FIFA World Cup 2026™ co-hosts Canada are not the only nation hoping to break their duck at this summer’s finals.
FIFA has the lowdown on the returning participants and tournament debutants hoping to land a maiden World Cup win when the newly expanded 48-team competition gets under way on 11 June.
Returning quintet
Previous appearances: 1986, 2022
Record so far: P6 W0 D0 L6
Alphonso Davies wheeling away in celebration after sticking away Canada’s first World Cup goal is among the enduring images of Qatar 2022. The FC Bayern München left-back struck inside two minutes against Croatia to end his country’s unwanted run of four consecutive World Cup matches without scoring. Yet the contest – like all six of the Great White North’s World Cup group-stage fixtures to date – ended in defeat.
Canada will now be hoping to make it a case of third time lucky at World Cup 2026 as Jesse Marsch’s side prepare to face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B. With all three matches set to be played on home soil, the atmosphere generated by Canada’s fabled 12th man could prove pivotal in helping the co-hosts secure their first three-point haul at a FIFA World Cup™.
Previous appearances: 1974
Record so far: P3 W0 D0 L3
Marsch was still in nappies when Haiti last graced football’s grandest stage. Les Grenadiers made their tournament debut at West Germany 1974, where they finished bottom of Group 4 after being handed the harshest of lessons by Italy (3-1), Poland (7-0) and Argentina (4-1).
More than half a century later, Haiti are back. After successfully negotiating Concacaf qualifying, Sebastien Migne’s charges will head to Canada, Mexico and the USA carrying the hopes of a football-mad Caribbean nation eager to break new ground. They’ll go up against World Cup ever-presents Brazil, African giants Morocco and a resurgent Scotland in Group C.
Previous appearances: 1986
Record so far: P3 W0 D0 L3
Iraq’s only previous World Cup adventure also ended in heartbreak. The Lions of Mesopotamia exited at the group stage of the 1986 edition after narrow defeats to Paraguay (1-0), Belgium (2-1) and hosts Mexico (1-0), with Ahmed Radhi scoring what remains the West Asian nation’s only World Cup goal.
Forty years on, Iraq have another shot at history after sealing their place at World Cup 2026 with a FIFA Play-Off Tournament final win over Bolivia. Standing in their way in Group I are France, Norway and Senegal – formidable opponents, but also an opportunity for a new generation to succeed where the class of ’86 fell short.
Previous appearances: 1982, 2010
Record so far: P6 W0 D3 L3
Sixteen years have passed since New Zealand exited the 2010 World Cup as the only unbeaten team at the finals in South Africa. Draws with Italy (1-1), Paraguay (0-0) and Slovakia (1-1) were not enough to send the All Whites into the knockouts, but represented a major improvement on the three defeats suffered on debut in 1982.
Momentum is firmly with Darren Bazeley’s troops after a smooth qualification campaign secured the OFC’s first direct World Cup berth. The exploits of 2010 remain legendary in the Land of the Long White Cloud, but belief is growing that the current crop can go one better by earning New Zealand’s first World Cup win against Group G bedfellows Belgium, Egypt and IR Iran.
Previous appearances: 2022
Record so far: P3 W0 D0 L3
Qatar may have lost all three matches as hosts in 2022, but the tournament elevated interest in the beautiful game across the Gulf nation to new heights. Encouraging displays against Ecuador, the Netherlands and Senegal helped fuel that momentum, which carried into 2026 qualifying as the Maroons reached a World Cup on merit for the first time.
They now find themselves in a finely balanced Group B, kicking off against a disciplined Switzerland outfit. Canada await in Vancouver, where Qatar will relish the challenge of playing party poopers in front of a partisan home crowd, before a potentially decisive meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina. With seasoned head coach Julen Lopetegui at the helm, they will be no pushovers.
World Cup 2026 will welcome four newcomers – Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan – each authors of a qualification story befitting the most inclusive edition of the global showpiece yet.
Cabo Verde were one of Africa’s surprise packages, finishing above Cameroon to win CAF Group D in style. Their reward is a place in a daunting Group H featuring Saudi Arabia, Spain and Uruguay.
The smallest nation ever to qualify by population and land area, Curaçao bring one of football’s most unlikely fairy-tales to life. Dick Advocaat’s plucky band of brothers face a baptism of fire against four-time champions Germany, before Group E clashes with Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador.
Jordan are making up for lost time after finally putting the heartbreak of their 2014 Intercontinental Play-off defeat to Uruguay behind them by finishing second in Group B of the third round of AFC qualifying to secure their spot in North America. Algeria, reigning champions Argentina and Austria await in Group J.
Completing the rookie quartet, Uzbekistan are Central Asia’s first World Cup participants. The White Wolves have been drawn in Group K alongside Colombia, DR Congo and a Portugal team led by a certain Cristiano Ronaldo – a fitting stage as they chase their own slice of World Cup history.
