The upcoming FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada will see 48 teams participating for the first time in history. For the first time, teams from all seven continents will be taking the centre stage in the global footballing extravaganza. Defending champions Argentina will be aiming to defend their title, while several teams from the 2022 edition will also go missing.
The tournament is set to get underway on June 11 and a total of 104 matches will be played across 16 cities. The USA will host a mammoth 78 games, including the knockout rounds and the final on July 19 at the New Jersey Stadium. The other two hosts, Canada and Mexico, are slated to host 13 matches each, with the majority in the group stage.
43 teams were already confirmed when the schedule of the tournament was announced and the draws were confirmed and four more slots were filled on Tuesday as the UEFA Qualifiers concluded.
What happened in the UEFA Qualifiers Finals?
Italy's wait to appear at the FIFA World Cup since 2014 continued as they lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the penalty shootout 4-1. They will miss the World Cup for the third straight edition and become the first former champions to do so. Sweden broke the hearts of Robert Lewandowski fans, beating Poland 3-2 thanks to the winner from Viktor Gyökeres in the 88th minute. Sweden missed out on the World Cup played in Qatar in 2022 and had qualified for the quarterfinals in the 2018 edition. Turkiye defeated Kosovo 1-0 to seal their place, while Czechia stunned Denmark in the penalty shootout 3-1 to qualify for the World Cup.
Iraq become the last team to qualify for FIFA World Cup
Iraq and Bolivia played in the Inter-Confederation playoff today. Iraq won the clash 2-1 to become the last team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup as all 48 teams have been confirmed now.
FIFA World Cup Qualified Teams and Groups
Group A - Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
Group B - Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C - Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D - USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye
Group E - Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F - Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G - Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H - Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I - France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq
Group J - Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K - Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L - England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
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