World Cup 2026: When is it, where is it being played, qualifiers and venues

The 2026 World Cup, the most important football tournament in the world, will be played in mid-2026. The World Cup will be held for the first time in three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about the next edition of the World Cup.

Read also: 2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Fixtures, schedule and results

After a vibrant Qatar 2022 World Cup, where Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, became champions after beating France on penalties, football fans have already started the countdown to the next World Cup party. 48 teams will be part of the 2026 World Cup and 104 matches that you can enjoy on your television. Take note!

World Cup 2026	Dates and times
When does it start?	June 11, 2026
How long does it last?	38 days (from June 11 to July 19, 2026)
When does it end?	July 19, 2026
Where is it played?	United States, Mexico and Canada
How many games will there be?	104 meetings
How many groups will there be?	12 groups of 4 teams

Where will the 2026 World Cup be played? 

The 2026 World Cup will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It is the first time that three countries will host a World Cup. The next World Cup will be divided between eleven venues in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

When does the 2026 World Cup start? 

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will once again be held in the middle of the year, as was the case before Qatar 2022. This means that the World Cup will be played in the summer in the northern hemisphere. According to information from FIFA, the 2026 World Cup will start on June 11 and end on July 19, 2026, so it will last 38 days.

The 2026 World Cup will have a total of 104 matches, 40 more than the previous edition. 

What will the new format of the 2026 World Cup be like?

The FIFA Council has approved the new format for the 2026 World Cup, in which the participating teams will be divided into twelve groups of four teams. Thus, from the next World Cup, the top two teams and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the group stage.

“The revised format mitigates the risk of collusion and ensures that all teams play a minimum of three matches while providing balanced rest time between competing teams,” FIFA said.

How many groups will the 2026 World Cup have?

FIFA  has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will have 12 groups of four teams, where the top two from each series, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will qualify for the round of 32.

What are the venues for the 2026 World Cup? 

There were 41 cities between the United States, Canada and Mexico that competed to be chosen as hosts for the 2026 World Cup. The final list for the World Cup was 16 venues, with the United States being the country that will have the most cities in 2026 with 11 in total. Check out the 16 cities and stadiums that were chosen for the next FIFA World Cup here:

World Cup 2026: Mexico Headquarters  

• Mexico City: Azteca Stadium (83,264)
• Guadalajara: Akron Stadium (46,355)
• Monterrey: BBVA Stadium (51,000)

2026 World Cup: USA host 

• Atlanta: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000)
• Boston: Gillette Stadium (68,756)
• Dallas: AT&T Stadium (80,000)
• Houston: NRG Stadium (72,220)
• Kansas City: Arrowhead Stadium (76,416)
• Los Angeles: SoFi Stadium (70,000)
• Miami: Hard Rock Stadium (65,326)
• New York/New Jersey: MetLife Stadium (82,500)
• Philadelphia: Lincoln Financial Field (67,594)
• San Francisco Bay Area: Levi’s Stadium (68,500)
• Seattle: Lumen Field (72,000)

World Cup 2026: Canada Headquarters

• Toronto: BMO Field (30,000)
• Vancouver: BC Place (54,500)

“We would like to congratulate the 16 World Cup host cities for their incredible commitment and passion. Today is a historic day for all the cities and states, for FIFA, for Canada, the United States and Mexico, who will put on the greatest show on earth,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in June 2022.

What is the logo for the 2026 World Cup?

FIFA has unveiled the official brand and logo for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, in Los Angeles, USA.

“For the first time in history, an image of the trophy and the tournament year are represented together, forming an innovative design language that anchors the emblem for 2026 and beyond,” FIFA said in a statement.

“The trophy image and year will allow for customization to reflect the uniqueness of each host country while building an identifiable brand structure for years to come,” he noted.

What is the schedule for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers? 

Conmebol announced the schedule for the  South American Qualifiers for the  2026 World Cup. The first double date will be played from September 7 to 12, 2023. Check out the full schedule for the 2026 World Cup here:

FIXTURE

SEPTEMBER 2023

Date 1

• Paraguay 0 – 0 Peru | 07/09/23 
• Colombia 1 – 0 Venezuela | 07/09/23 
• Argentina 1 – 0 Ecuador | 07/09/23 
• Uruguay 3 – 1 Chile | 08/09/23 
• Brazil 5 – 1 Bolivia | 08/09/23 

Date 2

• Bolivia 0 – 3 Argentina | 12/09/23 
• Ecuador 2 – 1 Uruguay | 12/09/23 
• Venezuela 1 – 0 Paraguay | 12/09/23 
• Chile 0 – 0 Colombia | 09/12/23 
• Peru 0 – 1 Brazil | 12/09/23 

OCTOBER 2023

Date 3

• Colombia 2 – 2 Uruguay | 12/10/23 
• Bolivia 1 – 2 Ecuador | 12/10/23 
• Argentina 1 – 0 Paraguay | 12/10/23 
• Chile 2 – 0 Peru | 12/10/23 
• Brazil 1 – 1 Venezuela | 12/10/23 

Date 4

• Venezuela 3 – 0 Chile | 10/17/23 
• Paraguay 1 – 0 Bolivia | 17/10/23 
• Ecuador 0 – 0 Colombia | 17/10/23 
• Uruguay 2 – 0 Brazil | 17/10/23 
• Peru 0 – 2 Argentina | 17/10/23 

NOVEMBER 2023

Date 5

• Bolivia 2 – 0 Peru | 16/11/23 
• Venezuela 0 – 0 Ecuador | 16/11/23
• Colombia 2 – 1 Brazil | 16/11/23 
• Argentina 0 – 2 Uruguay | 16/11/23 
• Chile 0 – 0 Paraguay | 11/16/23 

Date 6

• Paraguay 0 – 1 Colombia | 21/11/23 
• Ecuador 1 – 0 Chile | 11/21/23 
• Uruguay 3 – 0 Bolivia | 21/11/23 
• Brazil 0 – 1 Argentina | 21/11/23  
• Peru 1 – 1 Venezuela | 21/11/23  

SEPTEMBER 2024

Date 7

• Bolivia 4 – 0 Venezuela |  05/09/24  
• Argentina 3 – 0 Chile | 05/09/24 
• Uruguay 0 – 0 Paraguay | 06/09/24 
• Brazil 1 – 0 Ecuador | 06/09/24 
• Peru 1 – 1 Colombia | 06/09/24 

Date 8

• Colombia 2 – 1 Argentina | 10/09/24 
• Ecuador 1 – 0 Peru | 10/09/24 
• Chile 1 – 2 Bolivia | 10/09/24 
• Venezuela 0 – 0 Uruguay | 10/09/24 
• Paraguay 1 – 0 Brazil | 10/09/24 

OCTOBER 2024

Date 9

• Bolivia  1 – 0  Colombia   |10/10/24 
• Venezuela  1 – 1  Argentina  |10/10/24 
• Ecuador  0 – 0  Paraguay  |10/10/24 
• Chile  1 – 2  Brazil  |10/10/24 
• Peru  1 – 0  Uruguay |  11/10/24 

Date 10

• Colombia  4 – 0  Chile   |10/15/24 
• Paraguay  2 – 1  Venezuela  |15/10/24 
• Uruguay  0 – 0  Ecuador  |15/10/24 
• Argentina  6 – 0  Bolivia  |15/10/24 
• Brazil  4 – 0  Peru  |15/10/24 

NOVEMBER 2024

Date 11

• Venezuela 1 – 1 Brazil | 14/11/24 
• Paraguay 2 – 1 Argentina | 14/11/24 
• Ecuador 4 – 0 Bolivia | 14/11/24 
• Uruguay 3 – 2  Colombia | 15/11/24 
• Peru 0 – 0 Chile | 15/11/24 

Date 12

• Bolivia 2 – 2 Paraguay | 19/11/24 
• Colombia 0 – 1  Ecuador | 19/11/24
• Argentina 1 – 0 Peru | 19/11/24 
• Chile 4 – 2  Venezuela | 11/19/24 
• Brazil 1 – 1   Uruguay | 19/11/24 

(All matches in Peruvian time)

MARCH 2025

Date 13

• Uruguay – Argentina
• Peru – Bolivia
• Brazil – Colombia
• Paraguay – Chile
• Ecuador – Venezuela

Date 14

• Colombia – Paraguay
• Venezuela – Peru
• Bolivia – Uruguay
• Argentina – Brazil
• Chile – Ecuador

JUNE 2025

Date 15

• Colombia – Peru
• Venezuela – Bolivia
• Paraguay – Uruguay
• Chile – Argentina
• Ecuador – Brazil

Date 16

• Uruguay – Venezuela
• Peru – Ecuador
• Brazil – Paraguay
• Bolivia – Chile
• Argentina – Colombia

SEPTEMBER 2025

Date 17

• Uruguay – Peru
• Colombia – Bolivia
• Brazil – Chile
• Paraguay – Ecuador
• Argentina – Venezuela

Date 18

• Peru – Paraguay
• Venezuela – Colombia
• Bolivia – Brazil
• Chile – Uruguay
• Ecuador – Argentina

When does the 2026 World Cup qualifying phase begin? 

The South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup began on September 7, 2023, with a double date. Although the scheduled date was March 2023, the Conmebol Council confirmed the match schedule that will take place from September 2023 to September 2025.

The qualifying format will not change, so it will maintain the ‘all against all’ format with home and away matches, as it has been played for several years. 

It should be noted that Ecuador will begin this qualifying process with three fewer points due to the sanction received in the Byron Castillo case.

How many teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup? 

There are 48 teams that will qualify for the next edition of the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Starting in 2026, there will no longer be 32 but 48 teams that will participate in the World Cup, FIFA confirmed. For example, South America will have six and a half places for the 2026 World Cup.  Check here the quotas for the qualifiers from each confederation:

• Asia: 8 and a half seats
• Africa: 9 and a half places
• North, Central America and the Caribbean: 6 and a half places
• Europe: 16 places
• South America: 6 and a half places
• Oceania: 1 and a half places