When do the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup start?

The Qatar 2022 World Cup has ended, and what a finish it was as Argentina defeated France to become champions of the world, adding a third star to their badge. Now, the eyes of the soccer world are on Mexico, the United States and Canada, where the next World Cup will be held, but this time with 48 countries instead of 32.

Of course, which 45 nations compete at the World Cup finals, along with the automatically qualified three hosts, will come down to the regional qualifiers of each confederation.

When each confederation begins World Cup 2026 qualifiers

CONCACAF

With Mexico, the United States and Canada not being in these qualifiers, the Concacaf ties will be a little easier for the Central American countries, but there will only be three tickets available. With the bigger nations gone, teams like Guatemala, Curaçao, Nicaragua and Trinidad and Tobago will have a better chance of reaching the most important soccer tournament. Start dates are still to be confirmed.

CONMEBOL

Being one of the longest and most difficult qualifiers on the planet, the qualifying will begin in March 2023 but the calendar is yet to be fully defined. On this occasion, the South American confederation will have six direct places for the World Cup and one for the intercontinental playoff.

UEFA

So far, the European Union Football and Association Association has not released the calendar, but the ties are expected to begin in 2025, since in 2024 there is the European Championships in Germany. It is worth mentioning that the old continent will have 16 direct tickets to the World Cup among 55 countries. We expect an announcement on 25 January 2023.

AFC

Unlike other editions, the Asian confederation will have eight places guaranteed for the World Cup and potentially one more through the playoff. The qualifiers will begin on October 12, 2023 for the lowest ranked teams and the competition will end in November 2025.

CAF

On this occasion, the African Football Confederation will have nine direct places for the 2026 World Cup and one more for the intercontinental playoffs. So far, African leaders have not revealed when the World Cup qualifiers will begin.

OFC

For years, the Oceania zone had only half a ticket to the World Cup but by 2026 the confederation will have a direct quota and there will also be one for reclassification. Like other continents, this one has not yet defined its qualification calendar.