FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States

The path to FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States begins for Oceania! The preliminary qualification draw took place in Zurich as eleven nations discovered their route to the FIFA World Cup. It’s the first time ever that the Oceania Football Confederation has a direct slot for the FIFA World Cup, with an additional qualification space available via FIFA’s Intercontinental play-off tournament. There will be three rounds following this draw, with round one commencing in September when the four lowest-ranked OFC countries in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings of July 2024 — Cook Islands, Tonga, American Samoa and Samoa — stage a knockout tournament to qualify for round two.

Welcome, On Location! 🤝 FIFA has appointed On Location, a global leader in premium experiences, hospitality and travel, as the Official Hospitality Provider of FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States. On Location will help FIFA deliver its biggest-ever and most dynamic hospitality programme for the tournament, offering ticket-inclusive fan experience packages for the world's biggest single-sport event. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said: "With this groundbreaking agreement, we’re sure that we have found the perfect provider to offer premium experience products for the next World Cup that will appeal to domestic audiences across all three host countries, as well as the millions expected to travel from abroad for this historic tournament in 2026."

FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States representatives attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Summer Meeting in Kansas City this week, one of the Host Cities for the 2026 tournament 🇺🇸   The representatives met with various mayors and organising committee team members from a number of tournament Host Cities, all of whom are helping plan and deliver operational and logistical projects ahead of the historic 16 Host City tournament across Canada, Mexico and the US in 2026. The meeting was also open to Mayors from various potential Team base Camp cities.   Those in attendance were given an overview of FIFA World Cup 26™ progress, an opportunity to ask questions directly to senior tournament officials with in-depth knowledge of FIFA World Cup operations, and updates on key upcoming milestones to help Host Cities excite fans on the road to 2026.    A big thank you to Mayor Bruce Harrell (Seattle, WA) and Mayor Quinton Lucas (Kansas City, MO) who helped bring mayors — including Mayor Karen Bass (Los Angeles, CA) — from US Host Cities together for the second time following meetings at the USCM Winter Meeting in Washington, DC in January this year.

The next step on the path to FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States for Asia! The draw for the third round of AFC qualification took place in Kuala Lumpur today, presenting some fascinating match-ups for Asia's 18 remaining hopefuls. The top two finishers in each of the three groups qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Those finishing third and fourth in the round-robin format will progress to the fourth round — an additional group stage where a further two nations will punch their ticket to North America. The two fourth-round runners-up will then advance to the fifth round where Asia’s representative at the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off Tournament will be determined. The third round takes place on a home-and-away basis, from September 2024 to June 2025 — stay tuned! 👀

Discussing all things women in sport at the Olé Sports Summit in Miami! 🇺🇸 Valeria Sorrentino, Head of Arrivals and Departures for FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States attended the event in Miami to participate in a panel titled Influencers and Leaders: The vision of women transforming football and sports. Joined by Heidi Pellerano, Commercial Director of CONCACAF, Isabelle Van Coevorde, Head of Marketing for Bundesliga International GmbH and Janelle Marie Prieto, Director of Marketing and Community for FWC26 Miami, Valeria spoke on the importance of young women entering the sports world and how the FIFA World Cup 26™️ is an exciting time for women to get into the industry. Valeria said: “We are very fortunate to have so many inspirational leaders at FIFA who are women and leading critical departments and functions of the organisation. “What we need to continue doing is provoking young women into a career in sports and acknowledging their potential future in the industry. We need to give them a platform to grow and a spotlight to shine. The FIFA World Cup in 2026 will provide us all with an amazing opportunity to engage and encourage many more women to get into the game one way or another. “I am lucky enough to work alongside some amazing women in the FIFA Miami and Zurich offices and it's great to see the team being as gender diverse as it is. It’s an exciting few years ahead for the tournament and for women in sport.” The Sports Summit will now move to Mexico City for an event on 4 July, which will feature FIFA World Cup 26™️ Mexico Chief Tournament Officer, Jurgen Mainka.

The updated FIFA World Cup 26™️ match schedule is here! 🗓️ The schedule is now colour-coded and spotlights teams’ possible pathways in steering their way from the group stage to the final. The new version of the schedule is particularly significant for the host nations – Canada, Mexico and the United States, who can now clearly see their match routes should they finish first or second in their respective groups.

An exciting FIFA World Cup 26™️ update! 🏆 FIFA has released the first edition of the online Team Base Camp brochure, comprising a list of locations where the 48 participating teams can establish their ‘home away from home’ for the tournament. The first edition of the Team Base Camp brochure showcases 24 high-grade locations. The list of potential Team Base Camps will grow over the next 18 months, with further options across Canada, Mexico and the United States to be added. Heimo Schirgi, Chief Operating Officer World Cup, said: “Even if a city is not staging matches, a participating team coming to stay creates a strong personal bond with the competition for people locally. “It will see them adopt their guests as a second team during the tournament, thereby connecting even more people to the FIFA World Cup.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eaCZeUyA

Ready to make FIFA World Cup history! 🏆 Two years to go until the FIFA World Cup heads to Canada for the very first time, while it’s familiar territory for the United States and Mexico. The FIFA World Cup 26™️ is the biggest and most inclusive ever, with a record 48 teams participating.

“In two years from now, the world will stand still and watch what is happening in North America.” 🤩 FIFA President Gianni Infantino looks ahead to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States with preparations in full swing for the tournament. The 2026 tournament will be the most inclusive FIFA World Cup ever, featuring a record 48 teams and hosted by 16 cities across three countries. The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup starts on 11 June 2026 at the iconic Estadio Azteca, Mexico City.

The countdown is well underway! In exactly two years - the greatest spectacle of celebration and inclusivity - the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States will begin. With preparations already in full swing and teams from across six continents vying for the largest-ever pool of 48 slots, fans and teams from around the world will gather to show once more how football unites the world.