The next FIFA World Cup is less than two years away, with the United States, Canada and Mexico set to host the 23rd edition in 2026.
Lionel Messi completed his long and tortuous journey to glory with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Albiceleste have since retained their Copa America title and are leading the way in CONMEBOL qualifying for the next World Cup.
The 2026 edition will be the first to feature 48 teams in the World Cup finals, building on the 32-team format used in seven consecutive tournaments from 1998 to 2022.
This means the equation has changed for teams looking to qualify from the six regional confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA). So what does the road to the 2026 World Cup look like?
Who qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Each confederation has more places available under the expanded format. The AFC has doubled its qualifying places compared to those it had at Qatar 2022, from four to eight guaranteed spots, while there will be nine African nations instead of five.
CONCACAF will have at least double the number of representatives in 2022, from three to six, although half of those spots will go to the United States, Mexico and Canada, which will qualify automatically as hosts. As was the case at the previous World Cup, two spots will be awarded via an intercontinental play-off.
Teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup
| Nation | Confederation | Last participation in the World Cup |
| United States (host) | CONCACAF | 2022 |
| Mexico (host) | CONCACAF | 2022 |
| Canada (host) | CONCACAF | 2022 |
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| _ | CONMEBOL | |
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| Intercontinental qualifier winner 1 | _ | |
| Intercontinental qualifier winner 1 | _ |
How will the 2026 World Cup qualifying take place?
AFC
The AFC China entered its crucial third round of qualifying in September 2024. Eighteen teams were divided into three groups of six teams to play 10 matches in a pool format. The top two from each of Groups A, B and C automatically qualify for the World Cup.
The third and fourth placed teams in each group will advance to a fourth round split into two groups of three, with each team playing each of their group opponents once in October 2025. The two group winners will advance directly to the World Cup, with the runners-up playing a two-legged tie in November 2025 to decide which AFC representative will qualify for the intercontinental qualifiers.
CAF
Nine groups of six teams compete in Africa, home and away. The winner of each group after the 10 matches gains direct access to the World Cup.
The four best runners-up from the initial round-robin phase advance to the playoffs, with the winner qualifying for the intercontinental qualifiers as a CAF representative.
CONCACAF
CONCACAF began the second round of its qualifying phase in June 2024, with 30 teams divided into six groups of five. Each team will play each opponent in its group once, with two away matches and two home matches once the phase concludes in June 2025.
The top two teams from each group advance to the 12-team third round, where three groups of four will be played. Starting in September 2025, the nations in each group will play each other home and away. The three group winners advance to the World Cup, with the two highest-ranked runners-up competing in the intercontinental playoffs.
CONMEBOL
South America has retained its famous World Cup qualifying marathon, with the confederation’s ten countries playing each other home and away in a gruelling league format.
The expansion of the World Cup means qualifying is a little easier, with the top six advancing automatically and the seventh-placed team entering the intercontinental playoffs, likely as favourites.
CFO
The 2026 World Cup is the first edition at which OFC is guaranteed a representative in the finals. The second round, to be held in October and November 2024, will see two groups of four players compete for the four places in the third round.
The top two teams from each second-round group advance to a three-match play-off in March 2025. The winners qualify for the World Cup, with a place in the intercontinental play-off as a consolation prize for the defeated finalist.
UEFA
Twelve of the sixteen available places will be allocated to the group winners from the original format of groups of four or five teams. The twelve runners-up, plus the four best UEFA Nations League group winners who did not finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying group, will enter the playoffs.
These 16 teams will be divided into four paths with two rounds of single matches. The seeded teams will play at home in the semi-finals, and the host country for the four finals will be drawn before the match. The winners of each path will qualify for the World Cup. UEFA is the only confederation not to have a representative in the intercontinental qualifiers.
Intercontinental Playoff
The two highest ranked teams by FIFA will be seeded in the six-team qualifiers. The four unseeded teams will play a semi-final, with the two winners advancing to play one seed each to determine the final two World Cup spots.
The four qualifying matches will serve as a test event for the World Cup and will be played in one or more host countries.
When will the 2026 FIFA World Cup take place?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11with co-hosts Mexico in action at the Azteca, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host the final on July 19. The total duration of 40 days will make this World Cup the longest in history, with the 48 finalists playing a total of 104 matches.
When will the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw take place?
The date of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw has not yet been confirmed. However, with the tournament returning to its traditional June-July date, the draw is expected to take place in late 2025.
