Scheduled to be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026, this expanded tournament will feature an impressive lineup of 48 teams, making it the most extensive World Cup to date. Matches will be spread across various venues in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, offering a diverse array of locations for fans to experience the thrill of international football.

The tournament will kick off on June 11, 2026, at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, a venue steeped in World Cup history. The grand finale is slated for July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, promising a spectacular conclusion to a groundbreaking event.

This draw sets the stage for an unforgettable summer of soccer, as teams and fans alike gear up for a festival of sport that promises to captivate audiences across the globe.

The tournament unfolds from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The opening match is scheduled for June 11, 2026, at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, with the final held July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The tournament will be the first World Cup co-hosted by three countries and the first to feature 48 teams, up from the traditional 32-team format used since 1998.

Matches will take place at 16 venues across the three host nations, with 104 total matches scheduled throughout the tournament.

Group stage: June 11–27

Round of 32: June 28–July 3

Quarterfinals: July 9–11

Third-place playoff: July 18

Forty-two teams have secured their places at the 2026 World Cup, with six spots remaining to be determined through playoff matches in March 2026.

Hosts (3 teams): United States, Canada, Mexico

Europe (12 teams): Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland

South America (6 teams): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

Africa (9 teams): Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia

Asia (8 teams): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

CONCACAF (3 teams): Panama, Curacao, Haiti

Oceania (1 team): New Zealand

Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan all qualified for the first time, with Curacao becoming the smallest nation by population ever to qualify.

The UEFA playoff determines the final four European teams that will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Sixteen European nations will compete. The field includes 12 teams that finished second in their World Cup qualifying groups, plus four additional teams that earned entry through their performance in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League.

The playoff field includes some of Europe’s most prominent nations. Italy, Denmark, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales are among the 12 group runners-up, while Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia qualified via the Nations League route.

Unlike traditional two-leg playoff formats, these matches are single elimination. 

Semifinal matches are scheduled for Mar. 26, 2026, and finals will be played on Mar. 31. 

The intercontinental playoff determines the final two World Cup berths from non-European teams.

Six teams will be placed in two separate, three-team brackets, with the highest-ranked teams getting a bye. The system creates two parallel competitions, each producing one World Cup qualifier.

In each bracket, the two lower-ranked sides face off in a semifinal, with the winner advancing to face the top-seeded team in the final. All matches are single-elimination with no return legs.

Jamaica will take on New Caledonia, with the winner facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the final, while Bolivia and Suriname will play for the right to face Iraq.

The intercontinental playoffs are scheduled for March 23-31, with all four matches played in Mexico at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.