FIFA World Cup 2026: FIFA confirms US, Canada, Mexico automatically in 2026 World Cup

Why In News

·         The U.S. men's national team, along with Mexico and Canada, will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The three countries won the right to host the World Cup in a united North American bid.

Key Points

·         The U.S. men’s national team, along with Mexico and Canada, will automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The three countries won the right to host the World Cup in a united North American bid.

·         FIFA historically has given host nations the right to play in the World Cup without going through the usual qualification tournaments, though this is the first time FIFA had to set aside three host bids.

·         The tournament is set to expand from 32 teams to 48 in 2026. Another three berths will be awarded to CONCACAF nations via qualifying.

·         While the U.S. and Mexico tend to qualify for most World Cups, it was good news for Canada, whose men’s national team broke a 36-year drought between World Cup appearances when it qualified for Qatar in 2022. Canada lost all three of its group-stage matches.

·         The FIFA Council also determined its timetable for bidding for the right to host the 2030 World Cup. That meeting will be separate from FIFA’s meeting to select a host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be held first, earlier in 2024.

·         There are three confirmed bids for 2030 hosting duties: a South American joint bid featuring Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile; a Spain-Portugal joint bid that added war-torn Ukraine last year; and Morocco.