World Cup 2026: who’s already in, and when the draw happens

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I do love simple checklists for big tournaments. Who has qualified. How many places are left. When the draw is. For the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the answers are finally taking shape. We have a confirmed draw date in Washington on December 5. We know the opening game will be in Mexico City, and the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. We also have a growing list of nations already through.

Below is the state of play, kept clean and useful for readers who want the essentials first, then the context.

Key headlines

• Draw date and place: Friday, December 5, 2025. John F. Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
• Tournament dates: June 11 to July 19, 2026. Opening match in Mexico City, final in New York New Jersey.
• Format: 48 teams. Twelve groups of four. Top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to a new round of 32. 104 matches in total.

Who has qualified so far

This is the up-to-date list by confederation. I’m keeping hosts and continental tickets separate so you can see where the remaining pressure points sit.

Hosts (3)

Hosts qualify automatically.

Asia (AFC) – 8 direct places

These six wrapped up their spots in the third round. Two more AFC places are decided via the October mini-groups; a fifth-Asian team heads to the inter-confederation playoffs in March 2026.

Oceania (OFC) – 1 direct place

New Caledonia progress to the playoffs.

South America (CONMEBOL) – 6 direct places

Bolivia booked the region’s playoff berth after a late twist on the final matchday. The six above are in automatically.

Africa (CAF) – 9 direct places

Seven more African places will be confirmed in October’s final group rounds; CAF’s playoff representative goes to the March inter-confed tournament.

Europe (UEFA) – 16 direct places

UEFA’s group stage runs into November with twelve direct places for group winners, then a four-path playoff to decide the last four European tickets. No European nation is mathematically through yet.

Snapshot table: 2026 places by confederation

What the draw will do, and what it will not

The draw at the Kennedy Center will create 12 groups of four. It comes before the UEFA playoffs and the inter-confederation playoffs, so several placeholders will sit in the pots as “winners of X playoff.” That is normal when schedules compress.

Seeding will follow FIFA’s ranking protocols, which usually weight recent competitive matches more heavily. The expanded format means more third-place lifelines, and that changes group-stage incentives a little. The math encourages strong starts and goal-difference management rather than pure risk aversion. We saw FIFA confirm the 12×4 format in March 2023, together with the round-of-32 addition.

Inter-confederation playoffs: the last two tickets

Six nations will go to a short tournament in March 2026 to decide the final two places. Two teams will be seeded straight into the decisive games based on the FIFA Ranking; the other four play semifinals to reach them. Bolivia are already in from South America. New Caledonia carry Oceania’s flag. Two CONCACAF teams join, plus one each from Africa and Asia. Reuters also reported the playoffs will be staged in Monterrey and Guadalajara as a tournament test event.

Key dates already locked

What this means if you follow a European or African team

I keep hearing the same question from readers in London, Accra, and Marseille. Does the 48-team format make qualifying easier. In theory it opens more doors. In practice the pressure moves later. In UEFA, the extra three slots ease bottlenecks, but the four-path playoff will still produce one or two bruising eliminations. In Africa, nine automatic places bring overdue representation, yet the groups have been tight and small margins still decide everything. Morocco and Tunisia getting over the line early is exactly the advantage bigger programs try to build.

One-screen tracker: everyone in, at a glance

Quick explainer: why the format change matters

We know from past tournaments that third-place pathways change incentives. With 12 groups and eight third-place tickets, a strong four-point haul can be enough to reach the knockouts. That means some coaches will prioritize clean sheets and set-pieces over early fireworks in matchday one. FIFA’s switch to a 104-match, 39-day event is designed to keep jeopardy in the group stage and avoid the dead-rubber problems that would have come with the earlier three-team idea.

A note on venues, travel, and the first whistle

FIFA locked in the key stadium facts a while ago. Mexico’s Estadio Azteca hosts the opener on June 11. The final is in East Rutherford on July 19. Canada and the United States will also get flagship opening fixtures on June 12. It sounds ceremonial, but it also helps fans plan travel because each host plays all three group matches at home. That is kinder on supporters and squads alike across a very large map.

We have them now. A draw on December 5. A format everyone can understand. A list of teams that is already interesting, with South America set, Asia mostly done, Africa breaking its logjam, and Europe still simmering. The next two windows will finish the picture. Then the names go into the bowls in Washington and the route to New Jersey gets very real.