South Korea and Jordan qualify for expanded 2026 World Cup as 48-team field continues to take shape ahead of tournament in United States, Mexico and Canada

South Korea have confirmed their presence at the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 win over Iraq in Basra with goals from Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu. The win has guaranteed that the Taegeuk Warriors will finish in the top two of Group B of the AFC World Cup qualifiers. The qualification has also guaranteed that South Korea will participate in their 11th straight FIFA World Cup.

Jordan have also confirmed their spot in the 2026 World Cup after their 3-0 win over Oman on Thursday evening. South Korea's win over Iraq also helped Jordan, as they were able to open up a four-point gap with one matchday left. This will be Nashama's first-ever trip to the World Cup.

South Korea and Jordan have joined defending champions Argentina, Iran, New Zealand, Japan, Uzbekistan, Canada, Mexico and the United States as the only teams to have qualified for the 2026 World Cup so far, with the latter three having gotten automatic qualification as shared hosts of the tournament.

There are still 38 more teams yet to confirm their place in the 2026 World Cup. Through the Asian qualifiers, Australia look the likeliest next candidate to make their way to the tournament to be held in North America.