Two national teams have been given harsh penalties by the World Cup organization, which will keep them from competing in the next competition.

FIFA disqualified two teams that were vying for a berth in the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, in March. The South American qualifiers are already getting ready to resume in June.

 Due to anomalies in the qualifying procedures for their separate events before the World Cup, the Congolese and Pakistani teams were in the center of controversy.  Other youth categories are also impacted by this disciplinary action.

FIFA said in a statement that many cases of outside intervention were found during an investigation in Congo.  Digital sources describing the case’s conclusions provided this information.

 Pakistan, on the other hand, faced a distinct problem: officials disregarded FIFA’s internal rules, particularly those pertaining to the guarantee of free and fair elections and sound governance procedures.

With 28 countries removed from contention in the preliminary rounds, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the confederation that has witnessed the most team eliminations in the run-up to the World Cup 2026.  Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, East Timor, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, and Yemen are all on this list.

With just nine teams eliminated from the competition—American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, and Fiji—the Oceanic Football Confederation (OFC) has seen a sharply lower number of eliminations.  New Caledonia is trying to get a shot through the playoffs, while New Zealand has already guaranteed a direct spot in this confederation.

The African Football Confederation (CAF) is in a unique position because there has only been one disqualification and no eliminations because of competition.  On February 6, 2025, Congo was suspended due to alleged outside meddling in its federation’s governance.

 There are currently no official eliminations from the European Football Association (UEFA) or the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), while some South American sides are in a difficult position with four games left.