FIFA World Cup 2026 New Comers: Team making their debut at the tournament in US, MEX & CAN.
With the 2026 World Cup expanding to 48 teams, several nations will make their tournament debut. While Brazil have played in all 22 editions, 132 of Fifa’s 211 members have never appeared before.
Who are the 2026 FIFA World Cup debutants?
Cape Verde
With a population of around 600,000, Cape Verde qualified for their first World Cup in October, briefly becoming the second smallest nation to ever reach the finals before Curacao took that record. Their rise has been helped by recruiting players from the global Cape Verdean diaspora, including six Dutch-born footballers and Dublin-born Roberto Lopes, who was contacted through LinkedIn.
Curacao
Curacao, population just over 150,000, will be the smallest nation to ever appear at a World Cup after a decisive draw against Jamaica. Their coach, Dick Advocaat, will become the oldest manager in World Cup history at 78. The island, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2010, has risen from 150th to 82nd in the Fifa rankings in a decade.
Jordan
After first entering World Cup qualifying 40 years ago, Jordan have finally reached the finals by finishing second in their Asian qualifying group behind South Korea. Their past managers include Harry Redknapp, who oversaw an 8–0 win over Bangladesh in 2016 qualifying.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan also qualified for the first time, having previously fallen just short in 2006 and 2014. Their squad includes Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov, the first Uzbek player in the Premier League.
Who could still join them?
Suriname narrowly missed automatic qualification after a final-day loss saw Panama overtake them, but they still have a chance through the inter-confederation play-off. If they qualify, they would be the lowest-ranked team ever to reach a World Cup.
New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory with under 300,000 people and a squad largely made up of part-timers from the local league, will also compete in the play-offs.
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