Overview

• The United States, Mexico and Canada will host and are automatically qualified, with kickoff scheduled for June 11, 2026.
• Qualification has progressed across regions, with Algeria newly in alongside Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia for CAF, and powers such as Argentina, Brazil, Japan and New Zealand already qualified.
• Media reports place the tournament draw on December 5 at Washington’s Kennedy Center, with coverage to stream on FIFA’s official YouTube channel.
• The draw will seed teams into 12 groups of four based on FIFA rankings, enforce confederation limits, and reportedly place the three hosts in Pot 1 with preset group positions.
• Slot allocation grants UEFA 16 places, CAF nine plus one playoff spot, AFC eight plus one playoff, CONMEBOL six plus one playoff, and OFC one direct berth, with two final spots decided via a six-team playoff in March 2026.