40 Nations Eliminated from 2026 World Cup Qualification

The qualification process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is still ongoing, but 40 countries have already been officially eliminated from contention. Set to be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament will feature an expanded format, increasing the number of participating teams from 32 in 2022 to 48 in 2026. So far, no team has secured qualification except for the three host nations. Teams have two possible routes to qualify: through the regional qualification process or by automatically securing a spot as the host nation.
Among the 40 nations eliminated, three—Russia, Eritrea, and the Republic of Congo—were disqualified due to FIFA sanctions. Russia was banned following its invasion of Ukraine, while Congo faced sanctions due to government interference in its football federation. Eritrea withdrew from the qualifiers for political reasons.
The remaining 38 nations were eliminated after poor performances in their respective qualification zones. Asia (AFC) saw the highest number of eliminations, with 28 teams already out, including Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. However, Indonesia remains in contention for a spot at the 2026 World Cup.
Nations Disqualified Due to FIFA Sanctions
- Russia
- Republic of Congo
Eliminated Teams by Region
AFC (Asia)
- Mongolia
- Maldives
- Guam
- Sri Lanka
- Macau
- Cambodia
- Timor Leste
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bhutan
- Laos
- India
- Afghanistan
- Syria
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Chinese Taipei
- Turkmenistan
- Hong Kong
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- Tajikistan
- Pakistan
- Yemen
- Nepal
- Lebanon
- Bangladesh
CAF (Africa)
- Eritrea (Withdrew)
CONCACAF (North & Central America, Caribbean)
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- British Virgin Islands
OFC (Oceania)
- Cook Islands
- American Samoa
- Tonga
- Solomon Islands
- Papua New Guinea
- Vanuatu
- Samoa
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