2018 FIFA World Cup qualification - Wikipedia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 16 August 2018. 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification Tournament details Dates 12 March 2015 -- 15 November 2017 Teams 210 ( from 6 confederations ) Tournament statistics Matches played 872 Goals scored 2,454 ( 2.81 per match ) Attendance 18,720,691 ( 21,469 per match ) Top scorer ( s ) Robert Lewandowski Mohammad Al - Sahlawi Ahmed Khalil ( 16 goals each ) ← 2014 2022 → The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 remaining FIFA member associations were eligible to enter the qualifying process, and for the first time in World Cup history, all eligible national teams registered for the preliminary competition, but Zimbabwe and Indonesia were disqualified before playing their first matches. Bhutan, South Sudan, Gibraltar and Kosovo made their FIFA World Cup qualification debuts. Myanmar, having successfully appealed against a ban from the competition for crowd trouble during a 2014 World Cup qualifying tie against Oman, were obliged to play all their home matches outside the country. While the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, on 25 July 2015, qualification matches were played before that. The first, between Timor - Leste and Mongolia, began in Dili on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC 's qualification, with East Timorese player Chiquito do Carmo scoring the first goal in qualification. Matches were also played in CONCACAF prior to the main draw. Contents 1 Qualified teams 2 Qualification process 2.1 Proposal for expansion 2.2 Summary of qualification 3 Format 3.1 Tiebreakers 4 Confederation qualification 4.1 AFC 4.1. 1 Final positions ( third round ) 4.1. 2 Play - off for 5th place ( fourth round ) 4.2 CAF 4.2. 1 Final positions ( third round ) 4.3 CONCACAF 4.3. 1 Final positions ( fifth round ) 4.4 CONMEBOL 4.4. 1 Final positions 4.5 OFC 4.5. 1 Final positions ( third round ) 4.6 UEFA 4.6. 1 Final positions ( first round ) 4.6. 2 Play - offs ( second round ) 5 Inter-confederation play - offs 5.1 CONCACAF v AFC 5.2 OFC v CONMEBOL 6 Top goalscorers 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links Qualified teams Teams qualified for World Cup Teams failed to qualify for World Cup Teams expelled from the tournament by FIFA prior to playing a match Countries were not FIFA members Team Method of qualification Date of qualification Finals appearance Last appearance Consecutive finals appearances Previous best performance Russia Hosts 2 December 2010 11th 2014 Fourth place ( 1966 ) Brazil CONMEBOL Round Robin winners 28 March 2017 21st 2014 21 Winners ( 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 ) Iran AFC Third Round Group A winners 12 June 2017 5th 2014 Group stage ( 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014 ) Japan AFC Third Round Group B winners 31 August 2017 6th 2014 6 Round of 16 ( 2002, 2010 ) Mexico CONCACAF Fifth Round winners 1 September 2017 16th 2014 7 Quarter - finals ( 1970, 1986 ) Belgium UEFA Group H winners 3 September 2017 13th 2014 Fourth place ( 1986 ) South Korea AFC Third Round Group A runners - up 5 September 2017 10th 2014 9 Fourth place ( 2002 ) Saudi Arabia AFC Third Round Group B runners - up 5 September 2017 5th 2006 Round of 16 ( 1994 ) Germany UEFA Group C winners 5 October 2017 19th 2014 17 Winners ( 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014 ) England UEFA Group F winners 5 October 2017 15th 2014 6 Winners ( 1966 ) Spain UEFA Group G winners 6 October 2017 15th 2014 11 Winners ( 2010 ) Nigeria CAF Third Round Group B winners 7 October 2017 6th 2014 Round of 16 ( 1994, 1998, 2014 ) Costa Rica CONCACAF Fifth Round runners - up 7 October 2017 5th 2014 Quarter - finals ( 2014 ) Poland UEFA Group E winners 8 October 2017 8th 2006 Third place ( 1974, 1982 ) Egypt CAF Third Round Group E winners 8 October 2017 3rd 1990 First round ( 1934 ), Group stage ( 1990 ) Iceland UEFA Group I winners 9 October 2017 1st -- -- Serbia UEFA Group D winners 9 October 2017 12th Fourth place ( 1930, 1962 ) Portugal UEFA Group B winners 10 October 2017 7th 2014 5 Third place ( 1966 ) France UEFA Group A winners 10 October 2017 15th 2014 6 Winners ( 1998 ) Uruguay CONMEBOL Round Robin runners - up 10 October 2017 13th 2014 Winners ( 1930, 1950 ) Argentina CONMEBOL Round Robin third place 10 October 2017 17th 2014 12 Winners ( 1978, 1986 ) Colombia CONMEBOL Round Robin fourth place 10 October 2017 6th 2014 Quarter - finals ( 2014 ) Panama CONCACAF Fifth Round third place 10 October 2017 1st -- -- Senegal CAF Third Round Group D winners 10 November 2017 2nd 2002 Quarter - finals ( 2002 ) Morocco CAF Third Round Group C winners 11 November 2017 5th 1998 Round of 16 ( 1986 ) Tunisia CAF Third Round Group A winners 11 November 2017 5th 2006 Group stage ( 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006 ) Switzerland UEFA Second Round winners 12 November 2017 11th 2014 Quarter - finals ( 1934, 1938, 1954 ) Croatia UEFA Second Round winners 12 November 2017 5th 2014 Third place ( 1998 ) Sweden UEFA Second Round winners 13 November 2017 12th 2006 Runners - up ( 1958 ) Denmark UEFA Second Round winners 14 November 2017 5th Quarter - finals ( 1998 ) Australia CONCACAF v AFC play - off winners 15 November 2017 5th 2014 Round of 16 ( 2006 ) Peru OFC v CONMEBOL play - off winners 15 November 2017 5th 1982 Quarter - finals ( 1970 ), Second round ( 1978 ) Notes : This is the 4th appearance of Russia at the FIFA World Cup ; however, FIFA considers Russia as the successor team of the Soviet Union who themselves qualified on 7 occasions. : Russia 's best result is group stage in 1994, 2002 and 2014 ; however, FIFA considers Russia as the successor team of the Soviet Union who achieved this result. : Germany between 1951 and 1990 is often referred to as `` West Germany '', as a separate East German state and team existed then. : This is the 2nd appearance of Serbia at the FIFA World Cup. However, FIFA considers Serbia as the successor team of the Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro national teams, who between them qualified on 10 occasions. : No official third place match took place in 1930 and no official third place was awarded at the time ; both United States and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals. However, FIFA lists the teams as third and fourth respectively using the overall records of the teams in the tournament. : In 1978, the second round was another group stage which involved 8 teams qualified from the first round. Qualification process The number of teams participating in the final tournament was 32. Even though the qualification process began in March 2015, the allocation of slots for each confederation was discussed by the FIFA Executive Committee on 30 May 2015 in Zürich after the FIFA Congress. It was decided that the same allocation as 2014 would be kept for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. Proposal for expansion In October 2013, UEFA President Michel Platini proposed that the World Cup finals should be expanded from 32 to 40 teams starting from 2018. The format would have been the same, but in groups of five instead of four. This was in response to FIFA President Sepp Blatter 's comments that Africa and Asia deserved more spots in the World Cup finals at the expense of European and South American teams. However, FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke said that expansion in 2018 would be `` unlikely '', while Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said that the country was `` preparing on the basis that 32 teams will be taking part. '' Expansion was ultimately delayed until 10 January 2017, when the FIFA Council voted unanimously to expand to 48 teams starting in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Summary of qualification While all FIFA members entered the tournament, not all competed. Zimbabwe were expelled from the competition on 12 March 2015 for their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee and Indonesia were excluded from the qualifying competition following the suspension of their football association by FIFA on 30 May 2015. Kuwait had a number of their qualifiers cancelled for a similar suspension that began while their campaign was underway, which eventually resulted in their elimination. Brazil were the first team to achieve qualification for the tournament following their 3 -- 0 victory over Paraguay and Uruguay 's loss to Peru on 28 March 2017. Peru became the 32nd and final team to qualify when, 233 days after Brazil secured their place, they beat New Zealand 2 -- 0 on aggregate in the OFC - CONMEBOL play - off. Confederation Available slots in finals Teams started Teams eliminated Teams qualified Qualifying start date Qualifying end date AFC 4.5 46 41 5 12 March 2015 15 November 2017 CAF 5 54 49 5 7 October 2015 14 November 2017 CONCACAF 3.5 35 32 22 March 2015 15 November 2017 CONMEBOL 4.5 10 5 5 8 October 2015 15 November 2017 OFC 0.5 11 11 0 31 August 2015 15 November 2017 UEFA 13 + 1 54 + 1 41 13 + 1 4 September 2016 14 November 2017 Total 31 + 1 210 + 1 179 31 + 1 12 March 2015 15 November 2017 Note : One team each from AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC played in the inter-confederation play - offs, between 10 -- 15 November 2017 ( CONCACAF v AFC and OFC v CONMEBOL ). Note : UEFA total includes + 1 for Russia as hosts. Format The formats of the qualifying competitions depended on each confederation ( see below ). Each round might be played in either of the following formats : League format, where more than two teams formed groups to play home - and - away round - robin matches, or in exceptions permitted by the FIFA Organizing Committee, single round - robin matches hosted by one of the participating teams or on neutral territory. Knockout format, where two teams played home - and - away two - legged matches. Tiebreakers In league format, the ranking of teams in each group is based on the following criteria ( regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7 ) : Points ( 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss ) Overall goal difference Overall goals scored Points in matches between tied teams Goal difference in matches between tied teams Goals scored in matches between tied teams Away goals scored in matches between tied teams ( if the tie is only between two teams in home - and - away league format ) Fair play points first yellow card : minus 1 point indirect red card ( second yellow card ) : minus 3 points direct red card : minus 4 points yellow card and direct red card : minus 5 points Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee In cases where teams finishing in the same position across different groups are compared for determining which teams advance to the next stage, the criteria is decided by the confederation and require the approval of FIFA ( regulations Article 20.8 ). In knockout format, the team that has the higher aggregate score over the two legs progresses to the next round. In the event that aggregate scores finish level, the away goals rule is applied, i.e. the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs progresses. If away goals are also equal, then thirty minutes of extra time are played, divided into two fifteen - minutes halves. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e. if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team qualifies by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shoot - out ( regulations Article 20.9 ). Confederation qualification AFC Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( AFC ) The AFC Executive Committee meeting on 16 April 2014 approved the proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds of the FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, which will be expanded to 24 teams starting in 2019 : First round : 12 teams ( ranked 35 -- 46 ) played home - and - away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the second round. Second round : 40 teams ( teams ranked 1 -- 34 and six first round winners ) were divided into eight groups of five teams to play home - and - away round - robin matches. The eight group winners and the four best group runners - up advanced to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualification as well as qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals. Third round : The 12 teams ( an increase from 10 for 2014 ) which advanced from the second round were divided into two groups of six teams to play home - and - away round - robin matches. The top two teams of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the two third - placed teams advanced to the fourth round. Fourth round : The two third - placed teams of each group from the third round played home - and - away over two legs. The winners advanced to the inter-confederation play - offs, playing the fourth - placed CONCACAF team. Final positions ( third round ) Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification -- AFC Third Round The draw for the third round was held on 12 April 2016 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Group A Pos Team Pld Pts Iran 10 22 South Korea 10 15 Syria 10 13 Uzbekistan 10 13 5 China PR 10 12 6 Qatar 10 7 Source : FIFA Group B Pos Team Pld Pts Japan 10 20 Saudi Arabia 10 19 Australia 10 19 United Arab Emirates 10 13 5 Iraq 10 11 6 Thailand 10 Source : FIFA Play - off for 5th place ( fourth round ) Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification -- AFC Fourth Round The third - placed teams from each group in the third round played against each other home - and - away over two legs to determine which team advanced to the inter-confederation play - offs. Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg Syria 2 -- 3 Australia 1 -- 1 1 -- 2 ( a.e.t. ) CAF Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CAF ) The CAF Executive Committee approved the format for the qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 14 January 2015. However, on 9 July 2015 FIFA officially announced that only three rounds would be played instead of four. First round : 26 teams ( ranked 28 -- 53 ) played home - and - away over two legs. The 13 winners advanced to the second round. Second round : 40 teams ( teams ranked 1 -- 27 and 13 first round winners ) played home - and - away over two legs. The 20 winners advanced to the third round. Third round : The 20 teams which had advanced from the second round were divided into five groups of four teams to play home - and - away round - robin matches. The winners of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Zimbabwe, even though they entered the competition, were expelled on 12 March 2015 for their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee. Therefore, only 53 African teams were involved in the draw. Final positions ( third round ) Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification -- CAF Third Round The draw for the third round was held on 24 June 2016 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. Group A Pos Team Pld Pts Tunisia 6 14 DR Congo 6 13 Libya 6 Guinea 6 Source : FIFA Group B Pos Team Pld Pts Nigeria 6 13 Zambia 6 8 Cameroon 6 7 Algeria 6 Source : FIFA Group C Pos Team Pld Pts Morocco 6 12 Ivory Coast 6 8 Gabon 6 6 Mali 6 Source : FIFA Group D Pos Team Pld Pts Senegal 6 14 Burkina Faso 6 9 Cape Verde 6 6 South Africa 6 Source : FIFA Group E Pos Team Pld Pts Egypt 6 13 Uganda 6 9 Ghana 6 7 Congo 6 Source : FIFA CONCACAF Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CONCACAF ) An amendment to the qualification process for this tournament had been suggested, which would see the first three rounds played as knockout rounds, with both the fourth round and the final round ( referred to as ' The Hex ' ) played as group stages. The first round would be played during the FIFA international dates of 23 -- 31 March 2015. CONCACAF announced the full details on 12 January 2015 : First round : 14 teams ( teams ranked 22 -- 35 ) played home - and - away over two legs. The seven winners advanced to the second round. Second round : 20 teams ( teams ranked 9 -- 21 and seven first round winners ) played home - and - away over two legs. The ten winners advanced to the third round. Third round : 12 teams ( teams ranked 7 -- 8 and ten second round winners ) played home - and - away over two legs. The six winners advanced to the fourth round. Fourth round : 12 teams ( teams ranked 1 -- 6 and six third round winners ) were divided into three groups of four teams to play home - and - away round - robin matches. The top two teams of each group advanced to the fifth round. Fifth round : The six teams which advanced from the fourth round played home - and - away round - robin matches in one single group. The top three teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the fourth - placed team advanced to the inter-confederation play - offs, playing the winners of the Asian Football Confederation play - off. Final positions ( fifth round ) Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification -- CONCACAF Fifth Round The draw for the fifth round ( to decide the fixtures ) was held on 8 July 2016 at the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach, United States. Pos Team Pld Pts Mexico 10 21 Costa Rica 10 16 Panama 10 13 Honduras 10 13 5 United States 10 12 6 Trinidad and Tobago 10 6 Source : FIFA CONMEBOL Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CONMEBOL ) The qualification structure was the same as the previous five editions. The ten teams played in a league of home - and - away round - robin matches. The top four teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the fifth - placed team advanced to the inter-confederation play - offs, playing the winners of the Oceania Football Confederation qualifying competition. Unlike previous qualifying tournaments where the fixtures were pre-determined, the fixtures were decided by a draw held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Final positions Pos Team Pld Pts Brazil 18 41 Uruguay 18 31 Argentina 18 28 Colombia 18 27 5 Peru 18 26 6 Chile 18 26 7 Paraguay 18 24 8 Ecuador 18 20 9 Bolivia 18 14 10 Venezuela 18 12 Source : FIFA OFC Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( OFC ) The qualification structure was as follows : First round : American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga played a round - robin tournament at a single country. The winners advanced to the second round. Second round ( OFC Nations Cup ) : A total of eight teams ( Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Vanuatu, and the first round winner ) played the tournament at a single country. For the group stage, they were divided into two groups of four teams. The top three teams of each group advanced to the third round of World Cup qualifying. The top two teams of each group also advanced to the knockout stage ( semi-finals and final ) to decide the 2016 OFC Nations Cup winners which would play in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Third round : The six teams which advanced from the second round were divided into two groups of three teams to play home - and - away round - robin matches. The two group winners met in a two - legged match with the winners advancing to the inter-confederation play - offs, playing the fifth - placed CONMEBOL team. The OFC had considered different proposals of the qualifying tournament. A previous proposal adopted by the OFC in October 2014 would have the eight teams divided into two groups of four teams to play home - and - away round - robin matches in the second round, followed by the top two teams of each group advancing to the third round to play in a single group of home - and - away round - robin matches to decide the winners of the 2016 OFC Nations Cup which would qualify to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and advance to the inter-confederation play - offs. However, it was later reported in April 2015 that the OFC had reversed its decision, and the 2016 OFC Nations Cup was played as a one - off tournament similar to the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. Final positions ( third round ) Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification -- OFC Third Round The draw for the third round was held on 8 July 2016 at the OFC headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. Group A Pos Team Pld Pts New Zealand 10 New Caledonia 5 Fiji Source : FIFA Group B Pos Team Pld Pts Solomon Islands 9 Tahiti 6 Papua New Guinea Source : FIFA Final The draw for the final ( which decided the order of legs ) was held on 15 June 2017 at the OFC headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. The winners of the final advanced to inter-confederation play - offs. Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg New Zealand 8 -- 3 Solomon Islands 6 -- 1 2 -- 2 UEFA Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( UEFA ) Russia qualified automatically as hosts. The qualifying format for the remaining FIFA - affiliated UEFA teams was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 22 -- 23 March 2015 in Vienna. First round ( group stage ) : The 52 UEFA teams affiliated with FIFA at the time of the draw were divided into nine groups ( seven groups of six teams and two groups of five teams ) to play home - and - away round - robin matches. The winners of each group qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the eight best runners - up advanced to the second round ( play - offs ). With the admission of Gibraltar and Kosovo as FIFA members in May 2016, both national teams were eligible to make their debuts in World Cup qualifying. With initially two groups in the first round having only five teams, 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, so that each of the nine groups then had six teams. Second round ( play - offs ) : The eight best runners - up from the first round played one other team over two legs, home and away. The four winners qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Final positions ( first round ) The draw for the first round was held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup Advance to Second round ( play - offs ) Group A Group B Group C Pos Team Pld Pts France 10 23 Sweden 10 19 Netherlands 10 19 Bulgaria 10 13 5 Luxembourg 10 6 6 Belarus 10 5 Source : FIFA Pos Team Pld Pts Portugal 10 27 Switzerland 10 27 Hungary 10 13 Faroe Islands 10 9 5 Latvia 10 7 6 Andorra 10 Source : FIFA Pos Team Pld Pts Germany 10 30 Northern Ireland 10 19 Czech Republic 10 15 Norway 10 13 5 Azerbaijan 10 10 6 San Marino 10 0 Source : FIFA Group D Group E Group F Pos Team Pld Pts Serbia 10 21 Republic of Ireland 10 19 Wales 10 17 Austria 10 15 5 Georgia 10 5 6 Moldova 10 Source : FIFA Pos Team Pld Pts Poland 10 25 Denmark 10 20 Montenegro 10 16 Romania 10 13 5 Armenia 10 7 6 Kazakhstan 10 Source : FIFA Pos Team Pld Pts England 10 26 Slovakia 10 18 Scotland 10 18 Slovenia 10 15 5 Lithuania 10 6 6 Malta 10 Source : FIFA Group G Group H Group I Pos Team Pld Pts Spain 10 28 Italy 10 23 Albania 10 13 Israel 10 12 5 Macedonia 10 11 6 Liechtenstein 10 0 Source : FIFA Pos Team Pld Pts Belgium 10 28 Greece 10 19 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 17 Estonia 10 11 5 Cyprus 10 10 6 Gibraltar 10 0 Source : FIFA Pos Team Pld Pts Iceland 10 22 Croatia 10 20 Ukraine 10 17 Turkey 10 15 5 Finland 10 9 6 Kosovo 10 Source : FIFA Ranking of runners - up In deciding the eight best runners - up, the matches against the sixth - placed team in each group were discarded. Pos Grp Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Switzerland 8 7 0 18 6 + 12 21 Advance to second round ( play - offs ) Italy 8 5 12 8 + 4 17 Denmark 8 13 6 + 7 14 Croatia 8 8 + 4 14 5 Sweden 8 18 9 + 9 13 6 Northern Ireland 8 10 6 + 4 13 7 Greece 8 9 5 + 4 13 8 Republic of Ireland 8 7 5 + 2 13 9 Slovakia 8 0 11 6 + 5 12 Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group, 1 ) Points ; 2 ) Goal difference ; 3 ) Goals scored ; 4 ) Fair play points ; 5 ) Drawing of lots. Play - offs ( second round ) Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification -- UEFA Second Round The draw for the second round ( play - offs ) was held on 17 October 2017 at the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland. The winners of each tie qualified for the World Cup. Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg Northern Ireland 0 -- 1 Switzerland 0 -- 1 0 -- 0 Croatia 4 -- 1 Greece 4 -- 1 0 -- 0 Denmark 5 -- 1 Republic of Ireland 0 -- 0 5 -- 1 Sweden 1 -- 0 Italy 1 -- 0 0 -- 0 Inter-confederation play - offs Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( inter-confederation play - offs ) There were two inter-confederation playoffs to determine the final two qualification spots for the finals. The first legs were played on 10 and 11 November 2017, and the second legs were played on 15 November 2017. The matchups were decided at the preliminary draw which was held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. CONCACAF v AFC Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CONCACAF -- AFC play - off ) Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg Honduras 1 -- 3 Australia 0 -- 0 1 -- 3 OFC v CONMEBOL Main article : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification ( OFC -- CONMEBOL play - off ) Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg New Zealand 0 -- 2 Peru 0 -- 0 0 -- 2 Top goalscorers 16 goals Robert Lewandowski Mohammad Al - Sahlawi Ahmed Khalil 15 goals Cristiano Ronaldo 11 goals Tim Cahill Romelu Lukaku Christian Eriksen Sardar Azmoun 10 goals Mile Jedinak Omar Kharbin Edinson Cavani 9 goals Carlos Ruiz André Silva Hassan Al - Haydos Ali Mabkhout 8 goals Yang Xu Mehdi Taremi Chris Wood Marcus Berg Jozy Altidore For each confederation and inter-confederation play - offs, see sections in each article : AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA Inter-confederation play - offs Notes ^ Jump up to : This player 's goal tally includes one or more goals which the player scored in matches that were subsequently forfeited, but which FIFA continues to count in its statistics. References Jump up ^ `` Road to Russia with new milestone ''. FIFA.com. 15 January 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Zimbabwe expelled from the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia ''. FIFA.com. 12 March 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Indonesia disqualified from 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifiers ''. FIFA.com. 3 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` Modest Bhutan begin World Cup adventure ''. FIFA.com. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 13 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` South Sudan 's World Cup debut ended early by rain ''. bbc.co.uk. 7 October 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed ''. FIFA.com. 13 May 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Kosovo to play in Group I in European Qualifiers ''. uefa.org. Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA ). 9 June 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Kosovo and Gibraltar assigned to 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying groups ''. FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ). 9 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Myanmar appeal partially upheld ''. FIFA. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup extends its responsibilities to cover 2018 and 2022 ''. FIFA.com. 19 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Konstantinovsky Palace to stage Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup ''. FIFA.com. 10 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ethics : Executive Committee unanimously supports recommendation to publish report on 2018 / 2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process ''. FIFA.com. 19 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Long road to Russia begins in Dili ''. FIFA.com. 11 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` 2022 FIFA World Cup to be played in November / December ''. FIFA.com. 20 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained ''. FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` UEFA chief Platini calls for 40 team World Cup ''. Reuters. 28 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` Blatter wants more Africa slots for World Cup ''. Confederation of African Football. 26 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` Michel Platini 's World Cup expansion plan unlikely -- Fifa ''. BBC Sport. 29 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` 2018 World Cup expansion ' unlikely ', says Valcke ''. Soccerway. 29 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` Unanimous decision expands FIFA World Cup to 48 teams from 2026 ''. FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Suspension of the Kuwait Football Association ''. FIFA.com. 16 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Brazil qualify for 2018 World Cup after Coutinho and Neymar down Paraguay ''. The Guardian. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017. Jump up ^ `` Peru beat New Zealand 2 - 0 to secure final place ''. BBC Sport. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Regulations -- 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia '' ( PDF ). FIFA.com. Jump up ^ `` ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals ''. AFC. 16 April 2014. Jump up ^ `` 2018 FIFA World Cup : Asian Qualifying Round 3 line up complete ''. Asian Football Confederation. 30 March 2016. Jump up ^ `` FORMAT OF 2017 AFCON QUALIFIERS AND 2018 WORLD CUP ''. CAFonline.com. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Preliminary Draw procedures outlined ''. fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` June draw for third round of African Zone qualifiers ''. FIFA.com. 20 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` Concacaf estrenará formato de eliminatoria ; sigue el Hexagonal '' ( New format for Concacaf qualification - Hexagonal retained ) ( in Spanish ). ESPN Mexico. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Canada begins 2018 World Cup qualification in June ''. Sportsnet. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` CONCACAF to Hold Preliminary FIFA World Cup Qualifying Draw in Miami on January 15 ''. CONCACAF. 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` USMNT to start 2018 World Cup qualifying in November of 2015 ''. Sports Illustrated. 12 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Official Draw Scheduled for the Final Round of CONCACAF Qualifying for FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 ''. CONCACAF.com. 1 July 2016. Jump up ^ `` A unanimous decision : A draw will determine the classifications for the World Cup and CONMEBOL Tournaments ''. CONMEBOL.com. 23 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` Preliminary competition format outlined ''. Oceania Football Confederation. 10 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` OFC Executive Committee decisions ''. OFC. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2014. Jump up ^ `` OFC Executive Committee outcomes ''. Oceania Football Confederation. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` Football : Heat goes on NZ after switch ''. New Zealand Herald. 12 April 2015. Jump up ^ `` Stage 3 draw complete ''. Oceania Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` New Zealand at home first in OFC play - off ''. FIFA. Retrieved 15 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` Executive Committee date in Vienna ''. UEFA.org. 21 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` New distribution concept for club competitions approved ''. UEFA.org. 23 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` Focus switches to World Cup qualifying ''. UEFA.com. 22 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Competition format - FIFA World Cup - News - UEFA.com ''. uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 4 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` As it stands : ranking of second - placed teams ''. UEFA.com. 3 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` FIFA World Cup European play - off draw to take place on 17 October ''. FIFA.com. 6 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Dates set for Socceroos - Honduras World Cup qualifier ''. SBS the World Game. 15 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` All Whites to play first leg against Peru on Saturday afternoon ''. nzherald.co.nz. The New Zealand Herald. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying. Official FIFA World Cup website Qualifiers, FIFA.com 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC First Round Second Round Third Round Fourth Round ( play - off ) CAF First Round Second Round Third Round CONCACAF First Round Second Round Third Round Fourth Round Fifth Round CONMEBOL Round Robin OFC First Round Second Round ( Nations Cup ) Third Round UEFA First Round Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Group I Second Round ( play - offs ) Play - offs CONCACAF v AFC OFC v CONMEBOL 2018 FIFA World Cup Stages Group stage Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Knockout stage Final General information Qualification Bids Broadcasting rights Controversies Discipline Officials Opening ceremony Seeding Squads Statistics Official symbols Adidas Telstar 18 ( ball ) `` Live It Up '' ( song ) Zabivaka ( mascot ) 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 Canada -- Mexico -- United States 2026 2030 2034 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 2018 Squads 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Seedings 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Broadcasters 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Bids 2014 2018 and 2022 2026 2030 Statistics 2002 2006 2014 2018 Disciplinary record 1994 1998 2002 2006 2014 2018 Team appearances AFC CAF CONCACAF CONMEBOL OFC UEFA Teams with no appearances Overall records All - time table Goalscorers top goalscorers finals goalscorers hat - tricks own goals Penalty shoot - outs Player appearances Red cards Referees Winners Miscellaneous Openings Stadiums Awards Balls Economics Final draw History Hosts Mascots Official films Official anthems & 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. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2018_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification&oldid=855156820 '' Categories : 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 2018 FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup qualification Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Wikipedia pending changes protected pages Use dmy dates from February 2016 Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Azərbaycanca বাংলা Български Bosanski Català Čeština Deutsch Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Қазақша Latviešu Magyar Македонски Bahasa Melayu Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Slovenščina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 32 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 August 2018, at 09 : 40 ( UTC ). 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Question: how many teams start off in world cup
Answer: 48