Who's in, who's out: The 2018 World Cup field so far

Gordon Brunt

12h ago

Artyom Korotayev / TASS / Getty

The finish line is within sight after more than two years of World Cup qualifiers.

Tuesday marked one of the most crucial matchdays, with South, North, and Central American hopefuls qualifying for the World Cup in dramatic fashion. But it was the elimination of World Cup regulars Chile and the United States that will steal the headlines Wednesday.

The day also featured the conclusion of the UEFA group stage, which saw European champions Portugal book an automatic place in the World Cup, while nations such as Switzerland, Greece, and Sweden became the latest to qualify for next month’s two-legged play-offs.

Australia edged past Syria to progress to the intercontinental World Cup qualifying play-off next month when the Socceroos clash with Honduras.

With all that in mind, here’s a breakdown of the countries – except hosts Russia – who have qualified for the 2018 World Cup:

UEFA (13 places)

Who’s in: Belgium, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Serbia

Who still has a chance: Italy, Denmark, Croatia, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden

Notable absentees: Netherlands, Czech Republic, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia, Ukraine, Turkey

CONMEBOL (4.5 places)

Who’s in: Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia

Who still has a chance: Peru

Notable absentees: Chile, Paraguay

CONCACAF (3.5 places)

Who’s in: Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama

Who still has a chance: Honduras

Notable absentees: United States

CAF (5 places)

Who’s in: Egypt, Nigeria,

Who still has a chance: Tunisia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, South Africa

Notable absentees: Cameroon, Ghana

AFC (4.5 places)

Who’s in: Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

Who still has a chance: Australia

OCEANIA (0.5 places)

Who’s in: None

Who still has a chance: New Zealand