FIFA World Cup 2026 Count Down
As FIFA World Cup 2022 comes to a close, we look forward to the next FIFA World Cup in 2026. As of December 2022, the details of the FIA World Cup 2026 has not been fully worked out and announced.
Dates
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held from June 8, 2026 to July 3rd, 2026. This will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup.
Hosts
FIFA World Cup 2026 will be co-hosted by Canada, United States and Mexico.
Competition Format
The 2026 FIFA World cup will expand to 48 teams. The tournament will have 16 groups, with 3 teams in each group. Top two teams in each group will advance to a knock-out stage of 32 teams. Total number of matches will increase to 80. The number of matches played by the finalists will be 7, the same as the 32 team format.
However, this 16 three team group format has not be finalized. The following three options are still under consideration.
- 16 groups of three teams. 80 matches total.
- 12 groups of 4 teams. Top two teams of each ground and top 8 of all third place teams will advance to a 32 team knock-out stage. This will be 104 games total.
- Two halves of 24 teams, with 6 groups of 4 teams in each half. Winners of each half will meet in the final. This will also be 104 games total.
Qualification
It is expected that all three host countries will be awarded automatic berths for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
| Continent | Confederation | FIFA Members | Spots in 2026 | Percentage |
| Asia | AFC | 46+1 | 8 1/3 | 18.1% |
| Africa | CAF | 54 | 9 1/3 | 17.3% |
| North America | CONCACAF (hosts) | 35 | 6 2/3 | 19.1% |
| South America | CONMEBOL | 10 | 6 1/3 | 63.3% |
| Oceania | OFC | 11 | 1 1/3 | 12.1% |
| Europe | UEFA | 55 | 16 | 29.1% |
| Total | 211+1 | 48 | 22.7% |
Venues
Sixteen host cities were announced in June 16, 2022.
USA (11)
Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Boston – Gillette Stadium
Dallas – AT&T Stadium
Houston – NRG Stadium
Kansas City – Arrowhead Stadium
Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium
Miami – Hard Rock Stadium
New York/New Jersey – MetLife Stadium
Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field
San Francisco – Levi’s Stadium
Seattle – Lumen Field
Canada (2)
Toronto – BMO Field
Vancouver – BC Place
Mexico (3)
Guadalajara – Estadio Akron
Mexico City – Estadio Azteca
Monterrey – Estadio BBVA