MIAMI — The governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean has announced that there will be six automatic qualifying spots for the 2030 World Cup, with an additional spot available through an intercontinental playoff.
FIFA stated on Friday that it has yet to disclose the specific allocation of berths for each confederation. Meanwhile, the president of the South American football confederation, CONMEBOL, has suggested the possibility of expanding the tournament to include 64 teams.
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Concacaf announced on Friday that the qualifying rounds will commence in September 2027, featuring teams ranked 14th to 35th competing in home-and-home, total-goals playoffs in the first round.
The 11 victors will move on to the second round, joining the 13 highest-ranked nations. These 24 teams will be divided into six four-team groups, with each nation playing six matches in October and November 2027, as well as March 2028.
The top two teams from each group will advance to a final round featuring 12 nations, scheduled for June 2028, and in September and October 2029. This final segment will consist of three groups, each with six matches per nation. The top two finishers from each group will qualify for the 2030 World Cup, which will primarily take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with matches also hosted in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The two best third-place teams will qualify for a Concacaf home-and-home playoff in November 2029, with the winner moving on to FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs.
This format means the U.S. and Mexico will likely not face each other during the qualifying rounds.
With the World Cup expanding from 32 teams to 48, Concacaf has increased its automatic berths to six. The United States, Mexico, and Canada secured automatic qualifications as co-hosts, while Curaçao, Haiti, and Panama have qualified through the playoffs.
Jamaica has an opportunity to secure a seventh berth next month in playoffs against New Caledonia and Congo.
Additionally, Concacaf announced that the semifinals and final of its 2027 Nations League will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.