Attention and excitement may now be focused on the road to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but it's never too early to think about the following edition of the marquee tournament, set to be held in 2026.
It's still a few years away, but it's impossible to look even further ahead to when the next edition of the star-studded global tournament will take place – and GOAL has what you need to know about where it will take place, dates, venues and more.
Who will host the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will be joint-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The tournament will comprise of 60 matches, with the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and the final, will be hosted by the United States. Canada and Mexico will each host 10 matches.
The 2026 will be the first competition hosted by three nations, while also being the first to include 48 teams, expanded from 32.
Mexico previously hosted the World Cup on two occasions, in 1970 and 1986, while the United States last hosted the tournament in 1994. This will be Canada's first time hosting, or co-hosting, the men's tournament.
Will USMNT, Canada and Mexico automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup as hosts?
It is not currently known if multiple host countries will automatically qualify for the World Cup.
FIFA have not yet confirmed the qualification process for the 2026 World Cup, while it is also possible that all three countries would qualify for the tournament through the regular process.
Traditionally, the host country will automatically qualify for the tournament, but with three hosts, it is unclear how this process will work.
South Korea and Japan's co-hosting of the 2002 World Cup was the last time multiple countries qualified for the competition as hosts.
When will the 2026 World Cup take place?
The 2026 World Cup is set to take place in the summer of 2026 between June and July, with the exact dates yet to be confirmed.
It will return to taking place in the summertime months, following from World Cup 2022 taking place in November and December in Qatar due to the cooler climate.
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