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FIFA World Cup 2026: The Teams Most Likely to Qualify
The 2026 world cup will be very different from the previous editions with 16 more teams competing for the title. This makes a total of 48 nations fighting for the most respected sporting trophy in the world.
So, what will 2026 look like, how long the tournament would be, and which nation has already booked its spot?
What does the 2026 World Cup look like in 2023?
Countries
The tournament will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. And just like Qatar’s qualification in the 2022 world cup, the three hosted nations have already qualified for the tournament. The rest of the teams will take part in their respective confederation qualifying tournaments.
Venues
The matches will take place in 16 different venues. This will include several MLS stadiums from Los Angelos, Miami, New York, etc.
Teams
So, let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, the 2026 world cup will be “a never before seen” 48 nations event. Starting with 16 3-nation group stages. The first two teams qualify for the round of 32, then 16,8,4, and so on.
Even though there is no confirmation on how long the tournament would last, it is safe to say that the 2026 FIFA world cup will be the longest one in Football history.
Just like every decision FIFA makes this decision to include 16 additional countries also came under blazing fire. FIFA did have a solid response this time around. According to Gianni Infantino who is the current president of FIFA, increasing the total number of teams to 48 will generate $1 billion in additional income with an extra $640 million in profit.
Gianni Infantino strongly suggests that the profit will be reinvested in the betterment of football around the world. Saying,
"Increasing the size of teams which can participate will increase the investment in football development, to make sure that the teams can qualify."
This begs for another debate, how many extra qualifying spots does each of the confederations get for the FIFA world cup 2026? This is what it’ll look like,
- Asia: 8 (+4)
- Africa: 9 (+4)
- Europe: 16 (+3)
- Oceania: 1 (+1)
- South America: 6 (+2)
- North, Central America, and the Caribbean: 6 (+3)
When and how the qualification takes place?
FIFA world cup qualification rounds start shortly after the conclusion of the previous one. Teams from different confederations compete against each other in order to qualify. The FIFA Executive Committee determines the nation and where they will participate in the qualifying rounds.
The different confederation that organizes the qualifying competitions are,
- AFC
- CAF
- CONCACAF
- CONMEBOL
- OFC
- UEFA
The Football World Cup 2026 seems like it is going to be something special. Surely, more teams will diversify the event. But, will it manage to keep the integrity of the contest while cashing in millions of dollars?
Let's hope the gamble delivers.