When does 2026 World Cup qualifying start? Draw dates and seeding | OneFootball

It feels like only yesterday that people all over the world gathered around their television sets to witness Lionel Messi lift the World Cup trophy aloft in Qatar.

However, eyes are already turning to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with expectations high for the newly-expanded 48-team tournament.

Succeeding in North America will pose a mighty challenge but reaching the competition itself may prove a tricky barrier to hurdle for many countries. The qualification process can be arduous but the rewards are unrivalled.

Here is everything you need to know about 2026 World Cup qualifying.

UEFA

European champions Spain will aim to conquer the world / Lars Baron/GettyImages

Qualification for the 2026 World Cup is yet to commence for UEFA nations and won't kick off until March 2025. The confederation's countries will be drawn into 12 different groups of four or five teams, with each side playing their group stage opponents home and away. The draw for qualification will take place on 13 December 2024 in Switzerland.

Fixtures will be played from March to December 2025 and the 12 group winners will automatically qualify for the expanded World Cup. The runners-up in each group will enter the play-off round alongside four sides based on UEFA Nations league performances.

There are four knockout play-off paths, with the winner of each path securing passage to the 2026 World Cup. In total, 16 UEFA sides will reach the tournament.

UEFA World Cup qualifying dates

CONMEBOL

Brazil are searching for a spot at the World Cup / Anadolu/GettyImages

South American sides have already started the World Cup qualification process, kicking off their campaigns in September 2023. All ten of the confederation's teams participate in a single league table, playing 18 matches in total - facing each side home and away.

The top six sides reach the World Cup group stage automatically, while the seventh-placed nation will qualify for the inter-confederation play-offs. Said play-offs contain six countries - two from host confederation CONCACAF and one from each other confederation bar UEFA.

The final Matchday 18 fixtures will be played in September 2025.

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying dates

CONCACAF

The United States and Mexico have qualified automatically / Agustin Cuevas Cornejo/USSF/GettyImages

Only three nations have qualified for the 2026 World Cup thus far and they're the three host nations: United States, Mexico and Canada. The second round of CONCACAF qualifying is well underway, with the six group winners and runners-up reaching the third round.

The third round will consist of the 12 sides making up three groups of four, with the group winners automatically reaching the World Cup. The two best performing second-placed sides will compete in the aforementioned inter-confederation play-offs.

The third round matches will begin in September 2025, with three CONCACAF teams guaranteed to join the host nations at the tournament.

CONCACAF World Cup qualifying dates

CAF

Mohamed Salah will be keen to reach a final World Cup / Sayed Hassan/GettyImages

CAF World Cup qualifying is also underway, with the first round having kicked off in November 2023. It consists of nine groups of six teams, with the winners of each group automatically progressing to the tournament in North America. The final Matchday 10 concludes in October 2025.

The four best performing runners up in the group stage will then qualify for the second round, competing against one another in a semi-final and final. The winner of the final in November 2025 will qualify for the inter-confederation play-offs.

CAF World Cup qualifying dates

AFC

Japan are World Cup regulars / Koji Watanabe/GettyImages

There are five rounds involved in AFC World Cup qualifying for 2026, with the first of those commencing on 12 October 2023. That saw the confederation's 20 lowest-ranked teams compete in two legged play-offs, with the ten victors moving to the second round.

The second round was made up of nine groups of four teams, with each side playing one another home and away. Those fixtures concluded in June 2024, with the top two nations in each group qualifying for the third round and the unrelated Asian Cup.

The third round consists of three groups of six, with the top two sides in each table automatically securing their spot at the 2026 World Cup. The six sides that finish third and fourth in each group then enter the fourth round, which separates them into a further two tables of three teams.

In that fourth round, the top side in each group qualify for the World Cup, while the second-placed teams enter the fifth round - a two-legged play-off. However, the winner of the fifth round only earns a spot in the inter-confederation play-off.

AFC World Cup qualifying dates

OFC

New Zealand are searching for a World Cup berth / DJ MILLS/GettyImages

The first round of OFC qualifying saw the confederation's four lowest-ranked nations competing for a spot in the second round. After a semi-final and a final, it was Samoa who progressed.

The second round is made up of just two groups of four teams, with each country playing six times in total. After those matches are completed, the top two enter the third round.

Only one team qualifies automatically from the third round, doing so if they win their semi-final and final. The team that loses the showpiece event drops into the inter-confederation play-offs.