So far, four countries’ national teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup that have never before participated in a FIFA World Cup. These are Uzbekistan (Asia), Jordan (Asia), Cape Verde (Africa), and Curaçao (North America).
These teams are guaranteed to make their World Cup debut in 2026, with another five teams that can potentially achieve the same during the UEFA play-offs and the inter-confederation play-offs, both scheduled to take place on 26 and 31 March 2026. These five teams are listed below, along with the European teams’ average odds from secure blockchain sportsbooks to make it into the play-off finals:
- North Macedonia (Europe), 15/2
- Albania (Europe), 18/5
- Kosovo (Europe), 18/5
- Suriname (South America)
- New Caledonia (Oceania)
Uzbekistan’s 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates on 5 June 2025 secured the team’s participation in the following World Cup. The team has twice before come close to qualifying, once for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the second time for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Both times, the team suffered a defeat in the finals of the qualifiers. Coach Timur Kapadze led the team during the qualifications, while the Italian coach Fabio Cannavaro took over leadership in October 2025.
Jordan was the second of the debuting teams to secure a berth at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with its 3-0 victory over Oman, thanks to a hat-trick by Ali Olwan, on 5 June 2025. Jordan’s first qualifying campaign was for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and the team has recently experienced a resurgence. They took second place in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and saw their FIFA ranking rise to 70 at the time (it is 66 as of November 2025). The team’s head coach has been Jamal Sellami since June 2024.
Cape Verde’s participation in the 2026 World Cup became certain after they defeated Eswatini 3-0 on 13 October 2025. Consequently, it became the second smallest country by land area to qualify (after Curaçao), and the third smallest by population (after Curaçao and Iceland). The team first attempted to qualify for the World Cup in 2003, and qualified for the Africa Cup for the first time in 2013. Their head coach is Pedro Leitão Brito, nicknamed Bubista, from the creole form of Boa Vista (his birthplace).
Curaçao has not lost a single match out of the six it played during the World Cup qualifiers, with the last match being a 0-0 tie against Jamaica. Near the end of the match, Jamaica almost won a penalty; however, the ruling was reversed by VAR. Curaçao is the smallest country to qualify for the World Cup, both by population and land area. The team’s head coach, the 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, could become the oldest head coach to lead a team during the World Cup.
