FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, sees the expansion of the number of teams participating in the 2026 World Cup from 32 to 48 as a turning point towards inclusivity, opening the door to countries that have never qualified before.
In fact, this summer, four teams will be competing in North America’s first World Cup: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.
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This is Al Jazeera’s short guide to the debutants of this year’s tournament.
cape verde
FIFA World Ranking: 69 World Cup Match Schedule (Group H): Spain (June 15, Atlanta), Uruguay (June 21, Miami, USA), Saudi Arabia (June 26, Houston, USA) Player to Watch: Gary Rodriguez
The small archipelago off the coast of Senegal, with a population of about 525,000, will be the third least populated country to take part in the World Cup, after Curacao and Iceland.
Ryan Mendes is not even a household name at Turkiye, where he plays for second-tier Igdir, but the 35-year-old Cape Verde captain was a key figure in the 3-0 win over Eswatini in October that secured them a spot in the World Cup.
This was not an unusual event, as Cape Verde topped the group that included Ghana in the 2023 African Cup of Nations to reach the quarter-finals, but lost to South Africa on penalties.
Although they failed to qualify for AFCON 2025, they once again topped their group in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, this time finishing ahead of the once-powerful Cameroon.
“We have played in the African Cup of Nations four times and were very close to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup,” Mendes told AFP news agency.
“A lot has been achieved over the years, and today we can say that this is a natural result.”
Cape Verde rely heavily on diaspora talent due to their Portuguese colonial past, with several players born in the Netherlands, as well as an Irish player, Shamrock Rovers defender Roberto López. The 33-year-old, born in Dublin, is the son of a Cape Verdean father and an Irish mother, and was reportedly scouted by Cape Verde through LinkedIn.
However, the team’s most famous player is probably 35-year-old winger Gary Rodriguez. He currently plays for Cypriot club Apollon Limassol and has also played for Galatasaray and Olympiakos.
But even without the big star names, Mendez is confident the Blue Sharks can make a mark in the tournament.
“One thing is for sure, we’re not going there just to play three games and go home,” he said.
Curacao
FIFA World Ranking: 82 World Cup dates (Group E): Germany (June 14, Houston, USA), Ecuador (June 20, Kansas City, USA), Ivory Coast (June 25, Philadelphia, USA) Player to watch: Tahith Chong
A poster for the Caribbean island of Curaçao’s soccer team reads, “Small island, big dreams.” Curaçao is the smallest populated country to ever qualify for the World Cup.
Since Curaçao qualified with a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Stephen McClaren’s Jamaica in November, the 160,000 residents of the Dutch island famous for its namesake sapphire liqueur have been riding the crest of a blue wave called the national team.
The most famous person around the team is Curaçao coach Dick Advocaat. He is a 78-year-old former Dutch national team, PSV and Rangers manager who led Curaçao to qualification. He is set to become the oldest manager in World Cup history.
Meanwhile, as an autonomous entity within the Netherlands, Curacao was able to secure a World Cup squad solely because of the Netherlands-based diaspora, conceded Gilbert Martina, president of the Curacao Football Federation.
“All the players in the national team are playing in foreign leagues,” he told AFP.
Perhaps the most famous player is former Dutch youth international Tahith Chong, who currently plays for Championship side Sheffield United. Chong, the only team member born in Curaçao, moved to the Netherlands at the age of 13.
The 26-year-old winger or attacking midfielder is known for his speed, dribbling and great left foot.
The most famous Curaçaoan is probably former Ajax and Barcelona star Patrick Kluivert. He was born to a Surinamese father and a mother from Curacao.
“It’s great for this island to qualify for the World Cup,” Kluivert, who coached Curaçao’s team from 2015 to 2016, told AFP.
“In my time, (soccer) wasn’t that big on this island, but the players gave Curaçao visibility, which will be important for future generations.”
Jordan
FIFA World Ranking: 63 World Cup matches (Group J): Austria (June 16, San Francisco, USA), Algeria (June 22, San Francisco, USA), Argentina (June 27, Dallas, USA) Player to watch: Moussa Al Tamari
Jordan’s head coach Jamal Selami has called on his players to follow the example of Morocco’s surprising run to the last four at the 2022 World Cup as they prepare for their first appearance in the tournament.
“In big tournaments, many teams can be surprised. My country, Morocco, reached the semi-finals of the last World Cup,” Reuters quoted him as saying during Turkiye’s training camp in Antalya in late March. “That gives us faith.”
Despite their inferior position, the players say they are not going to the World Cup just to make up the numbers.
Midfielder Noor Al Rawabde added: “For us, we are not going just to play.” “We aim to go as far as we can in the tournament.
“To be honest, sometimes I can’t sleep thinking about it,” he added. “It’s a dream come true for us.”
Rennes winger Moussa Al Tamari is perhaps the team’s standout player. He was a key creative force as Jordan finished second behind South Korea in their Asian qualifying group and automatically qualified for the World Cup.
Cerami said the camp in Antalya, which included matches against Costa Rica and Nigeria, was an important step to gain experience before playing against elite opponents.
“We are preparing step by step. We have been playing against a different football culture,” he said.
“We are experienced and, inshallah (God willing), we will surprise many.”
uzbekistan
FIFA World Ranking: 50 World Cup Match Schedule (Group K): Colombia (June 17, Mexico City, Mexico), Portugal (June 23, Houston, USA), Democratic Republic of the Congo (June 27, Atlanta, USA) Player to Watch: Abdukhodir Kusanov
Vice-president of the Uzbekistan Football Association Ravshan Irmatov, who is familiar with the World Cup having refereed three finals, believes the Central Asian country’s long-awaited qualification is just another step in the development of the sport.
“Qualifying for the World Cup has been a dream of 38 million people for 34 years,” Irmatov said. “You can understand how important it was for the people of Uzbekistan. We have been waiting for a very long time.”
Uzbekistan qualified for the finals for the first time since becoming a member of FIFA in 1994 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, aiming to reach the finals seven times.
Slovenian coach Sureko Katanec led a team built mainly around homegrown talent to the top of the finals, but health problems forced him to step down, leaving Olympic team coach Timur Kapadze to secure their ticket to the 2026 Games.
Captain Eldor Shomrodov, on loan from Roma to Istanbul Basaksehir, is the country’s top scorer with 44 goals in 90 games and 21 goals in the Turkish Super League this season.
However, the team’s most famous player is probably Manchester City’s Abdukkodir Kusanov. The 22-year-old centre-back has played a key role in the defense this season, earning praise for his positional play, speed, strength and quiet leadership.
Uzbekistan secured their place in the finals with a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates in June and has since been appointed coach by former Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro.
“I say what I always repeat to my players: playing in your first World Cup, you have nothing to lose,” Cannavaro was quoted as saying by the Mirror in March.
“Apply to every match with maximum calmness and enjoy it as much as possible. If you feel anxious, try to channel it into positive anxiety.”
