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CS-2026: the qualification campaign begins for the first-ever World Cup with 48 national teams
On September 7, three matches in South America will kick off the qualification cycle for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Photo from fifa.com
September 7th marks the start of the World Cup 2026 qualification cycle with three matches in South America. The qualification for the tournament in the UEFA zone will begin on March 17, 2025. The World Cup 2026 will be the first to feature 48 national teams in its final stage.
The World Cup 2026 qualification cycle
World Cup 2026 Qualification Cycle
UEFA (Europe): 16 spots.
The European zone qualification will take place from March 2025 to March 2026 and consist of two rounds.
Round 1: Twelve groups, each with five or four teams, will play from March to November 2025 using the traditional group stage system. The twelve group winners will receive direct spots in the final stage.
The twelve teams that finish second and the top four best group winners of the UEFA Nations League 2024/2025 who finished below second place in the European qualification group stage will participate in mini-tournaments.
Round 2: Mini-tournaments in March 2026 will consist of one-legged semi-finals and finals. The sixteen 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.
Intercontinental Playoffs: 2 spots.
World Cup 2026. Final Tournament
In the final tournament, there will be twelve groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16.
The matches for the 23rd World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA in 2026 will take place in sixteen cities. These are 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 USA.
