Celebrating the 2026 World Cup: 96 years, 48 nations, one trophy

The wait is finally over. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is here, and this year’s football (or ‘soccer’ as it is also known) tournament is setting new records even before it has begun. It has been 96 years since the very first World Cup, and that first-of-its-kind event (held in Uruguay in 1930) has since expanded into a global celebration, with an estimated 3 billion people watching the matches over the coming 38 days.

And, for the first time ever, 48 nations have qualified to compete on the world stage, each of them playing matches at one or more of the three host countries (Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America). It is an unprecedented 104-match festival of football.

Here at MTS, many of us have been swept up in the global excitement. As an international language testing and exams provider, our working life revolves around cross-border connections. Seeing the world come together like this got our data and insights team thinking: How does the map of the 2026 World Cup competing nations compare to the map of MTS’s IELTS test takers?

We decided to look back at our IELTS test taker data from 2025 and the first half of 2026. What did we discover? That MTS has welcomed IELTS test takers coming from 45 out of the 48 World Cup competing nations!

Whether you’re a football fan or not, let’s look at a few examples: MTS has helped people from Brazil studying in the UK to perfect their English. MTS has helped several ambitious students and professionals from Turkey now studying at the many UK universities. MTS has supported hundreds of healthcare professionals from Ghana, coming to fill critical gaps in the NHS in all four nations of the UK. And MTS has helped hundreds of British people seeking to emigrate out of the UK and needing to validate their English for migration officials.

In all these examples, MTS has been there for people to unlock their next life chapter.

MTS’s data shows we have a near-perfect match with the FIFA roster. There are only three exceptions on the entire tournament bracket where we didn't register a test taker: Haiti, Curaçao, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, we hope to see test takers from these smaller nations come through our doors in 2026!

The global lineup: World Cup 2026 nations versus MTS’s IELTS test takers

Here is the ultimate list of the 48 qualifying nations lighting up the tournament right now, alongside whether MTS welcomed someone from that country, across one of our many UK IELTS venues, and sitting an IELTS exam (2025-2026 season):

Nation Part of MTS’s IELTS test taker profile?

Celebrating diversity in everything we do

At MTS, diversity isn’t just a metric we look at during sports tournament seasons, it is the very fabric of our company. Every single day, our exam venues welcome people of different cultures, languages, backgrounds, and dreams.

Just like the World Cup, we believe that when boundaries are removed, great things happen. The English language is an important ‘connecting bridge’ that allows these 48 nations (and the rest of the world) to communicate, collaborate, and share the joy of a historic goal.

So, if you are a football fan or not, join us in celebrating the incredible, diverse tapestry of our shared planet.

Are you looking to take your next global step? Whether you're heading overseas for study, work, or migration, MTS is here to support your journey.

Find your nearest MTS IELTS test location today. We have IELTS test venues in the UK, Ireland, Hungary, Turkey and Brazil.