Along with Mexico’s and Canada’s men’s national football teams, the United States’ men’s squad will automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.
In a joint North American bid, the three nations were successful in winning the right to host the World Cup.
Historically, FIFA has allowed host countries to participate in the World Cup without having to compete in the standard qualification processes.
But because the event is expected to grow from 32 teams to 48 teams in 2026, this is the first time FIFA had to reserve three host bids.
Now, CONCACAF teams will receive three additional slots through qualifying.
The hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026, namely Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will automatically qualify for the competition’s final round, according to a statement from FIFA on Tuesday.
“In addition, the FIFA Council confirmed that, in keeping with the long-standing tradition of having all hosts compete at the FIFA World Cup, as well as sporting and operational considerations,” read the statement.
Their berths will, as a result, be subtracted from the total of six allotted to CONCACAF, it continued.
It was wonderful news for Canada even though the U.S. and Mexico typically qualify for the majority of World Cups.
Their men’s national team qualified for Qatar 2022, ending a 36-year absence at the World Cup.
However, Canada dropped all three of its games during the group round.
The FIFA Council also set a deadline for submitting bids for the privilege to host the 2030 World Cup, announcing that it will decide in 2019.
The FIFA conference to choose a host for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will take place first and be held earlier in 2024, will be independent from that one.
Three proposals have been officially accepted to host in 2030. These include a united South American candidacy from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile; a joint Spain-Portugal campaign that last year included the conflict-torn Ukraine; and a single-nation bid from Morocco.