2026 World Cup: Dates, venues, expanded format, schedule and who has qualified for USA, Canada and Mexico tournament

The 2026 men’s World Cup will be the biggest in the tournament’s history.

An expanded World Cup will feature 48 teams – 16 more than in Qatar 2022 – and take place across three host nations for the first time.

England, under new boss Thomas Tuchel, will discover their qualifying fate when the draw is made on December 13, but the road to 2026 has already begun in other continents.

From format to key dates, here’s all you need to know about football’s next global showpiece.

When is the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

It will be the 23rd edition of the tournament.

Where is the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 tournament will take place across 16 cities in three North American countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It is the first time a World Cup has been hosted by three nations.

The last time North America hosted the tournament was in 1994, when Brazil triumphed after beating Italy on penalties.

2026 World Cup venues – host cities and stadiums

USA

Dallas Stadium – Arlington, Texas (capacity 94,000)
New York New Jersey Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity 82,500)
Atlanta Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia (capacity 75,000)
Kansas City Stadium – Kansas City, Missouri (73,000)
Houston Stadium – Houston, Texas (capacity 72,000)
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium – Santa Clara, California (71,000)
Los Angeles Stadium – Inglewood, California (70,000)
Philadelphia Stadium – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (69,000)
Seattle Stadium – Seattle, Washington (capacity 69,000)
Boston Stadium – Foxborough, Massachusetts (65,000)
Miami Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida (capacity 65,000)

Canada

Toronto Stadium – Toronto (capacity: 45,000)
BC Place Vancouver – Vancouver (capacity 54,000)

Mexico

Estadio Azteca Mexico City – Mexico City (capacity 83,000)
Estadio Monterrey – Guadalupe (capacity 53,500)
Estadio Guadalajara – Zapopan (capacity 48,000)

What’s the format for the World Cup in 2026?

A bumper line-up of nations means there will be 104 matches for football fans to feats on – 40 more than in Qatar.

As a consequence, the knockout stage will start will a round of 32.

The previous format of 32 teams in eight groups has been replaced by one featuring 12 groups of four.

The top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 32.

How does World Cup qualifying work?

Nations from UEFA, CONMEBOL – the South American section – CONCACAF (North, Central and Caribbean), AFC (Asian Football Confederation), OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) and CAF (Confederation of African Football) will all stage their own qualifying campaigns.

Finalist slots are divided as follows: AFC (8), CAF (9), CONCACAF (6), CONMEBOL (6), OFC (1), UEFA (16).

Qualifying from Oceania concludes in March 2025, while CONMEBOL – featuring Brazil and holders Argentina – will finish in September 2025. The CAF and CONCACAF finalists will be confirmed in November 2025, with UEFA’s European qualifiers concluding in March 2026.

Two final slots will be filled through an inter-confederation play-off.

A tournament involving six teams will take place in March 2026: one team per confederation apart from UEFA – plus one additional team from the confederation of the host countries.

AFC

CAF

CONCACAF

CONMEBOL

OFC

UEFA

Starts March 2025

2026 World Cup – qualified teams

Only three teams so far are sure of their place at the finals: the hosts USA, Canada and Mexico.

World Cup 2026 schedule

The full fixture list with group games and kick-off times will only be available after the draw for the final tournament, which FIFA says is expected to take place towards the end of 2025.

But FIFA has already announced key dates and confirmed that the opening match will be held in Mexico City, with the final taking place at the New York New Jersey Stadium – home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Group stage: June 11-27
Round of 32: June 28 to July 3
Round of 16: July 4-7
Quarter-finals: July 9-11
Semi-finals: July 14-15
Third-place play-off (‘Bronze final’): July 18
Final: July 19