The 2022 World Cup in Dubai has officially ended. They are closing an extremely successful and memorable World Cup. Countries are racing to win tickets to the next World Cup. Information about the 2026 FIFA World Cup is always of interest to fans and is hotly discussed. 123JILI will bring you the latest news about the 2026 World Cup.
Where will the FIFA World Cup 2026 take place?
According to information released by FIFA, the 2026 World Cup will be held in 3 North American countries. Those countries are the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, most of the matches will be held in the United States. The United States will have 10 host cities. Canada and Mexico will each have 3 host cities.
This is the second World Cup in history to be hosted by more than 1 country. The first recorded World Cup hosted by 2 countries was the 2002 World Cup. It was hosted by South Korea & Japan. The 2026 World Cup is also the first world football tournament to be hosted by 3 countries.
According to initial estimates, there will be a total of 104 matches taking place within 39 days. There will be 72 group stage matches, 16 round-of-16 matches, 8 round-of-16 matches, 4 quarter-finals, 2 semi-finals, 1 third-place match, and the final. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in the US state of New Jersey.
Interesting innovations of the FIFA World Cup 2026
According to the information we have, this football tournament will have many innovations compared to previous ones. Let’s find out what those innovations are.
Number of participating teams
According to the voting results, the approved results will have 48 teams participating in the biggest tournament on the planet. This has increased by 16 teams compared to the 2022 edition. However, the maximum number of matches of the teams will not change compared to before. Thus, the group stage will have 16 groups. Each group will have only 3 teams. The first and second teams of each group will advance to the next round and compete directly with the teams of the other groups.
Increasing the number of teams competing will bring many benefits to the countries. At the same time, it will attract fans to watch. That will bring huge profits to the federation.
How will the places be allocated?
According to the initial plan, the places for FIFA World Cup 2026 will be allocated as follows:
- The African region (CAF) will have a total of 9 places.
- The Asian Region (AFC) will have a total of 8 places.
- The North and Central American region (CONCACAF) will have 6 places. Of these, 3 will be reserved for the host team: USA, Canada, and Mexico.
- The South American region (CONMEBOL) will have 6 places.
- The Oceania region (OFC) will have a total of 1 place.
- There will be 2 more places for the teams participating in the intercontinental play-off. The play-off round will be held in the country hosting the final round. There will be 6 teams participating in the play-off. Each football federation in the region will have 1 team participating in the play-off (except the European Football Confederation). The confederation whose country is hosting the World Cup will have 2 representatives participating in the play-off.
World Cup Qualifying Format in Asia
According to the 2026 World Cup, the Asian qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup is divided into 4 rounds as follows:
-First qualifying round: 22 teams in the Asian region ranked from 26 to 47 in the FIFA rankings will participate in the qualifying round. The competition format will be a knockout match. It will be played in 2 rounds, the first leg and the second leg at home and away. 11 teams will be selected to participate in the second round.
-Second qualifying round: 11 teams that pass the first qualifying round will be divided into groups with 25 teams ranked from 1 to 25 in the Asian region. Thus, there will be a total of 36 teams participating in the second round. There will be 9 groups, each group has 4 teams. The teams in each group will compete in a round-robin to calculate points. The 2 teams that finish first and second in each group will advance to the third round.
-3rd qualifying round: The 3rd qualifying round will have only 18 teams left. The teams will be divided into 3 groups, each with 6 teams participating. They will continue to compete in a round-robin to select the 1st and 2nd teams in each group to enter the 4th qualifying round.
-4th qualifying round: 6 teams will be divided into 2 groups. Each group has 3 teams, competing in a round-robin to select the 2 top teams to win 2 spots to attend the 2026 World Cup. The 2 second-placed teams in the 2 groups will compete in a knockout round to qualify for the Intercontinental play-off round.
Conclusion
The 2026 FIFA World Cup information has brought a completely new look at the biggest football tournament on the planet. This is the first FIFA World Cup with so many interesting innovations. Increasing the number of teams will open up opportunities for countries to realize their World Cup dreams. Especially the Philippine national men’s football team and teams in the Southeast Asian region. Update more exciting and attractive sports news at 123JILI.
