The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process will decide 31 of the 32 teams which will play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with the hosts Russia qualifying automatically. All 210 remaining FIFA member associations are eligible to enter the qualifying process. For the first time in World Cup history, all national teams registered for the preliminary competition, although suspensions excluded some teams from participating in qualification.Bhutan, South Sudan, Gibraltar and Kosovo made their FIFA World Cup qualification debuts.

While the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg on 25 July 2015, a number of qualification matches were played before that.The first began in Dili, Timor-Leste on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC‘s qualification, with East Timorese player Chiquito do Carmo scoring the first goal of qualification. Matches were also played in CONCACAF prior to the main draw.