The FIFA 2026 World Cup draw can be watched worldwide via the FIFA+ streaming service. With that in mind, we've answered all the key questions football fans around the world may have about the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

When will the 2026 FIFA World Cup be held?.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 11, and concludes with the final on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The final stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in 16 cities across three separate countries. The United States will host the majority of the tournament, with Canada and Mexico also hosting matches.

The cities that will host World Cup matches are:

USA

Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Santa Clara, Seattle…

CANADA

Toronto, Vancouver

MEXICO

Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey,

FIFA is responsible for general ticket sales and has created a dedicated page, including a resale section

Which countries have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

So far, 42 countries have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with six places still available. These countries are listed below in order of continent. As the tournament hosts, the United States, Canada, and Mexico qualified automatically.

EUROPE (UEFA)

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland,

Spain, Switzerland

NORTH AMERICA (CONCACAF)

Canada, Curaçao*, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, United States

*Despite being based in South America, Curaçao competed in the CONCACAF division of FIFA World Cup qualifying.

SOUTH AMERICA (CONMEBOL)

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

OCEANIA (OFC)

New Zealand

ASIA (AFC)

Australia*, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan

*Although Australia is based in Oceania, they competed in the AFC section of FIFA World Cup qualifying

AFRICA (CAF)

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

Which countries can still qualify for the World Cup?

The BOTTOM NATIONAL teams have not yet been eliminated from the qualifiers and can still secure their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the play-offs.

Europe (UEFA): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales

North America (CONCACAF): Jamaica, Suriname

South America (CONMEBOL): Bolivia

Oceania (OFC): New Caledonia

Asia (AFC): Iraq

Africa (CAF): DR Congo

The play-off process

There will be two sets of play-offs to determine the remaining 6 teams that will qualify for the World Cup. . The confederation play-offs, which will involve all non-European nations, and the UEFA play-offs, which will involve all European nations. Two nations will qualify via the confederation play-offs, while the remaining four will qualify via the UEFA play-offs.

Has the draw for the play-offs been made and when will the matches be played?

Yes. The draws for both the confederation play-offs and the UEFA play-offs were held on Thursday 20 November 2025 and you can See below. All matches are scheduled to be played in March 2026.

Confederation play-off semi-finals

New Caledonia - Jamaica and - Bolivia - Suriname

Confederation play-off finals: DR Congo - New Caledonia/Jamaica and

Iraq - Bolivia/Suriname

UEFA play-off semi-finals: Wales - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Italy - Northern Ireland, Ukraine - Sweden, Poland - Albania, Slovakia - Kosovo, Turkey - Romania, Czech Republic - Republic of Ireland and Denmark - North Macedonia

UEFA play-off finals

Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy/Northern Ireland

Ukraine/Sweden vs. Poland/Albania

Slovakia/Kosovo vs. Turkey/Romania

Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland vs. Denmark/North Macedonia

The six winners of these respective finals will qualify for the World Cup and complete the 48-team finals.

When is the draw for the World Cup finals?

The main draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place on Friday, December 5, 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It can be watched worldwide via the FIFA+ streaming service.

What is the format of the main draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? The teams will be divided into four groups of 12 teams, with one team from each group forming 12 groups of four. Teams from the same group cannot be drawn together.

Which countries are in each group? The four groups and the countries in each group are listed below

GROUP 1:

USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal

GROUP 2:

Australia, Austria, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Senegal, South Korea, Switzerland, Uruguay

GROUP 3:

Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Norway, Paraguay, Panama, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Africa, Tunisia, Uzbekistan

GROUP 4:

Cape Verde, Curacao, Ghana, Haiti, Jordan, New Zealand,

Winner of the play-off between confederations

Winner of the inter-confederation play-offs

UEFA play-offs Winner

Winner of the UEFA play-offs

Winner of the UEFA play-offs

Winner of the UEFA play-offs