What you need to know about 2026 World Cup: Qualifying tracker, venues, key dates

We’re more than a year away from the biggest World Cup ever, but it’s not too early to start thinking about the sporting spectacle.

Qualifying started in September 2023 for the first World Cup to be hosted by three countries — Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Forty-eight teams will compete, well up from the 32 that earned berths in 2022 in Qatar. As of Tuesday, more than 160 teams remained in the running for the 45 non-host berths.

Here’s a look at where qualifying stands, along with other pertinent information about the June 11-July 19, 2026 event.

WHO’S IN

Canada (host)
United States (host)
Mexico (host)

KEY DATES

March 17-25: International window (qualifying, UEFA Nations League quarterfinals)

March 20: Concacaf Nations League semifinals at Inglewood, Calif. — U.S. vs. Panama, 7 p.m. ET; Canada vs. Mexico, 10:30 p.m. ET

March 23: Concacaf Nations League final at Inglewood, Calif., 9:30 p.m. ET

April 10: Gold Cup draw, 7 p.m. ET

June 2-10: International window (qualifying, UEFA Nations League semifinals and final)

June 7: Canadian Shield at BMO Field in Toronto — Canada vs. Ukraine 3:30 p.m. ET; New Zealand vs. Cote d’Ivoire, 7 p.m. ET

June 10: Canadian Shield at BMO Field— New Zealand vs. Ukraine, 5 p.m.; Canada vs. Cote d’Ivoire, 8:30 p.m. ET

June 24-July 6: Gold Cup — in U.S. and Vancouver

Sept. 1-9: International window (qualifying)

Oct. 6-14: International window (qualifying)

Nov. 10-18: International window (qualifying)

December 2025 (Exact date TBD): World Cup draw

Dec. 21, 2025-Jan. 18, 2026: African Cup of Nations

March 23-31, 2026: International window (final qualifying)

June 1-9, 2026: International window

June 11, 2026: World Cup opening game — Mexico vs. TBD at Mexico City

June 12, 2026: Canada’s World Cup opener — vs. TBD at BMO Field (Toronto); U.S. World Cup opener — vs. TBD at Inglewood, Calif.

June 18, 2026: Canada’s second World Cup game — vs. TBD at BC Place (Vancouver)

June 24, 2026: Canada’s third World Cup game vs. TBD at BC Place

June 28-July 3, 2026: World Cup round of 32 (games in Toronto and Vancouver on July 2)

July 4-7, 2026: World Cup round of 16 (game in Vancouver on July 7)

July 9-11, 2026: World Cup quarterfinals

July 14, 2026: World Cup semifinal at Arlington, Texas

July 15, 2026: World Cup semifinal at Atlanta

July 18, 2026: World Cup third-place game at Miami Gardens, Fla.

July 19, 2026: World Cup final at East Rutherford, N.J.

QUALIFYING

Asia (eight direct spots, one playoff spot)

Eighteen teams currently are in three groups of six in the third round, which ends in June after the 10th matchday. The top two teams in each group qualify for the World Cup, while the rest go to the fourth round. Unbeaten Japan can become the first qualifier for the tournament with a win over visiting Bahrain on Thursday (6:35 a.m. ET) on the seventh matchday.

The fourth round features two groups of three. The two group winners go to the World Cup, while the runners-up square off in the fifth round to determine the continent’s inter-confederation playoff qualifier.

Africa (nine direct spots, one playoff spot)

Nine groups of six teams are approaching the halfway point of the first round, which ends after the 10th matchday in October. The nine group winners advance to the World Cup. Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia and Sudan had the best records (10 points each) through four matchdays.

The four best second-place finishers will play a knockout tournament in November to determine the continent’s inter-confederation playoff qualifier.

Concacaf (three hosts, three direct spots, two playoff spots)

Thirty teams currently are in six groups of five midway through the second round, which ends with two games in June. The group winners and runners-up advance to the third round.

In the third round in October and November, there will be three groups of four. The group winners advance to the World Cup. The top two runners-up go to the inter-confederation playoff.

South America (six direct spots, one playoff spot)

Ten teams are entering matchday 13 of an 18-game, home-and-away tournament this week. The top six after the final game in September go to the World Cup. Reigning World Cup champion Argentina currently has a five-point lead on Uruguay for top spot.

The seventh-place finisher goes to the inter-confederation playoff.

Oceania (one direct spot, one playoff spot)

New Caledonia faces Tahiti and New Zealand battles Fiji in the semifinals in Auckland on Friday. The winners square off in Auckland on Monday, with the tournament champion going to the World Cup. The runner-up goes to the inter-confederation playoff.

UEFA (16 direct spots)

Europe is the last region to begin qualifying, with the first games Thursday. Twelve groups of four or five teams play home-and-away matches, with the group winners after the final matchday in November advancing to the World Cup.

The 12 group runners-up and four teams from the Nations League rankings go to the second round, which will feature four mini-tournaments in March 2026. The winner of each tournament goes to the World Cup.

Inter-confederation playoff (March 2026, two spots for six teams)

The four lowest-ranked playoff qualifiers will be drawn into two single-elimination fixtures in March with the winners advancing to play the two highest-ranked playoff qualifiers. The winners of the two latter matches advance to the World Cup.

The playoff will be held in either Canada, Mexico or the U.S.

WORLD CUP FORMAT

There will be 12 groups of four teams in the first round. The top two from each group and the eight best third-place finishers advance to a new round of 32, which starts the single-elimination phase.

The event will feature 104 matches.

WORLD CUP VENUES

BMO Field (Toronto)
BC Place (Vancouver)
MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City)
NRG Stadium (Houston)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Lumen Field (Seattle)
Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco)
Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe, Mexico)
Estadio Akron (Zapopan, Mexico)

Last updated: March 19, 5 p.m. ET.