World Cup 2026 first-timers: Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curaçao
Four teams will play their first World Cup. How they qualified, who is in charge, and what to realistically expect in North America.
The expansion to 48 teams has opened the door to four nations that have never played a senior World Cup before. Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curaçao will all face the group stage on stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico in June.
Uzbekistan
The side is led by Italian Fabio Cannavaro, the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner and captain of Italy's last World Cup-winning squad. He took over in early 2025 after the team had effectively secured its path out of the Asian group. In the third round of AFC qualification Uzbekistan came through with only one defeat across two rounds, a steady set of results and football that is not built around any single star — apart from Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov.
The rest of the spine is captain Eldor Shomurodov, midfielder Otabek Shukurov and forward Abbosbek Fayzullaev. Most of the squad plays domestically, which is unusual at World Cup level. The draw put them in Group K with Portugal, Colombia and DR Congo — the toughest possible scenario for a debutant: two clear favourites and a physical African side as third seed. The realistic aim is to avoid a heavy defeat and bank the result in the country's record books. Uzbekistan becomes the third post-Soviet nation to play a World Cup after Russia and Ukraine, and the first Central Asian team ever.
Cape Verde
The Atlantic archipelago of around 525,000 people won Group D of African qualifying, finishing ahead of Cameroon. The clincher was a 3-0 home win over Eswatini on 13 October 2025, with celebrations across the capital Praia. Cape Verde is the third-smallest nation by population ever to qualify for a World Cup, after Iceland and fellow 2026 debutants Curaçao.
The team has been coached since 2020 by Bubista (Pedro Leitão Brito), a former captain of the side. He also led them to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Group H sends them up against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. A path beyond the group exists only through the Saudi match; against the reigning European champions and a former World Cup finalist, the realistic target is at least one goal at the tournament.
Jordan
Jordan first entered qualification in 1986 and had never reached the finals before. This time the side finished second in Group B of the AFC third round, behind South Korea. The team was prepared by Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta, who had taken Jordan to the 2024 Asian Cup final but left in mid-2024 for UAE club Al Jazira. He was replaced by another Moroccan, Jamal Sellami, who oversaw the final qualification stretch.
Group J — Argentina, Austria, Algeria — is hard but not closed. Austria and Algeria are not certain favourites, and at least one point across the tournament is a reasonable floor for Jordan. They are one of the few Middle Eastern nations to reach a World Cup through sport rather than as hosts.
Curaçao
The Caribbean island off the Venezuelan coast, with a population of around 150,000, becomes the smallest country ever to play a World Cup. The side won qualification in the final CONCACAF round in November 2025 under Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, 78, who will be the oldest head coach in tournament history. Advocaat stepped down after qualification because of his daughter's health; Fred Rutten replaced him, but after two heavy March friendlies (a 1-5 loss to Australia and a 0-2 defeat by China) Rutten resigned and Advocaat returned.
Group E pairs them with Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast. The odds of progress are close to zero, but the presence itself is a generational event.
The four first-timers are the strongest argument for the expanded format. For fans of those countries, the 2026 season has already delivered.
