For the first time in soccer history, the 2026 World Cup will see the participation of 48 teams, an expansion of 16 compared with the previous 7 World Cup since 1998. FIFA World Cup 26 participating teams will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in 3 North American countries Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The division of places by continental confederations has already been defined. The process of qualification was allowed by the FIFA executive committee on February 14, 2023, in Zürich. All 210 remaining FIFA member associations are eligible to enter the qualifying process. Canada, Mexico, and the United States are the host nations so they will qualify automatically.
FIFA World Cup 26 Participating Teams for Confederation qualification process
- AFC (Asia): 8 direct spots and 1 inter-confederation play-off place
- CAF (Africa): 9 direct spots and 1 inter-confederation play-off place
- CONCACAF (North, Central America, and the Caribbean): 6 direct spots and 2 inter-confederation play-off places
- CONMEBOL (South America): 6 direct spots and one inter-confederation play-off place
- OFC (Oceania): 1 direct spot and 1 inter-confederation play-off place
- UEFA (Europe): 16
- Hosts: 3 (Canada, Mexico, and the United States). The 3 host countries will automatically qualify for the tournament.
FIFA World Cup 26 Participating Teams | Qualification Information
The United States will host the FIFA World Cup for the second time. USA, Canada, and Mexico to qualify automatically for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and it was confirmed by the FIFA Council on February 14, 2023.
The World Cup 2026 group stage format is from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four.
The new identity system has been designed to spotlight the World Cup trophy and represent 48 participating nations while providing a template for the 16 host city logos.
- Teams: 48 (from 5 or 6 confederations)
- Venue(s): 16 (in 16 host cities)
- Dates: June TBD – July 19 2026
- CONCACAF (3) :
- Canada (co-host)
- Mexico (co-host)
- United States (co-host)
