Have we ever seen a World Cup qualification stage as dramatic and surprising as the one we just saw? Probably not.
If there has been, I most certainly was not around for it.
The 32 teams that will be competing in the 2018 World Cup in Russia have been officially set after Wednesday night’s playoff that saw Peru move past New Zealand behind a 2-0 aggregate result that saw both goals scored in the second leg.
Here is the complete list of teams that have qualified for the tournament:
Russia (qualified as hosts)
11th World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (1958, 1962, 1070)
Brazil
21st World Cup
Best finish: Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Iran
5th World Cup
Best finish: Group Stage (5 times)
Japan
6th World Cup
Best finish: Round of 16 (2002, 2010)
Mexico
16th World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (1970, 1986)
Belgium
13th World Cup
Best finish: Semifinalists (1986)
South Korea
10th World Cup
Best finish: Semifinalists (2002)
Saudi Arabia
5th World Cup
Best finish: Round of 16 (1994)
Germany
19th World Cup
Best finish: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
England
15th World Cup
Best finish: Winners (1966)
Spain
15th World Cup
Best finish: Winners (2010)
Nigeria
6th World Cup
Best finish: Round of 16 (1994, 1998, 2014)
Costa Rica
5th World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (2014)
Poland
8th World Cup
Best finish: 3rd Place (1974, 1982)
Egypt
3rd World Cup
Best finish: Group stage (2 times)
Iceland
1st World Cup
Serbia
12th World Cup
Best finish: Semifinalists (1930, 1962)
France
15th World Cup
Best finish: Winners (1998)
Portugal
7th World Cup
Best finish: 3rd Place (1966)
Panama
1st World Cup
Argentina
17th World Cup
Best finish: Winners (1978, 1986)
Colombia
6th World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (2014)
Uruguay
13th World Cup
Best finish: Winners (1930, 1950)
Senegal
2nd World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (2002)
Morocco
5th World Cup
Best finish: Round of 16 (1986)
Tunisia
5th World Cup
Best finish: Group Stage (5 times)
Switzerland
11th World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (1934, 1938, 1954)
Croatia
5th World Cup
Best finish: 3rd Place (1998)
Sweden
12th World Cup
Best finish: 3rd Place (1950, 1994)
Denmark
5th World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (1998)
Australia
5th World Cup
Best finish: Round of 16 (2006)
Peru
5th World Cup
Best finish: Quarterfinalists (1970)
The FIFA World Cup draw, which places the teams in their respective groups (eight groups of four teams), will take place on Friday, Dec. 1 at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow.
