The story will be made during the World Cup next year, with three countries that welcome the first 48 team tournament.
The qualification for the finals in North America took place for a long time ago for five of the six confederations.
However, while domestic football takes a rear seat for a brief moment, UEFA will join the party while some European teams, including England and Belgium, are starting their journey to qualification.
This is the ideal moment, therefore, for an intensive course on the functioning of the qualification for each Confederation and the number of teams that they will send to the revised tournament.
It’s the day of arrivals in England! 🏴😄 pic.twitter.com/0onz263elye
– England (@england) March 17, 2025
AFC
The Asian Confederation will see eight teams qualify directly for the final.
AFC qualifications are six games in the third round, the 18 teams remaining in three groups of six. The two best teams of these groups will qualify for the World Cup, with the third and fourth teams going to a fourth round.
In the fourth round, which begins in October, these six teams will be divided into two groups of three, the winner of each group reserving their place in the tournament proper.
The two teams placed in second position will compete in a two -legged qualifying series in November for a place in the interconfined qualifying series.
The third round will end in June. Iran and Japan are both already sure of at least one place in the fourth round, but could drop out in the final during this international window.
Caf
The qualification process in Africa is simpler. Nine groups of six teams participate in a round around in the first round. The nine winners of the group qualify for the World Cup.
From there, the four best group finalists will end in the playoffs, the winner progressing towards the inter-confederation eliminatory series.
The first round, which is still in its relatively early stages with four games played, will end in October, the playoffs taking place a month later.
Concacaf
Three Concacaf teams are already sure of their place at the World Cup with the United States, Canada and Mexico due to the tournament. There are 30 teams in competition to claim one of the three places to join them.
The qualification of the Concacaf is at its second round stadium, which will see the first and second teams of six groups of five advance in the third round after four games of the Round.
The 12 teams passing through in the third round will be divided into three groups of four for the double tournament matches around. The three group winners will hit their tickets for the World Cup, while the two best -classified finalists will go to the interconfessional playoffs.
Each side played two second round games at this point. The next games will take place in June, three months before the start of the third round.
Conmebole
The beauty of the Conmebol qualification process is its simplicity, with 10 teams playing 18 games around each other.
The first six qualify for the World Cup, with the seventh team placed which lengthens towards the inter-confederation qualifiers.
# Selecciónmayor ¡Buenos Días, Muchachos! 👋🏻 pic.twitter.com/tuhvled33w
– 🇦🇷 selección argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@argentina) March 17, 2025
The reigning champions Argentina is in the seat of the box to qualify, having raised 25 points of 12 games to lead the ranking, although the Albiceleste faces Chile and the Rivaux du Brazil in this round of lighting.
The Conmebol qualification will end in September.
OFC
The smallest Confederation is only guaranteed one place in the final, and the identity of this qualifier will be known next week.
The OFC is in its third and last qualification cycle, the process ending with a three -game qualifying series between the four remaining teams.
Thursday, New Caledonia will face Tahiti and New Zealand will face the Fiji, the two games will take place in Wellington. The two semi-final winners then go to Auckland to compete for a place in the World Cup next Tuesday. The loser will go to the interconfessional playoffs.
New Zealand is obviously the heavy favorites, their last defeat in the qualifications of the OFC World Cup returns in 2008 when they lost 2-0 against the Fiji.
Sky Stadium 📍🇳🇿 Four days to go 👀 pic.twitter.com/kwtenmgzbt
– New Zealand football 🇳🇿 (@nz_football) March 17, 2025
Uefa
UEFA has the largest team allowance for the enlarged finals. Sixteen European Confederation teams will qualify for the final.
Fifty-four teams were trained in 12 groups of four or five, the group’s winners obtaining a qualification.
The dozen remaining group finalists and the best four teams from the UEFA Nations League who have not finished in the first two of their qualification group will be in a format of qualifying series in the second round.
The teams will be trained in four dam routes with semi-finals and legs on legs on legs. The four path winners will qualify for the World Cup.
The GL groups launch into this window, with the following rest in September. The first round ends in November before the second round qualifiers would take place next March.
Inter-Confederation Playoffs
The six teams that are progressing towards the interconfessional playoffs will dispute a single elimination tournament in March.
The lowest teams will be seedless and will compete in the semi-finals, and the winners of these links will each face a seeded team with a place in the World Cup in play.
