We’re still months 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, with the October window underway, 26 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.
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)
Egypt (Africa region)
Algeria (Africa region)
Ghana (Africa region)
Cape Verde (Africa region)
South Africa (Africa region)
Senegal (Africa region)
Côte d’Ivoire (Africa region)
Qatar (Asia region)
Saudi Arabia (Asia region)
England (Europe region)
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.
Asia (Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have qualified, 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 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.
Qatar beat the UAE 2-1 to win its group and secure direct qualification. Saudi Arabia drew with Iraq but qualified on goal differential.
The UAE and Iraq will square off in a two-leg series in November for a spot in the inter-confederation Playoff.
Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal South Africa have qualified. One playoff spot)
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.
On the opening day of the October window, Egypt beat Djibouti 3-0 to win Group A and secure its spot. Algeria followed up with a 3-0 win over Somalia to top Group G and qualify.
Ghana (Group I) got in on Oct. 12 with a 1-0 win over Comoros and Cape Verde (Group D) qualified for its first-ever World Cup on Oct. 13 with a 3-0 win over Eswatini.
Then, on the final day of the October international window, South Africa (Group C) booked its ticket with a 3-0 win over Rwanda. Senegal clinched Group B with a win over Mauritania, while Côte d’Ivoire took Group F with a victory over Kenya
The four best second-place finishers (Congo, Nigeria, Gabon and Cameroon) 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, Bolivia goes to playoff)
The first six spots were wrapped up ahead of the final matchday on Sept. 9.
Bolivia secured the spot in the inter-confederation playoff by finishing seventh. Bolivia beat Brazil 1-0 while Venezuela lost 6-3 to Colombia, allowing Bolivia to leapfrog Bolivia and stay alive.
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 (England has qualified, 15 more 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.
England became the first nation to qualify after routing Latvia in the October window to take its Group K record to 6-0, with Albania far behind at 3-2-1.
Norway is in a good position to advance in the November window, with a 6-0 record in Group I, but Italy are close behind at 5-0-1.
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, Bolivia, four 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.
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.
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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