The World Cup qualifying playoffs are over and we now know the full 48-team field for this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs are over and we now know the full 48-team field for this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
48 Qualified Nations: How Each Team Earned Their Spot
During December’s World Cup draw, 42 teams that had qualified were placed into their respective groups. Six groups were slotted with the winners of the playoff finals.
The United States, having automatically qualified as one of the tournament hosts, was already slotted into Group D. It will begin its tournament June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California against Paraguay.
The Americans will then play Australia before finishing the group stage against Türkiye, which beat Kosovo on Tuesday to qualify.
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Canada is in Group B and will open against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto. Its final two group stage games will be against Qatar and Switzerland.
Mexico gets the honor of hosting the opening match of the World Cup on June 11 against South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The co-hosts will also face Korea and Czechia in Group A.
AFC: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, IraqCAF: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, DR CongoCONCACAF: United States, Canada, Mexico, Curaçao, Haiti, PanamaCONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, UruguayOFC: New ZealandUEFA: England, France, Croatia, Norway, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia
The 48 teams were drawn in 12 four-team groups. Each team will play three games within its group to determine the countries that will advance to the knockout round stage.
There will be 32 teams advancing to the knockout round following the group stage. The top two teams from each group will move on along with the eight best third-place teams.
Tiebreakers will consist of (in order) goal differential, goals scored, head-to-head play, fair play record and then drawing of lots.
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For this World Cup, FIFA has made tweaks. In the pursuit of competitive balance, two pathways have been created to the semifinals that will prevent the two highest-ranking teams from meeting before the final should they win their respective groups.
As an example, Spain is the highest-ranked team in the tournament, with defending champion Argentina ranked second. Those two nations were drawn into opposite pathways.
It is the same for France (No. 3) and England (No.
4), so the top four teams, should they win their groups, will not meet until the semifinals.
As with all World Cups, teams from the same confederation (example: Brazil and Uruguay) were unable to be drawn into the same group, except for those from Europe.
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Korea Republic 4.
Thursday, June 11, 3 p.m. (Fox): Mexico vs.
South Africa, Estadio Azteca (Mexico City) Thursday, June 11, 10 p.m. (FS1): Korea Republic vs.
Czechia, Estadio Akron (Guadalajara, Mexico) Thursday, June 18, 12 p.m. (Fox): Czechia vs.
South Africa, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) Thursday, June 18, 9 p.m. (Fox): Mexico vs.
Korea Republic, Estadio Akron (Guadalajara, Mexico) Wednesday, June 24, 9 p.m. (Fox): Czechia vs.
Mexico, Estadio Azteca (Mexico City) Wednesday, June 24, 9 p.m. (FS1): South Africa vs.
Korea Republic, Estadio BBVA (Monterrey, Mexico)
Bosnia and Herzegovina3.
Friday, June 12, 3 p.m. (Fox): Canada vs.
Bosnia and Herzegovina BMO Field (Toronto) Saturday, June 13, 3 p.m. (Fox): Qatar vs.
Switzerland, Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California) Thursday, June 18, 3 p.m. (Fox): Switzerland vs.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) Thursday, June 18, 6 p.m. (FS1): Canada vs.
Qatar, BC Place (Vancouver) Wednesday, June 24, 3 p.m. (Fox): Switzerland vs.
Canada, BC Place (Vancouver) Wednesday, June 24, 3 p.m. (FS1): Bosnia and Herzegovina vs.
Qatar, Lumen Field (Seattle)
Saturday, June 13, 6 p.m. (FS1): Brazil vs.
Morocco, MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey) Saturday, June 13, 9 p.m. (FS1): Haiti vs.
Scotland, Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Massachusetts) Friday, June 19, 6 p.m. (Fox): Scotland vs.
Morocco, Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Massachusetts) Friday, June 19, 8:30 p.m. (Fox): Brazil vs.
Haiti, Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) Wednesday, June 24, 6 p.m. (Fox): Scotland vs.
Brazil, Hard Rock Stadium (Miami) Wednesday, June 24, 6 p.m. (FS1): Morocco vs.
Haiti, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
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United States 2.
Friday, June 12, 9 p.m. (Fox): United States vs.
Paraguay, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) Saturday, June 13, 12 a.m. (FS1): Australia vs.
Türkiye, BC Place (Vancouver) Friday, June 19, 3 p.m. (Fox): United States vs.
Australia, Lumen Field (Seattle) Friday, June 19, 11 p.m. (FS1): Türkiye vs.
Paraguay, Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California) Thursday, June 25, 10 p.m. (Fox): Türkiye vs.
United States, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) Thursday, June 25, 10 p.m. (FS1): Paraguay vs.
Australia, Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
Sunday, June 14, 1 p.m. (Fox): Germany vs.
Curaçao, NRG Stadium (Houston) Sunday, June 14, 7 p.m. (FS1): Ivory Coast vs.
Ecuador, Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) Saturday, June 20, 4 p.m. (Fox): Germany vs.
Ivory Coast, BMO Field (Toronto) Saturday, June 20, 8 p.m. (FS1): Ecuador vs.
Curaçao, Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri) Thursday, June 25, 4 p.m. (FS1): Curaçao vs.
Ivory Coast, Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) Thursday, June 25, 4 p.m. (Fox): Ecuador vs.
Germany, MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Sunday, June 14, 4 p.m. (Fox): Netherlands vs.
Japan, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) Sunday, June 14, 10 p.m. (FS1): Sweden vs.
Tunisia, Estadio BBVA (Monterrey, Mexico) Saturday, June 20, 1 p.m. (Fox): Netherlands vs.
Sweden, NRG Stadium (Houston) Saturday, June 20, 12 a.m. (FS1): Tunisia vs.
Japan, Estadio BBVA (Monterrey, Mexico) Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m. (FS1): Japan vs.
Sweden, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) Thursday, June 25, 7 p.m. (Fox): Tunisia vs.
Netherlands, Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
Monday, June 15, 3 p.m. (Fox): Belgium vs.
Egypt, Lumen Field (Seattle) Monday, June 15, 9 p.m. New Zealand, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) Sunday, June 21, 3 p.m.
(FS1): Belgium vs. Iran, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) Sunday, June 21, 9 p.m.
(FS1): New Zealand vs. Egypt, BC Place (Vancouver) Friday, June 26, 11 p.m.
(FS1): Egypt vs. Iran, Lumen Field (Seattle) Friday, June 26, 11 p.m.
(Fox): New Zealand vs. Belgium, BC Place (Vancouver)
FIFA Ranking Impact on Seedings and Bracket Position
The useful takeaway is how this update changes supporter decisions before the tournament starts. A World Cup article should make the next match, team, or lineup implication clear rather than drifting into generic tournament background.
For readers following FIFA World Cup 2026 closely, the best next step is to connect this story to the relevant team pages and match lineups. That keeps the article grounded in the questions fans search for before kickoff.