Does Mexico Qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

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Grant McQuillan

Last Updated: Mar 13^th, 2023

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Does Mexico Qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

After failing to make it past the round of 16 for the past eight World Cups, Mexico failed to get out of the group stages at Qatar 2022 for the first time since 1978 in Argentina.

At the World Cup in 2026, Mexico will co-host the competition alongside the U.S. and Canada and become the only nation in the competition’s history to host the tournament on three different occasions after doing so in 1970 and 1986. This also means the famous Estadio Azteca, which has previously hosted two World Cup finals, will become the first venue in history to host three editions of the World Cup.

Ahead of the finals in 2026, Mexican fans will wonder if they will get a free pass into the next World Cup.

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Does Mexico Qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

It’s long been a rule of FIFA that whoever is hosting the World Cup gets a spot at the finals, as seen with Qatar entering its first-ever World Cup for hosting the 2022 edition.

As a result of Mexico qualifying because it is co-hosting the tournament, it will also not have to play any qualification matches. It will only play a handful of competitive matches before the World Cup starts in the summer of 2026.

The U.S. will host the bulk of matches (60) in 2026. Canada and Mexico will play host to 10 each. As well as this, from the quarterfinals onward, all games will be hosted in the U.S., with Mexico and Canada set to close their doors at the round of 16 stage.

Mexican fans will still be ecstatic about co-hosting the tournament, as it has only reached the quarterfinals on two different occasions in its 17 attempts, and both came when it hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986.

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Who Will Mexico Play at the 2026 World Cup?

This is not possible to say until closer to the World Cup itself. Mexico will not go through a qualification process either, so it will find out who it will play when the draw is made in late 2025 and a few more months before the finals start.

Mexico can also draw against the U.S. and Canada, as both those nations also qualify as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. The draw for the finals will also be completed based on the FIFA World Rankings, which will undoubtedly change over the coming years because of so many other competitions and games to be played outside of the World Cup.