FIFA World Cup 2026: All you need to know – qualifying teams, format, draw

The picture for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is nearing completion, as 42 teams have now qualified for the 48-team tournament.

Some European heavyweights booked their spots during this November international break – including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain – alongside some minnows of world football.

Tiny Caribbean island country Curacao will go to the 2026 World Cup as the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the marquee event in men’s football, after a 0-0 draw in Jamaica on Tuesday saw them finish top of a four-team group.

Curacao will be joined by Panama and Haiti, which also booked their World Cup spots on Tuesday, from the region.

Meanwhile, Scotland have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 after a wild 4-2 victory over Denmark.

The remaining six spots will be filled by teams playing in intercontinental and UEFA playoffs.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the next edition of the world’s marquee football tournament.

When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026?

The tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first match will be played in Mexico City on June 11, while the final will be staged in New Jersey, the US, on July 19.

Due to the expansion of the tournament – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day event is the longest in its history.

When will we know all the teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs will be the last chance saloon for teams around the world to reach next year’s event. The finale of that route will be on March 31, 2026, less than three months before the World Cup kicks off.

The European qualification process runs until March, but most of the remaining confederations will have finished their continental qualification processes long before then.

What are the FIFA intercontinental playoffs?

Once the respective confederations finish their qualification process, FIFA offers two final spots to be contested by the best-placed team from each of the six continental routes that have not already qualified.

When is the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Although we will not know the full list of teams for the event until the end of March 2026, the draw will take place on December 5, 2025.

42/48 ✅@aramco | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/HQZoHdXyes

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 19, 2025

Where will the draw be held for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

The draw will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in the United States. US President Donald Trump confirmed the location while speaking in the Oval Office at the White House, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and FIFA boss Gianni Infantino. He did not rule out overseeing the draw itself.

What will the format be for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

With the expansion to 48 teams, the World Cup will now feature 12 four-team groups. That will lead to a round of 32, an extra knockout round compared with previous editions.

Indeed, the tournament has doubled in size since it was staged in the US in 1994, when only 24 teams competed.

Can Trump move games at the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Trump has been quite clear and consistent on the staging of games within the US, saying he will move the games from any cities that he deems to be unsafe.

On September 26, when Trump was asked about games being moved, he warned: “Well, that’s an interesting question … but we’re going to make sure they’re safe. [Seattle and San Francisco are] run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing.”

How will the FIFA World Cup 2026 game staging be split between the hosts?

The US will stage games in 11 places: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey/New York (joint host region), Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Canada will host 13 games in total, split between Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico will also get 13 games, which will be played in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Where will the FIFA World Cup 2026 final be held?

The US will stage the final, which will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Who are the defending FIFA World Cup champions?

Argentina won the last edition of the FIFA World Cup, beating France in the final of Qatar 2022.

With the game level at 3-3 after extra time, Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2.

Will the weather affect games at the FIFA World Cup 2026?

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was staged in the US, and the heat and resulting thunderstorms proved to be a huge problem for the tournament.

Three stadiums – in Arlington, Atlanta, and Houston – have retractable roofs that are expected to be closed due to the summer heat, while Inglewood and Vancouver have fixed roofs.

Which teams have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

After the latest round of qualifying matches, here is a breakdown of the confirmed contenders from each of the six regions:

Hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA

Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan

Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia

Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Oceania: New Zealand

Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Curacao, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay

Which teams can still qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Intercontinental playoffs: Six teams will take part in the playoffs in Mexico in March, with two qualifying.

Seeded teams Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will receive byes to play in the two playoff finals, awaiting the winners from the semifinals.

• Semifinal 1: New Caledonia vs Jamaica
• Final 1: DRC vs New Caledonia or Jamaica
• Semifinal 2: Bolivia vs Suriname
• Final 2: Iraq vs Bolivia or Suriname

Europe: UEFA’s playoff competition, also taking place in March, will feature 16 teams, who need to win their semifinal and final to become one of four to qualify.

The draw is as follows:

Path A

• Semifinal 1: Italy vs Northern Ireland
• Semifinal 2: Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Final 1: Winner of Wales vs Bosnia-Herzegovina at home vs Italy or Northern Ireland

Path B

• Semifinal 3: Ukraine vs Sweden
• Semifinal 4: Poland vs Albania
• Final 2: Winner of Ukraine vs Sweden at home vs Poland or Albania

Path C

• Semifinal 5: Turkiye vs Romania
• Semifinal 6: Slovakia vs Kosovo
• Final 3: Winner of Slovakia vs Kosovo at home vs Turkiye vs Romania

Path D

• Semifinal 7: Denmark vs North Macedonia
• Semifinal 8: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
• Final 4: Winner of Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland at home vs Denmark or North Macedonia