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. Just six of 48 spots are still up for grabs.
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)
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)
France (Europe region)
Croatia (Europe region)
Portugal (Europe region)
Norway (Europe region)
Germany (Europe region)
Netherlands (Europe region)
Spain (Europe region)
Belgium (Europe region)
Switzerland (Europe region)
Scotland (Europe region)
Austria (Europe region)
Haiti (Concacaf region)
Panama (Concacaf region)
Curacao (Concacaf region)
KEY DATES
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. South Africa at Mexico City
June 12, 2026: Canada's World Cup opener — vs. Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field (Toronto); U.S. World Cup opener — vs. Paraguay at Inglewood, Calif.
June 18, 2026: Canada's second World Cup game — vs. Qatar at BC Place (Vancouver)
June 24, 2026: Canada's third World Cup game vs. Switzerland 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.
REMAINING QUALIFYING
UEFA playoffs (four spots)
The winners of the four playoff pots go to the World Cup.
Pot A
Northern Ireland at Italy, March 26
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Wales, March 26
Final: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, March 31
Pot B
Sweden at Ukraine, March 26
Albania at Poland, March 26
Final: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, March 31
Pot C
Romania at Turkiye, March 26
Kosovo at Slovakia, March 26
Final: Game 1 vs. Game 2 winner, March 31
Pot D
North Macedonia at Denmark, March 26
Ireland at Czechia, March 26
Final: Game 1 vs. Game 2 winner, March 31
Inter-confederation playoff (two spots)
The winner of the two pathways in Mexico go to the World Cup.
Path 1
New Caledonia vs. Jamaica, March 26
Final: Congo vs. Jamaica-New Caledonia winner, March 31
Path 2
Bolivia vs. Suriname, March 26
Final: Iraq vs. Bolivia-Suriname winner, March 31
WORLD CUP GROUPS
Group A
Mexico
South Africa
Korea
Winner of UEFA Playoff D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia, Ireland)
Group B
Canada
Winner of UEFA Playoff A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Qatar
Switzerland
Group C
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Scotland
Group D
United States
Paraguay
Australia
Winner of UEFA Playoff C (Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo)
Group E
Germany
Curacao
Ivory Coast
Ecuador
Group F
Netherlands
Japan
Winner of UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania)
Tunisia
Group G
Belgium
Egypt
Iran
New Zealand
Group H
Spain
Cabo Verde
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay
Group I
France
Senegal
Winner of Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq)
Norway
Group J
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan
Group K
Portugal
Winner of Playoff 1 (New Caledonia, Congo, Jamaica)
Uzbekistan
Colombia
Group L
England
Croatia
Panama
Ghana
COMPLETED QUALIFYING
Asia (Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have qualified, Iraq goes to playoff)
The top two teams in each of the three groups in the third round qualified for the World Cup.
Iraq beat the UAE 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. Congo goes to playoff)
The four best second-place finishers (Congo, Nigeria, Gabon and Cameroon) played a knockout tournament in November to determine the continent's inter-confederation playoff qualifier, with Congo emerging victorious.
Concacaf (Canada, U.S., Mexico are in as hosts; Curacao, Panama and Haiti have qualified, Jamaica and Suriname go to playoff)
Curacao is going to its first World Cup, while Haiti is heading to the show for the first time since 1974 after they won their respective groups on Nov. 18.
Curacao advanced with a tie against Jamaica in its final group match, while Haiti overtook Honduras to win its group with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua in Curacao.
Haiti can't play at home after gangs took over its stadium last year.
Panama won the other Concacaf group to advance.
Jamaica and Suriname go to the interconfederation playoff as the top two runners-up.
South America (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay and Colombia have qualified, Bolivia goes to playoff)
Bolivia finished seventh in the standings to take the playoff spot.
Oceania (New Zealand gets direct spot, New Caledonia goes to playoff)
New Zealand beat New Caledonia 3-0 in the confederation final in Auckland to book the fifth World Cup spot. New Caledonia heads to the playoff.
UEFA (England, France, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Scotland and Austria have qualified. Four more direct spots)
The 12 group runners-up (Italy, Denmark, Turkiye, Ukraine, Poland, Wales, Czechia, Slovakia, Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo) and four teams from the Nations League rankings go to the second round, which will feature four mini-tournaments in late March. The winner of each tournament goes to the World Cup.
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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