2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification Underway in Asia and Africa

Gruelling Process Sees Teams Face Long Journeys, Extreme Conditions, and Potential 25-Game Paths to World Cup

Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has begun in Asia and Africa, with the process described as gruelling due to the long distances to travel, poor flight connections, extreme climatic conditions, and Spartan facilities.
In Asia, ten teams have already been eliminated and the rest are starting the second round of qualifiers. A team from the first round of Asian qualification could potentially have to play 25 games to reach the World Cup.
In Africa, the 54 entrants were divided into nine groups with only the winners assured of a place at the finals. The four best-ranked runners-up will participate in a playoff to determine one team that will go onto the new-style intercontinental playoff tournament.
Zimbabwe, which had been kicked out of the last qualifiers due to political meddling in the running of their football association, returns to face Rwanda in the first of the 260 African group qualifiers.
19 African countries, including Zimbabwe, have been banned from playing at home due to their facilities not being up to international standard and have been forced to move their home games to a neutral venue.