More than 80 countries have officially bowed out of the race to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following the conclusion of September’s qualifying fixtures across different continents.
In Africa, 18 nations have seen their dreams of appearing at the global football showpiece dashed after recording the lowest points in their respective groups.
Those eliminated from the continent include Congo, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, The Gambia, Togo, Burundi and the Central African Republic.
Globally, a wide spread of teams across Asia, Oceania, Europe and the Americas also failed to advance.
Some of the nations already knocked out are:
Africa: Togo, Zimbabwe, Gambia, South Sudan, Burundi, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Congo, Chad, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Somalia, Central African Republic.
Asia: Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Afghanistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China PR, Chinese Taipei, DPR Korea, Hong Kong, India, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine.
Oceania: Tonga, Vanuatu, American Samoa, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea.
Caribbean & Americas: US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat.
Europe: Gibraltar, Liechtenstein.
South America: Peru, Chile.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada in an expanded 48-team format.
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