Sprinting for the World Cup! Within 24 hours: Teams 5-7 will advance, Africa will advance to 3 places, and Asia will advance to 4 places and 2 places.

Cape Verde, with a population of 550,000, has become the 22nd participating team in the 2026 World Cup. The World Cup preliminaries are still going on. Which teams are expected to advance to the World Cup in the next 24 hours? We take stock.

[Asia Region: 4 teams fight and 2 teams advance]

The Asia Region has reached the 4th round, with 6 teams divided into 2 groups of 3 teams each. UAE vs Qatar in Group A, Saudi Arabia vs Iraq in Group B.

The UAE has already scored 3 points. A draw will qualify for the World Cup. Qatar needs to defeat the UAE to successfully counterattack. Both Saudi Arabia and Iraq have 3 points, and Saudi Arabia has the advantage in total goals. Therefore, Saudi Arabia only needs a draw to get a direct ticket to the World Cup.

[Africa: 3 teams will advance directly to the World Cup]

Currently, 6 teams from Egypt, Cape Verde, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Ghana have qualified for the World Cup. In the early morning of the 15th, the three groups will decide the last three direct seats.

In Group B, Senegal has 21 points in 9 games and Democratic Congo has 19 points in 9 games, competing for a direct ticket to the World Cup. For Senegal, the initiative is in its own hands. As long as it defeats Mauritania, Senegal can get a spot in the World Cup.

Benin in Group C has 17 points in 9 games, South Africa has 15 points in 9 games, and Nigeria has 14 points in 9 games. All three teams have the theoretical hope of qualifying directly. Benin only needs to defeat Nigeria to make history and make its first World Cup appearance.

In Group F, Côte d'Ivoire scored 23 points in 9 games and Gabon scored 22 points in 9 games. The final round ushered in a life-or-death battle. Côte d'Ivoire has its destiny in its own hands and can successfully qualify for the World Cup if it defeats Kenya.

[European Zone: England and Portugal are expected to qualify]

In the early morning of the 15th, two teams in the European Zone are expected to qualify for the World Cup.

Portugal in Group F ranks first with 9 points from 3 games, Hungary has 4 points from 3 games, and Armenia has 3 points from 3 games. Portugal plays Hungary at home and Armenia plays Ireland away. If Portugal defeats Hungary and Armenia loses points, Portugal, which has 12 points in 4 games, will be at least 7 points ahead of the second place and will definitely qualify with only 2 rounds left.

In Group K, England has 15 points in 5 games and Albania has 11 points in 6 games. On this World Cup qualifying night, England challenged Albania away. As long as they beat Albania, England can qualify early.