How does a country qualify to play in the FIFA World Cup?

To participate in the FIFA World Cup, a nation must first be a member of FIFA. As of 2018, 209 national associations were members of FIFA (not including Kosovo and Gibraltar, which are not recognized by FIFA). The international governing body for football has existed since 1904 but did not organize its first World Cup until 1930.

The qualification process for each edition of the tournament is long and complicated. Each confederation (such as CONMEBOL) can send one team to compete in every edition of the competition. So if you’re playing as Germany or Argentina and you want to qualify for Russia 2018, you’ll have to go through your confederation’s qualifying stage.

There are also special rules that apply to some countries — most notably hosts Russia, who automatically qualify without having to go through any sort of qualification process at all!

Last modified: July 31, 2022