Only 18 Tickets Left As Europe, Africa Battle for FIFA World-Cup Qualify

Only 18 Tickets Left As Europe, Africa Battle for FIFA World-Cup Qualify 

Glintnews Sport ,16th November 2025

The race to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is boiling over, with only 18 qualification spots still up for grabs as Europe and Africa enter the most explosive stage of their campaigns.

Across Europe, tension is at an all-time high.

Scotland’s hopes took a major hit after a 3-2 loss to Greece, dropping them one point behind Denmark in a fiercely contested Group C. Now both teams must settle everything in a high-pressure, winner-takes-all clash on Tuesday — and only a Scottish victory guarantees automatic qualification.

Group J isn’t any calmer. Wales are clinging to a mathematical chance of topping the group, but the task is enormous: they must beat North Macedonia and pray for a shock Liechtenstein upset over Belgium in Brussels.

Belgium and Portugal, however, remain in control of their destinies and can book their tickets with victories in their next fixtures.

The Netherlands and Norway are practically through, with only extraordinary goal-difference miracles capable of halting their qualification parties.

Over in Africa, the picture is much clearer.

Tunisia and Morocco were early entrants, and the list has since expanded to include Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and South Africa — marking the Bafana Bafana’s first World Cup return since they hosted in 2010.

Nigeria are now the centre of attention as one African slot remains undecided. With Victor Osimhen in red-hot form, the Super Eagles face Congo in a decisive showdown that could define their World Cup journey. Both sides are desperate to tighten their grip on qualification and build momentum for the tournaments ahead.

Teams That Have Qualified So Far Includes 

Hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States

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

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

Europe: Croatia, England, France

Oceania: New Zealand

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

With do-or-die fixtures looming, global football fans are bracing for a dramatic sprint to the finish — where every goal, every point and every second could determine who joins the world’s elite on the grandest stage in 2026.