The Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti will return to the World Cup after more than half a century away, each last appearing in 1974. The list of long-waiting countries also includes Iraq, first-time returns for Austria, Norway and Scotland, and notable co
When the 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, two teams will carry a kind of history most squads only hear about in stories. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti are both set to return after waits longer than a generation.
Both sides last appeared in soccer’s World Cup in 1974. which is the longest gap among countries returning for the 2026 tournament. For Haiti, 1974 ended as the lone CONCACAF representative. The record was brutal: Haiti finished with a 0-3 mark, dropping matches to Poland, Argentina and Italy in Group 4.
The Democratic Republic of Congo—then known as Zaire—also finished 0-3 in 1974. It was a Group 2 campaign with losses to Yugoslavia, Brazil and Scotland.
After Congo and Haiti, the next longest wait belongs to Iraq. The country last played at the World Cup in 1986, and like Haiti and DR Congo, Iraq also went 0-3 in its last appearance.
A separate wave of countries is returning after the turn of the century. Three European teams are making their first return since 1998: Austria, Norway and Scotland. Among them, Norway brings one of the biggest individual stars among the returning teams in striker Erling Haaland.
Turkey’s comeback adds another layer. The Anatolian country finished third at the 2002 World Cup, then stayed away until now.
Czechia is the lone nation that hasn’t returned since 2006. That year—when it was known as the Czech Republic—Czechia beat the United States 3-0, only to fail to advance past the group stage.
Another trio is back after the 2010 World Cup: New Zealand, Paraguay and the tournament’s hosts, South Africa. And three more teams that made the 2014 tournament are returning for 2026 after not being back until now: Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ivory Coast.
This snapshot of comebacks comes with specific boundaries. The chart excludes first-time qualifiers, of which there are four: Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan. It also excludes nations that made either 2018 or 2022.
Outside those exclusions, four more countries are back in the World Cup after skipping 2022, while the remaining 26 all made it to Qatar the last time the tournament was held.
The numbers were compiled by collecting data via FBref’s individual World Cup pages, then comparing it against the list of qualified teams for 2026.
World Cup 2026 Haiti Democratic Republic of Congo Zaire Iraq Austria Norway Scotland Erling Haaland Turkey Czechia Czech Republic New Zealand Paraguay South Africa Algeria Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivory Coast Cape Verde Curacao Jordan Uzbekistan FBref