2026 FIFA World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, also called FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd edition. It takes place from June to July 19, 2026, hosted by 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States – the first World Cup with three hosts. Argentina is the current champion. This tournament includes 48 teams, up from 32, and was won by the United States over Morocco. It's the first multi-nation World Cup since 2002. Mexico has hosted twice before, while it's Canada's first time. The event returns to its traditional summer schedule, unlike the 2022 World Cup in Qatar held in November and December.
| Coupe du Monde de la FIFA - Unis 2026 Copa Mundial de la FIFA Unidos 2026 | |
|---|---|
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| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Canada Mexico United States |
| Teams | 48 (from 6 confederations) |
Venues
change Mexico City[1]
|
 New York/New Jersey[1]
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Dallas[1]
|
Kansas City[1]
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Estadio Azteca† | MetLife Stadium(East Rutherford, New Jersey) | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
|
Arrowhead Stadium |
| Capacity: 87,523 | Capacity: 82,500
(Bid book capacity: 87,157) |
Capacity: 80,000
(Bid book capacity: 92,967) (expandable to 105,000) |
Capacity: 76,416
(Bid book capacity: 76,640) |
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| Houston[1]
|
Atlanta[1]
|
Los Angeles[1][2]
|
Philadelphia[1]
|
| NRG Stadium
|
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
|
SoFi Stadium(Inglewood, California) | Lincoln Financial Field |
| Capacity: 72,220
(expandable to 80,000) |
Capacity: 71,000
(Bid book capacity: 75,000) (expandable to 83,000) |
Capacity: 70,240
(expandable to 100,240) |
Capacity: 69,796
(Bid book capacity: 69,328) |
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| Seattle[1]
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San Francisco Bay Area[1]
|
Boston[1]
|
Miami[1]
|
| Lumen Field | Levi's Stadium | Gillette Stadium(Foxborough, Massachusetts) | Hard Rock Stadium(Miami Gardens, Florida) |
| Capacity: 69,000
(expandable to 72,000) |
Capacity: 68,500
(Bid book capacity: 70,909) (expandable to 75,000) |
Capacity: 65,878
(Bid book capacity: 70,000) |
Capacity: 64,767
(Bid book capacity: 67,518) |
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|
 Vancouver
|
Monterrey[1]
|
Guadalajara[1]
|
Toronto[1]
|
| BC Place
|
Estadio BBVA(Guadalupe, Nuevo León) | Estadio Akron(Zapopan, Jalisco) | BMO Field |
| Capacity: 54,500 | Capacity: 53,500
(Bid book capacity: 53,460) |
Capacity: 49,850
(Bid book capacity: 48,071) |
Capacity: 30,000
(Expanding to 45,736 for tournament) |
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Teams
changeQualification
change
The United Bid expected all three host countries to get automatic World Cup spots. FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed this on August 31, 2022, with Canada, Mexico, and the United States securing spots as hosts.[3][4] The FIFA Council officially confirmed this on February 14, 2023. Before the 67th FIFA Congress, the FIFA Council met in Manama, Bahrain, and approved the slot allocation.[5][6] This includes a playoff tournament with six teams to decide the final two World Cup spots.
In the playoffs, there will be one team from each confederation except UEFA, and an extra team from the host countries' confederation, CONCACAF. Two seeded teams (based on World Rankings) will face off against the winners of two knockout games between the unseeded teams. These matches will take place in one or more of the host countries and serve as a test event for the World Cup.[7] This allocation also ensures that the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) gets a guaranteed spot in the tournament for the first time.[8] So, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first where all six confederations have at least one guaranteed spot, and all continents will have teams in the finals for the first time since 2010.[8]
CONCACAF (3)
Canada (co-host)
Mexico (co-host)
United States (co-host)
References
change- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 "United 2026 bid book" (PDF). united2026.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ↑ "Los Angeles 2026". Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ↑ "Presidente de la FIFA confirma cantidad de plazas de Concacaf para el Mundial de 2026". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). August 31, 2022. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
- ↑ "Infantino anuncia cuántos cupos tendrá la Concacaf para el Mundial de 2026". CRHoy.com (in Spanish). August 31, 2022. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
- ↑ "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. March 30, 2017. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ↑ "World Cup 2026: Fifa reveals allocation for 48-team tournament". BBC. March 30, 2017. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017.
- ↑ "FIFA Council prepares Congress, takes key decisions for the future of the FIFA World Cup". FIFA. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Bureau of the Council recommends slot allocation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup". FIFA. March 30, 2017. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.