The largest football World Cup in history has officially commenced, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Featuring an expanded format of 48 participating teams, this tournament is being widely recognized as a significant landmark in the football world. In a historic development for the competition, a record number of 13 Muslim-majority nations have successfully qualified and are participating in this edition.
Spanning from North Africa and the Middle East to Central Asia and Europe, the extensive presence of these nations on the global stage is seen as a direct reflection of the rising competitive stature and growing influence of the Muslim world within international football.
Morocco
Following their historic campaign at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, where they became the very first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-finals, the “Atlas Lions” enter this tournament as one of the highly favoured Muslim teams. Captained by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star fullback Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan squad previously secured the FIFA Arab Cup in 2015 and finished as the runners-up in a recent African Cup of Nations. Having qualified for the World Cup seven times in their history, Morocco are now firmly established as serious contenders in any major tournament.
Senegal
Senegal enter the global stage as a major powerhouse from the African continent. The team achieved notable success by securing the Africa Cup of Nations trophies in both 2022 and 2026. Historically, their most famous World Cup achievement occurred in 2002, when they famously defeated the defending champions, France, en route to reaching the quarter-finals. The current squad is heavily reinforced by footballers competing across Europe’s top-tier domestic leagues, alongside star forward Sadio Mané, who plays his club football in Saudi Arabia.
Official Regulatory Notice: Although Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations on the pitch, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) subsequently stripped them of the title due to rule violations and match abandonment. Consequent to this regulatory ruling, Morocco were officially declared the new African champions.
Turkey
Turkey have successfully marked their return to the World Cup stage after a prolonged absence spanning more than two decades. The nation previously startled the footballing world during the 2002 World Cup by securing a third-place finish. For this edition, under the tactical guidance of Italian manager Vincenzo Montella, the team successfully navigated the European play-offs to book their place in the main tournament. Featuring emerging young talents in the attacking line such as Kerem Aktürkoğlu, the current squad aims to replicate the golden era successes of past icons like Hakan Şükür and Rüştü Reçber.
Algeria
This tournament marks Algeria’s return to football’s grandest stage for the first time since 2014. During that 2014 edition in Brazil, the Algerian national team advanced to the Round of 16, notably forcing the eventual tournament champions, Germany, into extra time. Riyad Mahrez, who captained and inspired Algeria to an Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2019, remains one of the most prominent and influential stars within the national setup.
Iran
This tournament represents Iran’s fourth consecutive World Cup appearance and their seventh qualification overall. Led on the pitch by Mehdi Taremi, who stands as one of Asia’s finest forwards, the squad boasts highly experienced veterans including Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Ehsan Hajsafi.
However, securing a place in this tournament proved exceptionally difficult for the nation. Just four months prior to the commencement of the World Cup, Iran was subjected to military air strikes launched by the United States and Israel, an event that caused severe disruption to the country’s domestic football infrastructure and league operations.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Representing the Balkan region, this Muslim-majority nation has successfully qualified for the World Cup for only the second time in its sporting history, with their maiden appearance occurring in 2014. The team secured their ticket to the Americas in dramatic fashion by defeating four-time World Cup winners Italy in a tense play-off penalty shoot-out.
Egypt
After failing to qualify for the Qatar World Cup in 2022, Egypt, talismanically led by Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, have made a resounding return to the global tournament. The Pharaohs, who hold a record-breaking seven Africa Cup of Nations titles, are now set to participate in their fourth World Cup campaign.
Saudi Arabia
This edition marks the seventh World Cup appearance for Saudi Arabia. The nation holds fond footballing memories, having reached the Round of 16 during their debut campaign in 1994, and more recently securing a historic 2-1 group-stage victory over the eventual champions, Argentina, during the 2022 World Cup. Officially designated as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia continues to aggressively expand its global footballing footprint through massive financial investments in domestic league infrastructure and facilities.
Asian and Central Asian Contenders
Qatar
While Qatar participated in the 2022 edition automatically as the host nation, this tournament marks the very first time they have successfully qualified for a World Cup through the competitive Asian qualification rounds. The squad, which recently secured back-to-back Asian Cup titles, relies heavily on the brilliance of Akram Afif, the reigning Asian Footballer of the Year, alongside their all-time leading goalscorer, Almoez Ali.
Jordan
The 2026 World Cup marks the official tournament debut for Jordan. Following their historic achievement of reaching the Asian Cup final for the first time in 2024, qualifying for the final tournament of the World Cup stands as the greatest milestone in Jordanian football history. The team’s primary driving force is Mousa Al-Tamari, who holds the distinction of being the first Jordanian footballer to play in one of Europe’s top five domestic leagues.
Iraq
Iraq have returned to the global stage for the first time since their single previous appearance at the 1986 Mexico World Cup. The national team endured one of the longest qualification campaigns in modern football history, playing 21 matches over a grueling two-and-a-half-year period. The 2007 Asian Cup champions enter this tournament highly motivated to secure either their first-ever World Cup victory or draw.
Uzbekistan
Mirroring Jordan’s achievement, Uzbekistan has created history by qualifying for their debut World Cup appearance. They will participate as the first-ever nation from Central Asia to compete on the World Cup stage. After decades of narrowly missing out on qualification, their sporting objective was finally realized in 2025. The national team is led by their primary star and captain, Eldor Shomurodov, alongside promising young defender Abdukodir Khusanov.
Tunisia
Representing the African continent, Tunisia are participating in their seventh World Cup tournament. During the previous edition, the team caused a major upset by defeating the defending champions, France, with a 1-0 scoreline. In this campaign, the Tunisian squad aims to break historical precedents by progressing past the group stages and into the knockout rounds for the first time.