2026 World Cup: 11 countries
qualify for tournament [Full
list]
Australia became the 11th
country to book their place at the
2026 World Cup.
This was confirmed after they
defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 on
Tuesday.
After the Socceroos saw off
Japan 1-0, they needed to avoid
defeat by less than five goals in
their last game in Jeddah.
They have now sealed an
automatic qualification berth for
the first time in 12 years.
It will also be their sixth
consecutive World Cup.
Abdulrahman Al-Aboud opened
the scoring in the 19th minute,
before Australia turned the
match around, thanks to goals
from Connor Metcalfe and Mitch
Duke.
Australia will now join Jordan
and Uzbekistan as the teams to
qualify in these latest round of
matches.
Japan, New Zealand, Iran and
Argentina have also qualified for
the 2026 World Cup.
Co-hosts USA, Canada and Mexico
automatically qualified for the
competition.