The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will have eight direct qualifying slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot. The qualification process will consist of four rounds:
- First round: 20 teams (ranked 27–46) will play home-and-away over two legs. The ten winners will advance to the second round. Losing teams are eligible for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round (nine), and the AFC Solidarity Cup.
- Second round: The 10 winners from the first round will be joined by the 12 teams ranked 15–26. The 22 teams will be divided into two groups of 11 teams each. The top three teams from each group will advance to the third round.
- Third round: The six teams that advance from the second round will be joined by the 14 teams ranked 1–14. The 20 teams will be divided into two groups of 10 teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance to the fourth round.
- Fourth round: The four teams that advance from the third round will play a single round-robin tournament. The top two teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the third-placed team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) will have six direct qualifying slots and two inter-confederation play-off slots. The qualification process will consist of three rounds:
- First round: The 30 teams ranked 21–40 will be divided into six groups of five teams each. The teams will play a single round-robin tournament. The group winners will advance to the second round.
- Second round: The six teams that advance from the first round will be joined by the 12 teams ranked 9–20. The 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams each. The teams will play a single round-robin tournament. The group winners and runners-up will advance to the third round.
- Third round: The six teams that advance from the second round will play a single round-robin tournament. The top three teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the fourth-placed team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will have ten direct qualifying slots and three inter-confederation play-off slots. The qualification process will consist of a group stage and a knockout stage:
- Group stage: The 54 teams ranked 1–45 will be divided into ten groups of five or six teams each. The teams will play a single round-robin tournament. The group winners will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- Knockout stage: The ten teams that finish second in the group stage will be drawn into two play-off paths of five teams each. The teams will play two-legged home-and-away matches. The winners of the play-offs will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Other Confederation Qualifiers
The other five confederations (Africa, Asia, CONCACAF, Oceania, and South America) will each have six direct qualifying slots. The qualification process for each confederation will be different.
