Welcome to the third World Cup cycle in LAFC’s brief but eventful life. The 2018 FIFA World Cup saw Carlos Vela and Mexico advance to the Round of 16 thanks to heroics from South Korea’s Son Heung-Min, while future Black & Gold teammates Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud ended up lifting the sport’s greatest prize for France.
At the 2022 World Cup, Ecuador’s roster included three LAFC players fresh off their MLS Cup title win (Diego Palacios, Jose Cifuentes, and Sebastian Mendez), while Gareth Bale made his final appearance in a Wales shirt, and Lloris and Les Bleus fell just short in their bid to repeat, losing on penalties to Argentina.
Next summer, the globe’s greatest football spectacle comes to North America and kicks off in Los Angeles on June 12. Son and South Korea have already qualified. Mathieu Choinière and Team Canada received a bid as hosts of the competition (along with the U.S. and Mexico). Which LAFC players will join them? That will be determined during the FIFA international windows in October and November.
Here's everything you need to know.
This page will be updated throughout qualifying.
Rosters for FIFA World Cup 2026 have not been finalized.
QUALIFIED:
Son Heung-Min – South Korea
Mathieu Choinière – Canada
CAN QUALIFY:
Denis Bouanga – Gabon
Nathan Ordaz – El Salvador
Adrian Wibowo - Indonesia
DENIS BOUANGA – GABON
CURRENT FIFA WORLD RANKING: 79
BOUANGA AND GABON CAN QUALIFY IF: they survive two separate knockout competitions in November 2025 and March 2026.
Now that Gabon has finished second in Group F of CAF World Cup qualifying, the Panthers move on to face another African second-place finisher in a two-leg contest in November. The winner there advances to:
Inter-Confederation Play-Offs: Scheduled for March 2026, this competition will feature six teams from around the world who barely missed World Cup qualification—competing for the last two spots.
GABON SCHEDULE / RESULTS:
Sept. 3 - Seychelles 0-4 Gabon (Bouanga hat trick)
Sept. 9 - Gabon 0-0 Ivory Coast
Oct. 10 - Gabon 4-3 Gambia
Oct. 14 - Gabon 2-0 Burundi
OVERVIEW: Gabon has never qualified for a World Cup. With Bouanga and its other world-class forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (of Ligue 1 club Marseille), the Panthers still have a chance to become one of at least nine (9) African teams to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most African participants ever.
Gabon (8W-1L-1D) finished in second place to Ivory Coast in Group F. Ivory Coast qualified for World Cup 26.
NATHAN ORDAZ – EL SALVADOR
CURRENT FIFA WORLD RANKING: 90
ORDAZ AND EL SALVADOR CAN QUALIFY IF: they win Group A in the final round of Concacaf Qualifiers. The other three countries in their group are Panama, Suriname, and Guatemala, with each country playing six group matches across three FIFA windows. Currently the standings are tight: just three pooints separate first place from fourth.
PLAN B: If El Salvador finishes second in Group A, it could potentially advance to the FIFA Inter-Continental Playoff in March to compete for two additional World Cup berths.
EL SALVADOR SCHEDULE / RESULTS:
Sept. 4 - Guatemala 0-1 El Salvador
Sept. 8 - El Salvador 1-2 Suriname
Oct. 10 - El Salvador 0-1 Panama
Oct. 14 - El Salvador 0-1 Guatemala
Nov. 13 vs. Suriname (away)
Nov. 18 vs. Panama (away)
OVERVIEW: LAFC Academy product Ordaz contributed the game-winning assist in the 79th minute as El Salvador defeated Guatemala 1-0 on the road on Sept. 4. El Salvador fell to Suriname, Panama, and Guatemala in its next three Group A fixtures, setting up two must-win matches in mid-November, both on the road.
ADRIAN WIBOWO – INDONESIA
CURRENT FIFA WORLD RANKING: 119
WIBOWO AND INDONESIA CAN QUALIFY IF: they win Group B in the fourth round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The other two countries in Group B are Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Those matches will take place in October 2025.
In early September, Indonesia prepared for those matches by playing friendlies against Chinese Taipei and Lebanon.
PLAN B: Asia has eight direct qualification slots for the FIFA World Cup 26. If Indonesia does not win its group in AFC qualifiers in October, it could also advance through the FIFA Inter-Confederation Play-Offs in March 2026.
INDONESIA SCHEDULE / RESULTS:
Sept. 5 - Indonesia 6-0 Chinese Taipei (friendly)
Sept. 8 - Indonesia 0-0 Lebanon (friendly)
Oct. 8 - Indonesia 2-3 Saudi Arabia
Oct. 11 - Iraq 1-0 Indonesia
Nov. 13 – TBD
Nov. 18 – TBD
OVERVIEW: Indonesia’s national team is looking to appear in its second World Cup, and its first since 1938. Wibowo, a 19-year-old LA native whose father is from Surabaya, made his first international appearance for Indonesia on Sept. 8 vs. Lebanon. Earlier this year Wibowo became the first Indonesian-American player to appear in an MLS game.
