The 2026 World Cup will be an event like no other, and the excitement is already building. It’s a unique situation as this will be the first FIFA World Cup to feature 48 teams playing 80 matches in 16 different host cities across three countries–the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Although there are still several years until the big day, fans of all three nations are already looking forward to it with anticipation.
The qualifying rounds of the Concacaf will be especially exciting since the teams are risking the possibility of playing a World Cup close to home.
How many teams can qualify for CONCACAF?
A few days ago, FIFA announced that in addition to the three host countries that qualify directly (Canada, USA, Mexico) Concacaf will also have three direct places, in addition to two in an intercontinental playoff; this means that it could have up to eight teams in the World Cup, something never seen before, and that arouses the illusion of countries that have never qualified for a World Cup despite having a reasonable level.
What will be the format of the playoffs?
The First Round will be played between the four lowest-ranked member associations. The four national teams will be divided into two matches. These home and away matches will be played on the FIFA Date of March 2024. At the end of the First Round, the two winners of the matchups will advance to the Second Round.
The Second Round will be played between the two winners of the First Round and the remaining 28 participating member associations.
The 30 national teams will be divided into six groups of five teams, with each team playing the other teams in its group for a total of four games per team.
The matches of the Second Round will be played on the FIFA Dates of June 2024 and June 2025. At the end of the Second Round, the first and second places in the groups, that is, 12 teams in total, will advance to the Final Round.
The Final Round of the Concacaf Qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played between the first and second places of the Second Round groups.
The 12 national teams will be divided into three groups of four teams. Within each group, the teams will play against each other, back and forth. In total, each team will play six games.
The Final Round matches will take place on the Autumn 2025 FIFA Dates. At the end of the Final Round, the three group winners will directly qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As we can see, it is a fairly charged format that promises a lot of emotions and, above all, enough games to enjoy to the fullest.
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