FIFA World Cup qualification

FIFA World Cup qualification
Founded	1933; 90 years ago
Region	International (FIFA)
Number of teams	211 (currently eligible) ; 216 (overall)
Website	Official website

The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup.

Qualifying tournaments are held within the six FIFA continental zones, each 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 the number of places in the finals allocated to each of the zones, based on the numbers and relative strengths of the confederations' teams.

As a courtesy, the host receives an automatic berth selection, as has happened with the immediate past tournament winner during much of the competition's history. All other finalists are determined on a standalone qualifying round achievement without regard to previous achievements.

HistoryEdit

The berths for the inaugural 1930 tournament were filled by invitation only. The 1934 one was the first one to have an actual qualifying phase. The first ever World Cup qualifying match was played on 11 June 1933, when Sweden defeated Estonia 6–2 in Stockholm, and the first goal was scored 7 minutes into the game, with some sources^[1] attributing it to Swedish captain Knut Kroon while others^[which?] credit it as an own goal by the Estonian goalkeeper Evald Tipner.

While the number of teams which qualified for the finals has increased steadily (16 between 1934 and 1978, then 24 between 1982 and 1994, then 32 from 1998 to 2022, and finally 48 starting from 2026), the qualification format has remained relatively unchanged. The teams are grouped by continent and compete for a fixed number of berths, with one or two places awarded to the winners of intercontinental play-offs.

Qualification berths by continentEdit

The table below lists the numbers of berths 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.

In the table, "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, as follows:

0.5 – a place in a direct play-off
0.25 – a place in a semi-final play-off (where the winner would then face yet another team for a spot in the finals)
1⁄3 – a place in a play-off tournament where two out of six teams would qualify

Places allocated for continents
	1930 ^[a]	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^[b] +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	11 +H+C	0^[c]	11 +H	1^[b]	0.5	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	5	5	5	5 +H	5	5	5	9+1⁄3
Asia	—	1	1	1	1	1^[b]	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+1⁄3
Oceania	—^[d]			0^[c]	0^[c]	0^[c]	0^[c]		1	1	1	2	0.5	0.5	0.25	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	1+1⁄3
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	3+ 2×1⁄3 +3H
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+1⁄3
Total berths	13	16	16	16	16							24				32							48
Teams in the finals	13	16	15^[e]	13^[f]	16							24				32							48
Entered qualification^[g]	—	32	34	32	37	51	54	69	69	97	105	107	119	111	145	172	196	197	205^[h]	203	210	211^[i]	^[j]
Played in qualification^[k]		27	21	19	33	46	49	51	68	90	95	103	110	103	128	168	193	194	199^[h]	202	208	204^[i]	^[j]
Qualified via qualification		14	10	9	13	14	14	14	14	14	14	22	22	22	22	30	29	31	31	31	31	31	45
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	3

Notes

^ Berths were given by invitation only.
^ ^a ^b Actually the berths 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 the latter.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e None entered.
^ No teams from the region were members of FIFA before 1950.
^ Austria withdrew after having qualified.
^ India, Scotland and Turkey withdrew after having qualified. France initially accepted to participate as a replacement but then withdrew as well.
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b Including host South Africa and non-FIFA member Tuvalu, who participated because other tournaments also served as World Cup qualifiers.
^ ^a ^b Including host Qatar, who participated because another tournament also served as World Cup qualifiers.
^ ^a ^b Including non-FIFA member Northern Mariana Islands, who can participate because another tournament is to also serve as World Cup qualifiers.
^ Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled.

First appearance in qualification by teamEdit

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
Year	Europe	South America	North, Central America and Caribbean	Asia	Africa	Oceania	T	CT	Successor and renamed teams
1934	Austria Belgium^[a] Bulgaria Czechoslovakia^[A] Estonia France^[a] Germany^[B] Greece Hungary Irish Free State^[C] Italy^{[N 1]} Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania^[a] Spain Sweden Switzerland Yugoslavia^[a]^[D]	none	Cuba Haiti Mexico^[a] United States^[a]	Palestine, British Mandate^[E]	Egypt^[F]	none	27	27
1938	Finland Latvia Norway	none	none	none	none	none	3	30
1950	England Ireland^[G] Scotland Turkey^[b] Wales	none	none	Syria	none	none	6	36	Ireland^[C] Israel^[E]
1954	Saar	Brazil^[c] Chile^[d] Paraguay^[e]	none	Japan^[f] South Korea	none	none	6	42	Northern Ireland^[G] Republic of Ireland^[C] West Germany^[B]
1958	Denmark East Germany Iceland Soviet Union^[H]	Argentina^[g] Bolivia^[e] Colombia^[f] Peru^[h] Uruguay^[i]	Canada Costa Rica^[f] Guatemala Territory of Curaçao^[I]	China Indonesia^[j]	Sudan	none	16	58
1962	Cyprus^[k]	Ecuador^[l]	Dutch Guiana^[f]^[J] Honduras	none	Ethiopia Ghana Morocco Nigeria Tunisia	none	9	67	Netherlands Antilles^[I]
1966	Albania	Venezuela^[k]	Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago	North Korea	none	Australia	6	73
1970	none	none	Bermuda El Salvador^[f]	none	Algeria^[m] Cameroon^[m] Libya^[m] Rhodesia^[K] Senegal^[m] Zambia	New Zealand	9	82
1974	Malta	none	Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico	Hong Kong Iran Iraq Kuwait Malaysia South Vietnam^[L] Thailand	Congo Dahomey^[M] Guinea^[m] Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Mauritius Sierra Leone Tanzania Togo Zaire^[N]	none	21	103
1978	none	none	Barbados Dominican Republic Guyana Panama	Bahrain Qatar Republic of China^[n]^[O] Saudi Arabia Singapore	Malawi Mauritania Niger Uganda Upper Volta^[P]	none	14	117	Suriname^[J]
1982	none	none	Grenada	Macau	Gambia Liberia^[m] Madagascar^[o] Mozambique Somalia	Fiji	8	125	Chinese Taipei^[O] Zimbabwe^[K]
1986	none	none	none	Bangladesh Brunei Jordan India^[p] Nepal North Yemen^[Q] South Yemen United Arab Emirates^[q]	Angola	none	9	134	Benin^[M]
1990	none	none	none	Oman^[r] Pakistan	Gabon^[s]	none	3	137	Burkina Faso^[P]
1994	Faroe Islands San Marino	none	Nicaragua Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Lebanon^[t] Sri Lanka^[u]	Botswana Burundi Namibia South Africa Swaziland^[R]	Solomon Islands Tahiti Vanuatu	15	152	Germany^[B] Representation of Czechs and Slovaks^[A] Russia^[H] Vietnam^[L] Yemen^[Q]
1998	Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Georgia Liechtenstein^[v] Macedonia^[S] Moldova Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine	none	Aruba Belize Cayman Islands Dominica Saint Kitts and Nevis	Cambodia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Maldives^[w] Philippines^[x] Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan	Guinea-Bissau Rwanda^[w]	Cook Islands Papua New Guinea Tonga Western Samoa^[v]^[T]	31	183	Czech Republic^[A] DR Congo^[N] FR Yugoslavia^[D]
2002	Andorra	none	Anguilla Bahamas^[y] British Virgin Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands	Guam Laos Mongolia Palestine	Cape Verde Central African Republic^[z] Chad Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Mali^[aa] São Tomé and Príncipe^[v] Seychelles	American Samoa	21	204	Samoa^[T]
2006	none	none	none	Afghanistan	none	New Caledonia	2	206	Serbia and Montenegro^[D]
2010	Montenegro	none	none	Myanmar^[ab] Timor-Leste	Comoros	Tuvalu^{[N 2]}	5	211	Serbia^[D]
2014	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	211	Curaçao^[I]
2018	Gibraltar Kosovo	none	none	Bhutan^[ac]	South Sudan	none	4	215
2022	none	none	none	none	none	none	0	215	Eswatini^[R] North Macedonia^[S]
2026	none	none	none	Northern Mariana Islands^{[N 3]}	none	none	1	216

Teams' entries prior to their actual debuts in qualification

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.
^ Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing.
^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 and 1938 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1950 World Cup as host.
^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.
^ ^a ^b Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Withdrew from the 1938 qualification before playing.
^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 finals. Withdrew from the 1938 and 1950 qualifications before playing.
^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934, 1950 and 1954 qualifications before playing.
^ Participated in the 1930 World Cup as host. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1954 finals as defending champion.
^ Qualified by walkover for the 1938 finals (entered as the Dutch East Indies). Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.
^ ^a ^b Withdrew from the 1958 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Withdrew from the 1966 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1954 and 1958 qualifications before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing (entered as the Malagasy Republic).
^ Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals, and subsequently withdrew from participation. Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1986 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1966 and 1974 qualifications before playing.
^ Withdrew during the 1986 qualification and had all its matches of that campaign annulled.
^ Withdrew from the 1974 and 1978 qualifications before playing (entered in 1974 as Ceylon).
^ ^a ^b ^c Withdrew from the 1994 qualification before playing.
^ ^a ^b Withdrew from the 1990 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1950 and 1974 qualifications before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1998 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing. Was disqualified from the 1982 qualification before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1966, 1994 and 1998 qualifications before playing.
^ Withdrew from the 1950, 1994 and 2002 qualifications before playing (entered in 1950 as Burma).
^ Withdrew from the 2010 qualification before playing.

Successor and renamed teams

^ ^a ^b ^c 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c Germany was succeeded from the 1954 qualification by West Germany, which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1994 qualification.
^ ^a ^b ^c 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d 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.
^ ^a ^b Mandatory Palestine was succeeded by Israel from the 1950 qualification.
^ Egypt was later succeeded by the United Arab Republic, a political union with Syria, which entered the 1962 qualification, but withdrew before playing. Then Egypt continued independently but retained the name "United Arab Republic", under which it entered the 1966 qualification and also withdrew before playing. It was renamed back as "Egypt" from the 1974 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Ireland was succeeded by Northern Ireland from the 1954 qualification.
^ ^a ^b The Soviet Union was succeeded by Russia from the 1994 qualification.
^ ^a ^b ^c 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.
^ ^a ^b Dutch Guiana was succeeded by Suriname from the 1978 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Rhodesia was succeeded by Zimbabwe from the 1982 qualification.
^ ^a ^b South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1994 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Dahomey was renamed as Benin from the 1986 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification.
^ ^a ^b The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1982 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Upper Volta was renamed as Burkina Faso from the 1990 qualification.
^ ^a ^b North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Swaziland was renamed as Eswatini from the 2022 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2022 qualification.
^ ^a ^b Western Samoa was renamed as Samoa from the 2002 qualification.

Other notes

^ Italy had to qualify for the 1934 tournament despite being the host.
^ Tuvalu, a non-FIFA member, formally could 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.
^ Northern Mariana Islands, a non-FIFA member, formally could not enter the 2026 World Cup, but the team can participate in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification whose first two rounds double as stages of the qualification for that World Cup, and the team's results will count in determining advancement from those stages.

Overview of teams' participationsEdit

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 qualifiers as they doubled as continental qualifiers (South Africa in 2010 and Qatar in 2022)
\	Was not a FIFA member but took part in qualifiers as they doubled as another tournament (Tuvalu in 2010 and Northern Mariana Islands in 2026)
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	Entered but withdrew before playing, or withdrew during qualifying and had all matches annulled
d	Entered but was disqualified before playing, or was disqualified during qualifying and had all matches annulled
s	Was suspended from entering, or had entry rejected
—	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	20 26	Current confederation^[I]
Team																								Current confederation^[I]
Afghanistan				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Albania		—	—	—	—	—	—	n	s	n	—	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	n		CAF
American Samoa																	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
Andorra																	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Angola													n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		CAF
Anguilla																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Antigua and Barbuda										n	—	—	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	Q		CONMEBOL
Armenia																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Aruba															—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Australia								n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC^[II]
Austria	—	Q	w	w	Q	Q	—	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Azerbaijan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Bahamas									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	w	n	n		CONCACAF
Bahrain									—	—	n	n	n	w	n	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	n		CONCACAF
Belarus																n	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	Q		UEFA
Belize														s	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Benin (1978–) Dahomey (1970–1974)									—	n	—	—	n	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Bermuda								—	n	—	—	—	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Bhutan																	—	—	w	—	n	n		AFC
Bolivia	i	—	—	b	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONMEBOL
Bosnia and Herzegovina																n	n	n	n	Q	n	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	Q		CONMEBOL
British Virgin Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Brunei										—	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	—	—	s	n	n		AFC
Bulgaria	—	w	n	—	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Burkina Faso (1986–) Upper Volta (1970–1982)									—	—	n	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Burundi											—	—	—	—	n	w	w	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Cambodia^[i]						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n		AFC
Cameroon								w	n	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	n	Q		CAF
Canada				—	—	n	w	—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	CONCACAF
Cape Verde														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Cayman Islands																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Central African Republic								—	—	—	w	d	—	—	—	—	n	w	w	n	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	s	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n		CONMEBOL
China		—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	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^[III]
Colombia			w	—	—	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n		CONMEBOL^[IV]
Comoros																			n	n	n	n		CAF
Congo								s	—	n	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Cook Islands																n	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
Costa Rica	—	—	w	—	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q		CONCACAF
Croatia																Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Cuba		n	b	n	s	—	—	n	s	—	n	n	—	n	w	n	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	n		CONCACAF
Cyprus						w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA^[V]
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	n		UEFA
Denmark	—	—	—	—	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q	Q		UEFA
Djibouti																—	n	—	n	n	n	n		CAF
Dominica																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Dominican Republic						—	—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
DR Congo (1998–) Zaire (1974–1998)^[ii]								—	s	Q	w	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
East Germany					—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n										defunct^[VI]
Ecuador	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	Q		CONMEBOL
Egypt^[iii]	—	Q	w	—	n	w	w	w	—	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		CAF^[VII]
El Salvador			w	—	—	—	—	—	Q	n	n	Q	n	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	Q		UEFA
Equatorial Guinea														—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Eritrea																	n	n	w	n	n	n		CAF
Estonia	—	n	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					—	s	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	—	n	n	d	n	n	n		CAF^[VIII]
Faroe Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Fiji								—	—	—	—	n	—	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	n		UEFA
France	i	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	H	C	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Gabon								w	—	w	—	—	—	n	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	n		UEFA
Germany (1994–) West Germany (1950–1990) Germany (1930–1938)	—	Q	Q	s	Q	C	Q	Q	Q	H	C	Q	Q	Q	C	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Ghana							n	w	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q		CAF
Gibraltar																					n	n		UEFA
Greece	—	w	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n		UEFA
Grenada												n	w	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Guam																—	n	w	w	—	n	n		AFC
Guatemala				—	—	n	n	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Guinea								w	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Guinea-Bissau														—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Guyana										—	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Haiti		n	—	—	n	—	—	—	n	Q	n	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	n		CONCACAF
Hong Kong						—	—	—	—	n	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	n		UEFA
Iceland				—	s	n	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		UEFA
India				B	s	—	—	—	—	w	—	—	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Indonesia^[iv]			b	w	—	w	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	Q		AFC
Iraq					—	—	—	—	—	n	w	n	Q	n	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	n		UEFA^[IX]
Italy	—	Q	C	C	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	C	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n		UEFA
Ivory Coast								—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n		CAF
Jamaica								n	n	w	n	—	d	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Japan	—	—	w	s	n	—	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC
Jordan						—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Kazakhstan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA^[X]
Kenya							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Kosovo																					n	n		UEFA
Kuwait								—	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n		AFC
Kyrgyzstan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Laos					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	n		AFC
Latvia	—	—	n												n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Lebanon			—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	n	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	n		CAF
Libya								w	n	—	n	w	n	w	d	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Liechtenstein											—	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Lithuania	—	n	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	n		UEFA
Macau												n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Madagascar^[v]								—	—	w	—	n	n	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malawi									—	—	n	n	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malaysia^[vi]						—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Maldives														w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Mali								w	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	w	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Malta							—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Mauritania										—	n	—	—	—	w	n	n	n	n	—	n	n		CAF
Mauritius								—	—	n	—	—	n	s	—	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	Q	H	CONCACAF
Moldova																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Mongolia																	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Montenegro																			n	n	n	n		UEFA
Montserrat																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Morocco							n	w	Q	w	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q		CAF
Mozambique												n	—	s	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Myanmar^[vii]				w	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	w	—	w	s	n	n	n	n		AFC
Namibia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Nepal										—	—	—	n	n	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	n		AFC
Netherlands	—	Q	Q	—	—	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q		UEFA
New Caledonia																		n	n	n	n	n		OFC
New Zealand				—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		OFC
Nicaragua					—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Niger								—	—	—	n	n	w	—	n	w	—	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Nigeria							n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	n		CAF
North Korea							—	Q	d	n	w	n	n	n	n	—	—	n	Q	n	n	w		AFC
North Macedonia (2022–) Macedonia (1998–2018)																n	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	n		UEFA
Northern Mariana Islands																							\	AFC
Norway	—	—	Q	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Oman												—	w	n	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	n		AFC
Panama				—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		CONCACAF
Papua New Guinea									—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	—	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	n		CONMEBOL
Peru	i	w	—	w	w	n	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n		CONMEBOL
Philippines		—	—	w	—	—	—	s	—	w	—	—	—	—	—	n	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	Q		UEFA
Portugal	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Puerto Rico							—	—	—	n	—	—	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	n		UEFA
Romania	i	Q	b	—	n	n	w	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	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	d		UEFA
Rwanda												—	—	w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Saar					n																			defunct^[VI]
Saint Kitts and Nevis																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Saint Lucia															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	w		CONCACAF
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Samoa (2002–) Western Samoa (1990–1998)														—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
San Marino															n	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	Q		AFC
Scotland				w	Q	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA
Senegal								w	n	n	n	n	n	—	n	n	Q	n	n	n	Q	Q		CAF
Serbia (2010–) Serbia and Montenegro (2006) FR Yugoslavia (1994–2002) Yugoslavia (1930–1990)	i	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	n	Q	d	Q	n	Q	Q	n	Q	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	n		AFC
Slovakia																n	n	n	Q	n	n	n		UEFA
Slovenia																n	Q	n	Q	n	n	n		UEFA
Solomon Islands															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Somalia								—	—	—	—	n	—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
South Africa							s	d	s	s	s				n	Q	Q	n	H	n	n	n		CAF
South Korea				—	Q	s	n	w	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		AFC
South Sudan																					n	n		CAF
South Yemen									—	—	—	—	n	w										defunct^[XI]
Spain	—	Q	s	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	H	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Sri Lanka^[viii]					—	—	—	—	—	w	w	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Sudan				—	—	w	w	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	w	n	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	n		CONCACAF
Sweden	—	Q	Q	Q	n	H	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n		UEFA
Switzerland	—	Q	Q	Q	H	n	Q	Q	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	Q		UEFA
Syria			—	w	—	n		w	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	d	n	n		AFC^[XII]
Tahiti															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		OFC
Tajikistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Tanzania								—	—	n	w	n	n	—	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Thailand	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	n	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	n		CAF
Tonga																n	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
Trinidad and Tobago				—	—	—	—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Tunisia							n	w	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q		CAF
Turkey	—	w	—	w	Q	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	Q	n	n	n	n	n		UEFA^[XIII]
Turkmenistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Turks and Caicos Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Tuvalu																			\					OFC
Uganda							—	—	—	—	n	w	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CAF
Ukraine																n	n	Q	n	n	n	n		UEFA
United Arab Emirates											w	—	n	Q	n	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	Q	H	CONCACAF
U.S. Virgin Islands																	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONCACAF
Uruguay	H	—	—	b	C	n	Q	Q	Q	Q	n	n	Q	Q	n	n	Q	n	Q	Q	Q	Q		CONMEBOL
Uzbekistan																n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Vanuatu															n	n	n	n	n	n	n	w		OFC
Venezuela					—	w	—	n	n	w	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		CONMEBOL
Vietnam (1978–) South Vietnam (1954–1974)					s	—	—	—	—	n	w	—	—	—	n	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	Q		UEFA
Yemen (1994–) North Yemen (1982–1990)												—	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n	n		AFC
Zambia								—	n	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	n		CAF^[XIV]
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	20 26	Current confederation

Non-participating incarnations

^ Known as the Khmer Republic in 1974, and then as Kampuchea until 1990.
^ Known as Congo-Kinshasa until 1970.
^ 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.
^ Entered as the Dutch East Indies in 1938.
^ Known as the Malagasy Republic until 1974.
^ Preceded by Malaya until 1962.
^ Known as Burma until 1990.
^ Known as Ceylon until 1974.

Continental allocations

^ 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.
^ Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–2006.
^ Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
^ Entered the North and Central American zone in 1938.
^ Entered the African/Asian zone in 1958.
^ ^a ^b Participated in the European zone.
^ Entered the European zone in 1938 and 1954.
^ Entered the European zone in 1962.
^ Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958, the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970–1978, and the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.
^ Entered the Asian zone in 1998–2002.
^ Participated in the Asian zone.
^ Entered the European zone in 1950 and 1966.
^ Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958.
^ Entered the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970.

Overall team recordsEdit

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 among all teams.

The "Qualifying attempts" column counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match that was not annulled. An attempt is treated as "successful" if the team gained the right to participate in the finals, even if it did not appear there eventually.

As per statistical convention in football, goals scored during extra time are counted towards matches' scorelines and outcomes, while goals scored during penalty shoot-outs are not. Annulled matches are not counted; for matches that were annulled and then replayed, only the replays are counted. For matches where the scorelines were awarded, the awarded scorelines, and not the original ones (if any), are counted.

Key
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 (Northern Mariana Islands and Tuvalu)

The table is updated to the 2022 qualification.

No.	Team	Qualifying attempts		Appearances in the finals	Overall qualification record							Points		Confederation
No.	Team	Total	Successful	Appearances in the finals	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Total	Avg	Confederation
1	Mexico	17	14	17	189	121	41	27	453	134	+319	404	2.138	CONCACAF
2	Costa Rica	17	6	6	187	93	47	47	309	184	+125	326	1.743	CONCACAF
3	Australia	15	6	6	161	95	40	26	407	125	+282	325	2.019	AFC
4	South Korea	15	10	11	151	94	39	18	299	90	+209	321	2.126	AFC
5	Iran	11	6	6	146	92	35	19	316	89	+227	311	2.130	AFC
6	Argentina	14	13	18	153	86	42	25	262	135	+127	300	1.961	CONMEBOL
7	Netherlands	19	11	11	135	89	26	20	329	101	+228	293	2.170	UEFA
8	United States	19	9	11	168	84	40	44	287	191	+96	292	1.738	CONCACAF
9	Spain	19	15	16	125	87	26	12	291	81	+210	287	2.296	UEFA
10	Portugal	21	8	8	149	83	35	31	284	146	+138	284	1.906	UEFA
11	England	17	14	16	122	84	27	11	314	70	+244	279	2.287	UEFA
12	Brazil	13	13	22	127	82	33	12	280	75	+205	279	2.197	CONMEBOL
13	Sweden	20	11	12	141	86	21	34	280	129	+151	279	1.979	UEFA
14	Uruguay	17	11	14	172	77	46	49	240	186	+54	277	1.610	CONMEBOL
15	Japan	15	6	7	138	83	27	28	305	91	+214	276	2.000	AFC
16	Serbia Serbia and Montenegro FR Yugoslavia Yugoslavia	20	12	13	136	81	33	22	287	123	+164	276	2.029	UEFA
17	Belgium	20	13	14	141	83	27	31	302	147	+155	276	1.957	UEFA
18	Saudi Arabia	12	6	6	136	81	32	23	266	103	+163	275	2.022	AFC
19	Czech Republic Representation of Czechs and Slovaks Czechoslovakia	20	9	9	147	79	31	37	280	126	+154	268	1.823	UEFA
20	Germany West Germany Germany	15	15	20	104	83	18	3	328	74	+254	267	2.567	UEFA
21	Russia Soviet Union	16	10	11	125	80	24	21	246	81	+165	264	2.112	UEFA
22	Italy	17	14	18	118	78	30	10	234	72	+162	264	2.237	UEFA
23	Honduras	15	3	3	164	69	44	51	262	199	+63	251	1.530	CONCACAF
24	Romania	18	5	7	138	72	29	37	238	142	+96	245	1.775	UEFA
25	Paraguay	18	6	8	172	69	37	66	213	215	−2	244	1.419	CONMEBOL
26	El Salvador	14	2	2	160	70	33	57	260	187	+73	243	1.519	CONCACAF
27	Switzerland	20	11	12	140	68	37	35	220	150	+70	241	1.721	UEFA
28	Colombia	17	6	6	170	62	54	54	200	178	+22	240	1.412	CONMEBOL
29	China	12	1	1	126	73	20	33	269	96	+173	239	1.897	AFC
30	Scotland	19	9	8	136	69	30	37	210	146	+64	237	1.743	UEFA
31	France	18	12	16	119	70	26	23	234	91	+143	236	1.983	UEFA
32	Denmark	16	6	6	132	67	30	35	242	144	+98	231	1.750	UEFA
33	Chile	16	6	9	164	66	33	65	236	221	+15	231	1.409	CONMEBOL
34	Poland	19	9	9	128	67	23	38	260	154	+106	224	1.750	UEFA
35	Canada	15	2	2	137	62	38	37	215	144	+71	224	1.635	CONCACAF
36	Austria	19	8	7	134	64	29	41	232	155	+77	221	1.649	UEFA
37	Republic of Ireland Ireland Irish Free State	21	3	3	149	58	46	45	210	177	+33	220	1.477	UEFA
38	Nigeria	15	6	6	112	62	32	18	185	84	+101	218	1.946	CAF
39	Hungary	19	8	9	132	63	28	41	235	176	+59	217	1.644	UEFA
40	Tunisia	15	6	6	112	62	30	20	192	86	+106	216	1.929	CAF
41	Bulgaria	20	7	7	137	62	29	46	215	191	+24	215	1.569	UEFA
42	Morocco	15	6	6	119	58	39	22	175	83	+92	213	1.790	CAF
43	Greece	20	3	3	136	56	33	47	167	179	−12	201	1.478	UEFA
44	Trinidad and Tobago	15	1	1	141	57	29	55	207	184	+23	200	1.418	CONCACAF
45	Ecuador	16	4	4	161	54	38	69	196	221	−25	200	1.242	CONMEBOL
46	Iraq	12	1	1	119	54	32	33	221	119	+102	194	1.630	AFC
47	Qatar	12	0	1	120	57	23	40	199	122	+77	194	1.617	AFC
48	Cameroon	14	8	8	95	57	22	16	158	71	+87	193	2.032	CAF
49	New Zealand	14	2	2	102	58	18	26	239	101	+138	192	1.882	OFC
50	Egypt	15	3	3	101	57	21	23	176	94	+82	192	1.901	CAF
51	Peru	17	4	5	168	50	41	77	183	233	−50	191	1.137	CONMEBOL
52	Guatemala	16	0	0	126	52	32	42	208	150	+58	188	1.492	CONCACAF
53	Turkey	18	3	2	139	53	27	59	204	206	−2	186	1.338	UEFA
54	Uzbekistan	7	0	0	102	54	19	29	195	104	+91	181	1.775	AFC
55	Norway	19	3	3	136	49	33	54	185	186	−1	180	1.324	UEFA
56	United Arab Emirates	10	1	1	116	51	23	42	194	127	+67	176	1.517	AFC
57	Northern Ireland Ireland	19	3	3	142	45	39	58	155	168	−13	174	1.225	UEFA
58	Kuwait	13	1	1	101	52	16	33	179	99	+80	172	1.703	AFC
59	Israel Palestine, British Mandate	21	1	1	132	45	35	52	189	199	−10	170	1.288	UEFA
60	Zambia	14	0	0	102	47	21	34	153	97	+56	162	1.588	CAF
61	Ivory Coast	12	3	3	84	45	26	13	154	70	+84	161	1.917	CAF
62	Bolivia	17	1	3	168	43	32	93	200	326	−126	161	0.958	CONMEBOL
63	Algeria	14	4	4	97	45	25	27	153	97	+56	160	1.649	CAF
64	Wales	19	2	2	130	43	29	58	168	180	−12	158	1.215	UEFA
65	Ghana	14	4	4	91	44	25	22	140	70	+70	157	1.725	CAF
66	Syria	15	0	0	102	44	23	35	205	120	+85	155	1.520	AFC
67	Croatia	7	6	6	72	43	20	9	129	51	+78	149	2.069	UEFA
68	Jamaica	12	1	1	118	39	32	47	127	154	−27	149	1.263	CONCACAF
69

[2] Berths were given by invitation only.

[1958q-3] Actually the berths 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 the latter.

[none-4] None entered.

[5] No teams from the region were members of FIFA before 1950.

[6] Austria withdrew after having qualified.

[7] India, Scotland and Turkey withdrew after having qualified. France initially accepted to participate as a replacement but then withdrew as well.

[8] 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.

[2010q-9] Including host South Africa and non-FIFA member Tuvalu, who participated because other tournaments also served as World Cup qualifiers.

[2022q-10] Including host Qatar, who participated because another tournament also served as World Cup qualifiers.

[2026q-11] Including non-FIFA member Northern Mariana Islands, who can participate because another tournament is to also serve as World Cup qualifiers.

[12] Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled.

[1930i-13] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation.

[22] Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing.

[23] Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 and 1938 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1950 World Cup as host.

[24] Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934 qualification before playing. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.

[1930i-1950b-25] Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals.

[1938w-26] Withdrew from the 1938 qualification before playing.

[28] Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Qualified by walkover for the 1934 finals. Withdrew from the 1938 and 1950 qualifications before playing.

[29] Participated in the 1930 World Cup by invitation. Withdrew from the 1934, 1950 and 1954 qualifications before playing.

[30] Participated in the 1930 World Cup as host. Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals. Qualified automatically for the 1954 finals as defending champion.

[32] Qualified by walkover for the 1938 finals (entered as the Dutch East Indies). Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.

[1958w-33] Withdrew from the 1958 qualification before playing.

[34] Withdrew from the 1950 qualification before playing.

[1966w-36] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Withdrew from the 1966 qualification before playing.

[41] Withdrew from the 1954 and 1958 qualifications before playing.

[44] Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing (entered as the Malagasy Republic).

[45] Qualified by walkover for the 1950 finals, and subsequently withdrew from participation. Withdrew from the 1974 qualification before playing.

[47] Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing.

[48] Withdrew from the 1986 qualification before playing.

[49] Withdrew from the 1966 and 1974 qualifications before playing.

[50] Withdrew during the 1986 qualification and had all its matches of that campaign annulled.

[51] Withdrew from the 1974 and 1978 qualifications before playing (entered in 1974 as Ceylon).

[1994w-53] Withdrew from the 1994 qualification before playing.

[1990w-55] Withdrew from the 1990 qualification before playing.

[56] Withdrew from the 1950 and 1974 qualifications before playing.

[58] Withdrew from the 1998 qualification before playing.

[59] Withdrew from the 1978 qualification before playing. Was disqualified from the 1982 qualification before playing.

[60] Withdrew from the 1966, 1994 and 1998 qualifications before playing.

[61] Withdrew from the 1950, 1994 and 2002 qualifications before playing (entered in 1950 as Burma).

[63] Withdrew from the 2010 qualification before playing.

[CZE-14] 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.

[GER-15] Germany was succeeded from the 1954 qualification by West Germany, which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1994 qualification.

[IRL-16] 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.

[SRB-18] 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.

[ISR-19] Mandatory Palestine was succeeded by Israel from the 1950 qualification.

[20] Egypt was later succeeded by the United Arab Republic, a political union with Syria, which entered the 1962 qualification, but withdrew before playing. Then Egypt continued independently but retained the name "United Arab Republic", under which it entered the 1966 qualification and also withdrew before playing. It was renamed back as "Egypt" from the 1974 qualification.

[NIR-21] Ireland was succeeded by Northern Ireland from the 1954 qualification.

[RUS-27] The Soviet Union was succeeded by Russia from the 1994 qualification.

[CUW-31] 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.

[SUR-35] Dutch Guiana was succeeded by Suriname from the 1978 qualification.

[ZIM-37] Rhodesia was succeeded by Zimbabwe from the 1982 qualification.

[VIE-38] South Vietnam was succeeded by Vietnam from the 1994 qualification.

[BEN-39] Dahomey was renamed as Benin from the 1986 qualification.

[COD-40] Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification.

[TPE-42] The Republic of China became officially known as Chinese Taipei from the 1982 qualification.

[BFA-43] Upper Volta was renamed as Burkina Faso from the 1990 qualification.

[YEM-46] North Yemen was succeeded by Yemen from the 1994 qualification.

[SWZ-52] Swaziland was renamed as Eswatini from the 2022 qualification.

[MKD-54] Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2022 qualification.

[SAM-57] Western Samoa was renamed as Samoa from the 2002 qualification.

[17] Italy had to qualify for the 1934 tournament despite being the host.

[62] Tuvalu, a non-FIFA member, formally could 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.

[64] Northern Mariana Islands, a non-FIFA member, formally could not enter the 2026 World Cup, but the team can participate in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification whose first two rounds double as stages of the qualification for that World Cup, and the team's results will count in determining advancement from those stages.

[67] Known as the Khmer Republic in 1974, and then as Kampuchea until 1990.

[71] Known as Congo-Kinshasa until 1970.

[73] 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.

[76] Entered as the Dutch East Indies in 1938.

[79] Known as the Malagasy Republic until 1974.

[80] Preceded by Malaya until 1962.

[81] Known as Burma until 1990.

[83] Known as Ceylon until 1974.

[65] 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.

[66] Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–2006.

[68] Entered the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.

[69] Entered the North and Central American zone in 1938.

[70] Entered the African/Asian zone in 1958.

[European-72] Participated in the European zone.

[74] Entered the European zone in 1938 and 1954.

[75] Entered the European zone in 1962.

[77] Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958, the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970–1978, and the Oceanian zone in 1986–1990.

[78] Entered the Asian zone in 1998–2002.

[82] Participated in the Asian zone.

[84] Entered the European zone in 1950 and 1966.

[85] Entered the African/Asian zone in 1934 and 1958.

[86] Entered the Asian/Oceanian zone in 1970.

[1]

[a]

[b]

[c]

[d]

[e]

[f]

[g]

[h]

[i]

[j]

[k]

[a]

[A]

[B]

[C]

[N 1]

[D]

[E]

[F]

[G]

[b]

[c]

[d]

[e]

[f]

[H]

[g]

[h]

[i]

[I]

[j]

[k]

[l]

[J]

[m]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[n]

[O]

[P]

[o]

[p]

[Q]

[q]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[u]

[R]

[v]

[S]

[w]

[x]

[T]

[y]

[z]

[aa]

[ab]

[N 2]

[ac]

[N 3]

[I]

[II]

[i]

[III]

[IV]

[V]

[ii]

[VI]

[iii]

[VII]

[VIII]

[iv]

[IX]

[X]

[v]

[vi]

[vii]

[XI]

[viii]

[XII]

[XIII]

[XIV]


Founded	1933; 90 years ago (1933)
Region	International (FIFA)
Number of teams	211 (currently eligible) 216 (overall)
Website	Official website