The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now a year away, and with seven countries already qualified, the June International Window has confirmed six more countries for their spot next summer.

The countries that have already qualified are Canada, US, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, Iran and Argentina with Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Brazil and Ecuador now joining those teams. Uzbekistan and Jordan will debut in the World Cup for the first time, as they qualified during this past FIFA International Window (June 4-June 10).

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan was the first country to qualify this month on June 6. They had a draw with the United Arab Emirates 0-0 away at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE, finishing second with 21 points in Group A of Asian Qualifiers behind Iran.

This will be Uzbekistan’s first World Cup, making it the 81st country to qualify for the World Cup in tournament history. Uzbekistan has come close to qualifying many times, but never quite made it past the playoffs. That makes this qualification a huge step forward for them.

Uzbekistan’s top three players are: Abdukodir Khusanov from England’s Manchester City; Eldor Shomurodov from Italy’s Roma, and Abbosbek Fayzullaev from Russia’s CSKA Moscow.

South Korea

South Korea qualified on June 6 by winning their away match 2-0 against Iraq at Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq. South Korea stands in first place with 19 points in Group B of Asian Qualifiers.

This will be South Korea’s eleventh straight World Cup appearance and their twelfth overall since their first qualification back in 1954. South Korea’s best appearance at the tournament was the 2002 World Cup that they co-hosted with Japan, when they finished fourth place losing to Turkey in the third-place match. They also beat Germany 2-0 in 2018, as both teams were eliminated in the group stage.

South Korea’s top players are: Son Heung-min from England’s Tottenham Hotspurs; Kim Min-jae from Germany’s Bayern Munich, and Lee Kang-in from France’s Paris Saint-Germain.

Jordan

Jordan qualified on June 6 by beating Oman 3-0 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, in Muscat, Oman. However, they had to wait to see the result between South Korea and Iraq for their next game, which ended with South Korea winning 2-0. and due to that result, Jordan with 16 points and in second place ahead of Iraq who only had 12 points and couldn’t overtake them anymore. Both teams at the time with only one match left to play in the third round, with Iraq even with a win could only get 15 points at max and therefore are going to a fourth round instead.

This is Jordan’s first World Cup qualification in history, and they are now the 82nd country to qualify. Just like Uzbekistan, Jordan has tried to qualify before, with their closest attempt being in 2014 in an inter-continental playoff against Uruguay in a two-game series, which Jordan lost 5-0. 

Jordan’s top three players are: Tamari Mousa from France’s Rennes; Yazan Abo Al Arab from South Korea’s FC Seoul, and Abdallah Nasib from Jordan’s Al Hussein.

Australia

Australia qualified for the World Cup on June 10 by beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Both teams entered the last game of the second round with Australia needing just to tie, while Saudi Arabia needed to win by five goals. 

With this win Australia has qualified for their seventh World Cup and their sixth straight. Australia’s best results are their round of 16 exits in 2006 and 2022. Australia usually struggles playing in the World Cup, and the team is usually considered the worst team in the tournament. However, their team has shown improvement in recent years. 

Australia’s top three players are: Jackson Irvine from Germany’s St. Pauli; Cameron Burgess from England’s Ipswich Town, and Mathew Ryan from France’s Lens.

Brazil

Brazil qualified on June 10, winning against Paraguay 1-0 at Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brazil is in third place with 25 points and only two matches left in South American qualifiers.

Brazil is the only country to qualify for every World Cup since the tournament started in 1930. They are also five-time World Cup champions, winning in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002 with their teams usually stacked with outstanding talents. Despite that, Brazil struggled early on in recent qualifiers. At one point, Brazil was in danger of dropping out of the top six in South American qualifiers standings, but the team recently made a comeback. 

Brazil’s top players are: Vinícius Júnior from Spain’s Real Madrid; Neymar from Brazil’s Santos, and Alisson from England’s Liverpool.

Ecuador

Ecuador was the last country to qualify in this round of playoffs, tying their match against Peru 0-0 at the Estadio National in Lima, Peru. Just like Brazil, Ecuador has 25 points and is in second due to a difference in goals scored.

Ecuador has qualified for four World Cups since 2002, with their best performance being the 2006 World Cup where they made it to round 16, in which they lost to England 1-0. In their other appearances, they were eliminated in the group stage. 

Ecuador’s top players are: Moises Caicedo from England’s Chelsea; Felix Torres from Brazil’s Corinthians, and Piero Hincapie from Germany’s Bayan Leverkusen.

The next World Cup qualifiers will take place between Sept. 3 and Sept.10, with South America finishing up their qualifiers that month. Asia will take the Sept off, while Europe and Africa will continue with theirs. North America will start their final round of qualifiers where there are three groups of four teams with the winner going to the World Cup, and the two best second-place teams will go to the intercontinental playoffs.

The next countries that are expected to qualify are Paraguay, Uruguay and Colombia, but anything could change in just two games. 

For more information on where to watch the games, here is a link to our website: https://codcourier.org/the-final-countdown-2026-mens-world-cup-march-qualifiers/