FIFA World Cup qualification - wikipedia FIFA World Cup qualification For the current qualifying tournament, see 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals. The FIFA World Cup is the largest international team sport competition in the world with a qualification process required to reduce the large field of countries from 211 to just 32 for the World Cup finals until the 2022 edition. Qualifying tournaments are held within the six FIFA continental zones ( Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Caribbean, South America, Oceania, Europe ), and are organized by their respective confederations. For each tournament, FIFA decides beforehand the number of places in the finals allocated to each of the continental zones, based on the numbers or relative strength of the confederations ' teams. The hosts of the World Cup receive an automatic berth. Unlike many other sports, results of the previous World Cups or of the continental championships are not taken into account. Until 2002, the defending champions also received an automatic berth, but starting from the 2006 World Cup this is no longer the case. The current qualification process is the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification which commenced in 2015 and will finish in late 2017. Contents 1 History 1.1 Qualification spots by continent 1.2 Qualification competition entrants over time 1.3 First appearance in qualification by team 1.4 National teams results in World Cup preliminary competition ( 1934 -- 2018 ) 1.5 Top scorers in preliminary competition ( 1934 -- 2018 ) 1.6 First games and goalscorers in preliminary competition ( 1934 -- 2018 ) 2 Current format 2.1 Africa 2.2 Asia 2.3 Europe 2.4 North and Central America and Caribbean 2.5 Oceania 2.6 South America 2.7 Intercontinental play - offs 3 Qualification tournament rules 3.1 Groups 3.2 Home - and - away ties 4 See also 5 References 6 External links History Over many years, the World Cup 's qualification has evolved, from having no qualification at all in 1930, when the tournament was invitational and only 13 teams entered, to the current two - year process. The first World Cup qualifying match was played on 11 June 1933 when Sweden defeated Estonia 6 -- 2 in Stockholm. The first ever goal in a World Cup qualifying match was scored 7 minutes into the game : it was scored according to some sources by Swedish captain Knut Kroon, or according to other sources by Estonian goalkeeper Evald Tipner ( own goal ). While the number of teams which qualified for the finals has increased steadily, from 16 between 1934 and 1978, to 24 between 1982 and 1994, and finally to 32 starting from 1998, the qualification format has been basically the same throughout the history of the World Cup. The teams have been grouped continentally, and they competed for a fixed number of places, with one or two places awarded to the winners of intercontinental play - offs. Qualification spots by continent The table below lists the numbers of spots allocated by FIFA for each continent in each tournament. If no places were allocated to a continent, such as in the case of Oceania prior to 1966 and Africa in 1950, this does not indicate an exclusion of those continents by FIFA, but rather that no country of those continents made an entry to the aforementioned Cups. A large part of Africa was under colonial rule during part of the 20th century, mainly the first half of the century. As of 1954, only 3 African countries were affiliated to FIFA : Egypt, in 1923, Sudan, in 1948, and Ethiopia, in 1952. Sudan and Ethiopia made entries for no Cup prior to 1958. Egypt made entries for the 1934, 1938 and 1954 Cups, though not for the 1930 and 1950 Cups. Though an African country, Egypt entered in 1938 and 1954 in the European group, therefore the table below gives no data about Africa for these two Cups. Places in the intercontinental play - offs count as 0.5 spots. Numbers in bold represent the winners of the intercontinental play - offs. `` + C '' denotes an additional spot for defending champions. `` + H '' denotes an additional spot for hosts. Places allocated for continents Continental zone 1934 ( 16 ) 1938 ( 15 ) 1950 ( 13 ) 1954 ( 16 ) 1958 ( 16 ) 1962 ( 16 ) 1966 ( 16 ) 1970 ( 16 ) ( 16 ) 1978 ( 16 ) 1982 ( 24 ) 1986 ( 24 ) 1990 ( 24 ) 1994 ( 24 ) 1998 ( 32 ) 2002 ( 32 ) 2006 ( 32 ) ( 32 ) 2014 ( 32 ) 2018 ( 32 ) 2022 ( 32 ) 2026 ( 48 ) Africa 0 0.5 0.5 5 5 5 5 + H 5 5 5 9 Asia 0.5 3.5 2.5 + 2H 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 + H 8 Oceania Did Not Exist 0.5 0.5 0.25 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 Europe 12 11 + C + H 7 + C 11 + H 9.5 + C + H 8+ 2 × 0.5 9 + H 8 + C 8.5 + H 8.5 + C 13 + H 12.5 + C 13 + H 12 + C 14 + H 13.5 + C 13 + H 13 13 13 + H 13 16 North and Central America and Caribbean 0.5 + H + H 1.25 + H 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 6 South America + H + C 3.5 + C + H + C 2.5 + C 2.5 + H + C 2.5 + C 3.5 + C 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 + H 4.5 4.5 6 Play - Off Tournament Did Not Exist Total 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 24 24 24 24 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 48 In 1938, Austria withdrew after qualifying after being annexed by Germany and were not replaced, so only 15 teams, 12 of them European, played in the finals. In 1950, India, Scotland, and Turkey withdrew after qualifying and were not replaced, so only 13 teams, none of them Asian and 6 of them European, played in the finals. Initially in 1958, Africa and Asia together were given 1 spot, while Europe was given 9 spots. However, after Israel won the African and Asian zone without playing any matches, because of withdrawals of other teams, a special play - off was arranged between them and a European team ( Wales ). So in effect, Africa and Asia together were given 0.5 spots, while Europe was given 9.5 spots. In 1962, Europe was given 8 automatic spots, plus 2 additional spots in the intercontinental play - offs, in effect giving them 9 spots. The two European teams played an African team and an Asian team respectively, and both European teams won. Therefore, 10 European teams played in the finals. In 1994, there were two rounds of intercontinental play - offs. First, an Oceanian team played a team from North and Central America and Caribbean, and the winner then played a South American team. From the 2006 qualifiers on, the defending champion no longer has an automatic spot secured. Qualification competition entrants over time The number of teams entering the qualification process and the number of matches played have been steadily growing over time. Though an African country, Egypt entered in 1938 and 1954 into the European group, therefore being zero the below indicator as for Africa in these years. Number of teams entering qualification ( including automatic qualifiers ) Continental zone 1934 ( 16 ) 1938 ( 15 ) 1950 ( 13 ) 1954 ( 16 ) 1958 ( 16 ) 1962 ( 16 ) 1966 ( 16 ) 1970 ( 16 ) ( 16 ) 1978 ( 16 ) 1982 ( 24 ) 1986 ( 24 ) 1990 ( 24 ) 1994 ( 24 ) 1998 ( 32 ) 2002 ( 32 ) 2006 ( 32 ) ( 32 ) 2014 ( 32 ) 2018 ( 32 ) 2022 ( 32 ) 2026 ( 48 ) Africa 0 0 0 11 6 21 13 24 26 29 29 26 40 38 51 51 53 52 54 Asia 5 7 18 22 21 27 26 29 36 42 39 43 43 46 Oceania 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 10 10 12 11 11 11 Europe 21 26 19 29 29 30 33 31 33 32 34 33 33 39 50 51 52 53 53 54 North and Central America and Caribbean 7 5 6 8 10 14 14 17 15 18 16 23 30 35 34 35 35 35 South America 8 6 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 Total entrants 32 37 34 45 55 56 74 75 99 107 109 121 116 147 174 199 198 205 204 210 Teams played 27 21 19 33 46 49 51 68 90 95 103 110 103 130 168 193 194 200 203 208 Matches played 27 22 26 57 89 92 127 172 226 252 306 308 314 497 643 777 847 853 828 663 Goals scored 141 96 121 208 341 325 393 542 620 723 797 801 735 1446 1922 2452 2464 2344 2303 1903 Average goals per match 5.22 4.36 4.65 3.65 3.83 3.53 3.09 3.15 2.74 2.87 2.60 2.60 2.34 2.91 2.99 3.16 2.91 2.75 2.81 2.87 Because the Oceania Football Confederation has used the World Cup Qualifiers as a phase of ( or as the entire ) OFC Nations Cup, there is the possibility that non-FIFA countries may play in matches that double as World Cup qualifiers. In the 2006 qualifiers, New Caledonia were included in the tournament although they were not FIFA members at the date of close of entries. They are, however, included in the 12 nations listed as they joined FIFA during the course of qualification, even though they had been technically eliminated from contention a few days earlier ( a similar situation occurred in the entries for 2010, with Montenegro 's entry accepted prior to their admission by FIFA ). By contrast, Tuvalu competed in the 2007 South Pacific Games Football tournament, which doubled as qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. As they were not FIFA members at the time of the completion of the competition, they are not included in the 11 OFC entrants, although their results counted towards the qualification of other teams. From 1973 to 1989, the CONCACAF Championship and its qualifying tournament were used to determine CONCACAF 's entrant in the World Cup. The confederation 's champion qualified outright. `` Teams played '' is the total number of teams that played at least one qualifying match. This number includes Tuvalu ( see note 1 ) and South Africa. Although South Africa qualified automatically for 2010 as hosts, they competed in the CAF qualifiers, becoming the first hosts to compete in World Cup qualifying since 1934. This is because the Confederation of African Football used its 2010 World Cup qualifiers as the qualifying phase for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament for which South Africa had attempted to qualify. First appearance in qualification by team Note : Only teams that played at least one match are considered for the purposes of first appearance. Teams that withdrew prior to the qualification, or that qualified to the World Cup by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals, are not considered. World Cup Europe South America North, Central America and Caribbean Asia Africa Oceania Total 1934 Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Estonia France Germany Greece Hungary Irish Free State Italy Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Spain Sweden Switzerland Yugoslavia none Cuba Haiti Mexico United States Palestine, British Mandate Egypt none 27 1938 Finland Latvia Norway none none none none none 1950 England Ireland Scotland Turkey Wales none none Syria none none 6 1954 Saar Brazil Chile Paraguay none Japan South Korea none none 6 1958 Denmark East Germany Iceland Soviet Union Argentina Bolivia Colombia Peru Uruguay Canada Costa Rica Guatemala Territory of Curaçao China PR Indonesia Sudan none 16 1962 Cyprus Ecuador Dutch Guyana Honduras none Ethiopia Ghana Morocco Nigeria Tunisia none 9 1966 Albania Venezuela Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago North Korea none Australia 6 1970 none none Bermuda El Salvador none Algeria Cameroon Libya Rhodesia Senegal Zambia New Zealand 9 Malta none Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico Hong Kong Iran Iraq Kuwait Malaysia South Vietnam Thailand Congo Dahomey Guinea Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Mauritius Sierra Leone Tanzania Togo Zaire none 21 1978 none none Barbados Dominican Republic Guyana Panama Bahrain Qatar Republic of China Saudi Arabia Singapore Malawi Mauritania Niger Uganda Upper Volta none 14 1982 none none Grenada Macau Gambia Liberia Madagascar Mozambique Somalia Fiji 8 1986 none none none Bangladesh Brunei Jordan India Nepal North Yemen South Yemen United Arab Emirates Angola none 9 1990 none none none Oman Pakistan Gabon none 1994 Faroe Islands San Marino none Nicaragua Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Lebanon Sri Lanka Botswana Burundi Namibia South Africa Swaziland Solomon Islands Tahiti Vanuatu 15 1998 Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Georgia Liechtenstein Macedonia Moldova Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine none Aruba Belize Cayman Islands Dominica Saint Kitts and Nevis Cambodia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Maldives Philippines Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Guinea - Bissau Rwanda Cook Islands Papua New Guinea Tonga Western Samoa 31 2002 Andorra none Anguilla Bahamas British Virgin Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Guam Laos Mongolia Palestine Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Djibouti Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Mali São Tomé and Príncipe Seychelles American Samoa 21 2006 none none none Afghanistan none New Caledonia Montenegro none none Myanmar Timor - Leste Comoros Tuvalu 5 2014 none none none none none none 0 2018 Gibraltar Kosovo none none Bhutan South Sudan none Total 215 Notes ^ The Czechoslovakia team was officially renamed as the Representation of Czechs and Slovaks during the 1994 qualification, and was then succeeded by the Czech Republic ( first appearance : 1998 ). ^ Germany was later succeeded by West Germany ( first appearance : 1954 ), which in turn was succeeded by the reunified Germany ( first appearance : 1994 ). ^ The Irish Free State was later succeeded by Ireland ( first appearance : 1950 ), which later became officially known as the Republic of Ireland ( first appearance : 1954 ). ^ Italy had to qualify for the tournament despite being the host. ^ The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was later succeeded by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( first appearance : 1950 ), which was then succeeded by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( first appearance : 1998 ), which was later renamed as Serbia and Montenegro ( first appearance : 2006 ), which in turn was succeeded by Serbia ( first appearance : 2010 ). ^ Mandatory Palestine was later succeeded by Israel ( first appearance : 1950 ). ^ Egypt was later succeeded by the United Arab Republic, a political union between Egypt and Syria, which entered the 1962 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. Later, Egypt entered the 1966 qualification independently but still under the name `` United Arab Republic '', but withdrew yet again before playing any matches. The team 's first appearance after it changed its name back to Egypt came in 1974. ^ Ireland was later succeeded by Northern Ireland ( first appearance : 1954 ). ^ Turkey entered the 1934 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Brazil entered the 1934 and 1938 qualifications, but on both occasions qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals. It also qualified automatically for the 1950 World Cup as host. ^ Chile entered the 1934 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. It also entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals. ^ Paraguay entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals. ^ Japan entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ The Soviet Union was later succeeded by Russia ( first appearance : 1994 ). ^ Argentina entered the 1934 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals. It also entered the 1938 and 1950 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Bolivia entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals. ^ Colombia entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Peru entered the 1934, 1950 and 1954 qualifications, but on all three occasions withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Uruguay entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals. It also qualified automatically for the 1954 World Cup as defending champion. ^ Costa Rica entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ The Territory of Curaçao ( six islands ) was later succeeded by the Netherlands Antilles ( first appearance : 1962 ), which in turn was succeeded by Curaçao ( one island ; first appearance : 2014 ). ^ Indonesia entered the 1938 qualification as Dutch East Indies, but qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals. It also entered the 1950 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Cyprus entered the 1958 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Ecuador entered the 1950 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Dutch Guyana entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. It was later succeeded by Suriname ( first appearance : 1978 ). ^ Venezuela entered the 1958 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ El Salvador entered the 1938 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Algeria entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Cameroon entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Libya entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Rhodesia was later succeeded by Zimbabwe ( first appearance : 1982 ). ^ Senegal entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ South Vietnam was later succeeded by Vietnam ( first appearance : 1994 ). ^ Dahomey was later renamed as Benin ( first appearance : 1986 ). ^ Guinea entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Zaire was renamed as DR Congo during the 1998 qualification. ^ The Republic of China entered the 1954 and 1958 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches. It later became officially known as Chinese Taipei ( first appearance : 1982 ). ^ Upper Volta was later renamed as Burkina Faso ( first appearance : 1990 ). ^ Liberia entered the 1966 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Madagascar entered the 1974 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ India entered the 1950 qualification, but qualified by walkover due to other teams ' withdrawals, and subsequently withdrew from participation in the finals. It also entered the 1974 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ North Yemen was later succeeded by Yemen ( first appearance : 1994 ). ^ The United Arab Emirates entered the 1978 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Oman entered the 1986 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Gabon entered the 1966 and 1974 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Lebanon entered but was disqualified during the 1986 qualification, and the team 's matches from that campaign were annulled. ^ Sri Lanka entered the 1974 and 1978 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Liechtenstein entered the 1994 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ The Maldives entered the 1990 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ The Philippines entered the 1950 and 1974 qualifications, but on both occasions withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Rwanda entered the 1990 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Western Samoa entered the 1994 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. It was later renamed as Samoa ( first appearance : 2002 ). ^ The Bahamas entered the 1998 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ The Central African Republic entered the 1978 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. It also entered the 1982 qualification, but was disqualified before playing any matches. ^ Mali entered the 1966, 1994 and 1998 qualifications, but on all three occasions withdrew before playing any matches. ^ São Tomé and Príncipe entered the 1994 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Myanmar entered the 1950 ( as Burma ), 1994 and 2002 qualifications, but on all three occasions withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Tuvalu was not a member of FIFA at the time of qualification and had not entered the FIFA World Cup, although matches in the Football tournament of the South Pacific Games did count towards the qualification tournament for the OFC, and Tuvalu 's results did count in determining advancement from this stage. ^ Bhutan entered the 2010 qualification, but withdrew before playing any matches. ^ Confederation subtotals are not given because a few teams have appeared in World Cup qualifiers in multiple confederations. National teams results in World Cup preliminary competition ( 1934 -- 2018 ) Legend Team has won the World Cup Team has qualified for the main tournament through a qualifying process Team has qualified for the main tournament only by walkover ( Cuba and Indonesia ) Team has qualified for the main tournament by walkover but has n't participated there because it withdrew ( India ) Team has n't qualified for the main tournament but is assured of an automatic spot in 2022 as host ( Qatar ) Team has n't qualified for the main tournament Defunct team that has qualified for the main tournament ( East Germany ) Defunct team that never qualified for the main tournament ( Saar and South Yemen ) Team is not a member of FIFA and is not eligible for the main tournament ( Tuvalu ) Teams in bold are still participating in the 2018 qualification. The table is updated to matches played in September 2017. Team App 's Overall qualification record Points Confederation Pld GF GA GD Total Avg Mexico 16 173 112 37 24 431 122 + 309 373 2.156 CONCACAF Costa Rica 16 170 85 42 43 293 173 + 120 297 1.747 CONCACAF South Korea 14 135 82 36 17 264 86 + 178 282 2.089 AFC Australia 14 137 80 34 23 356 110 + 246 274 2.000 AFC Iran 10 128 78 34 16 267 81 + 186 268 2.094 AFC Netherlands 18 123 80 24 19 291 92 + 199 264 2.146 UEFA United States 18 152 76 36 40 261 179 + 82 264 1.737 CONCACAF Spain 18 115 79 25 11 272 76 + 196 262 2.278 UEFA Argentina 13 134 74 35 25 232 126 + 106 257 1.918 CONMEBOL Portugal 20 137 74 33 30 258 139 + 119 255 1.861 UEFA Sweden 19 127 78 20 29 258 119 + 139 254 2.000 UEFA Serbia ( 2010 -- ) Serbia and Montenegro ( 2006 ) FR Yugoslavia ( 1998 -- 2002 ) SFR Yugoslavia ( 1950 -- 1990 ) Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( 1934 -- 1938 ) 19 126 74 31 21 266 111 + 155 253 2.008 UEFA Belgium 19 131 75 25 31 269 138 + 131 250 1.908 UEFA Czech Republic ( 1998 -- ) Representation of Czechs and Slovaks ( 1994 ) Czechoslovakia ( 1934 -- 1994 ) 19 136 73 29 34 259 115 + 144 248 1.824 UEFA England 16 110 74 25 11 273 67 + 206 247 2.245 UEFA Uruguay 16 152 68 41 43 214 162 + 52 245 1.612 CONMEBOL Italy 16 105 73 24 8 219 67 + 152 243 2.314 UEFA Russia ( 1994 -- ) Soviet Union ( 1958 -- 1990 ) 15 115 73 23 19 227 75 + 152 242 2.104 UEFA Honduras 14 146 68 38 40 250 167 + 83 242 1.658 CONCACAF Germany ( 1994 -- ) West Germany ( 1954 -- 1990 ) Germany ( 1934 -- 1938 ) 14 92 72 18 284 68 + 216 234 2.543 UEFA Saudi Arabia 11 118 68 28 22 232 93 + 139 232 1.966 AFC Brazil 12 108 67 29 12 237 70 + 167 230 2.130 CONMEBOL Japan 14 120 68 26 26 247 85 + 162 230 1.917 AFC Paraguay 17 152 65 30 57 199 187 + 12 225 1.480 CONMEBOL Romania 17 126 66 25 35 219 132 + 87 223 1.770 UEFA Switzerland 19 128 62 32 34 199 142 + 57 218 1.703 UEFA El Salvador 13 140 63 28 49 233 168 + 65 217 1.550 CONCACAF Colombia 16 150 57 45 48 178 156 + 22 216 1.440 CONMEBOL China PR 11 108 66 16 26 230 74 + 156 214 1.981 AFC France 17 109 63 23 23 213 87 + 126 212 1.945 UEFA Scotland 18 123 61 27 35 189 134 + 55 210 1.707 UEFA Chile 15 144 60 29 55 215 191 + 24 209 1.451 CONMEBOL Bulgaria 19 127 60 26 41 208 175 + 33 206 1.622 UEFA Republic of Ireland ( 1954 -- ) Ireland ( 1950 ) Irish Free State ( 1934 -- 1938 ) 20 137 54 42 41 195 164 + 31 204 1.489 UEFA Nigeria 14 102 57 29 16 174 77 + 97 200 1.961 CAF Austria 18 121 57 28 36 208 134 + 74 199 1.645 UEFA Hungary 18 120 57 26 37 213 158 + 55 197 1.642 UEFA Denmark 15 118 56 28 34 205 139 + 66 196 1.661 UEFA Tunisia 14 102 56 27 19 176 83 + 93 195 1.912 CAF Poland 18 115 58 21 36 218 140 + 78 195 1.696 UEFA Trinidad and Tobago 14 135 54 27 54 198 179 + 19 189 1.400 CONCACAF Morocco 14 109 49 38 22 145 80 + 65 185 1.697 CAF Greece 19 124 52 28 44 152 166 − 14 184 1.484 UEFA Guatemala 15 122 49 31 42 194 150 + 44 178 1.459 CONCACAF Canada 14 117 48 34 35 161 136 + 25 178 1.521 CONCACAF New Zealand 13 94 53 17 24 221 97 + 124 176 1.872 OFC Ecuador 15 141 47 33 61 167 197 − 30 174 1.234 CONMEBOL Qatar 11 112 50 22 40 181 121 + 60 172 1.536 AFC Cameroon 13 85 50 21 14 140 64 + 76 171 2.012 CAF Egypt 14 91 51 18 22 162 87 + 75 171 1.879 CAF Iraq 11 101 48 24 29 201 103 + 98 168 1.663 AFC Uzbekistan 6 94 49 19 26 177 95 + 82 166 1.766 AFC Turkey 17 126 47 23 56 174 182 − 8 164 1.302 UEFA Northern Ireland ( 1954 -- ) Ireland ( 1950 ) 18 130 43 35 52 148 156 − 8 164 1.262 UEFA Peru 16 145 42 34 69 161 210 − 49 160 1.103 CONMEBOL Kuwait 12 93 48 14 31 160 92 + 68 158 1.699 AFC Norway 18 124 42 30 52 161 178 − 17 156 1.258 UEFA Zambia 13 94 45 19 30 143 85 + 58 154 1.638 CAF Israel ( 1950 -- ) Palestine, British Mandate ( 1934 -- 1938 ) 20 120 39 34 47 165 177 − 12 151 1.258 UEFA Ivory Coast 11 76 41 24 11 144 65 + 79 147 1.934 CAF United Arab Emirates 9 97 42 20 35 161 111 + 50 146 1.505 AFC Bolivia 16 148 39 28 81 175 280 − 105 145 0.980 CONMEBOL Ghana 13 81 40 20 21 131 65 + 66 140 1.728 CAF Algeria 13 87 39 23 25 123 89 + 34 140 1.609 CAF Jamaica 11 104 37 27 40 115 132 − 17 138 1.327 CONCACAF North Korea 10 83 39 19 25 116 77 + 39 136 1.639 AFC Haiti 14 90 39 17 34 152 120 + 32 134 1.489 CONCACAF Wales 18 118 36 26 56 150 169 − 19 134 1.136 UEFA Syria 14 82 36 19 27 172 94 + 78 127 1.549 AFC Ukraine 6 68 34 22 12 106 50 + 56 124 1.824 UEFA DR Congo ( 1998 -- ) Zaire ( 1974 -- 1998 ) 10 74 34 17 23 123 82 + 41 119 1.608 CAF Croatia 6 58 34 16 8 101 45 + 56 118 2.034 UEFA Bahrain 10 88 31 25 32 105 94 + 11 118 1.341 AFC Finland 19 127 32 21 74 131 284 − 153 117 0.921 UEFA Guinea 12 73 35 10 28 112 90 + 22 115 1.575 CAF Slovakia 6 62 31 14 17 107 63 + 44 107 1.726 UEFA Oman 8 70 29 19 22 115 70 + 45 106 1.514 AFC Panama 11 92 26 22 44 102 152 − 50 100 1.087 CONCACAF Jordan 9 70 28 14 28 105 92 + 13 98 1.400 AFC Iceland 13 104 26 19 59 111 215 − 104 97 0.933 UEFA Venezuela 13 138 24 24 90 119 314 − 195 96 0.696 CONMEBOL Angola 9 61 24 22 15 79 57 + 22 94 1.541 CAF Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 56 27 10 19 107 64 + 43 91 1.625 UEFA Senegal 12 60 23 22 15 84 55 + 29 91 1.517 CAF Thailand 12 89 24 18 47 116 156 − 40 90 1.011 AFC South Africa 7 47 27 8 12 62 40 + 22 89 1.894 CAF Slovenia 6 60 25 14 21 79 65 + 14 89 1.483 UEFA Burkina Faso ( 1990 -- ) Upper Volta ( 1978 ) 8 58 25 10 23 82 75 + 7 85 1.466 CAF Kenya 12 68 23 16 29 77 91 − 14 85 1.250 CAF Hong Kong 12 73 23 14 36 91 128 − 37 83 1.137 AFC Cuba 12 68 20 20 28 85 102 − 17 80 1.176 CONCACAF Zimbabwe ( 1982 -- ) Rhodesia ( 1970 ) 10 61 21 16 24 62 75 − 13 79 1.295 CAF Togo 10 63 21 14 28 68 86 − 18 77 1.222 CAF Libya 10 54 21 12 21 62 60 + 2 75 1.389 CAF Congo 9 60 21 12 27 68 80 − 12 75 1.250 CAF East Germany 9 47 22 8 17 87 65 + 22 74 1.574 defunct Gabon 8 55 21 10 24 57 62 − 5 73 1.327 CAF Indonesia 12 71 19 16 36 87 143 − 56 73 1.028 AFC Solomon Islands 7 54 21 9 24 112 113 − 1 72 1.333 OFC Lebanon 7 56 19 14 23 87 77 + 10 71 1.268 AFC Suriname ( 1978 -- ) Dutch Guyana ( 1962 -- 1974 ) 14 65 19 14 32 91 111 − 20 71 1.092 CONCACAF Fiji 9 53 20 10 23 111 98 + 13 70 1.321 OFC Latvia 8 73 18 14 41 78 130 − 52 68 0.932 UEFA Albania 12 102 18 14 70 72 184 − 112 68 0.667 UEFA Singapore 11 68 19 10 39 74 121 − 47 67 0.985 AFC Lithuania 9 71 17 15 39 58 109 − 51 66 0.930 UEFA New Caledonia 35 18 8 9 87 36 + 51 62 1.771 OFC Malaysia 12 59 16 14 29 69 111 − 42 62 1.051 AFC Sudan 12 64 15 17 32 56 101 − 45 62 0.969 CAF Tahiti 7 43 17 8 18 66 81 − 15 59 1.372 OFC Malawi 10 58 14 16 28 56 83 − 27 58 1.000 CAF Cyprus 15 112 15 13 84 86 293 − 207 58 0.518 UEFA Liberia 9 58 15 12 31 39 84 − 45 57 0.983 CAF Curaçao ( 2014 -- ) Netherlands Antilles ( 1962 -- 2010 ) Territory of Curaçao ( 1958 ) 16 60 13 18 29 53 116 − 63 57 0.950 CONCACAF Turkmenistan 6 40 17 5 18 64 59 + 5 56 1.400 AFC Estonia 9 74 15 11 48 58 164 − 106 56 0.757 UEFA Bermuda 7 36 15 9 12 76 46 + 30 54 1.500 CONCACAF Uganda 9 40 15 7 18 40 56 − 16 52 1.300 CAF Mali 5 38 14 9 15 50 52 − 2 51 1.342 CAF Belarus 6 56 13 12 31 59 92 − 33 51 0.911 UEFA Macedonia 6 58 13 11 34 66 101 − 35 50 0.862 UEFA Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7 58 14 8 36 77 170 − 93 50 0.862 CONCACAF Yemen ( 1994 -- ) North Yemen ( 1986 -- 1990 ) 9 50 12 11 27 52 80 − 28 47 0.940 AFC Tajikistan 6 36 13 7 16 63 55 + 8 46 1.278 AFC Benin ( 1986 -- ) Dahomey ( 1974 ) 8 44 13 7 24 46 89 − 43 46 1.045 CAF Kazakhstan 6 58 12 10 36 69 124 − 55 46 0.793 UEFA Madagascar 9 36 12 8 16 45 51 − 6 44 1.222 CAF Antigua and Barbuda 10 42 13 5 24 66 93 − 27 44 1.048 CONCACAF Georgia 6 54 9 16 29 51 87 − 36 43 0.796 UEFA Armenia 6 60 10 13 37 50 115 − 65 43 0.717 UEFA Cape Verde 5 32 13 16 34 40 − 6 42 1.312 CAF Sierra Leone 10 45 11 9 25 39 69 − 30 42 0.933 CAF Saint Kitts and Nevis 6 30 11 8 11 64 54 + 10 41 1.367 CONCACAF India 8 43 10 11 22 43 87 − 44 41 0.953 AFC Montenegro 28 10 10 8 45 38 + 7 40 1.429 UEFA Kyrgyzstan 6 31 12 15 38 49 − 11 40 1.290 AFC Ethiopia 11 41 10 10 21 47 65 − 18 40 0.976 CAF Vanuatu 7 37 12 22 76 89 − 13 39 1.054 OFC Vietnam ( 1994 -- ) South Vietnam ( 1974 ) 8 41 11 27 43 81 − 38 36 0.878 AFC Namibia 7 42 9 9 24 37 82 − 45 36 0.857 CAF Dominican Republic 8 29 10 5 14 42 50 − 8 35 1.207 CONCACAF Botswana 6 34 10 5 19 33 52 − 19 35 1.029 CAF Azerbaijan 6 56 7 14 35 27 97 − 70 35 0.625 UEFA Barbados 8 37 10 23 35 73 − 38 34 0.919 CONCACAF Mozambique 8 34 8 8 18 30 50 − 20 32 0.941 CAF Niger 7 30 9 5 16 27 48 − 21 32 1.067 CAF Bangladesh 9 48 9 5 34 33 122 − 89 32 0.667 AFC Palestine 5 26 8 7 11 46 37 + 9 31 1.192 AFC Tanzania 9 33 7 10 16 35 50 − 15 31 0.939 CAF Samoa ( 2002 -- ) Western Samoa ( 1998 ) 6 26 9 16 37 88 − 51 28 1.077 OFC Papua New Guinea 22 7 6 9 43 36 + 7 27 1.227 OFC Belize 6 26 7 6 13 32 54 − 22 27 1.038 CONCACAF Rwanda 6 36 6 9 21 29 54 − 25 27 0.750 CAF Guyana 10 34 7 6 21 36 81 − 45 27 0.794 CONCACAF Moldova 6 56 5 12 39 35 112 − 77 27 0.482 UEFA Faroe Islands 7 68 7 6 55 34 183 − 149 27 0.397 UEFA Grenada 7 25 7 15 49 54 − 5 24 0.960 CONCACAF Burundi 6 20 7 10 17 26 − 9 24 1.200 CAF Gambia 8 24 6 6 12 20 36 − 16 24 1.000 CAF Luxembourg 20 132 5 9 118 68 424 − 356 24 0.182 UEFA Maldives 6 32 7 23 36 120 − 84 23 0.719 AFC Nicaragua 7 22 7 14 25 44 − 19 22 1.000 CONCACAF Saint Lucia 7 24 7 16 32 62 − 30 22 0.917 CONCACAF Tonga 6 22 7 14 23 82 − 59 22 1.000 OFC Chinese Taipei ( 1982 -- ) Republic of China ( 1978 ) 11 58 6 48 35 200 − 165 22 0.379 AFC Puerto Rico 9 25 5 6 14 22 55 − 33 21 0.840 CONCACAF Chad 5 16 6 9 15 23 − 8 19 1.187 CAF Swaziland 7 19 11 15 39 − 24 16 0.842 CAF Nepal 7 30 22 23 100 − 77 16 0.533 AFC Bahamas 5 14 7 20 43 − 23 15 1.071 CONCACAF Philippines 21 14 16 57 − 41 15 0.714 AFC Sri Lanka 7 31 6 22 21 75 − 54 15 0.484 AFC Malta 12 100 9 89 32 296 − 264 15 0.150 UEFA Equatorial Guinea 5 20 14 17 36 − 19 14 0.700 CAF Lesotho 7 24 8 14 14 51 − 37 14 0.583 CAF Aruba 6 16 11 23 42 − 19 13 0.812 CONCACAF Dominica 6 20 13 15 54 − 39 13 0.650 CONCACAF Laos 26 20 23 124 − 101 12 0.462 AFC Liechtenstein 6 58 6 50 23 180 − 157 12 0.207 UEFA Myanmar 14 9 11 38 − 27 11 0.786 AFC Macau 9 35 30 15 165 − 150 11 0.314 AFC Afghanistan 14 10 10 45 − 35 10 0.714 AFC Cook Islands 6 20 16 16 63 − 47 10 0.500 OFC American Samoa 5 18 14 11 136 − 125 10 0.556 OFC Mauritania 6 16 11 13 31 − 18 9 0.562 CAF U.S. Virgin Islands 5 15 0 12 8 80 − 72 9 0.600 CONCACAF Cambodia 5 26 21 16 90 − 74 9 0.346 AFC Andorra 5 50 45 14 156 − 142 9 0.180 UEFA Timor - Leste 14 10 11 55 − 44 8 0.571 AFC Guinea - Bissau 6 12 7 8 19 − 11 7 0.583 CAF São Tomé and Príncipe 8 5 22 − 18 7 0.875 CAF Guam 10 7 51 − 48 7 0.700 AFC Mauritius 7 18 14 14 49 − 35 6 0.333 CAF Bhutan 10 0 8 8 53 − 45 6 0.600 AFC Cayman Islands 6 16 0 5 11 6 35 − 29 5 0.313 CONCACAF Saar 8 − 4 1.000 defunct Central African Republic 10 8 8 21 − 13 0.400 CAF Mongolia 5 14 12 6 51 − 45 0.286 AFC Djibouti 13 11 6 56 − 50 0.308 CAF Pakistan 8 30 0 26 12 118 − 106 0.133 AFC Eritrea 8 0 5 16 − 13 0.375 CAF Comoros 8 0 5 18 − 14 0.375 CAF Somalia 6 11 0 8 26 − 25 0.273 CAF British Virgin Islands 5 10 0 7 7 34 − 27 0.300 CONCACAF Turks and Caicos Islands 5 10 0 9 6 46 − 40 0.300 CONCACAF Brunei 14 0 13 59 − 56 0.214 AFC Seychelles 5 14 0 12 6 36 − 30 0.143 CAF San Marino 7 64 0 62 11 297 − 286 0.031 UEFA South Yemen 0 7 − 3 0.500 defunct South Sudan 0 5 − 4 0.500 CAF Kosovo 8 0 7 20 − 17 0.125 UEFA Tuvalu 0 22 − 20 0.250 OFC Montserrat 5 9 0 8 8 45 − 37 0.111 CONCACAF Anguilla 5 10 0 9 41 − 39 0.100 CONCACAF Gibraltar 8 0 0 8 37 − 34 0 0.000 UEFA Footnotes ^ Only qualifying campaigns are counted where the team played at least one match that was not annulled. ^ The three points for a win system is used. Note that these columns do not represent any official rankings. Top scorers in preliminary competition ( 1934 -- 2018 ) Players in bold are still active. # Nation Player Goals Games played Goal ratio Qualification tournaments Carlos Ruiz 39 47 0.75 2002 ( 8 goals ), 2006 ( 10 ), 2010 ( 6 ), 2014 ( 6 ), 2018 ( 9 ) Ali Daei 35 50 0.70 1994 ( 7 goals ), 1998 ( 9 ), 2002 ( 10 ), 2006 ( 9 ) Cristiano Ronaldo 29 35 0.83 2006 ( 7 goals ), 2014 ( 8 ), 2018 ( 14 ) Karim Bagheri 28 29 0.97 1998 ( 19 goals ), 2002 ( 8 ), 2010 ( 1 ) 5 Kazu Miura 27 25 1.08 1994 ( 13 goals ), 1998 ( 14 ) 6 Andriy Shevchenko 26 40 0.65 1998 ( 4 goals ), 2002 ( 10 ), 2006 ( 6 ), 2010 ( 6 ) 7 Carlos Pavón 25 37 0.68 1998 ( 2 goals ), 2002 ( 15 ), 2006 ( 1 ), 2010 ( 7 ) 8 Jared Borgetti 23 24 0.96 2002 ( 6 goals ), 2006 ( 14 ), 2010 ( 3 ) 9 Tim Cahill 23 x x 2006 ( 7 goals ), 2010 ( 4 ), 2014 ( 3 ), 2018 ( 9 ) 10 Edin Džeko 22 25 0.86 2010 ( 9 goals ), 2014 ( 10 ), 2018 ( 3 ) 11 Paulo Wanchope 21 37 0.57 1998 ( 6 goals ), 2002 ( 7 ), 2006 ( 8 ) 12 Archie Thompson 20 15 1.33 2002 ( 16 goals ), 2006 ( 2 ), 2014 ( 2 ) 13 Stern John 20 49 0.41 1998 ( 3 goals ), 2002 ( 3 ), 2006 ( 12 ), 2010 ( 2 ) 14 Vaughan Coveny 19 19 1.00 1998 ( 4 goals ), 2002 ( 9 ), 2006 ( 6 ) 15 Emmanuel Sanon 19 20 0.95 1974 ( 11 goals ), 1978 ( 8 ) 16 Pauleta 19 24 0.79 2002 ( 8 goals ), 2006 ( 11 ) 17 Zlatan Ibrahimović 19 29 0.66 2002 ( 1 goal ), 2006 ( 8 ), 2010 ( 2 ), 2014 ( 8 ) 18 Hernán Crespo 19 33 0.58 1998 ( 3 goals ), 2002 ( 9 ), 2006 ( 7 ) 19 Luis Suárez 19 44 0.43 2010 ( 5 goals ), 2014 ( 11 ), 2018 ( 3 ) 20 Didier Drogba 18 19 0.95 2006 ( 9 goals ), 2010 ( 6 ), 2014 ( 3 ) 21 Moumouni Dagano 18 24 0.60 2002 ( 1 goal ), 2006 ( 5 ), 2010 ( 12 ) 22 Samuel Eto'o 18 29 0.62 2002 ( 3 goals ), 2006 ( 4 ), 2010 ( 9 ), 2014 ( 2 ) 23 Raúl Díaz Arce 18 29 0.62 1994 ( 2 goals ), 1998 ( 9 ), 2002 ( 7 ) 24 Marcelo Salas 18 32 0.56 1998 ( 11 goals ), 2002 ( 4 ), 2006 ( 1 ), 2010 ( 2 ) 25 Robbie Keane 18 37 0.49 2002 ( 2 goals ), 2006 ( 4 ), 2010 ( 6 ), 2014 ( 6 ) 26 Clint Dempsey 18 38 0.47 2010 ( 5 goals ), 2014 ( 8 ), 2018 ( 5 ) 27 Lionel Messi 18 41 0.44 2010 ( 4 goals ), 2014 ( 10 ), 2018 ( 4 ) 28 Iván Zamorano 17 11 1.54 1990 ( 1 goal ), 1998 ( 12 ), 2002 ( 4 ) 29 Dimitar Berbatov 17 12 1.42 2002 ( 6 goals ), 2006 ( 8 ), 2010 ( 5 ) 30 Alexander Frei 17 14 1.21 2002 ( 5 goals ), 2006 ( 7 ), 2010 ( 5 ) 31 Deon McCaulay 17 16 1.06 2010 ( 2 goals ), 2014 ( 11 ), 2018 ( 4 ) 32 Alvaro Saborio 17 41 0.41 2006 ( 3 goals ), 2010 ( 6 ), 2014 ( 8 ) 33 Steve David 17 x x 1974 ( 13 goals ), 1978 ( 4 ) ( update of FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers in progress, last update : 13 June 2017 ) First games and goalscorers in preliminary competition ( 1934 -- 2018 ) World Cup First game First goal 1934 11 June 1933 ; Sweden 6 -- 2 Estonia 11 June 1933 ; Knut Kroon for Sweden vs. Estonia 1938 16 June 1937 ; Sweden 4 -- 0 Finland 16 June 1937 ; Lennart Bunke for Sweden vs. Finland 1950 2 June 1949 ; Sweden 3 -- 1 Republic of Ireland 2 June 1949 ; Davy Walsh for Republic of Ireland vs. Sweden 1954 9 May 1953 ; Yugoslavia 1 -- 0 Greece 9 May 1953 ; Frane Matošić for Yugoslavia vs. Greece 1958 30 September 1956 ; Austria 7 -- 0 Luxembourg 30 September 1956 ; Gerhard Hanappi for Austria vs. Luxembourg 1962 21 August 1960 ; Costa Rica 3 -- 2 Guatemala 21 August 1960 ; unknown 1966 24 May 1964 ; Netherlands 2 -- 0 Albania 24 May 1964 ; Daan Schrijvers for Netherlands vs. Albania 1970 19 May 1968 ; Austria 7 -- 1 Cyprus 19 May 1968 ; Erich Hof for Austria vs. Cyprus 14 November 1971 ; Malta 0 -- 2 Hungary 14 November 1971 ; Ferenc Bene for Hungary vs. Malta 1978 4 April 1976 ; Panama 3 -- 2 Costa Rica 4 April 1976 ; Javier Jiménez for Costa Rica vs. Panama 1982 26 March 1980 ; Israel 0 -- 0 Northern Ireland 26 March 1980 ; Cyprus 2 -- 3 Republic of Ireland 26 March 1980 ; Paul McGee for Republic of Ireland vs. Cyprus 1986 2 May 1984 ; Cyprus 1 -- 2 Austria 2 May 1984 ; Martin Gisinger for Austria vs. Cyprus 1990 17 April 1988 ; Guyana 0 -- 4 Trinidad and Tobago 17 April 1988 ; Paul Elliot - Allen for Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guyana 1994 21 March 1992 ; Dominican Republic 0 -- 4 Puerto Rico 21 March 1992 ; Marcos Lugris for Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic 1998 10 March 1996 ; Dominica 3 -- 3 Antigua and Barbuda 10 March 1996 ; Anthony Dominique for Dominica vs. Antigua and Barbuda 2002 4 March 2000 ; Trinidad and Tobago 5 -- 0 Netherlands Antilles 4 March 2000 ; Honduras 3 -- 0 Nicaragua 4 March 2000 ; Marvin Andrews for Trinidad and Tobago vs. Netherlands Antilles 2006 6 September 2003 ; Ecuador 2 -- 0 Venezuela 6 September 2003 ; Giovanny Espinoza for Ecuador vs. Venezuela 25 August 2007 ; Tahiti 0 -- 1 New Caledonia 25 August 2007 ; Pierre Wajoka for New Caledonia vs. Tahiti 2014 15 June 2011 ; Montserrat 2 -- 5 Belize 15 June 2011 ; Deon McCauley for Belize vs. Montserrat 2018 12 March 2015 ; Timor - Leste 4 -- 1 Mongolia 12 March 2015 ; Chiquito do Carmo for Timor - Leste vs. Mongolia Current format Currently, 32 places are available in the final tournament. One of them is reserved for the host nation, but if two or more nations host the competition jointly, each is awarded a place. From 1934 to 2002, one berth was reserved for the winners of the previous World Cup. In November 2001, FIFA announced that the defending champion would no longer get automatic entry to the subsequent tournament, starting with the 2006 finals. This decision was made to address the issue of the returning champions being at a disadvantage to their fellow competitors due to having not played a competitive match in the previous two years. The problem was amply demonstrated at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, as returning champions France tumbled out in the first round, finishing bottom of their group without scoring a single goal. 2002 winner Brazil qualified for 2006 at the top of their qualifiers group. However, Italy, defending champions from 2006, finished bottom of their group in 2010, despite playing in the qualifying matches. At Brazil 2014, 2010 champions Spain finished third in their group and failed to advance to the Round of 16, despite having qualified as first in their group. FIFA decides beforehand the number of spots awarded to each of the continental zones. For the 2018 World Cup, the following numbers are being used : UEFA ( Europe ) -- 13 berths, plus the host Russia CAF ( Africa ) -- 5 berths AFC ( Asia ) -- 4 berths CONMEBOL ( South America ) -- 4 berths CONCACAF ( North and Central America and Caribbean ) -- 3 berths 2 berths for the winners of intercontinental play - offs between the best team from the OFC ( Oceania ), as well as additional teams from the AFC, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. The pairings for these play - offs will be determined by an open draw. The number of berths allocated per continent is widely debated, with the main point of contention being the extent to which berths should be allocated to regions based on sheer population vs. talent. A historically weaker continent, Africa has called for more places, as they are allocated only five in comparison to Europe 's 13. In early October 2016, it was announced that the World Cup would have featured 40 teams starting with the 2026 tournament, then FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated his support for a 48 - team World Cup, mainly to address African concerns. On 10 January 2017, the FIFA Council voted unanimously to expand the World Cup to a 48 team tournament that will open with a group stage consisting of 16 groups of three teams, with two teams progressing from each group to a knockout tournament starting with a round of 32. Other than a play - off tournament, for the last two World Cup berths, that consists of one team from each confederation ( except for UEFA ) and one additional team from the confederation of the host country, the new format for the qualifying process has yet to be confirmed. These numbers vary slightly between tournaments ( see above ). Qualification in all zones ends at approximately the same time, in September -- November of the year preceding the finals. The formats of the qualification tournaments differ between confederations and over time. The systems being used in 2018 are outlined below. Africa The CAF qualification process began with two preliminary rounds ( to narrow the field of 53 entrants to 20 teams ) in October 2015. Zimbabwe were disqualified and therefore ineligible. The group stage consisted of 5 groups of 4, with the group winners advancing to the World Cup finals. Asia Bhutan and Guam entered the AFC qualification process, while Indonesia were suspended and therefore ineligible. Qualifying was altered significantly from the 2014 method, with changes to the structure of the preliminary rounds -- which were held before the main draw. One home - and - away preliminary round reduced the 12 entrants to 6, followed by a first group stage with the 6 first round winners joining the top sides and 4 best runners - up from 5 groups of 5 advancing to a final group stage. The winners and runners - up of the two final groups of 5 advanced to the World Cup finals with the two third - placed sides playing off in the fourth round for the right to play in an inter-confederation play - off for a final World Cup spot. The first two rounds also acted as the qualifiers for the expanded 2019 AFC Asian Cup. A total of 24 teams eliminated from World Cup qualification in the second round compete in the third round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification ( which is separate from the third round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ), where they are divided into six groups of four teams and compete for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The 24 teams consist of the 16 highest ranked teams eliminated in the second round, and the eight teams that advance from the play - off round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification which are contested by the remaining 12 teams eliminated in the second round. Europe The European qualification is unchanged from the 2010 system. The 54 national teams were divided into nine groups of six teams, with the group winners qualifying directly to the finals, and the best eight runners - up playing home - and - away ties for the remaining four places. With the admission of Gibraltar and Kosovo as FIFA members in May 2016, both national teams made their debuts in World Cup qualifying. With two groups of only five teams in the first round, Kosovo was assigned to group I as it was decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia should not play against Kosovo for security reasons, and Gibraltar was then added to group H. North and Central America and Caribbean See also : Hexagonal ( CONCACAF ) The 2018 CONCACAF qualification process has changed significantly from the 2014 qualification cycle. The first three rounds have teams play home - and - away over two legs. A first preliminary round involved the 14 lowest ranked teams and the seven winners advanced to the second round. The 13 higher ranked sides received byes in the second round and were joined by the seven first round winners ; the ten winners advanced to the third round. Two higher ranked teams received byes in the third round and were joined by ten second round winners ; the six winners advanced to the preliminary group stage. As in 2014, the remaining 12 teams play in 3 semifinal groups of 4 teams with the top two in each group advancing to a final six - team group. The final round -- often referred to as the `` hexagonal '' because there are six teams involved -- will see the top three teams advance to the World Cup finals, while the fourth placed side will enter an inter-confederation play - off for a final World Cup spot. Oceania Qualification in Oceania was held as part of a further competition. The first stage took place with one group of four lowest ranked teams and the winner advanced to the second stage ( which also acted as the 2016 OFC Nations Cup ). In the second stage the top three teams advanced to the third round, among them Nations Cup champions New Zealand. Two groups of three teams contest the third round, or final group stage, and the winners of each group will enter a two - leg final. The winners of this final advance to an inter-confederation play - off for a World Cup spot. South America As in recent qualification series CONMEBOL qualification consists of a single group of all entrants. Unlike previous qualifying tournaments where the fixtures were pre-determined, the fixtures were determined by a draw, which was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw, on 25 July 2015. The top 4 teams from the 10 - team group will advance to the World Cup finals, while the fifth placed team will enter an inter-confederation play - off for a World Cup spot. Intercontinental play - offs Like the previous 2014 tournament, the pairings for the two play - offs were determined by an open draw on 25 July 2015, as part of the aforementioned preliminary draw. Intercontinental play - offs are played as home - and - away ties. Qualification tournament rules Qualification tournaments generally consist of a number of stages, made up of groups or knock - out ties. Groups In all group tournaments, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. FIFA has set the order of the tie - breakers for teams that finish level on points : goal difference in all group matches greater number of goals scored in all group matches Where teams are still not able to be separated, the following tie - breakers are used : greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams goal difference in matches between the tied teams greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams Where teams are still equal, then a play - off on neutral ground, with extra time and penalties if necessary will be played if FIFA deems such a play - off able to be fitted within the coordinated international match calendar. If this is not deemed feasible, then the result will be determined by the drawing of lot. Note that this order of tie - breaker application has not always been applied. While it was used in the 2010 qualifiers, the qualification for the 2006 World Cup used the head - to - head comparison prior to goal difference ( although this system was -- where applicable -- used in the 2006 finals themselves ). If these rules had applied in 2006, then Nigeria would have qualified rather than Angola. Home - and - away ties Most knock - out qualifiers ( such as the inter-confederation play - offs, the second round of UEFA qualifying and many preliminary ties ) are played over two legs. The team that scores a greater aggregate number of goals qualifies. Away goals rule applies. If these rules fail to determine the winner, extra time and penalty shootouts are used. Occasionally -- usually when one entrant lacks adequate facilities to host international matches -- ties are played over a single leg, in which case matches level after 90 minutes will go to extra time and then to a penalty shootout if required. Alternatively, `` home '' matches can be played in neutral countries, or occasionally one team will host both matches. In the latter case the visiting team will still be considered as the `` home '' team for one of the legs -- which may determine which side advances under the away goals rule, as occurred in CONCACAF qualification in 2010. See also National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup UEFA European Championship qualifying References ^ `` History of the FIFA World Cup preliminary competition ( by year ) '' ( PDF ). fifa.com. FIFA. November 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) ^ `` FIFA 's 209 member associations '' ( PDF ). fifa.com. FIFA. July 2012. ^ `` Fifa makes major policy shift ''. BBC News. 30 November 2001. ^ `` Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained '' ( Press release ). FIFA. 30 May 2015. ^ `` Africa calls for FIFA to increase World Cup places ''. Ahram Online. Reuters. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013. ^ `` New Fifa chief backs 48 - team World Cup ''. heraldlive. 7 October 2016. It 's an idea, just as the World Cup with 40 teams is already on the table with groups of four or five teams. ^ `` World Cup could expand to 48 teams, Fifa 's Gianni Infantino suggests ''. The Guardian. 3 October 2016. ^ `` Fifa approves Infantino 's plan to expand World Cup to 48 teams from 2026 ''. The Guardian. 10 January 2017. ^ `` Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup ''. FIFA. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. ^ `` ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals ''. AFC. 16 April 2014. ^ `` World Cup draw looms large in Asia ''. FIFA.com. 13 April 2015. Completing the tournament 's qualifying contenders will be the next 16 highest ranked teams, with the remaining 12 sides battling it out in play - off matches to claim the last eight spots. ^ `` Uefa retains 2010 World Cup qualifying format for 2014 ''. bbc.co.uk. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011. ^ `` FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed ''. FIFA.com. 13 May 2016. ^ `` Kosovo to play in Group I in European Qualifiers ''. uefa.org. Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA ). 9 June 2016. ^ `` Kosovo and Gibraltar assigned to 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying groups ''. FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ). 9 June 2016. ^ `` A unanimous decision : A draw will determine the classifications for the World Cup and CONMEBOL Tournaments ''. CONMEBOL.com. 23 January 2015. External links FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition Statistics ( from FIFA.com ) FIFA World Cup Preliminary History ( from FIFA.com ) FIFA World Cup 2018 Regulations FIFA World Cup Tournaments Uruguay 1930 Italy 1934 France 1938 Brazil 1950 Switzerland 1954 Sweden 1958 Chile 1962 England 1966 Mexico 1970 West Germany 1974 Argentina 1978 Spain 1982 Mexico 1986 Italy 1990 United States 1994 France 1998 South Korea / Japan 2002 Germany 2006 South Africa 2010 Brazil 2014 Russia 2018 Qatar 2022 2026 2030 Qualification 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Finals 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 Squads 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 Seedings 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Broadcasters 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Bids 2014 2018 and 2022 2026 2030 Records and statistics All - time table Goalscorers top goalscorers finals goalscorers hat - tricks own goals Penalty shoot - outs Player appearances Red cards Referees Team appearances Teams with no appearances Miscellaneous Awards Balls Economics Final draw History Hosts Mascots Official films Official songs Organisers Trophy Video games Notes : There was no qualification for the 1930 World Cup as places were given by invitation only. In 1950, there was no final ; the article is about the decisive match of the final group stage. International association football FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Cup U-17 U-20 Confederations Cup Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade World Rankings The Best FIFA Football Awards Timeline of association football Comparison of association football and futsal Africa CAF -- Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 Regional ( CECAFA, CEMAC, COSAFA, WAFU ) Asia AFC -- Asian Cup U-23 U-19 U-16 U-14 Regional ( ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, WAFF ) Europe UEFA -- European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17 North America, Central America and the Caribbean CONCACAF -- Gold Cup U-20 U-17 U-15 Regional ( CFU, UNCAF ) Oceania OFC -- Nations Cup U-20 U-17 South America CONMEBOL -- Copa América U-20 U-17 U-15 Non-FIFA NF - Board -- Viva World Cup CONIFA - ConIFA World Football Cup ConIFA European Football Cup IGA - Island Games Games African Games Asian Games Central America Central America and Caribbean East Asian Games Francophonie Games Indian Ocean Island Lusophony Games Mediterranean Games Pan American Games Pan Arab Games Pacific Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games See also Geography Codes Player / Club of the Century Women 's football Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=FIFA_World_Cup_qualification&oldid=799644352 '' Categories : FIFA World Cup qualification Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Use dmy dates from June 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Español فارسی Français 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia עברית मराठी 日本 語 Português Română Русский Svenska Türkçe 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 September 2017, at 23 : 56. 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Question: number of countries that qualify for world cup
Answer: 32