CONCACAF unveils 2026 World Cup qualifying format with co-host Canada an auto entry

Qualifying in the CONCACAF region for the 2026 World Cup will begin in March 2024 with co-hosts Canada, the U.S. and Mexico watching from the sidelines.

FIFA confirmed earlier this month that the three co-hosts will qualify automatically for the expanded 48-team field at the men's soccer showcase.

On Tuesday, CONCACAF laid out the qualifying road map covering its remaining 32 FIFA-affiliated member associations. CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, actually has 41 member associations but only 35 are FIFA members.

FIFA has said CONCACAF could have up to eight teams at the 2026 tournament, with a further three direct qualification berths and two more possible berths via intercontinental playoffs.

As co-host, Canada will be free to set its pre-tournament schedule of friendlies.

CONCACAF sent four teams to the 32-team World Cup in Qatar last year. Canada, Mexico and the U.S. advanced by finishing in the top three of the eight-country final qualifying round-robin while fourth-place Costa Rica beat Oceania's New Zealand in a playoff to join them.

The first round of qualifying will feature the four lowest-ranked teams in the region (based on the November 2023 FIFA rankings), with the highest-ranked team taking on the lowest-ranked country and the second-highest versus third-highest in home-and-away matches in the FIFA match window of March 2024.

The two winners advance to the second round, joining 28 other teams from the confederation. The 30 teams will be split into six groups of five teams for round-robin play in June 2024 and June 2025 with each country playing four games.

The six group winners and runners-up advance to the final round, which consist of three groups of four teams. After