10	71	−61	10	0.588	AFC
188	American Samoa	5	0	0	18	3	1	14	11	136	−125	10	0.556	OFC
189	Mauritania	6	0	0	16	2	3	11	13	31	−18	9	0.562	CAF
190	Bhutan	2	0	0	12	3	0	9	9	58	−49	9	0.750	AFC
191	U.S. Virgin Islands	5	0	0	15	3	0	12	8	80	−72	9	0.600	CONCACAF
192	Andorra	5	0	0	52	2	3	47	14	162	−148	9	0.173	UEFA
193	Djibouti	5	0	0	15	2	2	11	8	57	−49	8	0.533	CAF
194	São Tomé and Príncipe	5	0	0	10	2	1	7	5	25	−20	7	0.700	CAF
195	Somalia	7	0	0	13	1	3	9	3	29	−26	6	0.462	CAF
196	Mauritius	8	0	0	20	1	3	16	14	52	−38	6	0.300	CAF
197	Brunei	4	0	0	16	2	0	14	5	62	−57	6	0.375	AFC
198	Cayman Islands	6	0	0	16	0	5	11	6	35	−29	5	0.313	CONCACAF
199	Saar	1	0	0	4	1	1	2	4	8	−4	4	1.000	defunct
200	Central African Republic	3	0	0	10	1	1	8	8	21	−13	4	0.400	CAF
201	Comoros	4	0	0	10	0	4	6	5	21	−16	4	0.400	CAF
202	Pakistan	9	0	0	32	0	4	28	13	122	−109	4	0.125	AFC
203	Eritrea	5	0	0	10	0	3	7	4	20	−16	3	0.300	CAF
204	British Virgin Islands	5	0	0	10	0	3	7	7	34	−27	3	0.300	CONCACAF
205	Turks and Caicos Islands	5	0	0	10	1	0	9	6	46	−40	3	0.300	CONCACAF
206	South Sudan	2	0	0	4	0	2	2	2	7	−5	2	0.500	CAF
207	Seychelles	6	0	0	16	0	2	14	6	46	−40	2	0.125	CAF
208	San Marino	7	0	0	66	0	2	64	11	310	−299	2	0.030	UEFA
209	South Yemen	1	0	0	2	0	1	1	4	7	−3	1	0.500	defunct
210	Tuvalu	1	0	0	4	0	1	3	2	22	−20	1	0.250	OFC
211	Kosovo	1	0	0	10	0	1	9	3	24	−21	1	0.100	UEFA
212	Montserrat	5	0	0	9	0	1	8	8	45	−37	1	0.111	CONCACAF
213	Anguilla	5	0	0	10	0	1	9	2	41	−39	1	0.100	CONCACAF
214	Gibraltar	1	0	0	10	0	0	10	3	47	−44	0	0.000	UEFA
215	Timor-Leste	4	0	0	16	0	0	16	6	80	−74	0	0.000	AFC

Current format

Currently, 32 places are available in the final tournament until 2022. One of them is reserved for the host nation, but if two or more nations co-host the competition, each is awarded a place.

From 1934 to 2002, one berth was reserved for the winners of the previous World Cup, but in November 2001, FIFA announced that the defending champion would no longer get automatic entry to the subsequent tournament, starting with the 2006 finals. This decision was made to address the issue of the returning champions being at a disadvantage to their fellow competitors due to having not played a competitive match in the previous two years.[1]

The problem was amply demonstrated at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, as returning champions France tumbled out in the first round, finishing bottom of their group without scoring a single goal. 2002 winner Brazil qualified for 2006 at the top of their qualifiers group, but Italy, defending champions from 2006, finished bottom of their group in 2010, despite playing in the qualifying matches. In 2014, 2010 champions Spain finished third in their group and failed to advance to the round of 16, despite having qualified as first in their group. 2014 winners Germany also failed to make it out of their group in 2018, finishing bottom, despite winning all of their qualifying matches. They were the third consecutive World Cup winners to go out in the first round at the following tournament.

FIFA decides beforehand the number of spots awarded to each of the continental zones. For the 2022 World Cup, the following numbers were used:[2]

• UEFA (Europe) – 13 berths
• CAF (Africa) – 5 berths
• AFC (Asia) – 4 berths, plus the host Qatar
• CONMEBOL (South America) – 4 berths
• CONCACAF (North and Central America and Caribbean) – 3 berths
• 2 berths for the winners of intercontinental play-offs between the best team from the OFC (Oceania), as well as additional teams from the AFC, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. The pairings for these play-offs will be determined by an open draw.

The number of berths allocated per continent is widely debated, with the main point of contention being the extent to which berths should be allocated to regions based on sheer population vs. talent. A historically weaker continent, Africa has called for more places, as they are allocated only five in comparison to Europe's 13.[3]

In early October 2016, it was announced that the World Cup would have featured 40 teams starting with the 2026 tournament,[4] then FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated his support for a 48-team World Cup,[5] mainly to address African concerns. On 10 January 2017, the FIFA Council voted unanimously to expand the World Cup to a 48 team tournament that will open with a group stage consisting of 16 groups of three teams, with two teams progressing from each group to a knockout tournament starting with a round of 32.[6] The new format for the qualifying process has yet to be confirmed, other than a play-off tournament that consists of one team from each confederation (except UEFA) and one additional team from the confederation of the host country for the last two World Cup berths.[7]

These numbers vary slightly between tournaments (see above).

Qualification in all zones ends at approximately the same time, in September–November of the year preceding the finals. For 2022, qualification will end in June, five months preceding the Qatar tournament.

The formats of the qualification tournaments differ between confederations and over time. The systems used in 2022 are outlined below.

Africa

The CAF qualification process reverted to the format used for the 2014 qualification. It began with one preliminary round to narrow the field of 28 entrants to 14 teams in September 2019.

The group stage consists of 10 groups of four, with the group winners advancing to the two-legged, home-and-away third round. The five winners advance to the World Cup finals.

Asia

Qualifying was altered significantly from the 2014 method, with changes to the structure of the preliminary rounds – which were held before the AFC's main draw. One home-and-away preliminary round reduced the 12 weakest entrants to six, which then joined the 34 strongest sides in eight groups of five, with the winners and 4 best runners-up advancing to the final group stage, comprising two 6-team groups. If Qatar is among the group winners or runners-up, only the seven other group winners will advance and the fifth-best group runners-up will enter instead. The winners and runners-up of the two final groups of six advance to the World Cup finals with the two third-placed sides playing off for the right to play in an inter-confederation play-off for a final World Cup spot. The first two rounds also act as the qualifiers for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[8]

A total of 24 teams eliminated from World Cup qualification in the second round compete in the third round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification (which is separate from the third round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification), where they will be divided into six groups of four teams and compete for the remaining slots of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The 24 teams consist of the 16 highest ranked teams eliminated in the second round, and the eight teams that advanced from the play-off round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification which are contested by the remaining 12 teams eliminated in the second round.[9]

Europe

The European qualification was changed from the 2010 to 2018 systems. The 55 national teams were divided into five groups of six teams and five groups of five, with the group winners qualifying directly to the finals.

The introduction of the new UEFA Nations League partly changed the qualifying format. Two teams based on the Nations League overall ranking that finish outside the top two of their qualifying group join the group runners-up to make it 12 teams drawn into three paths, playing two rounds of single-match ties in each path (semi-finals and final, with the home teams to be drawn), for the remaining three places.[10][11]

North and Central America and Caribbean

The 2022 CONCACAF qualification process changed significantly from the 2018 qualification cycle. There are two separate preliminary group stages, one for the six highest-ranked teams and another for the 29 lowest-ranked teams, to be based on the June 2020 FIFA rankings. The top-seeded round – still referred to as the "hexagonal" because there are six teams involved – will see the top three teams advance to the World Cup finals, while the fourth-placed side will enter a play-off against the winner of the lower-seeded knockout phase for a spot in the inter-continental play-offs.

The lower-seeded round will have the remaining 29 teams divided into five groups of four teams and three groups of three to play home-and-away round-robin matches. The winners of each group will advance to a knockout phase, each of the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final to be played in a two-legged home-and-away series. The winner of the knockout phase will advance to a play-off against the fourth-placed team of the top-seeded round for a spot in the inter-confederation play-offs.

Oceania

Qualification in Oceania has yet to be finalised, but the following could be like this: The first stage will take place with one group of the four lowest ranked teams and the winner advances to the second stage. In the second stage with two groups of four teams each, the top three advance to the third round. Two groups of three teams contest the third round, or final group stage, and the winners of each group enter a two-leg final. The winners of this final advance to an inter-confederation play-off for a World Cup spot.

South America

As in the previous qualification series CONMEBOL qualification consists of a single group of all entrants. Unlike qualifying tournaments where the fixtures were pre-determined as applied until the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, the fixtures were determined by a draw held on 17 December 2019.[12]

The top 4 teams from the 10-team group advance to the World Cup finals, while the fifth placed team enters an inter-confederation play-off for a World Cup spot.

Intercontinental play-offs

Like the previous 2018 tournament, the pairings for the two play-offs will be determined by an open draw on an unknown date. Intercontinental play-offs are played as home-and-away ties.

Qualification tournament rules

Qualification tournaments generally consist of a number of stages, made up of groups or knock-out ties.

Groups

In all group tournaments, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. FIFA has set the order of the tie-breakers for teams that finish level on points:

1. goal difference in all group matches
2. greater number of goals scored in all group matches

Where teams are still not able to be separated, the following tie-breakers are used:

1. greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams
2. goal difference in matches between the tied teams
3. greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams
4. goals scored away from home in matches between the tied teams, if the tie is only between two teams

Where teams are still equal, then a play-off on neutral ground, with extra time and penalties if necessary will be played if FIFA deems such a play-off able to be fitted within the coordinated international match calendar. If this is not deemed feasible, then the result will be determined by fair play points and then the drawing of lots.

Note that this order of tie-breaker application has not always been applied. While it was used in the 2010 qualifiers, the qualification for the 2006 World Cup used the head-to-head comparison prior to goal difference (although this system was – where applicable – used in the 2006 finals themselves). If these rules had applied in 2006, then Nigeria would have qualified rather than Angola.

Home-and-away ties

Most knock-out qualifiers (such as the inter-confederation play-offs and many preliminary ties) are played over two legs. The team that scores a greater aggregate number of goals qualifies. Away goals rule applies. If these rules fail to determine the winner, extra time and penalty shootouts are used.

Occasionally – usually when one entrant lacks adequate facilities to host international matches – ties are played over a single leg, in which case matches level after 90 minutes will go to extra time and then to a penalty shootout if required.

Alternatively, "home" matches can be played in neutral countries, or occasionally one team will host both matches. In the latter case the visiting team will still be considered as the "home" team for one of the legs – which may determine which side advances under the away goals rule, as occurred in CONCACAF qualification in 2010.

See also

• National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup
• UEFA European Championship qualifying
• AFC Asian Cup qualification
• FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

References

1. "Fifa makes major policy shift". BBC News. 30 November 2001.
2. "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained" (Press release). FIFA. 30 May 2015.
3. "Africa calls for FIFA to increase World Cup places". Ahram Online. Reuters. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
4. "New Fifa chief backs 48-team World Cup". heraldlive. 7 October 2016. It’s an idea, just as the World Cup with 40 teams is already on the table with groups of four or five teams.
5. "World Cup could expand to 48 teams, Fifa's Gianni Infantino suggests". The Guardian. 3 October 2016.
6. "Fifa approves Infantino's plan to expand World Cup to 48 teams from 2026". The Guardian. 10 January 2017.
7. "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017.
8. "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
9. "World Cup draw looms large in Asia". FIFA.com. 13 April 2015. Completing the tournament's qualifying contenders will be the next 16 highest ranked teams, with the remaining 12 sides battling it out in play-off matches to claim the last eight spots.
10. "Game changer: group stage for UEFA Women's Champions League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
11. "2022 World Cup qualifying: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
12. "FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers: draws to take centre stage in South America and Africa". FIFA.com. FIFA. 11 December 2019.

External links

• History of the FIFA World Cup preliminary competition (by year). Published by FIFA in November 2009; archived from the original by Wayback Machine on 23 October 2013.
• FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition Statistics (from FIFA.com)
• FIFA World Cup Preliminary History (from FIFA.com)
• FIFA World Cup 2022 Regulations