The four UEFA playoff paths and the two inter-confederation playoffs completed the 48-team field for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Sweden and Türkiye took Europe's last four places. DR Congo and Iraq came through the inter-confederation route. And the headline that dominated European football: Italy, four-time world champions, missed out again.
Italy Miss a Third Consecutive World Cup
Italy went into the playoffs needing to end a run that had already become a national reckoning — no World Cup in 2018, no World Cup in 2022. They lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties. That makes three tournaments in a row without the Azzurri, an absence that would have been unimaginable for a country with four world titles.
There is no softening it. A shootout is a brutal way to settle a qualifying campaign, but the result is the result: Italy are not at the 2026 World Cup, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are. It is the defining story of this playoff round.
The Four UEFA Playoff Winners
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Italy on penalties to claim their place. Eliminating a four-time world champion in a shootout is the kind of result a federation builds a decade of belief on. They join Group B alongside co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar.
Czechia
Czechia also went the distance, beating Denmark on penalties. They were drawn into Group A, which means they open the entire tournament against host nation Mexico at Estadio Azteca on June 11 — about as prominent a fixture as a playoff qualifier could be handed.
Sweden
Sweden beat Poland, with Gyökeres scoring the decisive goal. They land in Group F with the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia — a group with no easy fixtures.
Türkiye
Türkiye beat Kosovo, with Aktürkoğlu getting the decisive goal. Their generation of players spread across Europe's leading leagues finally has the stage it has been pointed at for years. Türkiye join Group D with host nation the United States, Paraguay and Australia.
The Inter-Confederation Playoffs
Two further places were settled by the inter-confederation playoffs, which pit teams from different confederations against each other for the last spots in the field.
DR Congo beat Jamaica to qualify, becoming the tenth African nation in the field. They go into Group K with Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.
Iraq beat Bolivia to reach their first World Cup since 1986 — a forty-year wait ended in a single match. Iraq were drawn into Group I alongside France, Senegal and Norway.
The Complete 48-Team Lineup
With qualifying finished, here is the full field, by confederation.
| Confederation | Qualified teams |
|---|---|
| UEFA (16) | Spain, France, England, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Switzerland, Scotland, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Sweden, Türkiye |
| CONMEBOL (6) | Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay |
| CONCACAF (6) | USA, Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Curaçao, Panama |
| CAF (9) | Morocco, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde |
| AFC (8) | Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, Uzbekistan, Jordan |
| OFC (1) | New Zealand |
| Inter-confederation playoffs (2) | DR Congo, Iraq |
Browse every qualified team on our teams hub, with profiles covering squads, group assignments, and the tipping customs fans travel with.
Where the Playoff Winners Landed
The draw was conducted before the playoffs were played, with each path winner slotted into a pre-assigned position. Group A got Czechia, joining Mexico, South Korea and South Africa. Group B got Bosnia and Herzegovina, joining Canada, Switzerland and Qatar. Group D got Türkiye, joining the United States, Paraguay and Australia. Group F got Sweden, joining the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia. Group I got Iraq, joining France, Senegal and Norway. Group K got DR Congo, joining Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.
See our complete group breakdown for all 12 groups.
Tipping Customs of the Newly Qualified
Fans travelling from the six nations that came through the playoffs arrive from tipping cultures that look nothing like North America's. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia and Sweden, rounding up the bill or leaving roughly 5–10% is the normal range, and in Sweden card terminals often make even that optional. In Türkiye, leaving around 5–10% at restaurants and rounding up for taxis is customary. In DR Congo and Iraq, tipping is generally a small discretionary gesture rather than a fixed percentage, most commonly at hotels and tourist-facing restaurants.
All six will find the US baseline of 18–20% at sit-down restaurants a genuine adjustment — not because the arithmetic is hard, but because in most of their home markets a server's wage does not depend on it. Our tipping by country guide covers the customs back home and what to expect in each host country.
What This Means for the Tournament
The completed field runs to ten African nations and nine from Asia, and a European contingent that arrives without Italy for the third tournament running. For the six playoff qualifiers, the expanded 48-team format is exactly the opening it was designed to create.
Explore the tournament on our World Cup 2026 hub, and download Gratiq to handle tipping without the guesswork. Snap your receipt, get the right tip — no math, no cultural second-guessing.