Four Nations Playing Their First Football World Cup in 2026
Today it is time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to kick off, and as most people know, the tournament is being hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. Three countries sharing the World Cup is something completely new, but the format of the tournament is not the only historic aspect. For the first time, the tournament will be played with 48 teams, which has opened the door for nations that usually find it very difficult to qualify for a World Cup. This means that four national teams will get to experience what every football nation dreams of: showing themselves on the biggest football stage of all.
At the same time, these teams should of course not be dismissed as mere makeweights. In modern international football, a well-organised team with strong togetherness and a few individually skilled players can go a long way. Morocco's semi-final in the 2022 World Cup is a clear example of that, but smaller nations have also shown time and again that they can trouble favourites on the right day.
For these debutants, the 2026 World Cup is therefore about more than just taking part. It is about showing that qualification was not a one-off, putting the country on the football map and giving a new generation of players and supporters something to build on. We will now go through the four teams that are playing their very first football World Cup.
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Garry Rodrigues - one of Cape Verde's most important players
Cape Verde
Cape Verde is one of the most fascinating debutants at the 2026 World Cup. The island nation off the west coast of Africa has a population of just over half a million, but in recent years it has established itself as a national team that can no longer be seen as a temporary upstart. Cape Verde qualifying for the World Cup for the first time is historic, but it has not come entirely out of nowhere either.The team qualified by winning its African qualifying group ahead of Cameroon, a nation with far more experience of playing in World Cups and a stronger football tradition. That also says a lot about Cape Verde's development. This is a national team that has been built step by step, with a strong collective identity and several players from the diaspora, many of whom have Cape Verdean roots through their parents. They have previously done well in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), reaching the quarter-finals in 2024, for example (officially the tournament was the 2023 edition, but it was played in January 2024), and the World Cup place feels like the next logical step in their development.
Important players to keep an eye on are veterans Garry Rodrigues and Ryan Mendes, who both give the team experience and attacking edge. Rodrigues has had a long club career, including spells with Galatasaray and Olympiakos, while Mendes has long been an important leader for the national team and has also played for Lille and Nottingham Forest. Cape Verde may lack a major global star, but they have a team that is used to playing with clear structure, plenty of energy and strong team spirit.
Cape Verde have been drawn in Group H alongside Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, and on paper they are clear outsiders. It would of course be a major shock if they went far in the tournament, but they have already shown that they can stand up to more established teams. Their best chance lies in keeping matches tight, being effective from set pieces and making the most of attacking transitions. Progressing from the group is obviously a very tough task, but on the other hand it is not unrealistic if everything falls into place.
Tahith Chong needs to be at his best if Curaçao are to succeed
Curaçao
Curaçao is perhaps the most spectacular World Cup debutant of all. The Caribbean island nation will become one of the smallest countries ever to play in a football World Cup, which makes qualification a huge achievement. It has a population of only just over 150,000 people, but the team has benefited from its strong connection to Dutch football.Many of the players have a background in the Netherlands or were developed at Dutch clubs, and this has given Curaçao a squad that is much stronger than the country's size should really allow. Qualification was secured after a strong campaign in North and Central America, where the team managed to hold off Jamaica, among others. Curaçao now getting to play in the World Cup is both a sporting achievement and a huge symbolic victory for football on the island.
The best-known player is probably Tahith Chong, formerly of Manchester United's youth setup (and he actually played five Premier League matches for the club) and now at Sheffield United. He is a technical and explosive attacking midfielder who will be very important if Curaçao are to create anything going forward against stronger opposition, and he is in fact the only player in the squad who was born on the island of Curaçao. Several of the other players in the team have experience from European top divisions, so they are not just an exotic presence at the tournament.
Another important factor is head coach Dick Advocaat. The well-known and experienced Dutchman has coached a long list of clubs and national teams, and his experience could be crucial in a tournament where Curaçao will almost always be underdogs. He knows how to organise a team, close down spaces and make life difficult for favourites. It was Advocaat who led the team to the World Cup, but he later resigned because of his daughter's health problems. When her condition improved, however, he returned as head coach ahead of the tournament.
Curaçao will take on Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E, and it will take a lot for them to progress from the group. Still, their squad is interesting enough that they should not be completely written off in a single match.
Jordan
Jordan has long been a stable national team in Asia, but the 2026 World Cup will be the first time the country has gone all the way to a world championship. It is a huge achievement for Jordanian football and a clear sign of the development the national team has undergone in recent years.The big warning sign of their ability came already at the 2023 Asian Cup, which was played at the beginning of 2024, where Jordan went all the way to the final and beat South Korea 2-0 in the semi-final. They did lose the final to Qatar, but in that tournament they showed that they could compete with the best teams in Asia. That success was followed up by an impressive World Cup qualifying campaign, where the team secured a direct place after finishing second behind South Korea in their qualifying group, ahead of Iraq among others, who have also qualified for this World Cup via the play-offs.
Jordan are a team that often build their game on discipline, hard work and quick attacking moves. The big star is Musa Al-Taamari, who is an important player for his French club Rennes, and he is the team's most important creative force. He has technique, pace and the ability to create chances even when Jordan do not have much of the ball. If Jordan are to threaten stronger opposition at the World Cup, much of it will revolve around him.
The team has already shown that it can surprise in major tournaments, and the players are not coming to the World Cup just to watch and learn. Jordan will probably be underdogs in most matches, but it is precisely in that role that they can thrive.
Jordan have been drawn in Group J alongside reigning champions Argentina, as well as Algeria and Austria. Their chances of progressing are limited, but Jordan are perhaps the debutant that has most clearly shown in a major continental tournament that they can handle the pressure. With a good start and an Al-Taamari who finds the right level, they could become an awkward opponent for the other teams in the group.
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Eldor Shomurodov is Uzbekistan's attacking star
Uzbekistan
Finally, we come to Uzbekistan. Their World Cup debut is not only historic for the country, but for the whole of Central Asia. The country will become the first Central Asian nation to play in a football World Cup, making qualification a huge moment for football across the entire region. Uzbekistan had long been close to qualifying, but had often fallen at the final hurdle in previous campaigns. In 2026, the breakthrough finally came.The team qualified through the Asian qualifiers and secured their place after a strong and stable campaign. And it is actually no coincidence that Uzbekistan finally succeeded. The country has invested in youth football for a long time, and several generations of players have built a national team that is technically skilled, physically strong and well organised.
The most talked-about player is Abdukodir Khusanov, the centre-back who has played for Manchester City since January 2025, and he has become the country's major poster name. His speed, strength and defensive maturity make him a key player at the World Cup. Up front there is Eldor Shomurodov, who is captain and the national team's all-time top scorer. He has previously played 61 matches for Roma and last season he became joint top scorer with Paul Onuachu in the Turkish Süper Lig after scoring 22 goals for Istanbul Basaksehir. He is the type of striker who can be decisive for Uzbekistan if they are to settle tight matches.
In many ways, Uzbekistan feel like the most complete of the debutants. They have a strong defensive foundation, more individual quality than many may realise and a football culture that has been on the rise for a long time. At the same time, the World Cup is a completely different level from the Asian qualifiers, and it remains to be seen how the team handles the tempo and pressure against the world's best opponents.
They play in Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia and DR Congo (also known as Congo-Kinshasa). Their chances of progressing from the group stage are still fairly decent. Beating DR Congo is not impossible for Uzbekistan, but it is likely to be an even and very important match, and even if they are unlikely to beat either Portugal or Colombia, they could still have a chance of going through as one of the eight best third-placed teams.