List of European teams qualifying for the 2026 World Cup: Italy misses out again

Europe is the second region, after Oceania, to complete its World Cup 2026 qualification process, finalizing all 16 representatives who will participate in the planet's biggest football festival.

The biggest highlight of the playoffs was the shock involving the Italian national team. The four-time World Cup champion continued to disappoint by being eliminated by Bosnia-Herzegovina after a penalty shootout. This marks the third consecutive time Italy has failed to qualify for the World Cup, an unbelievable scenario for one of the world's most traditional football powerhouses.

In the European playoff round, Italy faced Bosnia-Herzegovina, an opponent ranked more than 50 places lower on the FIFA world rankings. Moise Keane scored the opening goal just 15 minutes into the match, giving Italy an early advantage.

However, Italy subsequently lost control of the game. Towards the end of the first half, a red card for Alessandro Bastoni put the Azzurri in a difficult position. The squad under coach Gennaro Gattuso struggled to withstand the opponent's attacks.

Bosnia-Herzegovina equalized with a goal by Haris Tabakovic in the 79th minute, making the score 1-1.

Despite being short-handed, Italy managed to hold the draw until the end of extra time. However, in the penalty shootout, Francesco Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their shots, leading the four-time World Cup champion to an early defeat after just seven total attempts from both teams.

For Bosnia-Herzegovina, this team wrote a historic story by qualifying for the World Cup for the second time after a 12-year wait.

Not merely luck, Bosnia-Herzegovina's victory showcased remarkable resilience by overcoming pressure against an opponent considered superior in both class and experience. Previously, in the playoff semifinal, coach Sergei Barbarez's team also defeated Wales in a penalty shootout.

In another match, the Swedish national team experienced a thrilling encounter against Poland, securing a 3-2 victory thanks to a late goal by Viktor Gyökeres. This also marked Sweden's "revenge" against Poland after their defeat in the 2022 World Cup playoffs.

In the remaining matches, Turkey ended a World Cup drought lasting over two decades by defeating Kosovo, while the Czech Republic secured its spot after a dramatic comeback against Denmark.

With 16 spots secured, Europe not only has one of the largest contingents at the 2026 World Cup but also provides strong contenders for the tournament title.

Meanwhile, other regions such as AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, and CONMEBOL are still entering decisive stages, with many intercontinental playoff spots yet to be finalized.

The final two spots for the 2026 World Cup this summer remain undetermined, with two intercontinental playoff matches: DR Congo vs Jamaica and Iraq vs Bolivia. After these matches, the full list of 48 participating teams will be officially completed.

16 European teams qualifying for the 2026 World Cup:
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Czech Republic, Sweden, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.