"The 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada will, quite literally, be the biggest one yet. Forty-eight teams will compete for football's greatest prize next summer; an expansion from the 32-team format that has been running since 1998. The tournament, which runs from 11 June to 19 July, will also be just the second time the men's competition has been co-hosted - following Japan and South Korea in 2002 - and the first time three nations will share hosting duties."
"The three host nations qualify automatically, while the six other confederations of UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean), AFC (Asia), OFC (Oceania) and CAF (Africa) stage their own qualifying campaigns and are given a set number of guaranteed slots. UEFA (Europe) has been given 16 guaranteed places, with the 12 group winners progressing directly to the finals."
"Nine spots are given to CAF (Africa), eight to AFC (Asia), and a minimum of six to both CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean). In another first, OFC (Oceania) has been given one guaranteed slot for the finals. The final two places will be decided via a six-team inter-confederation play-off tournament, made up of one team per confederation (excluding UEFA), plus one additional team from the confederation of the host countries."
The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams and runs from 11 June to 19 July, co-hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada. The three host nations qualify automatically and the main draw is set for 5 December while qualifying continues. UEFA receives 16 guaranteed places: 12 group winners qualify directly, while 12 runners-up and four teams via Nations League ranking enter four play-off paths for four additional spots. CAF gets nine spots and AFC eight. CONMEBOL and CONCACAF receive a minimum of six each. OFC has one guaranteed slot. The final two places are decided by a six-team inter-confederation play-off.
Read at 101GREATGOALS.COM
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