THE 2026 WORLD CUP EXPANSION AND SOUTH AMERICAN QUALIFICATIONS

The next FIFA World Cup will feature 48 nations, and CONMEBOL will place more than half of its member teams into the final tournament.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the last to include 32 teams. Beginning with the 2026 World Cup, hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada, the field expands to 48 teams and a new competition format will be introduced to fit the larger event.

THE UNITED STATES, CANADA AND MEXICO HOSTING IN 2026

Among the confederations set to gain the most from adding 16 spots to the finals, CONMEBOL stands to benefit significantly. With more berths available, more than half of the ten South American teams will advance to the showpiece event.

QUOTES

With 48 teams on the roster in 2026, FIFA allocated two extra slots to the South American Confederation. This arrangement guarantees six teams a direct World Cup berth, while a seventh earns a chance to compete in the intercontinental playoff for an additional place.

As a result, only three of the ten countries in the continent will miss out on the World Cup.

ATTENDEES

As usual, the qualifiers will be contested by the ten South American national federations affiliated with CONMEBOL. Despite Argentina holding the title of reigning world champion, its place in the 2026 World Cup is not guaranteed without going through the qualifying tournament.

The participating teams are:

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Uruguay
• Colombia
• Chile
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Venezuela
• Ecuador
• Bolivia

FORMAT

Following the expansion of available World Cup places, Alejandro Domínguez urged a revision of the CONMEBOL ranking system. In mid-2022 Brazil proposed a two-zone format with home-and-away legs to shorten the calendar and prevent early qualification that could undermine the competition’s value. This would also impact television rights and club negotiations over player transfers.

Nevertheless, in a late August meeting, the CONMEBOL council voted unanimously to keep the traditional format in place since 1995: a single group where teams play each other home and away for a total of 18 matchdays.

WHEN DO SOUTH AMERICAN QUALIFICATIONS BEGIN AND END?

The 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the United States, Mexico and Canada will begin on the FIFA dates in September 2023 and conclude in September 2025. The intercontinental playoffs are scheduled for March 2026, three months before the World Cup kicks off.

THE PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN SOUTH AMERICAN QUALIFICATIONS

DATE 1

DATE 2

DATE 3 (October 9 to 17, 2023)

Colombia-Uruguay

Brazil – Venezuela

Bolivia – Ecuador

Argentina – Paraguay

Chile – Peru

DATE 4 (October 9 to 17, 2023)

Uruguay-Brazil

Peru – Argentina

Venezuela – Chile

Paraguay Bolivia

Ecuador-Colombia

DATE 5 (November 13 to 21, 2023)

Colombia – Brazil

Venezuela-Ecuador

Bolivia – Peru

Argentina – Uruguay

Chile – Paraguay

DATE 6 (November 13 to 21, 2023)

Uruguay-Bolivia

Peru – Venezuela

Brazil – Argentina

Paraguay-Colombia

Ecuador – Chile

DATE 7 (September 2-10, 2024)

Uruguay-Paraguay

Peru-Colombia

Brazil – Ecuador

Bolivia – Venezuela

Argentina – Chile

DATE 8 (September 2-10, 2024)

Colombia – Argentina

Venezuela-Uruguay

Paraguay – Brazil

Chile – Bolivia

Ecuador-Peru

DATE 9 (7 to 15 October 2024)

Peru-Uruguay

Venezuela – Argentina

Bolivia – Colombia

Chile – Brazil

Ecuador-Paraguay

DATE 10 (7 to 15 October 2024)

Uruguay-Ecuador

Colombia – Chile

Brazil – Peru

Paraguay-Venezuela

Argentina – Bolivia

DATE 11 (November 11 to 19, 2024)

Uruguay-Colombia

Peru – Chile

Venezuela – Brazil

Paraguay – Argentina

Ecuador-Bolivia

DATE 12 (November 11 to 19, 2024)

Colombia-Ecuador

Brazil – Uruguay

Bolivia – Paraguay

Argentina – Peru

Chile – Venezuela

DATE 13 (March 17 to 25, 2025)

Uruguay-Argentina

Peru-Bolivia

Brazil – Colombia

Paraguay – Chile

Ecuador-Venezuela

DATE 14 (March 17 to 25, 2025)

Colombia-Paraguay

Venezuela-Peru

Bolivia-Uruguay

Argentina Brazil

Chile – Ecuador

DATE 15 (June 1-9, 2025)

Colombia-Peru

Venezuela-Bolivia

Paraguay-Uruguay

Chile – Argentina

Ecuador – Brazil

DATE 16 (June 1-9, 2025)

Uruguay-Venezuela

Peru-Ecuador

Brazil – Paraguay

Bolivia – Chile

Argentina – Colombia

DATE 17 (September 6 to 14, 2025)

Uruguay-Peru

Colombia-Bolivia

Brazil – Chile

Paraguay-Ecuador

Argentina – Venezuela

DATE 18 (September 6 to 14, 2025)

Peru-Paraguay

Venezuela-Colombia

Bolivia – Brazil

Chile – Uruguay

Ecuador – Argentina

Source: Goal