Sports
Road to 2026: Eight Nations Punch Their Tickets For Historic FIFA World Cup (Full list)
The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is gathering momentum as eight countries have officially secured their places in what is set to be the most expansive edition of the global showpiece yet.
For the first time in history, the tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and will feature 48 teams—an increase from the previous 32.
The historic competition will kick off at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which will become the first stadium to host three World Cup opening matches.
The United States will begin their campaign the following day in Southern California, while Canada will also feature prominently as co-hosts.
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The 8 Early Qualifiers Set the Pace
Leading the pack of early qualifiers is Argentina, the reigning world champions, who confirmed their ticket in spectacular fashion.
A commanding 4-1 victory over arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires highlighted their dominance, with goals from Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, and Giuliano Simeone. The win underscores Argentina’s intent to defend their title on North American soil.
In Asia, Japan became the first team globally to qualify, continuing their regional dominance.
The Samurai Blue went unbeaten in their qualification group, winning six matches and drawing one.
Iran followed closely behind, securing their place after another solid qualifying campaign. This marks their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance (2014, 2018, 2022, and now 2026), and their seventh overall.
In a historic first, Uzbekistan booked their ticket to the tournament after a tense goalless draw against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi. It was enough to clinch second place in Group A of the Asian qualifiers.
The result triggered nationwide celebrations as the Central Asian nation prepares for its World Cup debut.
Meanwhile, New Zealand return to the global stage after a 16-year absence. The All Whites sealed qualification with a 3-0 win over New Caledonia.
Despite a goalless first half and the early injury of veteran striker Chris Wood, the team delivered a strong second-half performance to confirm their spot.
As co-hosts, Canada, Mexico, and the United States automatically qualify for the 2026 edition, in accordance with FIFA rules for tournament hosts.
Their participation was guaranteed without going through the qualifiers, although all three nations competed in the previous 2022 tournament through the regular route.
Slot Allocation for 2026 FIFA World Cup
The expanded format distributes qualification slots across confederations as follows:
UEFA (Europe): 16 slots
CAF (Africa): 9 slots
AFC (Asia): 8 slots
CONMEBOL (South America): 6 slots
CONCACAF (North & Central America): 6 slots
OFC (Oceania): 1 slot (awarded for the first time)
Intercontinental Playoffs: 2 additional slots
With more places available and several regions still in the thick of qualifiers, anticipation is building globally.
The journey to the 2026 World Cup is far from over, but for eight nations, the dream is already becoming a reality.
Signals have emerged that the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) would back Nigeria’s plan to reform her football administration, in view of which the entire Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi threw in the towel recently.
Chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, offered this insight in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday after meeting with FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) officials in Switzerland.
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He said the government presented its reform proposals to FIFA after the resignation created a leadership vacuum within the NFF.
“After the resignation of the entire board of the NFF and the General Secretary, naturally we have a lacuna, because there was no provision in the rulebook for situations like that, where we have nobody now to run the NFF legally within the rulebook.”
According to Dikko, the government wants to undertake a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s football structures, with the process involving consultations with stakeholders.
He said, “We told them, this is our position as a government. The government wants to undertake a comprehensive reform of the football structures in Nigeria, which is something that even FIFA knew has been on the cards for decades in Nigeria.
“So we discussed comprehensive proposals from the government, which are the issues that we think should be reformed, based on the concerns of the stakeholders, and we all agreed on that.”
Dikko said FIFA had endorsed both the resignation of the NFF board and the proposed reforms, while stressing that the process must follow the applicable rules.
“In short, FIFA endorsed the resignation, endorsed reform, agreed that the reform must happen, but it has to go through the proper process and the rulebooks, and they are ready to accommodate that,” he asserted.
Manchester City’s trophy-laden era has come under renewed scrutiny after the club was reportedly found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League financial-rule charges brought against it.
The reported verdict, disclosed by The Athletic on Friday, September 25, relates to alleged breaches covering the period between 2009 and 2018.
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The independent hearing lasted more than two years before the outcome emerged.
However, the case is not yet over, as the Premier League has not announced any sanction and Manchester City are expected to appeal the verdict.
The charges include allegations that the club failed to provide accurate financial information and breached rules relating to payments to players and coaches, as well as financial sustainability requirements.
City have consistently denied the allegations.
The reported verdict could have wider implications for the Premier League because the club has won eight league titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups and one Champions League during the period in which the allegations have been investigated.
Potential sanctions under the league’s rules can include financial penalties and sporting punishments, with points deductions and expulsion among the measures that have been discussed in coverage of the case.
However, no punishment has been confirmed at this stage.
The uncertainty also means questions remain over whether any eventual sanction could affect Manchester City’s past achievements, current squad or future participation in the Premier League.
For now, the reported guilty findings mark a major development in one of English football’s longest-running disciplinary cases, but the final outcome will depend on the sanctioning process and City’s expected appeal.
Chelsea Football Club have confirmed a major ownership change, with Clearlake Capital set to take full control of the club after agreeing to acquire the ownership interests of Todd Boehly and Mark Walter.
Chelsea announced on Wednesday that affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group will acquire Boehly’s ownership interest, as well as Walter’s stake, giving Clearlake full control of the Premier League club.
“Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (‘Clearlake’) will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly.
“Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter’s ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the Club,” the club said.
Mark Walter and Todd Boehly have agreed to sell their stakes in Chelsea to Clearlake Capital in a deal that values the club at about £5 billion.
The development marks a significant change to the ownership structure that has been in place since Chelsea’s takeover in 2022.
Chelsea also confirmed that Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss will remain an important partner and stakeholder in the club.
The announcement comes after weeks of reports that Boehly and Walter were considering selling their stakes to Clearlake.
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