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The Guardian - UK

Sport

Yara El-Shaboury

Road to the 2026 World Cup: how is it shaping up with 48 places at stake?

World Cup the 2026 World Cup Caf Group A. Group C Brazil AFC Bruno Guimarães Concacaf Conmebol

(From left) Egypt's Mahmoud Trézéguet, Brazil's Bruno Guimarães and Japan's Karou Mitoma. — (From left) Egypt's Mahmoud Trézéguet, Brazil's Bruno Guimarães and Karou Mitoma of Japan are all focused on helping their nations qualify for next year’s World Cup. Composite: Guardian pictures

The road to the 2026 World Cup, an unprecedented 48-team event, is under way. The finals, hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, expands to 104 matches in 16 cities. Here is all you need to know about the diverse qualification paths for each confederation, key matches and emerging contenders.

AFC (Asia)

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