With 500 days to go till the start of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, key dates are available for plotting the qualification pathways for the 48 participating nations.
New Zealand have the opportunity to become the first nation to earn qualification to the tournament to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The All Whites, Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia will play in semi-finals (Wellington) and a final (Auckland) to decide who will represent Oceania at the World Cup, with the automatic qualifier known by March 24, 2025.
The runners-up will get a second chance, going into an intercontinental play-off series.
The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup starts on June 12, 2026 (NZT) at the iconic Estadio Azteca, Mexico City.
More than five million fans are expected to attend the tournament’s 104 matches in Canada, Mexico and the United States, with six billion more engaging with competition, which ends with the final on July 20, 2026 (NZT).
Who will be the 48 nations at the World Cup?
Qualifying spots, and deadlines for completion of qualifying games are:
Hosts (3) — United States, Mexico and Canada are assured of their places at the tournament.
March 2025
Oceania (1) — the winner of the FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers will automatically qualify; the runners-up will go into an intercontinental play-off to decide one more spot.
September 2025
South America (6) — six nations will qualify from South America, and another will go into intercontinental play-offs.
November 2025
Asia (8) — in addition to their eight direct slots, another Asian nation will play an intercontinental play-off.
Africa (9) — nine African nations will gain direct through qualification series already underway, and a 10th team will get an opportunity through an intercontinental play-off.
North, Central American and Caribbean (3 plus hosts) — remaining qualification games will be held between June 4 and November to decide who joins the hosts. Two teams will also get the chance to qualify through intercontinental play-offs.
March 2026
Europe (16) — UEFA teams will comprise a third of all entries at the World Cup tournament. The 16 teams will be determined by qualifiers between March 21, 2025, and March 31, 2026. No teams will participate in intercontinental play-offs.
Intercontinental play-offs (2) — the six teams destined for intercontinental play-offs will gather for a four-game tournament to decide two berths at the tournament. The two teams with the highest FIFA world rankings will meet the winners of sudden-death games between the unseeded sides. The play-off tournament will be staged in one or more of the World Cup host countries.
