World Cup 2026 — The Biggest Tournament in History
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on 11 June 2026 and runs until 19 July, hosted across 16 venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico. For the first time ever, 48 nations will compete — up from 32 in previous tournaments — making it the largest World Cup in history. With 104 matches across six weeks, there's more football, more flags, and more nations than ever before.
Which Countries Are in the World Cup 2026?
The 48 qualified nations come from six confederations across every continent. Europe sends 16 teams including England, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. South America contributes 6 nations led by defending champions Argentina and Brazil. Africa has 9 teams including Morocco, Senegal and Egypt. Asia sends 9 nations including Japan and South Korea. The three host nations — USA, Canada and Mexico — qualify automatically, joined by six more teams from the Americas.
Notable stories include Norway qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998 thanks to Erling Haaland's record-breaking qualifying campaign, Iraq returning for the first time since 1986, and DR Congo and Curaçao making their World Cup debuts.
How Well Do You Know the World Cup Flags?
Flags from Europe's big nations are well known — the French tricolore, Germany's black, red and gold, Spain's red and yellow. But how many people can identify the flags of Uzbekistan, Curaçao or Cape Verde? The 2026 World Cup is a perfect chance to learn flags from Africa, Asia and the Americas that you might not have seen before.
Use the quiz above to test yourself — four modes let you focus on Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia, or go for the full 48-nation challenge. Click any team in the browse section to explore their flag, capital city, and flag facts in the FlagAtlas Flag Explorer.