Record eight Arab teams qualify for 2026 World Cup

A record number of Arab nations have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, marking an unprecedented milestone and underlining the region’s growing influence in global football.

The achievement, of eight nations, represents a sharp rise in representation. As recently as the FIFA World Cup 2022 and FIFA World Cup 2018, only four Arab teams featured in each edition, while earlier tournaments often saw just one or two sides qualify.

All eight teams recently competed in the FIFA Arab Cup 2025, which served as a preparatory stage despite some squads missing Europe-based players. The final saw Morocco national football team defeat Jordan national football team 3-2, highlighting the region’s competitive depth ahead of the global showpiece.

The expanded Arab presence comes with heightened ambition, particularly after Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals in 2022 demonstrated that teams from the region can compete at the highest level.

Among the qualifiers, Jordan will make their World Cup debut, while traditional contenders such as Algeria national football team, Egypt national football team and Iraq national football team return aiming to improve on past performances. Qatar national football team, hosts in 2022, have qualified on merit this time, while Saudi Arabia national football team and Tunisia national football team seek to progress beyond the group stage.

Historically, Arab participation at the World Cup dates back to Egypt national football team in 1934, while Morocco became the first Arab side to reach the knockout stages in 1986. Their fourth-place finish in 2022 remains the benchmark for the region.

With eight teams now set to compete, expectations have shifted from symbolic participation to genuine contention, as Arab nations aim not only to match past achievements but to push deeper into the tournament than ever before.