2026 World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19 across three host nations; 48 teams will compete in expanded tournament; Brazil and Argentina have qualified; Thomas Tuchel leading England in UEFA qualification; main World Cup draw takes place on December 5 with President Trump involved
World Cup 2026 qualifying is in full swing and several teams - including holders Argentina - have already booked their place at the expanded tournament.
The 2026 World Cup takes place across three host nations - USA, Canada and Mexico - from June 11 to July 19. It will be the biggest yet, with 48 nations taking part - 16 more than in Qatar 2022.
The three host nations qualify automatically, while nations from the confederations of UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean), AFC (Asia), OFC (Oceania) and CAF (Africa) stage their own qualifying campaigns.
UEFA is guaranteed 16 slots at the tournament. Twelve group winners will progress directly from the qualifying stage, with Thomas Tuchel's England aiming to top Group K. Sixteen teams - 12 group runners-up and four further teams based on their Nations League ranking - will enter four play-off paths, with each providing a further spot at the finals.
Outside of Europe, CAF gets nine spots at the World Cup and AFC has eight. There will be a minimum of six each from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, while OFC has one guaranteed slot for the first time.
Two final slots will be filled through an inter-confederation play-off. A tournament involving six teams will take place in March 2026: one team per confederation apart from UEFA, plus one additional team from the confederation of the host countries.
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