The first three months of 2026 delivered a concentrated burst of international football, from the drama of AFCON 2026 in Morocco through to a frantic March window that settled the last World Cup qualifying spots and produced some of the quarter's most compelling results.
With nearly 200 games packed into just 90 days across every continent, Q1 2026 reshaped the global pecking order. Senegal were crowned African champions, six nations booked their World Cup tickets through agonising playoffs, and Japan cemented their status as the most in-form team on the planet.
Senegal Win AFCON 2026
Senegal defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time in Rabat to claim the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time, capping an imperious tournament run.
Six Nations Qualify for World Cup
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden, Türkiye, Czech Republic, Iraq and Congo DR secured the final places for the 2026 World Cup through nail-biting playoff paths.
Japan Conquer Europe
Two away clean-sheet victories - 1-0 at Scotland and 1-0 at England - confirmed Japan as arguably the world's most complete team heading into the World Cup.
France's Statement Sweep
Les Bleus beat Brazil 2-1 and Colombia 3-1 on neutral soil in the United States, reasserting themselves as serious World Cup contenders.
🏆 AFCON 2026 - Morocco
The 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations produced a tournament for the ages. Held across six cities in Morocco, the knockout stages saw several upsets as Algeria, the pre-tournament second favourites, fell to Nigeria in the quarter-finals while defending champions Côte d'Ivoire were eliminated by Egypt.
Cameroon
Mali
Egypt
Algeria
Senegal
Nigeria
Egypt
SenegalSenegal's path to glory through Sudan, Mali, Egypt and finally Morocco was built on defensive solidity. They conceded just two goals in the entire knockout stage, and Sadio Mané's extra-time winner sparked scenes of wild celebration in Rabat. However, the trophy was subsequently awarded to Morocco by CAF after Senegalese players walked off the pitch following a disputed penalty decision - a penalty Morocco ultimately failed to convert.
🌍 Road to the World Cup - Final Qualifiers
March's FIFA World Cup qualifying playoffs produced extraordinary drama. The UEFA paths were decided through semi-finals and finals, while two inter-confederation playoffs settled the last remaining spots.
Bosnia & HerzegovinaWales 1-1 Bosnia (4-2 pens), Italy 2-0 N. Ireland, Bosnia 1-1 Italy (4-1 pens)
SwedenPoland 2-1 Albania, Ukraine 1-3 Sweden, Sweden 3-2 Poland
TürkiyeTürkiye 1-0 Romania, Slovakia 3-4 Kosovo, Kosovo 0-1 Türkiye
Czech RepublicDenmark 4-0 N. Macedonia, Czech Rep 2-2 Ireland (4-3 pens), Czech Rep 2-2 Denmark (3-1 pens)
IraqBolivia 2-1 Suriname, Iraq 2-1 Bolivia
Congo DRN. Caledonia 0-1 Jamaica, Congo DR 1-0 Jamaica (AET)
The most dramatic storyline belonged to Czech Republic, who needed penalties in BOTH their matches, beating Ireland 4-3 on pens in the semi-final then Denmark 3-1 on pens in the final - both after 2-2 draws. Sweden's 3-2 victory over Poland in Stockholm was a classic, while Congo DR's extra-time winner against Jamaica completed a remarkable journey for the Leopards.
📈 Rating Movers
The biggest ranking shifts of the quarter, showing who climbed and who tumbled. Some nations transformed their standing in just a handful of games.
Key games for the biggest mover
Eritrea
2–0
Eswatini
Eswatini
1–2
Eritrea
Biggest Fallers
Trinidad & Tobago
105 → 141
+36
St Vincent & Grenadines
134 → 160
+26
Slovakia
94 → 118
+24
Namibia
193 → 213
+20
Ukraine
58 → 77
+19
Grenada
157 → 175
+18
Northern Ireland
131 → 148
+17
Solomon Islands
177 → 194
+17⚡ Biggest Upsets
The quarter's most improbable results plotted by ranking gap and upset probability. The further right and higher a dot sits, the more shocking the result.
⚡ Upset of the Quarter
New Zealand 0
📋 Confederation Report
How each confederation performed across all Q1 2026 matches, covering games played, goals scored and win-draw-loss balance.
CAF
UEFA
CONCACAF
AFC
CONMEBOL
OFC🗺️ Where They Played
International football spanned the globe this quarter. Each bubble represents a host city, with larger bubbles indicating more games played there.
📅 Month by Month
The quarter's activity was heavily weighted towards March, with a quiet February sandwiched between the AFCON in January and the massive global window in March.
🏟️ Tournament Breakdown
How the quarter's games split across tournaments - from the marquee AFCON and World Cup qualifiers to FIFA Series events and continental qualifiers.
⚽ Scoring Patterns
Distribution of total goals per match across the quarter. Low-scoring defensive battles or goal-fests - where did most games land?
All statistics derived from official match data for the period January-March 2026. Elo-based ranking figures are WFStats calculations. This report was compiled by WFStats, an independent football analytics platform.