The FIFA World Cup 2026, set to be a historic event, will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This marks the first time three nations will jointly host the tournament and the first edition featuring an expanded format of 48 teams, a significant increase from the traditional 32. This expansion offers more opportunities for nations worldwide to participate in football's premier competition.
As of today, June 4, 2025, several teams have already secured their places in the 2026 World Cup. The host nations – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – automatically qualify. Joining them are Japan and Iran from the AFC (Asian Football Confederation), New Zealand from the OFC (Oceania Football Confederation), and Argentina from CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation).
Qualifying Format Overview
The qualification process varies across the six confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA), each with its own allocation of slots and format. The overall structure aims to be as inclusive and competitive as possible.
- AFC (Asia): The Asian qualifying process began in October 2023. The first round involved teams playing in a home-and-away format. The winners then advanced to the second round, which consisted of nine groups of four teams each, playing home-and-away matches. Currently, the third round is underway to determine more direct qualifications. A fourth round will follow for teams who missed the cut in the third round, and finally a fifth round to determine the confederation's representative for the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
- CAF (Africa): African qualification commenced in November 2023. Teams were drawn into nine groups of six, playing home-and-away round-robin matches. The winner of each group will qualify for the World Cup. The four best-ranked group runners-up will participate in a play-off to determine which team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
- CONCACAF (North and Central America): Qualification in this region started in March 2024.
- CONMEBOL (South America): South American qualifying began in September 2023.
- OFC (Oceania): The Oceania Football Confederation started their qualification process in September 2024.
- UEFA (Europe): The UEFA qualifiers began in March 2025. Teams were drawn into 12 groups of four and five teams. The 12 group winners qualify directly for the World Cup. The 12 group runners-up will participate in play-offs, along with the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League that did not finish their European Qualifiers group stage in first or second place. The 16 teams in the play-offs will be divided into four paths, with four teams in each, playing single-leg semi-finals followed by single-leg finals. The four winners will qualify for the tournament. UEFA is guaranteed 16 slots at the tournament.
Key Dates
The European Qualifiers are scheduled to run from March 2025 until the play-offs in March 2026. The final tournament is scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The opening match will be at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca, and the final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The 2026 World Cup promises to be a ground-breaking event with its expanded format and diverse representation from across the globe.
