We’re more than a year away from the biggest World Cup ever, but it’s not too early to start thinking about the sporting spectacle.
Qualifying started in September 2023 for the first World Cup to be hosted by three countries — Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Forty-eight teams will compete, well up from the 32 that earned berths in 2022 in Qatar. After the March international window, seven countries have booked 2026 berths.
Now, as the September window nears completion, 18 teams have earned their spots in the quadrennial tournament, with more set to come as worldwide qualification tournaments continue on.
Here’s a look at where qualifying stands, along with other pertinent information about the June 11-July 19, 2026 event.
WHO’S IN
Canada (host)
United States (host)
Mexico (host)
Japan (Asia region)
New Zealand (Oceania region)
Iran (Asia region)
Argentina (South America region)
Uzbekistan (Asia region)
South Korea (Asia region)
Jordan (Asia region)
Australia (Asia region)
Brazil (South America region)
Ecuador (South America region)
Uruguay (South America region)
Paraguay (South America region)
Colombia (South America region)
Morocco (Africa region)
Tunisia (Africa region)
KEY DATES
Sept. 1-9: International window (qualifying)
Oct. 6-14: International window (qualifying)
Nov. 10-18: International window (qualifying)
Dec. 5: World Cup draw, Washington
Dec. 21, 2025-Jan. 18, 2026: African Cup of Nations
March 23-31, 2026: International window (final qualifying)
June 1-9, 2026: International window
June 11, 2026: World Cup opening game — Mexico vs. TBD at Mexico City
June 12, 2026: Canada’s World Cup opener — vs. TBD at BMO Field (Toronto); U.S. World Cup opener — vs. TBD at Inglewood, Calif.
June 18, 2026: Canada’s second World Cup game — vs. TBD at BC Place (Vancouver)
June 24, 2026: Canada’s third World Cup game vs. TBD at BC Place
June 28-July 3, 2026: World Cup round of 32 (games in Toronto and Vancouver on July 2)
July 4-7, 2026: World Cup round of 16 (game in Vancouver on July 7)
July 9-11, 2026: World Cup quarterfinals
July 14, 2026: World Cup semifinal at Arlington, Texas
July 15, 2026: World Cup semifinal at Atlanta
July 18, 2026: World Cup third-place game at Miami Gardens, Fla.
July 19, 2026: World Cup final at East Rutherford, N.J.
QUALIFYING
Asia (Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan and Australia have qualified, two other direct spots, one playoff spot)
The top two teams in each of the three groups in the third round qualified for the World Cup.
The fourth round, which starts in October, features two groups of three. The two group winners go to the World Cup, while the runners-up square off in the fifth round to determine the continent’s inter-confederation playoff qualifier. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are the teams entered.
Africa (Morocco and Tunisia have qualified. Seven other direct spots, one playoff spot)
Nine groups of six teams are through at least six of 10 matchdays in the first round, which ends in October. The nine group winners advance to the World Cup.
Morocco became the first African team to book a spot with a 5-0 win over Niger on Sept. 5.
Then, on Sept. 8, Tunisia followed suit with a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea to cement their spot atop Group H. They were helped along by Namibia’s surprising 2-1 loss to Malawi on Friday, Sept. 5.
The four best second-place finishers will play a knockout tournament in November to determine the continent’s inter-confederation playoff qualifier.
Concacaf (three hosts, three direct spots, two playoff spots)
Honduras, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Haiti, Panama, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Guatemala, Suriname and El Salvador have advanced to the third round.
In the third round from September through November, there will be three groups of four. The group winners advance to the World Cup. The top two runners-up go to the inter-confederation playoff.
South America (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay and Colombia have qualified, one playoff spot)
The first six spots are wrapped up with one matchday remaining.
The seventh-place finisher (currently Venezuela) goes to the inter-confederation playoff.
Oceania (New Zealand gets direct spot, New Caledonia goes to playoff)
New Zealand beat New Caledonia 3-0 in the confederation final in Auckland on Monday to book the fifth World Cup spot.
UEFA (16 direct spots)
Europe was the last region to begin qualifying during the March qualifying window. Twelve groups of four or five teams play home-and-away matches, with the group winners after the final matchday in November advancing to the World Cup.
Norway is off to a 4-0 start, while England and Bosnia and Herzegovina are 3-0
The 12 group runners-up and four teams from the Nations League rankings go to the second round, which will feature four mini-tournaments in March 2026. The winner of each tournament goes to the World Cup.
Inter-confederation playoff (March 2026, two spots for six teams: New Caledonia, five other entrants)
The four lowest-ranked playoff qualifiers will be drawn into two single-elimination fixtures in March, with the winners advancing to play the two highest-ranked playoff qualifiers. The winners of the latter two matches advance to the World Cup.
The playoff will be held in either Canada, Mexico or the U.S.
WORLD CUP FORMAT
There will be 12 groups of four teams in the first round. The top two from each group and the eight best third-place finishers advance to a new round of 32, which starts the single-elimination phase.
The event will feature 104 matches.
WORLD CUP VENUES
BMO Field (Toronto)
BC Place (Vancouver)
MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City)
NRG Stadium (Houston)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Lumen Field (Seattle)
Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco)
Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe, Mexico)
Estadio Akron (Zapopan, Mexico)
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