FIFA World Cup 2026 Teams & Groups

Tournament Overview

FIFA World Cup 2026 will feature 48 teams for the first time in World Cup history, making it the largest football tournament ever. The tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

48
Total Teams
16
Groups
104
Total Matches

Qualification by Confederation

UEFA (Europe)16 teams
AFC (Asia)8 teams
CAF (Africa)9 teams
CONCACAF (North America)6 teams
CONMEBOL (South America)6 teams
OFC (Oceania)1 team
Intercontinental Playoffs2 teams
Total48 teams

Tournament Format

Group Stage

The 48 teams will be divided into 16 groups of 3 teams each. Each team plays 2 matches in the group stage. The top 2 teams from each group advance to the Round of 32.

Knockout Phase

32 teams advance to a single-elimination knockout tournament:

  • Round of 32: 32 → 16 teams
  • Round of 16: 16 → 8 teams
  • Quarter-finals: 8 → 4 teams
  • Semi-finals: 4 → 2 teams
  • Final & Third-place playoff

Note: The final list of qualified teams will be determined through qualification tournaments ending in March 2026. Use our prediction system to forecast which teams will make it to the tournament and how they'll perform!