Chronicle of the unprecedented: The countries making their FIFA World Cup debut in 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the biggest edition ever seen, will be special for some of its participants. Of the 48 national teams that will attend the event, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada between June and July, four of them will be playing in the biggest tournament in the soccer world for the first time in their history.

Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan will be the new faces, who will live their first World Cup experience at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Each of them is guaranteed to play three games, all of them in the group stage, and will be looking for a surprise against national teams that have much more experience and have even won titles.

Cape Verde

The "Blue Sharks," as they are colloquially known, will play their first FIFA World Cup in 2026. The national team of Cape Verde, an island nation of just over 500,000 inhabitants, surprised in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifiers and sealed their ticket directly after seven wins, two draws and just one loss.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cape Verde was drawn in Group H with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

Curaçao

Curaçao's national team is a statistical miracle. The island, located in the Caribbean, has made history by becoming the smallest country in history to compete in a FIFA World Cup. It has about 150,000 inhabitants. It had an easier time qualifying, as the three hosts of the tournament belong, like Curaçao, to the Confederation of North, Central American, Caribbean and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and did not need to go through the qualifying round.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Curaçao was drawn in Group E with Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast.

Jordan

After years of falling just short of the tournament, Jordan's national team finally made it, and they did so nearly a year ago when they finished second in their group during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers. "The Braves," as they are known, have achieved the most important milestone in their country's soccer history.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Jordan was drawn in Group J with Austria, Algeria and Argentina.

Uzbekistan

The other Asian debutant in this edition of the FIFA World Cup is Uzbekistan, whose national team made a similar run to Jordan during the AFC qualifiers: they booked their ticket on the same day. Nicknamed the "White Wolves," they are the third former Soviet republic, after Russia and Ukraine, to contest world soccer's top tournament.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Uzbekistan was drawn in Group K with Colombia, Portugal and Democratic Republic of Congo.