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See the 28 countries that have qualified for 2026 World Cup

By Vincent Ashitey
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28 countries have so far confirmed their place at next summer's tournament.

The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It is the first time the tournament will be hosted by three different nations.

The opening match will take place on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, with the final on July 19 in New Jersey.

The tournament is being expanded to include 48 teams for the first time and as a result it will last a record 39 days.

It has doubled in size since the last time the tournament was held in the United States, when 24 teams competed for the trophy in 1994.

The new format will feature 12 four-team groups and an extra knockout round - a round of 32.

 

The countries that have already secured their spot are:

Hosts: Canada, Mexico, United States.

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

Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan.

Europe: England.

Oceania: New Zealand.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Which cities are hosting 2026 World Cup matches?

Sixteen cities will host games during next summer's World Cup - 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

These are the 2026 World Cup host cities:

USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.

Canada: Toronto and Vancouver.

When is the draw for World Cup groups?

The draw for the group stage will be held on Friday, 5 December at 17:00 GMT.

It will take place at John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

The teams representing the host countries will be assigned to positions A1 (Mexico), B1 (Canada) and D1 (USA).

The first batch of tickets went on sale at the start of October, with more than 4.5m fans entering a draw for a chance to buy them.

FIFA has not formally revealed a full price list, but they are being listed online by fans who were successful in the draw after spending hours in digital queues.

General admission tickets are being split into four categories, with those for the first match in the USA costing between $560 (£417) and $2,235 (£1,662).

The cheapest ticket for the 2026 final costs $2,030 (£1,510), and the most expensive is $6,000 (£4,462). Hospitality tickets, meanwhile, are yet to go on sale but will almost certainly be priced significantly higher.

Some tickets for matches early in the tournament - in a few of the less prestigious locations - are available for $60 (£44), but stadium map images show they are a tiny proportion of available seats.

The second phase of ticketing will begin on Monday, 27 October, with the Early Ticket Draw that will run until 31 October. This will involve an application process followed by a randomised selection.

A random selection draw will take place shortly after the groups are drawn on 5 December, during which fans can apply for specific matches.

A last-minute sales phase will take place closer to the tournament, during which fans will be able to purchase any remaining inventory on a first come, first served basis.

FIFA is adopting a 'dynamic' pricing model for the tournament, meaning ticket prices for matches deemed high demand could be raised significantly during later sales periods.

FIFA is also offering a 'Right To Buy' system to guarantee getting tickets, although fans can expect to pay significantly more for this option.