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CS-2026. The draw for the group stage of the qualification in the UEFA zone will take place on December 13
The qualification round for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is already underway.
Photo from fifa.com
The qualification cycle for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is already underway. The UEFA qualification phase will begin on March 17, 2025.
UEFA announced that the draw for the first stage will take place on December 13 in Zurich. The composition of the pots will be announced in November after the end of the group stage of the UEFA Nations League 2024/2025.
World Cup 2026. Qualification
UEFA (Europe): 16 spots.
The qualification process in the European zone will run from March 2025 to March 2026 and will consist of two rounds.
Round 1: Twelve groups, each with five or four national teams, will play from March to November 2025 using the traditional group system. The twelve winners of these groups will receive direct spots in the final stage.
The twelve teams that finish second and the top four third-placed teams from the UEFA Nations League 2024/2025, who finished below second place in the European qualification group stage, will participate in knockout mini-tournaments.
Round 2: The knockout mini-tournaments in March 2026 will consist of one-legged semi-finals and finals. Fourteen participants will be divided into four playoff paths. The four winners will receive spots for the World Cup 2026.
AFC (Asia): 8 spots + 1 spot in the intercontinental playoffs.
CAF (Africa): 9 spots + 1 spot in the intercontinental playoffs.
CONCACAF (North and Central America): 3 tournament hosts + 3 spots + 2 spots in the intercontinental playoffs.
CONMEBOL (South America): 6 spots + 1 spot in the intercontinental playoffs.
OFC (Oceania): 1 spot + 1 spot in the intercontinental playoffs.
Intercontinental playoffs: 2 spots.
The World Cup 2026 will be the first in history to feature 48 national teams in its final stage.
World Cup 2026. Final tournament
In the final tournament, twelve groups of four teams each will be formed. The top two teams from each group and eight third-placed teams with the best records will advance to the round of 16.
Matches for the 23rd World Cup will take place in sixteen cities. These include Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey in Mexico, and Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle in the United States.
The opening match of the World Cup will be held on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City, while the final will take place on July 19 at New York.
