FIFA confirms automatic World Cup qualification for 2026 hosts
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Canada's men will be playing in back-to-back World Cups for the first time ever.
FIFA confirmed Tuesday that all three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup - Canada, the United States and Mexico - will automatically qualify for the tournament. While automatic qualification for host countries has been the practice, the 2026 tournament marks the first time that three nations have co-hosted. When Japan and South Korea co-hosted in 2002, both nations claimed automatic berths.
Toronto and Vancouver will be the lone Canadian cities hosting matches in 2026.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first under the new expanded format with the number of participants increasing from 24 to 32. Since there are three host nations, three slots will be reduced from Concacaf's allotment of six.
FIFA also hopes to have bid regulations for the 2030 World Cup for approval by June of 2023.
The 73rd FIFA Congress is set for Mar. 16 in Kigali, Rwanda