Full List of 17 Countries Qualified for 2026 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria’s Spot in Danger
- Morocco became the first African country to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after six wins in six qualifying games
- The North Africans join 17 nations already confirmed for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Nigeria run the risk of missing out on back-to-back World Cup tournaments after a poor start in the qualifiers
Africa finally has its first representative at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Morocco hammered Niger Republic 5-0 on Friday to secure their place at the tournament.
Source: Getty Images
The Atlas Lions, who surprised the world by reaching the semi-finals in Qatar in 2022, are once again flying high.
They have won all six of their qualifying games in Group E, collecting a perfect 18 points with two matches still to play.
The qualification underlines Morocco’s consistency as a rising force in world football.
Having set a new benchmark for African nations in Qatar, Morocco will be looking to make another deep run when the expanded 48-team tournament kicks off across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Full list of 17 teams that have qualified
Morocco joins 16 other teams that have already booked their tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Source: Getty Images
South America is well represented, with Uruguay, Colombia, and Paraguay confirming their spots to join Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador.
The three co-hosts, USA, Mexico, and Canada, were handed automatic slots.
Asia has produced six qualified teams for the tournament, with Japan, South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Australia all punching their tickets.
New Zealand will fly the flag for Oceania after sealing their qualification earlier.
More nations will join the list before the year ends, leaving less room for error for sides still fighting to qualify.
Nigeria in danger of missing out
For Nigeria, the picture is far from rosy as the Super Eagles are in fourth place in Group C with only one win from six matches.
The three-time African champions trail leaders South Africa by nine points, while Rwanda also sit ahead in third place.
After missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, losing out again in 2026 would be a massive blow to Nigerian football.
The group is slipping away quickly, and anything less than maximum points in the remaining fixtures will not be enough.
Nigeria, who faces Rwanda on Saturday, still have crunch matches against Benin and South Africa, but their margin for error is gone.
The three-time African champions need victories, not draws, to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
With just seven points accumulated so far for the Super Eagles, the pressure on Eric Chelle’s men is immense.
Another failure to reach the World Cup would raise deeper questions about the direction of the team and its ability to deliver on the big stage.
How Nigeria can overtake South Africa
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Nigeria’s World Cup dream is hanging by a thread, but the chance to turn things around is still alive if Eric Chelle’s side can take advantage of these weekend games.
For Nigeria to overtake Bafana Bafana, the equation is straightforward but demanding. Lesotho need to do them a favour by beating the Bafana Bafana before Tuesday’s clash.
Source: Legit.ng
