Curacao players and fans celebrate World Cup 2026 qualification. AFP
Curacao players and fans celebrate World Cup 2026 qualification. AFP
Curacao players and fans celebrate World Cup 2026 qualification. AFP
Curacao players and fans celebrate World Cup 2026 qualification. AFP

World Cup 2026: Who has qualified, play-offs, draw and all you need to know


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The Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao has become the smallest nation by population to qualify for a World Cup after salvaging a 0-0 draw with Jamaica on the final day of Concacaf qualifying.

The country went undefeated throughout their qualification campaign to top Group B with 12 points, joining Panama and Haiti in booking their World Cup tickets.

Curacao scraped through their meeting with Jamaica despite missing head coach Dick Advocaat for Tuesday's fixture. The 78-year-old boss missed the match due to personal reasons.

The nation carries a land mass of 171 square miles and boasts a population of less than 157,000. Iceland previously held the record as the smallest country to reach the World Cup when it qualified for the tournament in Russia in 2018.

After the latest international break, we now know the identity of 42 of the 48 teams who will play in North America next summer. See below for a breakdown.

Hosts

Qualified: Canada, Mexico, United States

The three nations set to stage matches at the 2026 finals get an automatic spot in the competition.

Concacaf

Qualified: Curaccao, Haiti, Panama

Haiti defied the odds to book a place at next year's World Cup on Tuesday and they will be joined by both Panama and Curacao.

The three clinched top spots in their respective groups to advance from the North and Central American and Caribbean region to the 48-team finals in Canada, Mexico and the US.

Jamaica and Surinam missed out and drop into the interconfederation play-offs.

Africa

Qualified: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia

The nine direct entrants from CAF were confirmed last month, including first-time qualifiers Cape Verde. Only the winners of the nine CAF groups were guaranteed a spot at the tournament in North America. The four best runners-up – Gabon, DR Congo, Cameroon and Nigeria – entered a play-off with DR Congo emerging victorious and reaching interconfederation play-offs.

Asia

Qualified: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan

Again, after the October international break, the eight direct entrants from Asia were known. The UAE and Iraq played out a two-legged play-off in November with Iraq's 3-2 aggregate win earning them a spot in the interconfederation tournament.

Europe

Qualified: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland.

Going into last week, only England had sealed their spot, but they were joined by 11 other direct entrants, including some big hitters.

Four more European nations will also qualify following Uefa play-offs in March.

Oceania

Qualified: New Zealand

The Oceania process was completed in March when New Zealand beat New Caledonia 3-0 to clinch qualification. As runners-up New Caledonia will head into the inter-confederation play-offs.

South America

Qualified: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

South American qualifying ended in September with Argentina finishing top ahead of Ecuador. Brazil finished a distant fifth before Carlo Ancelotti's arrival as coach. Bolivia finished seventh in the continental mini-league and will head to the interconfederation play-offs as one of the fancied sides.

How will the remaining six spots be decided?

The remaining six places will be filled by four teams from Europe via the Uefa play-offs and two from the Fifa interconfederation play-offs.

The six teams in the interconfederation tournament are: Iraq, DR Congo, Jamaica, Surinam, Bolivia and New Caledonia.

The two highest-ranked teams: Iraq (57) and DR Congo (60) receive a bye, while the other four will play off to meet them. The draw takes place on Thursday.

The winners of the two finals will progress to the World Cup.

The European play-offs will feature 16 teams in four pots, with two semi-finals and a final in each bracket. The four winners qualify for the World Cup.

Pot 1: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine

Pot 2: Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia

Pot 3: Ireland, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo

Pot 4: Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland

The draw for Uefa's play-offs is set for Thursday, the games will be contested on March 26 (semi-finals) and March 31 (finals).

When is the main World Cup draw?

The main draw for the World Cup will take place on Friday, 5 December at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC at 9pm UAE time.

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 4.4-litre V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 523hp

Torque: 750Nm

Price: Dh469,000

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: SimpliFi

Started: August 2021

Founder: Ali Sattar

Based: UAE

Industry: Finance, technology

Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals

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Indoor Cricket World Cup

Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty

Poacher
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Nick's journey in numbers

Countries so far: 85

Flights: 149

Steps: 3.78 million

Calories: 220,000

Floors climbed: 2,000

Donations: GPB37,300

Prostate checks: 5

Blisters: 15

Bumps on the head: 2

Dog bites: 1

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE

Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.

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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
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THE SPECS

Engine: 1.6-litre turbo

Transmission: six-speed automatic

Power: 165hp

Torque: 240Nm

Price: From Dh89,000 (Enjoy), Dh99,900 (Innovation)

On sale: Now

EA Sports FC 25
The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

The biog

Name: James Mullan

Nationality: Irish

Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)

Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”

Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”

PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

Titan Sports Academy:

Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps

Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Telephone:  971 50 220 0326

 

Updated: November 19, 2025, 5:35 AM