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Which Man United Players Qualified For The Tournament?
Argentina were among the earliest nations to secure their place, having dominated the South American qualifiers and finishing nine points ahead of Ecuador. Lisandro Martinez featured in three matches and recently rejoined the Albiceleste for their latest training camp after recovering from knee surgery. Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay also finished in the top six, meaning Casemiro, Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon and Manuel Ugarte are all on course to appear next summer.
Morocco, who shocked the world four years ago by reaching the semi-finals, qualified in convincing fashion by winning all eight matches. Ivory Coast return to the tournament for the first time since 2014, with Amad playing his part during their unbeaten run. Australia secured a sixth consecutive appearance after coming through Asian qualifying behind Japan. James Overy earned a call-up for their November squad and, having just turned 18, could be one of the youngest players at the finals.
England looked assured in European qualifying, recording a perfect record in Group K without conceding. Marcus Rashford, currently on loan at Barcelona, was selected by Thomas Tuchel, while Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw all hope to force their way into contention. Portugal also booked their place, helped by Bruno Fernandes’s hat-trick against Armenia, while Diogo Dalot continues to feature regularly. This may well be Cristiano Ronaldo’s final chance to win the trophy.
Some Devils Could Still Reach The World Cup
The Netherlands and Matthijs de Ligt have confirmed their participation, while Tyrell Malacia and Joshua Zirkzee remain on the fringes. Belgium qualified on the same evening Senne Lammens made his senior debut in a commanding win over Liechtenstein. Although Thibaut Courtois and Matz Sels provide fierce competition, Lammens will hope his inclusion signals further opportunities next summer.
Six European places remain undecided and will be settled through the upcoming play-offs. Sixteen nations will enter the draw, split into four paths with semi-finals and finals to determine the final qualifiers from the continent. Two additional spots will be settled through intercontinental play-offs involving Bolivia, DR Congo, New Caledonia, Iraq, Jamaica and Suriname.
Turkey still have a chance of progressing, with Altay Bayindir part of the squad after they finished second in Group E. Denmark also head to the play-offs after a narrow defeat against Scotland, with Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Rasmus Hojlund involved. The official draw takes place on Thursday in Switzerland, with matches scheduled for the March international break.
This edition marks the first expanded 48-team World Cup, ending the 32-team format used from 1998 to 2022. Newcomers include Cape Verde, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Curacao. The finals will comprise 12 groups of four, with the top two in each group reaching the round of 32, joined by the eight best third-placed sides.
