When is the next World Cup?

After 64 matches and 29 days, the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup has come to a close. How long do we have to wait for the next one?

Here’s everything there is to know so far about the next World Cup:

When is the next World Cup?

The FIFA Men’s World Cup is held every four years, so the next one will take place in 2026. FIFA has not yet released the exact dates of the tournament, but it will return to its usual June and July time slot.

Fortunately, soccer fans don’t have to wait very long for international soccer to return. The FIFA Women’s World Cup is in July 2023, and some of the qualifying events for the 2026 Men’s World Cup will also start in 2023.

Where is the 2026 World Cup?

The United States, Canada and Mexico will co-host the 2026 World Cup. It will be the first time three countries have co-hosted the tournament and the first time it’s been held in North America since the U.S. hosted it in 1994, according to The Washington Post.

Games will be played in the following 16 North American venues, NBC Sports reported.

Canada World Cup venues

• Toronto — BMO Field.
• Vancouver — BC Place.

Mexico World Cup venues

• Mexico City — Estadio Azteca.
• Monterrey — Estadio BBVA.
• Guadalajara — Estadio Akron.

U.S. World Cup venues

• Atlanta — Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
• Boston — Gillette Stadium.
• Dallas — AT&T Stadium.
• Houston — NRG Stadium.
• Kansas City — Arrowhead Stadium.
• Los Angeles — SoFi Stadium.
• Miami — Hard Rock Stadium.
• New York/New Jersey — MetLife Stadium.
• Philadelphia — Lincoln Financial Field.
• San Francisco — Levi’s Stadium.
• Seattle — Lumen Field.

How many teams will compete?

In 2026, the World Cup will expand from 32 teams to 48. Tournament organizers originally planned to change the format for the opening stage to 16 groups of three teams with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout stage, which would increase the number of games played to 80.

But there are reports that organizers are considering keeping groups of 4 and increasing the number of games to 104, according to Front Office Sports. This model would send the top two teams in each group and eight of the 12 third-place teams to the knockout round.

What teams have already qualified for the World Cup?

As host nations, the U.S., Canada and Mexico have automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup. FIFA Vice President Victor Montaglian confirmed this in an interview with Fox Sports.

The remaining 45 teams will be determined based on each of the qualifying tournaments of the six continental confederations: Asian Football Confederation, Confederation of African Football, South American Football Confederation, Oceania Football Confederation, Union of European Football Associations and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association of Football.

While most of the confederations have yet to announce the date of their qualifying period, the South American Football Confederation will be the first to start qualifiers in March 2023.