The most prominent candidates and teams qualifying for the 2026 World Cup for the first time

The contract for the qualifying teams for the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in America, Canada and Mexico, has been completed after the end of the playoff matches yesterday evening, Tuesday.

In the following lines, the British news agency, PA Media, summarizes what happened and takes a look at the finals.

What happened yesterday, Tuesday?

The remaining six places in the tournament, which is being held with the participation of 48 teams, were obtained, four from Europe and two from the global playoff, which was held in Mexico.

The Italian team, the four-time world champion, failed to qualify for the third time in a row, after losing on penalties to the Bosnian team. While the Czech Republic, Turkey and Sweden reserve the remaining European seats.

The Iraqi national team qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in the last 40 years, after defeating the Bolivia national team, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team returned to the World Cup, after Akol’s period, as the last for the Democratic Congo was in 1974 when it was called Zaire.

How will the tournament be held?

The 48 teams were divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-placed teams, qualifying for the next round of 32 teams.

The tournament begins with the Mexican national team, one of the organizing countries, facing South Africa on June 11, and the tournament continues for 39 days, concluding its competitions at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.

Spain, the European champion, along with the French team, runner-up in the 2022 edition, and the English team, led by Thomas Tuchel, are the three most prominent teams nominated for the title.

Four teams are participating for the first time in the World Cup: Cape Verde (Cape Verde), Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

The Cape Verde team is famous for playing the “Blue Sharks” and is in a group that includes the teams of Spain and Uruguay, the two-time world champion, while the draw fell on the Curacao team, which includes the German team, the four-time world champion.

What about Iran?

FIFA President Gianni Infantino even attended Iran’s friendly match against Costa Rica in Turkey on Tuesday, and said he looked forward to seeing the team “deliver a positive message of humanity and unity to the world” at the finals.

Iran is scheduled to play all three of its group matches in America, and may even face America in Dallas in the round of 32 if both countries finish their groups in second place.

Are tickets still available?

FIFA – which has faced criticism over the high prices of match tickets and parking, in addition to its decision to implement dynamic pricing – will open the fourth and final ticket sales window at 3pm GMT on Wednesday, and it will remain open until the end of the tournament.