When does the qualification for the 2026 World Cup start? Draw dates and sow

It seems like only yesterday that people all over the world were gathering around their televisions to witness Lionel Messi lift the World Cup trophy in Qatar.

However, eyes are already turning to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with high expectations for the new 48-team tournament.

Succeeding in North America will be a big challenge, but reaching the competition itself can be a difficult barrier to overcome for many countries. The qualification process can be arduous, but the rewards are unmatched.

Here’s everything you need to know about qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup has not yet started for UEFA nations and will not begin until March 2025. The confederation’s countries will be divided into 12 different groups of four or five teams, with each team facing their group stage opponents home and away. . The draw for the qualification will take place on 13 December 2024 in Switzerland.

Matches will be played from March to December 2025 and the 12 group winners will automatically qualify for the expanded World Cup. The runners-up of each group will enter the play-off round alongside four second-placed teams UEFA Nations League performances

There are four knockout stages, with the winner of each path securing passage to the 2026 World Cup. In total, 16 UEFA teams will make it to the tournament.

UEFA World Cup qualification dates

The South American teams have already started the qualification process for the World Cup, which began their campaigns in September 2023. The confederation’s ten teams participate in a single league table, playing 18 games in total, facing each team home and away.

The top six teams automatically qualify for the World Cup group stage, while the seventh-placed team will qualify for the inter-confederation play-offs. These play-offs contain six countries: two from the host CONCACAF confederation and one from the other UEFA confederation.

The last matches of matchday 18 will be played in September 2025.

Qualification dates for the CONMEBOL World Cup

Only three nations have qualified for the 2026 World Cup so far and they are the three host nations: the United States, Mexico and Canada. The second round of CONCACAF qualifying is underway, with the six group winners and runners-up advancing to the third round.

The third round will consist of the 12 teams forming three groups of four, with the group winners automatically advancing to the World Cup. The two runners-up with the best performance will compete in the aforementioned inter-confederal play-offs.

Third round matches will begin in September 2025, with three CONCACAF teams guaranteed to join the host countries in the tournament.

Qualification dates for the CONCACAF World Cup

CAF World Cup qualification is also underway, with the first round starting in November 2023. It consists of nine groups of six teams, with the winners of each group automatically progressing to the tournament in North America . The last day 10 concludes in October 2025.

The four best-performing finalists in the group stage will qualify for the second round, competing against each other in a semi-final and a final. The winner of the November 2025 final will qualify for the inter-confederate play-offs.

Qualification dates for the CAF World Cup

There are five rounds involved in qualifying for the 2026 AFC World Cup, the first of which will begin on 12 October 2023. This saw the confederation’s 20 highest-ranked teams low from the confederation competed in two-legged play-offs, with the ten winners advancing to the second round. .

The second round consisted of nine groups of four teams, with each team playing home and away. These matches concluded in June 2024, with the top two nations in each group qualifying for the third round and the unrelated Asian Cup.

The third round consists of three groups of six, with the top two teams from each table automatically securing their place at the 2026 World Cup. The six teams that finish third and fourth in each group then enter the fourth round , which separates them in two more tables than three teams.

In this fourth round, the top teams from each group qualify for the World Cup, while the runners-up enter the fifth round, a two-legged play-off. However, the winner of the fifth round only earns a place in the inter-confederate play-off.

AFC World Cup Qualifying Dates

The first round of OFC qualification saw the confederation’s four lowest-ranked nations compete for a place in the second round. After a semi-final and a final, it was Samoa who progressed.

The second round consists of only two groups of four teams, with each country playing a total of six times. After these matches are completed, the top two enter the third round.

Only one team automatically qualifies from the third round, doing so if it wins its semi-final and final. The team that loses the featured event enters the inter-confederate play-offs.

OFC World Cup Qualifying Dates

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