Overview
- FIFA will use four seeding pots based on the world rankings, with hosts United States, Canada and Mexico in Pot 1 and locked to preset group positions.
- Officials are weighing whether some playoff winners could be seeded by ranking rather than automatically placed in Pot 4, a shift that could alter potential opponents.
- Six places will be decided in March 2026: four via UEFA mini-tournaments featuring 16 teams and two through intercontinental playoffs among DR Congo, New Caledonia, Bolivia, Iraq, Jamaica and Suriname.
- Germany clinched direct qualification with a 6–0 win over Slovakia, and Austria returned to the finals for the first time since 1998 with a 1–1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- Curaçao qualified for the first time and is the smallest World Cup participant by population, with veteran coach Dick Advocaat credited for guiding the breakthrough.