FIFA World Cup qualifiers: Ronaldo's Portugal a step away from qualification, but who else can join them? Know More

With less than eight months to go for the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the race for a spot in the 48-team tournament is heating up as some of the top high-profile teams look to put their name in the hat. While England remain the only European side to seal qualification so far, they could soon be joined by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, Germany and other teams. So who can seal qualification and who will punch their tickets to North America for football’s biggest carnival?

Who can qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup?

As things stand, England could soon be joined by Portugal, Germany, Croatia and others. Germany can guarantee at least a Playoff spot if they beat Luxembourg and Northern Ireland fail to defeat Slovakia in the latest qualifiers. They can seal qualification if they win their two qualifiers and Slovakia and Northern Ireland drop points.

If Switzerland beat Sweden and Kosovo drop points against Slovenia, the former will seal a World Cup spot. In a similar run-in, if France beat Ukraine, they will officially qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Similarly, Spain and Portugal are also a win away from punching their tickets for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

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Interestingly, Italy will have to enter the Playoffs for the third consecutive time if they fail to beat Moldova and Norway beat Estonia, as the latter sits in pole position. Croatia, runners-up in 2018 and third-place finishers in 2022, need a solitary point against the Faroe Islands.

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Key fixtures during latest international break

Thursday (Nov 13)

Norway vs Estonia

France vs Ukraine

Moldova vs Italy

Friday (Nov 14)

Luxembourg vs Germany

Croatia vs Faroe Islands

Saturday (Nov 15)

Georgia vs Spain

Slovenia vs Kosovo

Switzerland vs Sweden